The Official LEAFS NATION Hockey thread

[panthere]

I am sorry...But damn i would have slap that Kessel right there!!!..Why the reporter is a idiot to ask this question???...Cause Kessel is probably a jackass in a way just saying...of the way he treat that reporter...Unbelivable....they f****ing make milliions of dollars those players ...And the reporter have always to be nice to them if they whant to have a scoop...Very sad in a way...Seriously...wow...

http://www.tsn.ca/video/kessel-on-carlyle-s-firing-you-think-it-s-my-fault-1.176130

 

[Doc Holliday]

I was watching Dave Morissette's show Tuesday night and when the topic came up, Michel Bergeron stated that he was flabbergasted & absolutely blown away by the classless question asked by that reporter. He added how wrong it was and that he didn't blame Phil Kessel one bit for reacting the way he did.

I've also heard similar reactions on other tv/radio shows when the subject was brought up.

(I mean, how the hell is Kessel supposed to answer such a dumb question? Like "Yeah, sure....i'm a tough player to coach." I mean...GEEZ!!!!")

 

[panthere]

(I mean, how the hell is Kessel supposed to answer such a dumb question? Like "Yeah, sure....i'm a tough player to coach." I mean...GEEZ!!!!")

Yeah i do agree on that comment also after thinking about it!!! ...if i was at the place of Kessel ...but still ...you know..
But i do agree in both ways and we dont know what the deal between them also ...i guess will see someday or not ...

 

[lgna69xxx]

Phil is not the most articulate public speaker do to his shyness but if it lights a fire in his belly so be it, my only regret is he did not drop a F bomb before the word "idiot" :lol:

He was clearly pissed that the reporter was trying to pin Carlyle's firing on Phil and that was not justified. It is a team game, you win as a team and lose as a team.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yeah i do agree on that comment also after thinking about it!!! ...if i was at the place of Kessel ...but still ...you know..
But i do agree in both ways and we dont know what the deal between them also ...i guess will see someday or not ...

To put it into perspective, let's say that you'd post something & i'd then constantly contradict you or say something negative about you. After a while, you'd feel that i'm singling you out & naturally you'd have enough & either tell me to go to hell or tell everyone out loud that i'm a fucking idiot. And if this would be the circumstance, it would be difficult to blame you & i must say that i'd be deserving of the criticism/reaction you would have given me.

The players are under no obligation to speak to the media. It's a privilege and too many media people abuse it. Toronto & Montreal are the two NHL cities with the most media following the teams. The teams are under constant scrutiny and many questions asked to these players make those media people appear like dummies. Some are.

No wonder many players chose to play elsewhere than in Mtl or Toronto when they become free agents. It would drive a lot of people nuts!

Jeff Blair of Sportsnet/FAN 590 said yesterday that were he a player, he might very well prefer to shut up & concentrate on doing his job instead of constantly being bothered having to speak to the media. I'm far from being an attention-seeker in my personal life and i probably would do the same thing. Mind my own business and stay away from the spotlight.

 

[Doc Holliday]

He was clearly pissed that the reporter was trying to pin Carlyle's firing on Phil and that was not justified. It is a team game, you win as a team and lose as a team.

Only a total idiot reporter would ask such a dumb loaded question. The large majority of comments i've heard about the incident favor Kessel. The problem with the dumb question wasn't really the question itself, but the fact that this reporter has had it in for Kessel for years and has never had anything positive to say about him.

By the way, who was that reporter? I've seen his ugly mug before, but can't put a name next to it.

 

[anon_vlad]

The reporter asked the question in a confrontational way and was thus guaranteed to get a hostile response. He should have asked Kessel if he was aware of Wilson's comment, and if so, would he like to take this opportunity to rebut it.

 

[november]

I have a question for Leaf nation, where is Brendan Shanahan? This team needs leadership now. He needs to face the music.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I have a question for Leaf nation, where is Brendan Shanahan? This team needs leadership now. He needs to face the music.

Many have asked this question, but is it really the president of the hockey team's job to address the media? I'm quite aware that some organizations allow their presidents to address the media, but many others don't. Lately, the Flyers have been having a very tough time and it's GM Ron Hextall who has addressed the media.

Brian Burke didn't get fired because he wasn't doing a good job. He got fired because a couple of people on the board hated the fact he was way too visible & available to the media. They wanted more of a low-profile guy to stay behind the scenes & be less visible. So maybe Shanahan is simply following orders from the suits. Or maybe he simply felt that his GM was quite able to address the media himself.

