News Article: Canucks send struggling players out to "ruin [themselves] for the night" in-season(?)

[Kickassguy]

Wasn't really sure if this fit into any existing thread, but felt it was interesting enough to warrant its own.

The Canucks apparently were involved in a sports-swap program, basically similar to an exchange student program but with sports, instead. A few interesting tidbits...

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gae...els-of-drinking-and-fighting-in-nhl-1.3003990

The Wexford hurler spent a week training with the Vancouver Canucks last month, one of the top teams in the professional NHL, as part of AIB-supported Toughest Trade series. What clearly surprised him most wasn’t any superior physical fitness or professional commitment but their opening relaxed attitude to fighting and drinking, the former during obviously during matches only, the latter however seemingly acceptable the day before a competitive game.

Nothing too revelatory there. Players drink on off days, fighting is currently still a part of the sport.

“The drinking culture they have, I couldn’t believe it. They were lowering pints the day before a game. And that was sitting at lunch.

“It was after we played a game on a Sunday, and there was a lunch with the alumni team on the Monday. I was invited, with Erik Gudbransonm, and one of his team mates beside him. I had a glass a water. Erik was injured, but I asked his team mate if he was playing tomorrow and he said ‘’yeah, what’s the big deal?’

Again, nothing overly revealing. Other sports pay a bit more attention to the effects of beer and alcohol on player performance, especially in-season, but I guess that's not a North American thing.

Here's where it gets interesting.

“And they have this thing called a ‘change up’, when a player is not on form, not scoring. The manager will call a ‘change up’, and basically that player has to go out and ruin himself for the night, then come back the next day, with the attitude of you just don’t care.

“So they send him out, drink 20 pints, go off with a couple of women, whatever he wants. And come back the next day. That’s the way they live. It’s the culture, what they believe in, letting off steam like that. I don’t know if they look at the science behind it.â€

That... doesn't really sound particularly effective at all. That sounds like a 70s-80s mindset. If this is going on regularly, is it any wonder that players like Virtanen or Kassian have the fitness/partying issues they do or did? The "boys will be boys" mindset is a dangerous thing for a young player.

As for the "science" behind it... I think it's safe to say that that's never been a concern or entered the thought process of current management.

Click to read more...

 

[rune74]

There has never been anything else said about this anywhere. Seems a bit far fetched.

EDIT: He swapped places with alex auld? How is he even affiliated with the canucks anymore?

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

There has never been anything else said about this anywhere. Seems a bit far fetched.

EDIT: He swapped places with alex auld? How is he even affiliated with the canucks anymore?

This was for some TV show - IIRC, Auld was going to Coach a Canucks' alumni team at the SuperSkills, but he and Chin switched places - so Chin spent time with the Canucks, while Auld went to Ireland.

Re: Chin's allegations - absolutely ridiculous if true. Wow.

 

[thepuckmonster]

I seriously doubt any professional sports team would encourage players to get blotto for something as arbitrary as not scoring.

 

[DCantheDDad]

I seriously doubt any professional sports team would encourage players to get blotto for something as arbitrary as not scoring.

It seems like an archaic form of thought. I would hope it isnt true, but if it is....wow.

 

[FroshaugFan2]

I can see why the players are so found of Willie.

 

[groov2]

I certainly don't doubt having a a few drinks the day before a game. These guys are in ridiculously good shape and a few beers or glasses of wine will do nothing to them. My curiosity goes a little more towards the nature of the article; it is negatively written and it is written very poorly. If you went and spent a week with a professional sports team on the other side of the world, would you come back home and speak openly negative about the guys who just brought you in, took you out to lunch, etc?

Side note:

- Erik Gudbransonm?
- one of the top teams in the professional NHL?

Do some bloody research and check your spelling.

 

[Huggy43]

I could see it.

Let's not pretend that the NHL isn't stuck in the past, I think all those leaked emails from Player Safety shows they aren't exactly with us in the 21st century.

 

[MS]

What a ... weird article.

It sounds like something out of the 1970s ... but I can't see why this guy would just make something like this up.

 

[TruGr1t]

Haha, I have a picture of some PR person at the Canucks freaking out when this goes viral. Somebody probably thought: "Oh, this guy's Irish, we better take him drinking."

 

[Alan Jackson]

I mean, I don't think it's news that hockey players like to party.

How many stories do we hear about the Roxy?

I rather doubt that managers or coaches are telling players to go and get plastered if they're struggling.

 

[Kickassguy]

I certainly don't doubt having a a few drinks the day before a game. These guys are in ridiculously good shape and a few beers or glasses of wine will do nothing to them. My curiosity goes a little more towards the nature of the article; it is negatively written and it is written very poorly. If you went and spent a week with a professional sports team on the other side of the world, would you come back home and speak openly negative about the guys who just brought you in, took you out to lunch, etc?

Side note:

- Erik Gudbransonm?
- one of the top teams in the professional NHL?

Do some bloody research and check your spelling.

I doubt they really expected anyone in Vancouver would ever really pick this up. I doubt the NHL is overly popular over in Ireland. Owen Nolan aside.

Doesn't sound like the guy intended it to come across as overtly negative -- he mostly just saw it as a cultural divide.

This wouldn't be particularly concerning if it was 1970, but...

 

[y2kcanucks]

I seriously doubt any professional sports team would encourage players to get blotto for something as arbitrary as not scoring.

