Habs fan here, still trying to make sense of the Cammy debacle. Some media says he was a great guy who hated losing, others say he was a selfish primadonna.
Curious - what kind of rep did he have in LA? How did you guys perceive him?
You will probably get responses on both sides of the spectrum. I wouldn't say he was absolutely in one category or the other, but he certainly drifted between them on the Kings a little bit. Both on and off the ice. I would love to have Cammy back on the team, but not at that price tag he demanded. That season with Calgary did wonders for him, but at the end of the day, he is just not a $6+ million player. He has a ceiling of those numbers, but more often than not you are going to get 20 goals and 50 points. That is just not an acceptable return. Let's see how he does now that he is back in the town where he had most success...
In LA, he was loved mostly. Up until that contract dispute, the fans were happy with him. Though he was starting to develop an injury streak and his numbers had taken a dip, we were still happy to have him on the team and every single one of us wanted to keep him and see him re-sign. Just not at $6 million, which was rumored to have been what he was demanding at the time. The players had no complaints with him, he didn't seem the leader type to me, but there were no problems in the locker room that spilled out to the media. In the end, it was just the money that sent him out of LA. He has always been a one dimensional sniper with a bit of fragility. If he had waited out and proved himself in Dean's eyes, he would probably still be here and making ~$5 million. He just wanted the payday, and if he couldn't get it, then he wanted to play for a Canadian market. He got both.
Personally I always hated his one knee one timer But that is about it.
I think he still owns his pad here:
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"It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79 dollar reading glasses today. 79 bucks. You can literally get them at Costco, three-for-20." - Darryl Sutter's response to going up 2-0 in the series.
I don't think too many people here perceived him as selfish or a primadonna other than maybe when it came to contract issues. On the ice, I think he was a good team guy and was tapped as a potential team leader. I think most here would love to have kept him at a reasonable contract.
I believe his last season in LA he started to become a selfish player. He started that season with ten goals in the first month and then trailed off from there. He did get injured midway through the season but when he came back he seemed to try to be better than Kopitar and Brown. Instead of making the right play I thought he started to make the play that wasn't the best for the team but what was best for himself.
Kids got a big head. He was going to sign his 6 million dollar deal come hell or high water. He thinks his **** doesn't stink and it started his last season here.
On ice he wasn't really selfish. I did consider him to be a bit of a prima donna, especially comparing him to all other Kings players not named Sean Avery. He thought he was much better and more important than he really was.
He wanted to be the leader on and off the ice but in my opinion he never succeeded to be one as a King, because teammates didn't see enough from him to take him seriously. I haven't been following him closely since his departure from the Kings, but from what I hear it has been pretty much the same. He is giving lectures to the teammates, the usual "look yourself in the mirror" crap, but the teammates don't accept him to be the guy in position to give lectures.
That is why when you give me a captain who talks too much and doesn't do enough (Cammalleri) on one side and a captain who doesn't talk much, but teammates respect his on ice performance (Kopitar) I will always pick the latter. Teammates' respect is the most important requirement for any C or A.
He was a great guy in Calgary. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the Montreal media trying to stir the pot.
I think part of that can be contributed to the fact that everyone knows who is the man in Calgary and Cammalleri was not trying to take it over. When he feels he is the leader of the team, that is when the trouble starts.
I think they were completely justified and taken way out of context by fans and media.
I've heard similar things said.
He wasn't saying the team and its fans were losers like so many thought. He was simply saying "we are preparing for games like losers. You need to prepare for games like you are going to win them."
I would agree with that statement entirely. Hockey is such a confidence based sport. Clearly trying to light a fire and spark your teammates is something that is frowned upon in Montreal.
I wish the Kings would have found a way to keep Cammalleri around. DL just wasn't going to pay, and at the time he left, the Kings weren't winning, and he wanted to win, so you can be angry all you want, but I don't have a problem with his decision.
I wish the Kings would have found a way to keep Cammalleri around. DL just wasn't going to pay, and at the time he left, the Kings weren't winning, and he wanted to win, so you can be angry all you want, but I don't have a problem with his decision.
Not only that but I am happy that he made that decision. His salary demands were too crazy and Lombardi did the only rational thing.
Kids got a big head. He was going to sign his 6 million dollar deal come hell or high water. He thinks his **** doesn't stink and it started his last season here.
Cammy seems to say all the right things, until things don't go his way...a prima donna if you will...
I think they were completely justified and taken way out of context by fans and media.
I've heard similar things said.
He wasn't saying the team and its fans were losers like so many thought. He was simply saying "we are preparing for games like losers. You need to prepare for games like you are going to win them."
I would agree with that statement entirely. Hockey is such a confidence based sport. Clearly trying to light a fire and spark your teammates is something that is frowned upon in Montreal.
Maybe there wouldn't be any misunderstandings if he said those things in French!
Cammy seems to say all the right things, until things don't go his way...a prima donna if you will...
