Sun, April 5, 2009
MacT protest fizzles
By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA
Craig MacTavish protesters Brent Morton and Dave Wilson wait for other protesters to show up outside Rexall Place yesterday. There were a paltry seven in total. (Jason Franson, Sun Media)
Members of the media outnumbered the protesters calling for the firing of Oilers coach Craig MacTavish yesterday afternoon in a much-anticipated rally that fell flat.
A band of six young men and a woman staked out a small corner of the plaza near the south entrance of Rexall Place.
At times, they were joined by two Vancouver Canucks fans standing outside smoking.
News crews from TSN, Sportsnet and CBC - which broadcast last night's game on Hockey Night in Canada - disappeared not long after the announced rally time of 4 p.m.
The rally promised big numbers, with almost 10,000 people joining a Facebook group leading up to the rally calling for the Oilers to axe their coach.
The ralliers stood quietly, hands in pockets waiting for more backers to arrive.
"Are you here for the rally?" asked protester Dave Wilson to a passerby. He was met with a confused "no."
"Down with MacTavish," he mumbled to the next set of fans as they walked toward the arena doors. His was the sole voice on the plaza.
Organizer Adam Risling, 19, said he was expecting at least 25 outraged fans to show.
"It's disappointing - it was all over the Internet," he said.
He didn't deliver the speech he said he kept in his pocket.
"It was a good speech," Risling exclaimed. "It got wasted." He then turned some of his MacTavish loathing toward the fans who sat at home.
"I think a lot of fans like to talk the talk, not walk the walk," he said.
"There's a complacency with mediocrity."
He rejected messages he got from other fans saying a rally would be a distraction right now, while the Oilers could still make the playoffs.
But Risling, a political science student, said he's ready to keep on posting protest dates until he gets his message through.
"We've had a lot of time to ask for accountability. When's that time?" he said. "Words might be hollow today, but that doesn't mean they'll be hollow in the future."
Fellow protester Nathan Cunningham said he felt supported in calling for MacTavish's firing by frustrated comments made by Ales Hemsky to media recently. He told Sun Media on March 23 he felt under-played and underappreciated.
"The negativity is there, you can't sugar-coat it - and it's getting worse," said Cunningham.
He blamed MacTavish for failing to inspire Oiler players, naming it as the big reason he wanted the coach canned, and drawing nods from fellow ralliers.
"The players don't have that intensity (under MacTavish)," he said.
Risling didn't immediately name a date for another attempt at a rally.
