Really though, what else could it be? It would make sense as to why Backlund was the third goalie last night with no injury being reported about Leighton. I doubt the organization told him to stay away, sounds to me like he's embarrassed and couldn't face his teammates and/or media.
Will be interesting to see what happens the next couple days. And whether or not he's even on the roster through the summer.
Imagine for a moment that you are doing your job and your boss comes in and tells you that he desperately needs you to fill in to do this very important job that can make or break the company. You know in the back of your mind that this is your last shot to shine and that if you fail that you will never work for this company or in this industry again. Fast forward to your opportunity to do the job, you put forth your worst effort in your professional career and you know that you have blown potentially the rest of your career that you have worked so hard at since you were a kid.
Tell me how much sleep you'd get that night in a hotel room without your family and what frame of mind would you be in the next day to face your co-workers that you just let down? Would you be able to show up the next day? Not ever being in this situation I cannot honestly say that I could or couldn't.
The hatred for Leighton on a professional level is well known. But people taking this to a personal level is really distateful IMO.
Leighton is getting paid about $29,000 per week for doing absolutely nothing. I'll save my sympathy for parents working 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs to put a roof over their heads and feed their families.
LOL..the dude is a millionaire. Stop comparing him to the common man who has to deal with a lot of crap in life..especially these days.
Having money doesn't mean a person shuts off their emotions and turns into a robot. He is still a human being.
If he reacted this harshly I have to wonder if he might have some mental issues. If he does that doesn't make him a child or weak. No one chooses mental illness any more than they choose cancer or diabetes.
I'm not and never was a Leighton fan. I absolutely loathe that Holmgren has been committed to a AHL goalie instead of getting a legitimate starter here. I think every single one of us should be upset with that, but you know it's not Leighton's fault Holmgren is a fool and put him in a position where he can't succeed. It's not his fault Laviolette panicked and made a horrendous decision that almost saw to a first round exit. He is not a good goalie, but it's not for a lack of trying. I've gave Leighton my fair share of hate here and elsewhere, but this put things into perspective. At the end of the day it's just a game and he shouldn't be blamed for the horrendous decisions others make.
Too many People here think that a nice paycheck cures all that ills. Money is nice, but so is respect and a feeling of accomplishment from a job well done. I feel bad for Leighton but I realize there is no place for him on this team. Best of luck in whatever you do Mr. Leighton, Philly is just not in the cards for you.
Too many People here think that a nice paycheck cures all that ills. Money is nice, but so is respect and a feeling of accomplishment from a job well done. I feel bad for Leighton but I realize there is no place for him on this team. Best of luck in whatever you do Mr. Leighton, Philly is just not in the cards for you.
I can completely understand him being disappointed with how things have played out for him in Philly. If he did, in fact, go AWOL then there is a distinct lack of professionalism and respect for an organization that has ensured his financial security for some time into the future. And if that's how it all played out, then he deserves no consideration whatsoever.
I always seem to be the one defending Leighton so I might as well chime in. I'm not really defending him here, but he has shown throughout his career (not just in Philly) that he is a true character guy. Never complained about going to the AHL this year. Everyone in ADK said he was a great influence down there and had a great attitude etc. That doesn't excuse not showing up and disappearing, but I would wait until more comes out to start bashing the guy's character.
I give Leighton a lot of credit for coming in and trying his best, despite not playing all year - in game 5 and then starting in Game 6. It must take incredible courage to go out and stand in a hostile crowd, not feeling comfortable in your net.
And as much slagging as he got, the only REALLY bad goal he let in was the first one. He went down early and got beat high short side.
The second goal was a fluky bouncing puck in the slot. The third one was a nice play by Vanek through his own legs - and with no D around to hit him.
Leighton's three goal performance was nowhere near as bad as Boosh's bad night in the prior game.
Having money doesn't mean a person shuts off their emotions and turns into a robot. He is still a human being.