Correct. He's the kind of guy who says one thing about lets say commitment, to the media, and behind closed doors he's the first one out of the room on his phone talking about potential real estate deals.
Most of the information I have is second hand, but the short answer is: yes, he was selfish.
When it was time for arbitration, he had a HUGE difference in opinion of what he was worth and what Lombardi (and the arbitrator) felt he was worth. Cammallerri thought he was worth $6 million, and Lombardi and co. thought he was worth ~$3 million. The arbitrator awarded him $3.5 million. From that point on, it was clear to everyone that it would be Cammalleri's last contract with the Kings.
On another note, I've heard from several fans who had negative experiences either interacting with him or just watching how he behaved at Kings charity events.
As a player, I did like him to the extent that I felt he was a good supplemental player on an offensive team. However, if you were looking for him to lead the charge, you were in for disappointment.
And they were **** comments to the Montreal media, in my opinion. There's a difference between saying "we're not preparing well enough and we're getting outworked" and saying "we're preparing like losers and we're playing like losers." How do you face the team when you label them that, in ANY interview? In my opinion, he just wanted out because he couldn't handle being the one depended upon, and in Calgary, he has Iginla to face the leadership role if things go poorly.
Last edited by King'sPawn: 01-14-2012 at 07:48 PM.
Reason: Removed incorrect information
i duno how this question can be answered. u are asking about character issues on a person nobody knows. we don't even have a gossip column to speculate and give uninformed opinions.
but, as a player, never was a big fan of him. THough, when he was scoring, it was a lot harder to hate him.
Most of the information I have is second hand, but the short answer is: yes, he was selfish.
While he was still in college, he threatened the Kings management to make use of a loophole that would allow him to re-enter the draft if the Kings didn't sign him right away. I believe it was the same tactic that Mike Comrie used. Management at the time caved in and signed him, because they didn't want to lose him.
Ok. I have to step in and correct this, because it's been said many times on this board and on LGK back in the day. And it's simply false.
Mike Cammalleri wanted to return to Michigan for his senior season, and that was the plan all along. There was never any intention to play an OA year for St. Mike's. It was Taylor and the Kings who initiated the contact with MC and used the incentive of a spot on the first line with Allison to get him to sign an NHL contract. The same thing was done by Montreal to get Komisarek to leave that same summer. Both Cammalleri and Komisarek then spent the seasons in the AHL. That is what angered Red so much because they were both sold a bill of goods and ended up riding the bus in the AHL instead of coming back to what would have been the most loaded team in college hockey by a large margin.
As for the rest of the thread, people can say what they want. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I'm still shocked everytime Jack Johnson takes the ice considering he was supposed to be in the KHL and was all about the money according to so many people on this board.
As for the $6 million. I don't believe MC has lived up to his contract in Montreal other than the one dominant post season he has had. He has not been worth close to the money as a Hab, no dispute on that from me. But to say he wasn't worth the contract at the time isn't really fair. $6 million for a 40 goal, 80 point player is reasonable and there were multiple teams that offered MC that much money when he was a free agent. His biggest mistake was choosing Montreal, he probably should have gone home to Toronto. Calgary also made a mistake in deciding to pay JayBo instead of MC, now both mistakes have been corrected and we'll see where we will go from here. If MC plays for the Flames like he did in 2009 he is most definitely worth the $6 hit.
Ok. I have to step in and correct this, because it's been said many times on this board and on LGK back in the day. And it's simply false.
Mike Cammalleri wanted to return to Michigan for his senior season, and that was the plan all along. There was never any intention to play an OA year for St. Mike's. It was Taylor and the Kings who initiated the contact with MC and used the incentive of a spot on the first line with Allison to get him to sign an NHL contract. The same thing was done by Montreal to get Komisarek to leave that same summer. Both Cammalleri and Komisarek then spent the seasons in the AHL. That is what angered Red so much because they were both sold a bill of goods and ended up riding the bus in the AHL instead of coming back to what would have been the most loaded team in college hockey by a large margin.
As for the rest of the thread, people can say what they want. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I'm still shocked everytime Jack Johnson takes the ice considering he was supposed to be in the KHL and was all about the money according to so many people on this board.
As for the $6 million. I don't believe MC has lived up to his contract in Montreal other than the one dominant post season he has had. He has not been worth close to the money as a Hab, no dispute on that from me. But to say he wasn't worth the contract at the time isn't really fair. $6 million for a 40 goal, 80 point player is reasonable and there were multiple teams that offered MC that much money when he was a free agent. His biggest mistake was choosing Montreal, he probably should have gone home to Toronto. Calgary also made a mistake in deciding to pay JayBo instead of MC, now both mistakes have been corrected and we'll see where we will go from here. If MC plays for the Flames like he did in 2009 he is most definitely worth the $6 hit.
Thank god someone else said this. I was going to post this big long thing but decided against it cause I figured no one knew/cared/would take it seriously and somehow blame Dean Lombardi or something....
But that is about it.
haha well done
