Mike Peca's Hat Trick?

by user 205.210.170.48

Couldn't help but notice Michael Peca wore an Italian soccer team cap at his introductory press conference as the newest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Peca's from Toronto, he's of Italian descent, so there's a distinct possibility that his feelings toward Italy's World Cup champions are true blue.

Still, anyone who's a diehard soccer fan in North America knows about the out-of-the-woodwork types whose pride in the ancestral homeland surfaces every four years for the World Cup, and lasts only as long as said country is in the tournament.

Is Peca one of those guys? When have you ever read or seen him saying anything about how he's a hard-core Azzurri fan?

This trumps questions of how Peca and Darcy Tucker will get along as teammates,, seeing as how Tucker nearly ruined Peca's career with a dirty "low-bridge" hit in the 2002 Leafs-Islanders playoff series.

Mike Peca's feelings as it relates to his choice of headwear should tell you almost everything you need to know about how bona fide he is as a player and a leader. Someone, please, dig up proof that Peca wasn't just wearing an Azzurri cap since they just won the World Cup. Find an article about him professing undying interest in Italian soccer, or wearing an Italy hat after the last World Cup, when the Azzurri had an unexpectedly early exit. The Leafs can ill-afford anyone who's a fair-weather type.

Yes, Peca's proven it on the ice through his stops in Buffalo, Long Island and Edmonton, but remember, past history and a track record of solid character really can't be taken for granted, especially in the "new NHL."

Just ask Edmonton fans, eh?

(Originally posted at Out of Left Field on Tuesday, July 19.)

Date

Thu 07/20/06, 2:00 pm EST