If he reacted this harshly I have to wonder if he might have some mental issues. If he does that doesn't make him a child or weak. No one chooses mental illness any more than they choose cancer or diabetes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Clarke Fan Club
Too many People here think that a nice paycheck cures all that ills. Money is nice, but so is respect and a feeling of accomplishment from a job well done. I feel bad for Leighton but I realize there is no place for him on this team. Best of luck in whatever you do Mr. Leighton, Philly is just not in the cards for you.
As I said earlier in this thread, I would imagine that the guilt of losing game six of the finals would far outweight the guilt of almost costing your team game six of the first round. If he had a mental illness, I would imagine Patrick Kane would have triggered it.
As much as I loathe Leighton as a goaltender for being so bad, I recognize that it's not HIS fault Holmgren is dumb about goalies and kept putting him in a situation to fail.
I hope he can separate the game from himself, because he doesn't seem like a bad guy. While I'll be happy if this stamps his ticket out of Philly (or at least off the Flyers), I hope he is still alright mentally and emotionally. Even my least favorite players don't deserve to have their personal life ruined by a game.
Wasn't Leighton injured when Holmgren signed him and Leighton never told anyone, including the team medical staff? If my memory serves me right? If I'm correct, that's not Homer's fault.
Wasn't Leighton injured when Holmgren signed him and Leighton never told anyone, including the team medical staff? If my memory serves me right? If I'm correct, that's not Homer's fault.
Leighton at 100% health should not have been resigned. Homer comically screwed up during the offseason. He lucked out that 2 of 3 moves were negated by LTIR. shelley over asham, that's still paying dividends
adversity is a ***** isnt Leighton. When the time came for you to face some you failed miserably. blaming your teammates for a goal or at the very least not taking some responsibilty for the OT goal in game 5 is one thing, but to act the way you did following game 6 is another. How can any member of the Flyers want to play in front of this guy now? He bailed on his teammates.
yeah you had a bad night in game 6. It has happened before, and it will happen again. You should of sucked it up, dealt with the consequences. More people would of been able to deal with it. yeah they would of been pissed off, but they could of dealt with it. But no, you took the chicken**** way out.
I dont want this guy in our organization anymore. Not even in the AHL. I dont want that attitude around what few good prospects we have.
Leighton is getting paid about $29,000 per week for doing absolutely nothing. I'll save my sympathy for parents working 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs to put a roof over their heads and feed their families.
Yes, the guy is set moneywise. I cannot and will not argue that.
However, it's not just about the money. It's about the fact that he blew his last chance to play in the NHL, which is what he has been working towards since he was a kid. How would any of you react if everything you have been working for and training for came crashing to an end, especially if, afterwards, you had to go back to an empty hotel room and your family back home in another country?
Last edited by pelts35.com: 04-27-2011 at 12:11 PM.
I can completely understand him being disappointed with how things have played out for him in Philly. If he did, in fact, go AWOL then there is a distinct lack of professionalism and respect for an organization that has ensured his financial security for some time into the future. And if that's how it all played out, then he deserves no consideration whatsoever.
I agree it is unprofessional if he just went AWOL, but if he is in a bad shape mentally then I think he deserves compassion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyerSithLord
As I said earlier in this thread, I would imagine that the guilt of losing game six of the finals would far outweight the guilt of almost costing your team game six of the first round. If he had a mental illness, I would imagine Patrick Kane would have triggered it.
Game six of the first round could have just been the final straw for him after all he has been through this last year. Plus the pressure for him has to be immense because he knows his chances are limited. He has no room for error like most goalies. He has to keep proving himself to remain in the NHL. I don't think it's so much about guilt as it is about letting himself down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JLHockeyKnight
Wasn't Leighton injured when Holmgren signed him and Leighton never told anyone, including the team medical staff? If my memory serves me right? If I'm correct, that's not Homer's fault.
Yes and I do not like that he did that, but really Holmgren shouldn't have signed an AHL goalie to be their starter healthy or not. Holmgren keeps making poor decisions with Leighton, but all of the frustration with Holmgren is taken out on Leighton.
