(Tom Turk / THW)
ALEXANDRIA, VA- Troy Brouwer is known for his ability to add a physical presence to the Nation’s Capitals top-six. Everything from glass rattling checks, to dropping the mitts, to driving hard into the offensive zone, finding the back of the net in crucial times for his club.
It’s hard to imagine any of this these days, when the National Hockey League continues to cancel action due to the continued labor dispute. One thing is certain though, Troy Brouwer’s off ice presence is just as important as the one that pays him almost four million yearly to wear the red shirt.
Brouwer is one of two player representatives to the union for the Washington Capitals.
As frustrations continue across the league over the failures to come to an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, frustration may have taken on a whole new meaning. Brouwer is upset over recent comments made by veteran defensemen Roman Hamrlik and goaltender Michal Neuvirth, teammates of Brouwers in DC.
Hamrlik told a news agency in the Czech republic that players should agree to a deal now because “time is our enemy.”
Neuvirth agreed and added his two cents as well, mentioning that the lockout was more about the superstars with big contracts.
It’s hard to argue with Roman Hamrlik given his age of 38. Let’s get back to what Troy Brouwer had to say though.
“These are two guys that have never been on a conference call, never been to a meeting, never paid attention,” Brouwer told the Washington Post. “People are going to have their own opinions but when you’re fighting for something with 700 other guys, all you’re doing is just making it harder to make a deal and making it harder to accomplish the things we’re fighting for.”
Did Brouwer make himself clear? Wait a sec, he isn’t done yet.
“For me, I think those guys selling us out, being selfish like that and making those comments, me being on their team, how am I suppose to trust them as a teammate from now on? Because you know they’re not going to support players in the big scheme of things when you go and you play on the team with them; it’s going to be tough to want to back those guys from now on.”
No matter what Brouwer says and feels, at the end of the day, his teammates are frustrated and have a right to speak their minds regardless of their lack of contributions to the conference calls with the National Hockey League.
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Darren Coslov
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