The Players' Tribune: “There’s No Place Like Home” by Adam Fox

[WarriorofTime]

I mean technically Fox didn't grow up in New York City but it doesn't really matter.

Ah damn, I've been out-pedantic'd on my pedantic-ness over a pedantic point.

So basically what we can conclude is that Fox is wrong because they aren't called the "Jericho Rangers", checkmate Fox.

 

[Kane One]

was Fox born in 1965? no he was born when the Islanders were well established so the Islanders are his hometown team, and there aren't more Ranger fans than Islander fans on Long Island but that is irrelevant anyway

His father is a Rangers fan and most people support the same team as their father. The Isles play in the Rangers territory, therefore being a fan of either team makes you a fan of the hometown team.

 

[Bood12]

Ah damn, I've been out-pedantic'd on my pedantic-ness over a pedantic point.

So basically what we can conclude is that Fox is wrong because they aren't called the "Jericho Rangers", checkmate Fox.

if the Rangers played in Jericho and the Islanders in Belmont, and a person grew up in Jericho became an Islander fan and called them his hometown team they should be called out on it
can a person From Calgary call the Oilers his hometown team since they are both in Alberta?

 

[branch]

I mean if that was the goal then mission accomplished

What other point was he trying to make? He likes playing in New York? That's pretty apparent

 

[hellvetet]

I love Fox's story and the passion to be employed by his dream team.

How is this different from a Dubai-born exchange student studying at Harvard to eventually find his way back home at, let's say, McKinsey Dubai while being a summer analyst at BCG NYC and being "commited to the program?"

Yeah, the Flames took their swing at it and spent an asset. Let the players decide their career paths if they have what it takes. Fox surely did and he has taken admirable risks to achieve his goal.

 

[DutchNYR]

Yeah Deangelo the guy who has been kicked out of three organizations and fined multiple times for using slurs in minors was actually pissed at the true locker room cancer which was Fox.

Tbf the word is out that Fox his dad is paying his son's teammates some serious rich people money to say Foxy is a nice guy.

Always the same with the Jericho Billionaires Club cheating their way through life.

 

[clmetsfan]

The fact that the Rangers seem to be the ones that continually benefit from the NCAA loophole makes it especially BS. It's just not fair at the end of the day that everybody else has to try and draft well, and the Rangers also get to draft and also every couple years seem to get a top prospect somebody else drafted originally walk right into their organization as a prospect free agent. To whomever said Vesey didn't get backlash, that's way wrong. Preds fans were very mad. The reason there isn't some long-standing grudge is because Vesey turned out to be not that good. At the time though he was the Hobey Baker Award Winner. It was a pretty big deal.

I don't think Fox or any of the others that have taken advantage deserve to get personally vilified. At the end of the day, it's just a bad rule. The draft is supposed to be the means by which players are allocated to the league. Because the timing of when players are drafted (18) and when they may be ready for the League (often early 20s) that creates this disconnect that's allowing players to take advantage of the system and get around that. I don't think anybody in the NHL is interested in a free for all where the McDavids and Bedards and such can just pick whom they sign with as a 18 year olds, but this sort of system where players get to have free rides to top tier universities that pay for their education while they develop as hockey players between the time they are drafted and when they are ready for the NHL is giving them a pass to get around the draft system entirely. It's a de-facto special treatment for players that go that route even if it's not a de jure special treatment.

I don't like it personally from a competitive balance standpoint. I'd like for it to be addressed. I think a system where it's not tied solely to years post-draft is the fairest and looking at years after they become "professional". If you made Adam Fox go play in Switzerland for a year or two after he finished up at Harvard, it'd make it a lot less likely that he'd leverage that sort of power to become a free agent the same way that you don't see very many guys that go the CHL route (where they're typically done a year or two after they were drafted before they go Pro) do this "Justin Schultz Loophole" thing.

What you say is largely true, but here's the thing -- it's a path that's open to just about anyone if they want to take it. There are very few draftees in the first few rounds that wouldn't be of interest to most, if not all, of the top college programs. So if it's such an advantage for the players, why aren't more players taking advantage of it?

 

[WarriorofTime]

if the Rangers played in Jericho and the Islanders in Belmont, and a person grew up in Jericho became an Islander fan and called them his hometown team they should be called out on it
can a person From Calgary call the Oilers his hometown team since they are both in Alberta?

The Flames represent Calgary, the Rangers represent New York. Not just part of New York. If the Flames purported to represent all of Alberta, that would be different. Not sure why you can't comprehend the difference.

 

[FourRings]

His father is a Rangers fan and most people support the same team as their father. The Isles play in the Rangers territory, therefore being a fan of either team makes you a fan of the hometown team.

Hell, our hometown football team(s) aren't even in the same state.

 

[FourRings]

if the Rangers played in Jericho and the Islanders in Belmont, and a person grew up in Jericho became an Islander fan and called them his hometown team they should be called out on it
can a person From Calgary call the Oilers his hometown team since they are both in Alberta?

What? The Garden and The Coliseum are less than 30 miles from each other and most Long Island hockey fans I know are Ranger fans. They're more popular than the Islanders and it's not really close. Edmonton and Calgary are like, 5x further apart from each other. That'd be like Fox calling the Bruins his hometown team.

 

[summer tooth]

He attended one of the best colleges in Massachusetts. His passing finesse is superb. He's a very terrific ice hockey player, and it comes as no surprise that he's also a very terrific ice hockey article writer.

 

[Machinehead]

I love that people in this thread are debating if he was rich growing up.

It's the NHL. 90% of them were stuffed when they were born.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

Fox is such a dink.

 

[The Hockey Tonk Man]

I’m glad a lot of players don’t take the Wheeler/Fox route, but hey, why not.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Rich kid from a rich family grows up entitled. Hard to cheer for him tbh, especially writing these articles.

This applies to 95% of players in the NHL

 

[DamonDRW]

This applies to 95% of players in the NHL

Not really and you really understand it yourself

 

[egelband]

Not a big deal from a Canes POV. We knew when we got his rights that he was highly unlikely to sign, but hey... you don't hit home runs if you don't swing the bat. We got a satisfactory return for his rights, so there's not much if any resentment from our corner.

That being said, it's a bit weird for him to write an article about how he's living his dream, but also says he didn't think about it as a kid, and also doesn't acknowledge the machinations that got him to this point. There's a certain lack of self-awareness in portraying this to the public as something he just kind of fell into.

You’re right about there being a lack of self-awareness. But I think that also goes for about 90% of all pro athletes. That’s how they get to that level.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I’m glad a lot of players don’t take the Wheeler/Fox route, but hey, why not.

Kind of where I'm at with it as well. I mean, I'm happy most guys decide to play for the shitty teams that draft em', but if a guy like Fox can make it work for him...what the hell, good for him.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Fox is such a dink.

double income, no kids?