Yes, the guy is set moneywise. I cannot and will not argue that.
However, it's not just about the money. It's about the fact that he blew his last chance to play in the NHL, which is what he has been working towards since he was a kid. How would any of you react if everything you have been working for and training for came crashing to an end?
It's ending b/c he can't stand the heat in the kitchen. That is on him. He went AWOL or it is suspected he did given backlund being the 3rd string goalie. It's inexcusable ..period. Is Leighton the only one who has flopped like this? Not everybody reacts like he's doing..Boosh didn't go crawl in cave after his flop effort. He was determined and said he wanted to redeem himself..yet Lavy turned to the tin man/cowardly lion. Seriously this is silly...moreover it's not just this incident that one can question his mental fortitude or character. He's been wishy washy since the finals. Sure ..I bet he's a nice guy and people like Lavy etc seem to have a bit of blind fealty towards him. However, you have to disassociate your personal liking of somebody from the professional side of the actual business. Leighton has shown he's severely lacking on the latter part of things which matters the most. That's great if Leighton is an amiable person and scores high on the social spectrum...sadly it's the results professionally that count.
Game six of the first round could have just been the final straw for him after all he has been through this last year. Plus the pressure for him has to be immense because he knows his chances are limited. He has no room for error like most goalies. He has to keep proving himself to remain in the NHL. I don't think it's so much about guilt as it is about letting himself down.
Could be, however, I think thats really reaching though. IMO, he's had a good amount of room for error with the Flyers. Plus, I still believe that if he shows up to practice, he's still the #2.
I feel so badly for fans of teams that have a clear-cut #1 goaltender, and the boring certainty of who will start and who will be on the bench.
No kidding. They don't get to experience the thrill of the roller coaster ride Flyers fans go on every year. Poor buggers have to resort to Disney or Six Flags for their excitement.
Hope he is OK. I still like Leighton and respect him as a goalie. I will never forget last year and will NEVER accept him as the fall guy. However, talking Michael Leighton on here is useless, I just hope the guy is OK
Hope he is OK. I still like Leighton and respect him as a goalie. I will never forget last year and will NEVER accept him as the fall guy. However, talking Michael Leighton on here is useless, I just hope the guy is OK
I feel a bit sorry for Leighton, but:
a) he had the opportunity to be at center stage in the NHL: the Cup finals
b) he has played in 104 NHL games over 6 seasons
c) he was paid $1.5 million this year and is guaranteed the same next year
That's a decent career, if you ask me. And we will have to see him as some part of this organization next year.
Leighton has a 2-way contract. When he cleared waivers and went to the Phantoms he was no longer being paid on his NHL contract but whatever the minor league part of the contract says, probably on 20% of the NHL value.
Hope he is OK. I still like Leighton and respect him as a goalie. I will never forget last year and will NEVER accept him as the fall guy. However, talking Michael Leighton on here is useless, I just hope the guy is OK
What happened to your last holier than thou dig?
Whatever..some people are cut out for the business world where results matter and others I suppose do best in utopias as high priests of morality....guess it's all a matter of perspective like whether it's acceptable to go AWOL.
What happened to your last holier than thou dig?
Whatever..some people are cut out for the business world where results matter and others I suppose do best in utopias as high priests of morality....guess it's all a matter of perspective like whether it's acceptable to go AWOL.
I deleted it as it wasn't a fair post. I recognized it and removed it right away. I get my blood boiling on Leighton hate. It is not worth arguing, I know most hate him, he isn't even in our top 3, why argue.
Not like he has proven himself. Also the use of the word hate is hated even more. It's just a pejorative meant to suppress debate about valid grievances such as GOING AWOL!
Not like he has proven himself. Also the use of the word hate is hated even more. It's just a pejorative meant to suppress debate about valid grievances such as GOING AWOL!
Yea, I really don't hate the guy. I just strongly dislike the role he's played for us in the past year and change.