And why should Shanahan even have to address the media? Because that's what the media wants?? Once again, he doesn't have to do shit & members of the media and the fan base often forget that it's a privilege to have these people address them. The media and many fans seem to have a sense of entitlement, which is wrong.

People seem to forget that this is a business and nothing more. Professional hockey exists to make money. MLSE makes tons of it, much more than the majority of teams making the playoffs. Making the playoffs is simply gravy to them & their shareholders.

Personally, i wouldn't give a damn if the players, coaches and management wouldn't say a word to the media all season long. For example, when i'm watching either L'Antichambre or Dave Morissette, i switch the channel whenever they cut to Michel Therrien's post game conference & the various post-game interviews. I honestly don't give a fuck what PK Subban, Max Pacioretty or Carey Price have to say after a game. I also would prefer if Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf would shut up instead of talking to the media. These two, Max Pacioretty and Carey Price only use talking points and don't have anything interesting to say which would keep me interested in what their saying. Same thing with Sidney Crosby. It's always the same boring bullshit game after game. I'd prefer having a player like Pavel Datsyuk who's incompetent with the english language and keeps his mouth shut. Same with Andrei Markov until this season, when the only sentence he was able to utter in english wound up him embarrassing his then-defense partner, Tom Gilbert. 96% of the hockey players are not interesting or very educated, guys!!

 

[anon_vlad]

Professional sports and reporters have a symbiotic relationship. The sports organizations want free publicity. The media need to be able to acquire information not available during the games. Much of their audience does not share your opinion and mine that athletes do not provide interesting interviews.

Therefore, as in most professional sports, hockey players are obliged to speak to reporters. Here is a quote from Carlyle:
“It’s the player’s responsibility and our organization’s responsibility to make sure everybody’s available to the media,” said Carlyle. It’s spelled out … on a day-to-day basis that when you are called upon, you are to be made available.”
http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/17/kessel-admits-responsibility-to-talk-to-reporters-but-not-every-day/

 

[Doc Holliday]

Professional sports and reporters have a symbiotic relationship. The sports organizations want free publicity. The media need to be able to acquire information not available during the games. Much of their audience does not share your opinion and mine that athletes do not provide interesting interviews.

Therefore, as in most professional sports, hockey players are obliged to speak to reporters. Here is a quote from Carlyle:
“It’s the player’s responsibility and our organization’s responsibility to make sure everybody’s available to the media,” said Carlyle. It’s spelled out … on a day-to-day basis that when you are called upon, you are to be made available.”

What can i say? You & Randy Carlyle are both entitled to your opinion (i'm not a muslim, so i have no problem with other people having a different opinion than mine), but i don't share this opinion. We live in a country that protects civil rights, among them free speech, and as far as i'm concerned it's up them if they want to speak to the media or not. 95% of the time, it's crap that comes out of their mouths anyway, so i find whatever they have to say rather pointless and usually ignore whatever they said.

 

[Ballsamic]

What can i say? You & Randy Carlyle are both entitled to your opinion (i'm not a muslim, so i have no problem with other people having a different opinion than mine), but i don't share this opinion. We live in a country that protects civil rights, among them free speech, and as far as i'm concerned it's up them if they want to speak to the media or not. 95% of the time, it's crap that comes out of their mouths anyway, so i find whatever they have to say rather pointless and usually ignore whatever they said.[/QUOTE


Most interviews by players, in any sport, somehow say just about the same quotes and it does get boring at times.

Lets be fair, as a leafs fan, I would want to know what's going on !!

Kessel's interview revealed many insights as to who really is as a hockey player.

I see Kessel starting hockey, loving scoring goals !!

He enters the Junior league, and he is being coached, thinks only of scoring goals. That is it.

Now he enters the NHL. Boston let him go for a reason. Even though, he is a pure goal scorer.

I think, he was called out, even though he is scoring goals, mine you, but for his lazy attitudes about important aspects
on the ice as a team, from Wilson's comments.

P.S. " i'm not a muslim, so i have no problem with other people having a different opinion than mine " should read.." i'm not a jihadist........

P.S I like your i. It suits you.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Doc's right (as usual) that most hockey players are almost the most boring interviews in all of sports, second to only baseball players.

If i hear one more hockey interview that starts with a "yea well" or incudes a "yea right" (ok the yea right one is mostly a kessel one but the "yea well" has been adopted my many nhl'ers around the league for years and years)

"so and so, what do you think about that tip in from the point by so and so tonight" "Yea well it was a good play coming off the rush" blah blah blah..... ok done venting about boring Hockey Interviews :lol:

 

[Doc Holliday]

It's not a civil rights or free speech issue.

