Delusional players in my league

[macgyverthatshiz]

Is this a common problem in the hockey world? We have several guys in my league who can barely skate (seriously, no exaggeration), yet they think they belong in the upper tier leagues at our rink. There is one guy that plays that can't even stop either way, or make a tight turn, and he looks like a newborn deer on skates, total bender, yet he says he needs to be bumped to upper C, we play in D, which is basically a beginner/novice league here. The guy is slower than molasses in February, and only plays A/B pick up. The A/B guys go real easy on him and basically let him do whatever he wants and it blows his head up and says he can easily keep up with them. He is becoming a liability to the guys in the A/B pick up games because it is more dangerous for the other players and himself, yet he will not listen to anyone about playing C/D pick up. It is seriously becoming a problem. There are several other issues with this at my rink and they just won't listen to anyone about playing in the league they belong in. I know my place, I am in my 30's, will never make it to the show, or even house B league, and I am fine with that. I play because I love the game, it keeps me fit, and it creates new friendships. I have pulled him aside, in a professional manner and explained to him that he should just play with us, the C/D guys and he wants nothing to do with it. I am out of ideas for helping the guy, as he is a really nice guy who just has no idea about reality. My only other plan is to install a delusional detector at the rink, and you must re-enter the rink until the buzzer goes off, and reality set in. Please help, or explain if this happens anywhere else in the hockey world.

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[blueberrydanish]

You tried, some people are just like that. It is fine if you can handle yourself for the most part cause better competition is the way to better yourself. But if he is way above his level like you make it seem then ya...he prob doesn't need to be showing up.

Im sure the A/B open guys really don't mind in the end besides a few vocal jabs about him on the bench probably, sure most of em are paying enough attention to where he isn't too much of a hazard to them.

As for the whole him just believing he is better than he actually is, somethin you'll just have to accept unless you want to start an unnecessary rivalry with him or something. You did your job and gave your advice, all you can do.

 

[Wildturkey12]

We have had a few guys who fit this mold. 2 of them had the attitude that they were doing us a favor by playing on the team. They would call out players but were the worst players on the team. We ended up telling them they were not welcome back.

 

[noobman]

Yeah I hate to say it but one of my friends is like that, OP. He is very slow on his skates, he can't do crossovers, he cant' skate backwards, and he can't hockey stop.

The rest of us are B to D leaguers with two ex-OHLers.

We only play pickup so everyone takes it easy on him, but he really lets it get to his head. Nobody really tries taking the puck off of him and the goalies will sometimes give him a gimme, but he's convinced that it's because he has quick hands and a good shot. In reality, he can't flex his stick at all on a shot and when he stickhandles you can hear the stick hitting the ice from the dressing room.

I don't mind it at all because it's all about fun and he enjoys himself, but I start to get irritated when he starts bragging about how he could have played AAA hockey as a kid and how he's better than certain people on the ice because he scores 2 goals a game.

I find that when it comes to a lot of things - not just hockey - few people in my age group have a good sense of where they really stand. I'd say that about a third undervalue themselves, while the other two thirds really believe they're much better than they are.

 

[mbeam]

I've played with some guys like that. I find most are cherry pickers that will score at a goal per game pace, only because they get 4 breakaways or partial breaks a game (Usually they're slow enough to get caught because they are just standing flat footed at the blue line). Nevermind the fact that they're a -4 for the day, they scored a goal. They must be good .

I used to play with a guy who took that to a new level, keeping track of faceoff % (although he always pushed the puck forward to the other teams D and considered it a win because he touched it first), and other insignificant stats. He was a nice guy and we were playing a pretty low level at the time so I didn't bust his balls about it.

But I don't get how some people can have such little self awareness sometimes.

 

[MeltingPlastic]

I think the problem is people take it easy on him. I have a friend like this and most of our friends have gotten sick of it and actually rip on him to his face and stopped being easy on him on the ice. He still doesn't get it but thats all it usually takes to pipe people down like that. Let him go up in an actual game situation and not in open hockey and watch him get smoked.. reality checks only happen by experience

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Don't take it easy on them if they want to play in the better leagues. Once they don't start scoring they won't find fun in it. If you blow their head up of course they're going to think they belong.

There is a woman in one of my wife's leagues that is like this. She's a terrible skater and is big like an oaf. She acts like she's Crosby or Ovechkin out there. She has an ok shot but she's built like a 250 pound Moose on skates. She just goes to the slot or sits in front of the net and waits for pucks to come to her and scores. Because she does this, she thinks she's one of the best players in the league. It really has blown her head up to where she thinks she's a big shot and she's terrible.

Most of her team can't stand her but they don't want to tell her about it either.

