SB Nation - Emerson Etem

Team USA's Emerson Etem, Swedish Media Aren't Too Fond Of Buffalo

Travis Hughes — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:32:49 -0000

It's quite understandable that Emerson Etem, 2010 draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks and resident of Southern California, isn't a fan of places that are less than sunny. You'd think that playing junior hockey in Medicine Hat, Alberta, would at least stop one from complaining about such places, however.

With Etem, that's apparently not the case. He hopped on Twitter today to share his thoughts on New York's second largest city, where he's stuck for the next week or so as he joins Team USA for the World Junior Championship.

much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that

Worse than Medicine Hat? Alberta's sixth largest city? Pretty bad, Buffalo, but not nearly as bad as the international reaction to Buffalo's hospitality.

From Sweden's Hockeysverige.se and their WJC blog comes the headline, "The city is a shithole." A loose, Google-fueled translation:

Coming to Buffalo was like falling into a scene from the movie 28 Days Later (minus all the zombies). The streets were horrible fate, although only at half past six. Okay, I get that it might not be a rough street party Sunday night, which also happens to be on Boxing Day, but still ... [WJC]'s in town!

I spoke with a Finnish colleague before I came here. He was not gracious in his appreciation of Buffalo. The first days here have not done anything to refute his view of the city:

"The city is a shit hole. I've spent one night there and decided that it was not only my first there, but also my last. Downtown is like ghost city after 6 pm, so all you can do is sit in a hotel lobby bar. HSBC is a nice arena, but take one exit wrong from highway and you find yourself in a very, very, very scary ghetto. I feel safer walking in downtown Moscow during the night than walking in downtown Buffalo."