I think it's fair to ask people why they think they've struggled and so on.
I think it's really stupid to ask people if they think they're going to be on the team next year like they did to Gustavsson. What the heck is he supposed to say?
Also, the Carlyle question was rather weird. "Did you expect it to be this bad?" What is he supposed to say? It doesn't matter if he says yes or no, it's however bad it is, and he just got there to try to sort it out.
You being an islander fan wouldn't have to put up with any of these because you have no media. Imagine if you did though? And you were to get your wish? Tonnes of reporters would come into your sorry excuse for a locker room and question all your players on how terrible of a franchise the islanders have been for how many years, and about ruining young talent like Nino.
Kovalchuk is 17th in the league in time on ice per game, he plays more then most defensemen which would explain why he is on the ice for a lot of goals, just 18 other forwards are within 4 minutes of his ice time per game, with the closest being 2 minutes lower. Only 47 other forwards are within 5 minutes of his ice time per game.
I thought he I saw him on the per 60 minute list, but I was mistaken.
Tough questions........but fair. That's all you can expect out of a reporter. This reporter is doing what reporters SHOULD do. Let the morons at TSN analyze what "word" Wayne Simmonds said to Sean Avery - on the ice in the heat of the battle by the way. What that reporter was doing was fair, it was relevant to the game and it was interesting without focusing on what happens OFF the ice.
How about this question to Phil Kessel. You scored 14 goals in the first 20 games and 22 in the last 58. When the Leafs went on that slide down the stretch where in the world was Kessel? I can't count the amount of close games that the Leafs needed precious points where Kessel was nowhere to be found late in the game. That's where you want your players to step up, is late in the game with clutch goals. Not in October. He is turning into a player who doesn't show up when the going gets tough. And it isn't as if Kessel provides a lot more than goals either.
Phaneuf should be showing more passion too. That interview was a fair question. Are you leading this team properly? The Leafs were a playoff team. They were. That's what is mind boggling here. The Florida Panthers should not have more points than you. Buffalo? Even then the Leafs should have more. There's two playoff teams right now you are probably better than. If that doesn't irk you as a captain, then retire. And you know, sometimes it helps to SHOW the media that you are irked, even by your own performance. The media is nosy, but if they are being fair to you I think you should be honest to them. If Phaneuf was being honest, then retire.......honestly.
Right now the Leafs are better off losing. I say this because we are currently in a lottery position for the draft (bottom 5). In February I was rooting for them when there was hope. Not anymore. They will not do themselves any favours finishing 10th in the East. Now is the only time I will accept losing. But maybe a string of wins in January or february and they are in the thick of things.
These players are millionaires. If the media is asking them the tough questions, so be it.
why cant the captain (phaneuf in this case, nash in columbus, and any captain of any failed team) take responsibly and say on behalf of the team : "we havnt played well enough. We failed the fans".
why cant the coach, even if it's a new coach in this case, say : "My system hasnt worked"
why cant the GM say "I made some mistakes"
why cant a kessel say "I played badly when the team needed me the most"
that's all this reporter, and a sizable portion of the fans of all failed teams want. They want an acknowledgement from the players, and from the management, that they are aware that mistakes have been made. Yes, they would simply be stating what every one already knows, but they have to say it. What annoys a fanbase is this laissez-faire attitude of '**** happens' that they are getting. How can a fanbase trust in the same management, coach, and players going forward if they dont see them taking direct responsibility for what has happened?
..? He gave a pretty damn good answer to an incredibly hard question.
I'm very happy with Phaneuf's answer, because it's completely correct. No one player should have to individually win games for you, and by saying individuals in the team were not successful, he took some of the blame.
There's a fine line between asking tough questions, and deliberately being a *********. That reporter crossed it.
Stick to reporting the news, and don't go out there like a hero. This guy doesn't even do sports; who let him walk into the dressing room and rip on our 21 year olds?
Very unprofessional; he's taking out 45 years of frustration on guys who've barely been here 3 years.
I don't know why people are ripping the reporter for asking those questions. Those are the questions you need to ask when a team is sucking that bad.
I don't know who this guy is but it's obvious he's not a sports reporter, I assume he regularly covers politics or other public issues. These guys are used to asking the tough questions, unlike the regular sports beat writers who I find aren't often hard enough on the teams they follow around.
