Colin Campbell Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot

The new NHL recap show on Versus, "Overtime" has not met with great success in the first stages. The ratings are low. The banter, while witty, is boring and over done. Unimpressive would be the word I would use. However, they scored the big get Thursday evening, getting Colin Campbell to answer questions about the email scandal that has opened a deep divide between the NHL brass, with their supporters, and a large group of fans and bloggers who find his actions reprehensible.

What did Campbell have to say? Make the jump for the video, a transcription, and of course, some follow up.

We'll take this one section at a time. I hope you don't mind, I edited out the stammering and searching for the answers. Take a public speaking class, would you, please Mr. Campbell?

The age of the emails is not important. The words are a basis to establish a lack of impartiality. They could be twenty years old, and it would not change a thing.

"Everyone knows that we recklessly and aimlessly throw emails together." No sir. YOU recklessly and aimlessly throw together emails. The rest of us understand that sending an email to a professional contact is the same as sending a letter or making a phone call to that person. It should be professional in tone and content. The fact that you do not understand this fact shows an inability to reason properly. How would you respond, sir, if I hastily wrote an email to you and did not think through my words before doing so? My guess is it would not be a kind response from you.

You didn't realize that email could be retrieved? What is that? The "I'm an old white guy" defense? Of course they can be retrieved. Did you honestly think that once you hit send, they simply disappeared like some kind of smoke signal? Dear lord, man, the recipient has a record of it, as do you, and as does the ISP on both sides. Welcome to the 21st century. Maybe it's time someone with an understanding of what a mouse is should take over.

It's dressing room talk? In an email to a colleague? You aren't in a dressing room, sir. You are an executive sending an email to someone you oversee. This isn't you and Bob Probert having a beer after the game. This is the Director of Hockey Operations sending an email to the Director of Officiating. Conduct yourself as a professional, or get the hell out of Dodge.

It wasn't meant to be mean spirited? Are you kidding me? You didn't call him an embellisher or a diver. You called him a "little fake artist." How is that not mean spirited? You need to put down your particular brand of Kool-aid and take some lessons in how to stop fooling yourself.

I haven't read anything where anyone said you thought Savard might be faking after the Cooke hit. I have read, and wrote, that your disdain for Savard affected your decision in not suspending Savard. No way you can sell otherwise.

You do have that kind of power. The officials take their lead from you, and to suggest otherwise is a bald faced lie. They do call it as they see it. However, after being chewed out by Steven Walkom after he got chewed out by you, they are going to begin to see things a bit different, don't you think? You cannot email the Director of Officiating and question calls against your son and expect the refs to see your son the same way the next game.

You don't question your officials? I ask, with all due respect, are you completely intoxicated while saying that? You outright question more than one call in the emails. It is right there in black and white, sir. Have you not read them? Or are you trying your best to convince us that the words you wrote aren't actually what we see on the screen? This is absolutely the worst possible lie you could tell yourself, or us. You don't question the calls? It is unreal how delusional you are.

You understand the question, and yet never answered it. Well done. You have a future as a politician. Your emails clearly show your lack of impartiality in games your son played in. Do you understand how this looks to the media, or not?

Of course you don't think an apology is necessary. You still don't understand that you did something wrong. You have fooled yourself and your bosses that you are guilt free here, and it frightens me to think of how the NHL is being run right now.

You shouldn't have to apologize at the end of each day, no. However, when you line up multiple violations of trust and decency, you owe at least a few apologies today. The longer it takes you to do so, the worse this situation gets.

Where Are We Now?

No where different than we were two days ago. The only thing that has changed is that Campbell has taken the support from both Bill Daly and Gary Bettman and fashioned it into a giant glass of "I am completely untouchable, so don't even think about hitting me with any follow up questions" flavored Kool aid. He is chugging it by the gallon, and he has himself completely fooled into his view of the situation.

Campbell has so completely convinced himself that what he is saying is actually true, that he has lost any grip he had on reality. He lives in Colie's World now. It's OK, though. He's comfortable there. He can live out his days completely out of touch with the fact that it is 2010, not 1985. He can dream of a time when it was OK to cuss at people in a professional setting, and when you could simply grab any woman you want and give her a big wet kiss. Let the man live in his own world. I have no problem with that.

Until he decides to rejoin the rest of us in the real world, just keep him away from the nuclear launch codes, will you?