I've seen the opposite happen too. There's a guy in one of my leagues that is young and an unbelievably talented player. He's got all the tools. Fast as hell. Insane acceleration. Wicked shot that can score all over the ice. Great playmaking skills. Awesome size. His skating is just off the charts though. He just dominates. He was the captain on a state championship team a few years ago and had offers to a few top colleges. He didn't feel like going to college or moving away from his small town so he teaches hockey instead and drives about 70 miles to the big city to do so. This kid should be a dominant player in college or playing in the ECHL/AHL at this point.

Instead of playing in competition that suits his skill set, he plays with us and makes us look Pejorative Slured out there. He's like Jeremy Roenick from NHL 93' and we're a bunch of bums trying to stop him at will. I've yapped at his family about him doing something with his talents and they've said they told him the same thing but all he says is "I know I know." I wonder why he never took the jump up. I told him God gave him a talent and a chance at a free ride at some awesome hockey universities. He should've taken it.

 

[IslesZoso]

This reminds me of some of the golfers I play with. They act like they're some kinda semi-pro who can bomb 300 yd drives and drain every putt, and yet when I'm on the course with them they can barely break 100. The worst is when they put an 81 on their card and start bragging about their round and pointing out the weaknesses in your golf game.

 

[Jarick]

Pretty sure every league has 'em There's the guys who insist upon playing up and drag the team down, and the guys who dog it to stay down and rip it up.

 

[RobertKron]

I'm pretty sure that everywhere there is sports, there are these people.

Every individual signup team I've ever played on has had at least a couple guys that started playing within the past 2 years, but decided that they could sign up for the advanced level team. It's just how it goes.

 

[Holy Jokinen]

Don't know what the OP is talking about... i could play in the NHL if i wanted to.

 

[Rush22*]

I regularly play in a men's "A" league, but because there are only enough "A" players for 5 teams at my rink I also play for a "B" team and an "Upper C" team just to get more ice time in.

When I play for the "C" I never shoot and just look to set guys up and I also don't try to play guys with the puck too hard because I am technically sandbagging it after all.

There is this one guy on that C team who I set up for at least 2 goals a game, he cannot skate for his life and the reason he scores so often is because he just sit in the high slot and never moves while I get him open looks. He has this huge ego and keeps asking me to join our A division team because he thinks he is good enough now. I normally try to be nice to the guy and just tell him we are not looking for players this season. It is funny because he not only thinks he is an elite goal scorer but he is a hefty guys that throws his body around and brags about it... not only that but he falls at least 5 times a game.

 

[macgyverthatshiz]

She has an ok shot but she's built like a 250 pound Moose on skates

LMFAO. Anyways, it gets worse. He posts his pick up stats on Facebook, as in shots, assists, +/-, etc. The thing is, nobody would even mind his skill set if he didn't talk so much s**t all of the time. Most of the guys would be more than happy to lend a helping hand, but he has burned so many bridges with his delusional s**t talking that no one even bothers any longer. Thanks for the feedback, I am glad that I am not the only one that has this issue. I do agree, the guys need to stop taking it easy on him, maybe even let him play an upper level league game, for a reality check......Although I don't think it would help, as he thinks he is 100x greater than he is.

 

[Kritter471]

Sometimes going up a level and failing miserably (or at least, having to work ridiculously hard just to be below average) is the best thing that can happen to those guys. When I was playing my first season, our delusional captain told me he videotaped himself to learn where his weaknesses were and that's what made him the player he was, so I should try it. He was alright, but he was constantly out of position, slow, had a terrible shot and generally failed at reading the play.

Then he joined a team in the mid-tier league and found out he wasn't nearly as good as he thought he was. But he's stayed on that team (as well as playing in the low-level league still), gotten better and amazingly stopped being so "helpful" because he realized he didn't know what he was talking about.

On the other hand, you've got guys who just never realize it even when they're getting skated around constantly.

 

[Cp31*]

Hey guys, I was considering joining a league as a goalie just for fun, but I haven't played in about 6 years, and even then that was only bantam A. So I was wondering if I would even be close to good enough to at least be somewhat decent and not give up 30 goals every game. Also, is it difficult to find a league that needs a goalie?

 

[Holy Jokinen]

Hey guys, I was considering joining a league as a goalie just for fun, but I haven't played in about 6 years, and even then that was only bantam A. So I was wondering if I would even be close to good enough to at least be somewhat decent and not give up 30 goals every game. Also, is it difficult to find a league that needs a goalie?

Your best bet to see where you stand is to try playing in a lower-level pick up game. That way you're not committed financially, and you can gauge your skill, while also asking people who play in the leagues where they think you'll fit in.

 

[ponder]

If the only result is him making a fool of himself, who cares? I'd just ignore him, he can look like a fool all he wants, not your problem.

Also, this is not just a hockey phenomenon, but a general phenomenon in all parts of life. You could show him this link, but he's probably to deep in denial to make the connection that it applies to him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

 

[doobie604]

yup there's always people like that, know one guy who think he's faster than nhlers and real nhlers just look fast on tv lol.... he also think he's better than everybody else, when he doesn't do anything in the lower tiers, he blames bad passes or bad players, because he think he does much better with good players in higher tiers. can't even argue with people like that, just let it be, i do find these type of people pretty funny though.

