Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Is Trump the New “Moose?”

Mention “Elmer Vasko” in 1961 in Chicago, and nobody would have a clue as to whom you were referring, but mention “Moose Vasko”, and everyone would know. Like most men nicknamed “Moose”, Elmer was big, but different from most men called “Moose”, as he could skate, and in fact he could skate quite well. Moose Vasko played defense on the 1961 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.  He wasn’t a high scorer like Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita or an exceptionally smooth skater like Pierre Pilote or Todd Sloan. However, he was a very important piece of this championship team for he (along with Reggie Fleming) was the “enforcer”.

For those unfamiliar with hockey, the job of the enforcer in hockey is to respond to dirty or violent play by the opposition (Wikipedia). Moose would protect his teammates, maintain order, and retaliate, especially if the bullies on the other team took cheap shots against his smaller teammates. While Bobby Hull (5’10, 195lbs) could take care of himself, undersized Stan Mikita (5’9″, 169lbs) and slender Todd Sloan (5’10”, 152 lbs) knew that Moose (6’2″, 200lbs) had their back. Hockey is a very rough sport, and, the smaller guys on any teamwould take quite an unrelenting beating unless their own feared and respected enforcer had their back. The presence of an enforcer on a hockey team in essence was telling the other team, “Be careful because your actions will have consequences.” Everyone on the other teams knew that if they crossed the line against the smaller Blackhawk players that Moose would kick their ass. In fact he did his job quite well – well enough that the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961.

Well now one might say, “Interesting, but actually who cares about Elmer Vasko, aka Moose, and the 1961 Blackhawks other than some near-senile old Chicago hockey fans?” Actually an interesting analogy can be drawn between the 1961 Chicago Blackhawks and today’s world situation. Just as hockey is a very rough game, our world is a very rough place. If an opportunity arises, the bullies on the hockey rink would go out of their way to pick on and then beat up on the little guys, just as the world’s “bullies” abuse those who do not fight back. Just as the bad guys can become more and more emboldened on the ice, the bad guys on the world stage become more emboldened when they realize that they can act without fear of retaliation.

And this brings me to the Moose Vasko of today . . . President Donald Trump. The hockey game of today’s world is a rough game. The bullies feel that they can do anything they want, and just like in hockey, they will continue to throw their weight around . . .until someone says, “Be careful, as your actions will have consequences. You’ve pushed the envelope too far this time. We now actually have an enforceable red line, and you’ve crossed it by killing an American.”

Now granted the USA is not diminutive like the 1961 Blackhawks’ Stan Mikita or Todd Sloan, but whereas in the past the US has been very reluctant to backup a red line, and very reticent to throw its weight around . . . things are now different. Hopefully, Iran, just like the 1961 Red Wings, Rangers, Canadians, and Maple Leafs, realizes that Donald Trump is now the enforcer, and plans to fulfill this job description in 2020, just like Moose Vasko in 1961, whenever necessary . . . until he wins the Stanley Cup!

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