This guy did his job and asked the questions a ton of fans wanted to ask themselves.
why cant the captain (phaneuf in this case, nash in columbus, and any captain of any failed team) take responsibly and say on behalf of the team : "we havnt played well enough. We failed the fans".
why cant the coach, even if it's a new coach in this case, say : "My system hasnt worked"
why cant the GM say "I made some mistakes"
why cant a kessel say "I played badly when the team needed me the most"
that's all this reporter, and a sizable portion of the fans of all failed teams want. They want an acknowledgement from the players, and from the management, that they are aware that mistakes have been made. Yes, they would simply be stating what every one already knows, but they have to say it. What annoys a fanbase is this laissez-faire attitude of '**** happens' that they are getting. How can a fanbase trust in the same management, coach, and players going forward if they dont see them taking direct responsibility for what has happened?
Exactly. There are times when you have to be a man, have some (you know what) and admit failure. Admit you were wrong. A man takes responsibility. I remember in 1998 when Canada lost in the Olympics. For those of us watching the game at 3am Eastern time I remember Brendan Shanahan, noticeably upset, who had just missed the last shootout attempt on Hasek in an interview. Don Whitmann of CBC was interviewing him. At the end of the interview Shanahan specifically said he was sorry to Canada and the fans. Wittman said he "didn't need to apologize, Brendan." Wittman said the cordial thing, and I am fine with that, but I admired what Shanahan said even if I was livid at the time.
Now that's passion. That is what you want to see. Players who get upset when they lose. Its one thing to not get upset after losing game 1 of a series and another thing to say "such is life" after losing Game 7. That 1998 Canadian team hated losing. Fleury said it was like a family member dying. Plus we all saw Gretzky in near tears sitting alone on the Canadian bench - with a remorseful look, more sad than anything.
Millionaires or not, you NEED that passion. When a goalie loses his temper, smashes the post or if a captain is seen lashing out at his teammates it is almost a bad thing now for some reason. I don't think so. I like when the coaches throw something on the ice in disgust. I like when a captain drops the gloves at the end of a 6-1 game (on the losing end) to give his team some dignity back. I'll never forget Messier in the third game of the 1987 Canada Cup. Canada is losing 3-0 to the Russians early. There is a clip of him screaming on the bench, looking both ways and shouting. He is trying to wake the team up. That's passion.
Definitely put his ass on the line with that one... pretty unprofessional if you ask me, but refreshing to see. Good for Dion for actually trying to answer the question instead of just saying i'm outta here and walking away.
How was it unprofessional? He's a reporter. He was doing his job. His job isn't to ask questions that are easy for the players/coaches etc. to answer. His job is to get from them what the viewers/listeners want to hear. He wasn't being unprofessional. He was being professional.
The other media in Toronto doesn't like having their team look stupid.
Why do people think anyone in the Toronto media is a homer? They hate the Leafs. Have for years. Negativity sells. Even when Quinn had them as a yearly 100 point team.
Questioning Dion's leadership =/= questioning his inability to single-handedly win games.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Phil
Millionaires or not, you NEED that passion. When a goalie loses his temper, smashes the post or if a captain is seen lashing out at his teammates it is almost a bad thing now for some reason. I don't think so. I like when the coaches throw something on the ice in disgust. I like when a captain drops the gloves at the end of a 6-1 game (on the losing end) to give his team some dignity back. I'll never forget Messier in the third game of the 1987 Canada Cup. Canada is losing 3-0 to the Russians early. There is a clip of him screaming on the bench, looking both ways and shouting. He is trying to wake the team up. That's passion.
The Maple Leafs need that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by danishh
why is it so taboo to ask these questions?
why cant the captain (phaneuf in this case, nash in columbus, and any captain of any failed team) take responsibly and say on behalf of the team : "we havnt played well enough. We failed the fans".
why cant the coach, even if it's a new coach in this case, say : "My system hasnt worked"
why cant the GM say "I made some mistakes"
why cant a kessel say "I played badly when the team needed me the most"
that's all this reporter, and a sizable portion of the fans of all failed teams want. They want an acknowledgement from the players, and from the management, that they are aware that mistakes have been made. Yes, they would simply be stating what every one already knows, but they have to say it. What annoys a fanbase is this laissez-faire attitude of '**** happens' that they are getting. How can a fanbase trust in the same management, coach, and players going forward if they dont see them taking direct responsibility for what has happened?
I really hate and am sickened by people who hold athletes to some higher standard and act as though how dare you ask them tough questions because "could you score 40 goals in the NHL."
with that logic you should never as a surgeon why he botched a surgery that had negative outsome because "could you be a neurosurgeon"
the questions were tough because the leafs players and management didnt accidently suck this season but rather because their deliberate and intentional on and off ice decisions sucked and therefore they should face the heat.
:
Awesome stuff.
