$ign of the Time$

And Man, do these times suck.

St. Albert, Alberta Ca. Dumps Heroes' Names from Arenas

The City of St. Albert, Alta., near Edmonton, is selling the naming rights to the Mark Messier and Troy Murray Arenas. In 1992, the city named the facilities to honour the players who once lived in St. Albert and played for the now defunct St. Albert Saints junior hockey team.

"It just seems like if you name something, should you take it away? I know it's a money thing," said Murray's mother, Betty, who still lives in St. Albert.

"I thought it was very tacky myself. It's like in a few years, are they going to take Wayne Gretzky Drive away and rename it something else?" [..]

Betty Murray said her son, a 15-year NHLer (mostly with the Chicago Blackhawks) and Selke trophy winner who now works as a colour broadcaster for the Chicago Blackhawks, politely declined to pay the money to keep his namesake arena.

"He was actually quite hurt. He has a wife and three kids and an ordinary job. And I'm not going to go around and ask somebody for $125,000.''

During Messier's illustrious 25-year career, he won a total of six Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers, and is the only player in NHL history to captain two teams to a Stanley Cup championship.

Yeah, Yeah, I know, that's just the way it is nowdaze and in the grand scheme of things not such a big deal. But I grew up in a different era when I thought I'd never see the day that they'd be calling our temples of sports the Doritos Centre or whatever. So it always rubs me the wrong way when I see this happening. There's no soul left in society, or what little left there is... is for sale.