onlylordsvsmorebp
HEAVYHOCKEY ENTHUSIAST
Hopefully there's no hula-hoop competition or Team Simmonds is screwed.
snap crackle pop....
Hopefully there's no hula-hoop competition or Team Simmonds is screwed.
Pretty interesting comments by Hextall on him:
We look at a young player like Michael Del Zotto coming into the NHL at his age. He has a lot of money. He’s got fame, he’s got people wanting to spend time with him and thinking he’s a big deal. Any 20-21-22- or 23-year-old, it’s pretty easy to get off the rails. I think that is what happened to him. I think in two years, he will look back and say, 'It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I regained my focus and what is important.'
...
'Everyone at that stage of life, we didn't all have the fame and money and everything else. Sometimes we don't spend enough time teaching young people what is right and wrong and how not to get off track. That's why you see a lot of teams with development coaches. That's part of their job. Grab the kids when they are 18 years old and teach them what it is to be a pro and what the expectations are and expedite the process. ... You go from being a junior hockey player playing in front of 3,000 people and riding a bus to playing at Madison Square Garden or Wells Fargo in front of 19,000 people. You’re in the NHL, in front of Hockey Night in Canada. It’s ... national TV. It’s a big adjustment for any kid in any walk of life. It’s a lot tougher than people think. These young people have to grow up in a hurry.'
Surprised Hextall actually said that about him.
Trying to read between the lines here, but is he saying MDZ had some off-ice issues that hindered his ability on the ice? Or is he just talking in general about "distractions" that young players face?
It seemed like there was a large group of people last year that were enjoying MDZ's downfall, which, yeah, that's just human nature. I get it. But after hearing this story I don't know how you can't help but root for the guy. Hopefully he gets his career back on track with us.
I agree, hopefully he does well and Flyers can sign him for 3 or 4 years and get a decent Dman out of him, he definitely has potential, is young and has decent speed.
His best fit might be Schenn, though.