Certainly it is. Slavery was abolished by Lincoln, therefore pro athletes (incl. NHL players) are free to decide if they chose to speak to the media or not.

On another note, convincing win by the Leafs last night. The Leafs outshot the Jacks 32-20 and won 5-2. Could coach Peter Horachek's new system be already paying dividends? He decided to implement a 5-5-5 system, where he wants all 5 Leafs players in either the offensive, neutral or defensive zones at one time, depending on where the puck is located. This means that on the defensive side, their defensemen will hopefully get some help from the forwards.

With Toronto's speed, the transition game may not be affected & they could often catch the other team off-guard once they get possession of the puck in the defensive zone and start moving it towards the offensive zone. I'm also hoping that the team gets rid of the ol' dump-and-chase approach and maintain possession of the puck instead of simply dumping it in the offensive zone's corner and go retrieve it. I remember the words of a wise habs' legend when asked about this approach: "To me it's ridiculous to give the puck away to the other team when you've already got possession of it." I couldn't agree more.

 

[anon_vlad]

Certainly it is. Slavery was abolished by Lincoln, therefore pro athletes (incl. NHL players) are free to decide if they chose to speak to the media or not.

A young man is invited to sign a contract which pays him millions of dollars per year. He is not branded and chained, forced to live in squalor, eat lousy food, work long hours with no vacation, have his children put into servitude. He is never given any kind of corporal punishment.

In return, he has to try to behave in a way to promote the interests of the Leafs (the team and also the business). He has to cooperate, at least half-heartedly, with the press as the ex-Leaf coach explained. It is a contractual obligation. He had choices - not to sign the contract in the first place or attempt to re-negotiate it or quit.

If you call that slavery, you are trivializing slavery.

 

[lgna69xxx]

The Leafs looked really good last night indeed. Big test coming this week tho with the big tough skilled western teams, lets see how the boys respond in this new system/coach.

 

[lgna69xxx]

Do you have a copy of that contract vladdy? (not saying you are wrong, just want to know the real deal behind the obligations of these guys) Maybe Doc knows the NHL protocol.

I am fine with Kessel's interviews or lack of them either way. He is a super shy guy when not around family or friends as showcased in the 24/7 series. Lots of people are like this and not everyone is a camera whore like Subban or Jeremy Roenick. Phil "The Thrill" does his best talking on the ice and in the top 10 in scoring every year and to me that is just fine. I do like his interviews tho even tho they make you cringe at times HAHA!

In return, he has to try to behave in a way to promote the interests of the Maple Leafs (as a team and also as a business). He has to cooperate, at least half-heartedly, with the press as the ex-Leaf coach explained. It is a contractual obligation. He had choices - not to sign the contract in the first place or attempt to re-negotiate it or quit.

 

[anon_vlad]

I am not going to the effort of trying to find his contract. Carlyle's quote is sufficient proof for me.

“It’s the player’s responsibility and our organization’s responsibility to make sure everybody’s available to the media,” said Carlyle. It’s spelled out … on a day-to-day basis that when you are called upon, you are to be made available.”

 

[Doc Holliday]

The Leafs looked really good last night indeed. Big test coming this week tho with the big tough skilled western teams, lets see how the boys respond in this new system/coach.

Considering that Edmonton beat Chicago last night, anything's possible.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I am not going to the effort of trying to find his contract. Carlyle's quote is sufficient proof for me.

“It’s the player’s responsibility and our organization’s responsibility to make sure everybody’s available to the media,” said Carlyle. It’s spelled out … on a day-to-day basis that when you are called upon, you are to be made available.”

As i said earlier, Randy Carlyle is also entitled to his own opinion. He was also a former player (and team captain), so i'm not surprised at all by his views, and actually would expect that he would feel this way.

As far as i'm concerned, it's part of the team captain's role (and his assistants) to speak with the media as player and team representative. But the rest of the players are not forced (and shouldn't be) to address the media in any way if they chose not to.

By the way, i expect the team to make several moves by the trade deadline. They'd like to move Lupul, but considering he's always injured, he'll be difficult to trade. They might also be interested in moving Stephane Robidas, who hasn't performed as well and they had hoped to. He's got another two years left to go on his contract. Cody Franson might also be moved since he's expected a considerable raise after this season and the team has never seen eye-to-eye with him, including having basically traded him to the habs on July 1st for Josh Gorges, who vetoed the trade (thank you, Georgie!!). Will the likes of Kessel and Phaneuf be traded?? I really doubt it. Both have big contracts that are difficult to move, plus Kessel is still the team's best player and Phaneuf is sitll the team's best defenceman and plays heavy minutes every game.