Sports

Clueless Leafs goalie inspires Stompin' Tom parody about Nelson Mandela

by Mark Teo

As a long-suffering Toronto Maple Leafs fan, I want to cut Jonathan Bernier some slack. The Laval-born goaltender, after all, is the best goalie the team’s had in a decade: In the last week alone, he stared down more than 70 shots in two games, coming out with two wins. He’s one of the most technically sound goaltenders in the league—unlike backup James Reimer, who, for his compete, will never win on style points—and swallows up pucks; Toronto hasn’t seen a goaltender dictate the play this effectively since the days of Ed Belfour. And, unlike some teammates, Bernier’s articulate, affable, and unafraid to get candid with the press—prerequisites for an often-tough media market.

Yet as polished as Bernier is, he still makes gaffes—like, for example, when he attended a Nelson Mandela-centric gala last week. When he was asked by a reporter about Mandela, the one-time South African president who cut his teeth as an anti-apartheid revolutionary, Bernier responded in hockey cliches—it became clear that he didn’t know who Mandela was. And he made the assumption that Mandela was a hockey player, and a great one, at that.

It was difficult to watch. Very difficult.

But it was also hilarious. And that’s something ex-Dean Blundell Show producer Toddy Shapiro noticed—and and a spoof was born. So, they revised the Stompin’ Tom classic, “The Hockey Song,” to be about Nelson Mandela. Here’s a sample lyric: “He was president of Africa / For six amazing years / He changed so many people’s lives / And did it without fear / Spent three decades in a prison / And never ever gave up / But the thing he’ll be most remembered for / Is winning the Stanley Cup.”

Here’s the song itself.

And if you must watch the cringe-inducing Bernier interview that inspired the song, watch the video below. Warning: It sucks.