Way back in 2006 and before he became hockey’s version of Neil Degrasse Tyson on HBO 24/7, Russian goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov — then playing with the Anaheim Ducks — gave an interview to The Score in which he was asked a simple question: “What are your thoughts on Chris Pronger returning to Edmonton?”
A few months earlier, Pronger helped lead the Edmonton Oilers to their first Stanley Cup Final since the Gretzky era. After the Oilers lost in 7 games to the Carolina Hurricanes, Pronger requested a trade for personal reasons. Local media reported that his wife Lauren hated the city. So GM Kevin Lowe shipped Pronger off to the Ducks a month later for Joffrey Lupul and a whole bunch of spare parts.
So here we find Bryzgalov trying to defend his teammate and diffuse the situation ahead of his first game back at Rexall Place. In broken english, Bryzgalov takes the mic and spectacularly fails.
The interview further enraged already-angry Oilers fans, and Bryzgalov’s sassy rhetorical,”Why you heff to be mad?” became a crucial meme.
YouTube user AndersonCooper (no relation to CNN’s silver fox?) put Bryzgalov’s quotes on a sample of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” right after the incident happened. It was tremendous.
And six years later, Bryzgalov’s comments have been given the Dubstep treatment by YouTube user tjeaton2405.
Thanks to obsessedwithgreenday23 for reposting the video on Tumblr where I first saw this.
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