THE TOMAS KABERLE

SONG 

 

By: Stephen Sinisi  

 Why a song about Tomas Kaberle?  Well, the only logical response I have for that question is why the hell not?  Seriously.  In Leaf-crazy Toronto, the guy doesn’t get nearly as much respect as he deserves.  Sure, he makes his occasional mistakes, but on any given night he’s one of the reasons the team isn’t getting blown out (even more).  He’s a consistent factor on a consistently inconsistent team…consistently.  That may be a mouthful, but it makes a shit-load of sense.  I hope.  

Mr. Cross-Ice Pass

 I can’t remember when I actually wrote the song; I’m pretty sure it happened around the time when Cam Janssen formally introduced Kaberle’s forehead to the boards at the Prudential Center with a late hit.  The poor guy’s face is probably still imprinted on them and all Janssen got was a minor suspension.  Great call, NHL.  Guys like Downie and Boulerice got what they deserved and he got a slap on the wrist with a luffa.  But what pissed me off even more was the fact that Darcy Tucker was the only guy on the team who looked pissed off.  And he wasn’t even playing. 

Take a look at the clip.  They look pissed off, don’t they?  Now take a look at what happened when Chris Neil of the Senators hit Chris Drury of the Sabres.  Slightly different reaction, don’t you think?  When one of your best players gets tossed like a two dollar hooker, someone should at least step in and “attempt” to fight.    In the hockey world, that’s a given.  But no.  What do the Leafs do?  They send Belak after Janssen a few weeks later – when Kaberle is almost fully recovered.  Way too little a few weeks too late.  I love the Leafs and will always be a Leaf fan, but that night, I was embarrassed for them.  

 I digress 

So yeah, I wrote the song at around that time.  I felt bad for the guy.  He can’t even get respect from his own team, let alone the NHL.  Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you hate the song), I have my guitar with me while I watch Leaf highlights.  And so, one thing led to another and a song came together.  Writing lyrics was a bit of a challenge.  You can only rhyme Kaberle with so much; I was tempted to use “in between cars he likes to play” at one point. 

When it came time to create a video, I used The Man Boob Anthem as a foundation and went to work.  After a few weekends of labor (and a few weekends of recording with Mr. Dan Mazzotta before that), I released the Tomas Kaberle Song on YouTube the week the 2007 NHL season began.  If you’re wondering why there’s a Kaberle Song 2 out there on YouTube as well, it’s because the original version miraculously decided to stop playing.  Kaberle Song 2 is exactly the same as the Thomas Kaberle Song…the only difference is that the former works and the latter only works whenever the hell it feels like it.   

T.O. Loves T.K. 

If the feedback from this video proves one thing, it’s that Leaf Nation has love for Tomas Kaberle.  Which is nice, really.  The physical, brute-force type players usually get the majority of the attention in these parts; it’s nice to see a guy known for his smooth skating and finesse get some of that attention every now and then as well. 

Lately, there have been rumors swirling around about a potential trade involving Kaberle (I know. Why the Leafs would want to cripple their defense even more is beyond me too).  But hey, that’s the nature of the sport.  Players come and go and the likelihood that one will stay in one city throughout the entire duration of his career is rare.  On that note, if the Leafs DO decide to trade Kaberle in the near future (which they shouldn’t), the least they can do is get something worthwhile.  Anything less and my next video will be “John Ferguson, are you selling any of that terrific crack you’re smoking?”