 

[Crosbyfan]

If the only result is him making a fool of himself, who cares? I'd just ignore him, he can look like a fool all he wants, not your problem.

Also, this is not just a hockey phenomenon, but a general phenomenon in all parts of life. You could show him this link, but he's probably to deep in denial to make the connection that it applies to him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

I wonder where Dunning and Kruger got the confidence to publish that crap?

 

[Frankie Spankie]

I hate these kinds of players but there really isn't much you can do because if you yell at them, they won't listen anyway. I personally have only been playing hockey for like 5-6 years and was obviously awful for the first 2 years or so. I got into a league and was easily the worst one on the team but I just kept my mouth shut, listened to the other guys, and tried my hardest. I don't get why other people don't think this way... Hell, I've gotten a lot better and am more like middle of the pack in the league instead of way at the bottom (I don't ever expect to get close to the top) and I still just keep my mouth shut, skate as hard as I can, and still listen to people's advice, even if they are the slower players in the league who are lucky to score one goal a season.

There's apparently a guy like this in one of my leagues though. I've never played on his team and he is clearly one of the worst players in the league (not that it really matters since it is just a beer league after all), but I found out a couple months ago that he seriously thinks he's a good hockey player. I don't get why he would think so, I just never realized anybody can be that delusional but I guess they can be.

 

[Pierre Gotye]

You can't control what guys do on the ice. I've played on more than a few teams where guys completely over-rated their skills.

Even as a Captain, it's really hard to get some guys to listen to you, when they have their ears sewn shut.

There's a guy I know in a lower league team that I sub on. Older guy, but a complete ice hog. Takes extended shifts, doesn't really skate, or bother to give an effort playing defense. He racks up points, mainly because he has an awesome center for him doing all the work. I can't stand guys like that, but it's not my team so it's not really my place to get him to change how he plays. In his own right he hurts his team, but he doesn't realize it, because he thinks he's a ringer.

We have a guy on my D green league team(in our league we have I, D2 and the D Green, D Black, and C, then B). He really shouldn't be on it, because he can't really skate all that well. He falls over a lot. And no matter what line he plays on, he makes it weak as the other two forwards have to pick up the pace for him. At any rate, I can't make our captain do it, but, they should move him down next season. The difference is, I think he knows he's out of place.

I Captained a team(don't think I'll ever want to again) and it was really hard getting guys to change their poor habits. I had a couple of irresponsible defenseman who did nothing but pinch trying to create offense and did nothing but consistently give up breakaways.

We had some other forwards who sat back and waited for the puck to come to them.

I used to play D, but now I play up. I am always on the forecheck. The team I am on now is pretty good, but even now I don't see guys forecheck the defenders as aggressively as I do.

As for me, I'd love to play in C or B league, but I know I'd be completely out of place.

 

[mbhhofr]

Suggest to him that he read "The Peter Principle."

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Yeah, I think this is a fairly common issue in life, let alone hockey.

For hockey though, I think that if someone is even remotely good at one thing, they think their whole game is on par with their one talent. Most common thing I see is guys who can dangle your jock off but can't pass, play D, or really do much else to save their life.

That's why I like the group of guys I play with. We all know exactly where we stand, and if someone starts getting an inflated head, the other guys are sure to bring him back down to earth

 

[Jimmy Carter]

There is a woman in one of my wife's leagues that is like this. She's a terrible skater and is big like an oaf. She acts like she's Crosby or Ovechkin out there. She has an ok shot but she's built like a 250 pound Moose on skates. She just goes to the slot or sits in front of the net and waits for pucks to come to her and scores. Because she does this, she thinks she's one of the best players in the league. It really has blown her head up to where she thinks she's a big shot and she's terrible.

Most of her team can't stand her but they don't want to tell her about it either

That really annoys me when people think they're good because of that. Yes, it takes work to stand in front of the net (unless the D-man guarding you just lets you stand there, then it's fairly easy to do ), but to think you're good because of that? All that means is that others are better at moving the puck around than you and you're there to give your teammate a better chance at scoring off your screen or to pound home some garbage to help your team. Says nothing about offensive skill.

I should know, I play exactly the same game

 

[1Knee1T]

Yeah, I think this is a fairly common issue in life, let alone hockey.

For hockey though, I think that if someone is even remotely good at one thing, they think their whole game is on par with their one talent. Most common thing I see is guys who can dangle your jock off but can't pass, play D, or really do much else to save their life.

That's why I like the group of guys I play with. We all know exactly where we stand, and if someone starts getting an inflated head, the other guys are sure to bring him back down to earth

Sounds like any roller league I've ever played in. And the worst part is that they all do it with their head down, but the leagues are all non-contact.