So you think he's lying? Why would he come out with a lie like this?

 

[Nuckles]

I seriously doubt any professional sports team would encourage players to get blotto for something as arbitrary as not scoring.

Normally I'd agree, but this honestly doesn't surprise me with this regime.

 

[thepuckmonster]

So you think he's lying? Why would he come out with a lie like this?

It's just so ridiculous. Maybe back in the 90s or before it would be plausible. I can't speak from an NHL level but I know in lower professional and junior levels this kind of stuff gets you scratched. Combine that with the organization's issues with Kassian's problems I am 99% sure it's ********.

Normally I'd agree, but this honestly doesn't surprise me with this regime.

The Canucks are hyper sensitive to how the team is perceived publicly. Do you not think if players were going out and doing kegstands the night before a game that there would be some talk aside from one statement in an obscure European article?

I'm not saying players don't drink or anything, I just seriously do not believe any team - no matter how incompetent the management is or seems - would say "Hey dude, you're on a scoring drought. Go blitzkrieg on your liver and you'll be right as rain to play tomorrow."

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Whether or not the whole allegations are true or not (and I think there must be a bit of truth to them), and whether or not it's something done NHL-wide or just on the Canucks, reading that made me feel really bad that someone like Zack Kassian, with his struggles, had to be in that environment, and the way he was just run out of town. Disappointing.

 

[groov2]

I doubt they really expected anyone in Vancouver would ever really pick this up. I doubt the NHL is overly popular over in Ireland. Owen Nolan aside.

Doesn't sound like the guy intended it to come across as overtly negative -- he mostly just saw it as a cultural divide.

This wouldn't be particularly concerning if it was 1970, but...

Fair enough. Looks like I didn't exactly write my thoughts very well either. I meant it more with regards to how it was written. Did he learn nothing positive during his time here?

With regards to the "Change up," I assume that they were telling him this sarcastically and never expected him to actually believe it. I have been involved with this game for a very long time and have never seen anything remotely like this.

 

[RandV]

I certainly don't doubt having a a few drinks the day before a game. These guys are in ridiculously good shape and a few beers or glasses of wine will do nothing to them. My curiosity goes a little more towards the nature of the article; it is negatively written and it is written very poorly. If you went and spent a week with a professional sports team on the other side of the world, would you come back home and speak openly negative about the guys who just brought you in, took you out to lunch, etc?

Side note:

- Erik Gudbransonm?
- one of the top teams in the professional NHL?

Do some bloody research and check your spelling.

I think they're looking at that from a European Pro league perspective. Simply by being in the NHL the Canucks are a 'top' team.

 

[groov2]

I think they're looking at that from a European Pro league perspective. Simply by being in the NHL the Canucks are a 'top' team.

Quite possible actually. Good thinking on your part.

 

[thepuckmonster]

Whether or not the whole allegations are true or not (and I think there must be a bit of truth to them), and whether or not it's something done NHL-wide or just on the Canucks, reading that made me feel really bad that someone like Zack Kassian, with his struggles, had to be in that environment, and the way he was just run out of town. Disappointing.

The way the organization handled Zack's issues leads me to believe they're not condoning the act of drinking, let alone binge drinking before a game.

 

[DadBod]

LOL what a disaster.


I doubt this player just straight lied about everything. I don't think he would literally just fabricate a story with zero truth to it.

Now the truth may be somewhere in between. While a change up might not be literally 20 pints, but it may mean getting smashed, and hungover to "change things up". Also, this wouldn't be encouraged or promoted from management/coaching staff but doesn't mean it doesn't happen within the players.

Remember folks, these are mid 20 year old millionaires. They're just dudes like all of us, except they have loads of money and fame. You'd be pretty stupid to think nothing goes on. From players I know and met in my life, they're typically all bro's.






In closing it was most likely exaggerated but not fabricated.

 

[FroshaugFan2]

The way the organization handled Zack's issues leads me to believe they're not condoning the act of drinking, let alone binge drinking before a game.

Lee Chin doesn't imply that the change ups take place the day before a game.

He said a player had a pint the day before before a game at lunch, which isn't that crazy.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

The way the organization handled Zack's issues leads me to believe they're not condoning the act of drinking, let alone binge drinking before a game.

I don't get that impression at all. They're not condoning having a player who couldn't fit into the drinking culture that existed around the team.

 

[TruGr1t]

The Canucks are hyper sensitive to how the team is perceived publicly.

Perhaps they are sensitive about their public image, but they're absolutely horrendous at managing it. The department that probably needs the largest overhaul, aside from hockey ops, is the communication team. This is going to go viral and they'll be answering questions about it (and history with players like Kassian) for a long time.

This must be a new thing because I can't see the Gillis regime (with sleep doctors, etc.) having something like this in place.

 

[thepuckmonster]

Lee Chin doesn't imply that the change ups take place the day before a game.

He said a player had a pint the day before before a game at lunch, which isn't that crazy.

He literally said "20 pints the night before". So....

Watch 24/7 with Rangers/Flyers. One scene has Gaborik on "his 4th beer" the night before a buffalo game (may have been a joke and friendly rubbing, idk) and Boyle/Del zotto/Dubinsky/Callahan being pretty blitzed at Brad Richards Christmas party. Of course grown ass men drink, my argument is where I don't believe management is encouraging them to do it to get off the Schneid like the article states.