"You don't want to go to Winnipeg, right?... Not many people live there, not many Russian people there. Plus, it's cold. There's no excitement except the hockey. No park, no entertaining for the families, for the kids. It's going to be tough life for your family... I've been there for just once, maybe twice, when I in minors. It was really cold... I used the tunnels between the buildings to get to the arena because it was minus -40 something. Real cold."
This comment was made by Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ily Bryzgalov in his impeccable English. Note the sarcasm in my writing. Being from Winnipeg, I am going to take comments like this to heart. The fact that I am a warm blooded Canadian hockey fan with an average level of intelligence and a general idea on the economics of hockey as well as the fact that I have an in-depth knowledge of Winnipeg and a general idea about the city of Phoenix leads me to the conclusion that Ilya Bryzgalov is an ignorant, pompous ass.
There is a few points about Bryzgalov and his comments that just don't make any sense to me.
Is this guy really Russian or has he been golfing in the sun too long? Moscow and Russian Siberian winters make Winnipeg a viable winter paradise in comparison.
Sure Phoenix sounds like a great place to visit. As long as you don't mind living in the desert and dying from heat stroke or a venomous snake bite. I'm sure you can get used to the termite infested buildings and sand storms.
Bryzgalov's knowledge of Winnipeg is so extensive I wonder how he forgot to mention the fact that it is nestled between the Canadian Shield and the North American Great Plains giving it a variable amount of outdoor activities all of which can be accessible within a 20 minute drive of the city. The lakes, rivers, forests and pristine wilderness probably don't compare to these Phoenix parks Ilya alludes to.
Bryzgalov claims that life in Winnipeg is hard on families. He somehow forgets to mention that his family resides in Russia, not in Phoenix. So I'm not sure how that is applicable to him only residing in North America during the hockey season.
Regardless of the parks, entertainment and weather which Ilya refers to, there is one thing we have that Phoenix does not. Hockey fans.
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