Speculation: Erik Cole thinking about retirement?

[Habs]

The irony here is amazing. Cole was one of the biggest advocates for the NHLPA, getting what the deserve etc..and yet he can still walk away from the millions owed, under the barbaric working conditions the NHL has made him endure.

 

[Power Man]

He wont pass up on 8 millions

 

[Myron Gaines*]

So is Erik Cole the new guy? Are we doing this?

 

[68*]

LOL @ anyone who thinks he's gonna retire. Mrs. Cole wants new clothes.

 

[Whitesnake]

Why the heck would he say such a thing in a market like Montreal, where we've been waiting for good news and then have to deal with the Subban negotiation and now the possibility of him retiring, one of the only bright spot of last year. As if in Montreal we'd love our distraction.....That wasn't necessary to say the least.

 

[WeThreeKings]

If Cole retires... well.. then we start looking at who we pick between Drouin, Barkov or Lindholm.

Considering Gionta would be our top line RW and Plekanec would have to play with someone like Moen on his wing again.

 

[Myron Gaines*]

If Cole retires... well.. then we start looking at who we pick between Drouin, Barkov or Lindholm.

Considering Gionta would be our top line RW and Plekanec would have to play with someone like Moen on his wing again.

I'd LOL to be honest.

 

[David_99]

If Cole retires... well.. then we start looking at who we pick between Drouin, Barkov or Lindholm.

Considering Gionta would be our top line RW and Plekanec would have to play with someone like Moen on his wing again.

Is it this season he's considering retiring or the end of this season?

 

[roy munson]

I don't know how this thread is slowly turning into a Cole bashfest. Did I miss something? Why so much dislike towards him? Wasn't he one of our best forward? I understand he's getting older and he's eventually going to retire, but I love having him on the roster. Hopefully another full season (depending on his health obv.)

BTW1: is he talking about retiring before the 2013 season or before the 2013-14 season?

BTW2: re: his "sacrifice" comment. If I had to go live anywhere else, it WOULD be a sacrifice, because MTL is my home. No matter where I end up or how nice it is.

 

[JAVO16]

If he don't like it here in Mawntreal, he can giiiittt out !!!!

 

[JohnnyB11]

if i was the organization id bite the bullet, send him to the minors and let him travel all around North America on the bus just so he'd miss his family some more.

He gets playing again, he'll be fine. I don't hold it against him that he enjoyed spending more time with his family.

Very happy that you aren't 'the organization'. You'd send him to the minors for his comments? LOL

 

[poetryinmotion]

So Markov = bad attitude, everyone praises him but we all **** on Cole for thinking about his family?

 

[Whitesnake]

So Markov = bad attitude, everyone praises him but we all **** on Cole for thinking about his family?

Great, so every freakin Habs player should be thinking about their family and want out? This guy agreed with a 4-year contract with the obligation that it holds. Knew everything it meant and this team is build with him on it. This is what hockey players do. They play 10-15 years make the big bucks and then can live happily ever after with their family wherever they want.

Yes, I guess the guy can do what he wants. But I'm not going to praise a guy who's not going to respect a contract he signs.

 

[BlackStar]

And many of you wanted to strip the C from Gionta to give it to Cole.

I like Cole, great player, and before the lockout, a great leader/team-mate for our guys, but boy, he is being ridiculous.

 

[Whitesnake]

On a hockey business related, that's totally fine. But Bergevin needs to know right the heck away if it's a way to ask for a trade near his home, hope Cole kicks ass with DD and Pac, and get a great package for Cole, preferably including a 1st rounder this year.

 

[Wats]

Cole scored 35 goals last year and was the major force on our best line. If he retires I fully expect to miss the playoffs unless someone comes out of left field (Eller, Bourque)

We got the 3rd overall pick with him having essentially a career year. If he retires, missing playoffs is a given and the only question becomes whether the team can be bad enough for the 1st overall pick.

Luckily if he retires after this season, added to Gionta, Gomez, Kaberle, Markov contracts expiring next season, Bergevin will have essentially a clean slate to work with cap space wise.

 

[Phil Parent]

I wonder if Cole lost sleep over the minimum wage workers who lost their job because he and his PA brethren just wouldn't take the money? And now that his union HAS taken the money, he wants to moan and complain that this is not the money he expected and he might retire because of it? And says that others should consider doing it? What is this, a millionaire's version of an hunger strike?

I'm sure the single mom waitress wishes she would have seen the 10 bucks an hour she expected too to get some christmas gifts for her kids, Erik.

I have no tolerance for this anymore. I don't care who it is, you're not happy? Take a hike! Somebody else will wear the jersey and won't put it more to shame than you did Mr. I-Have-Falloon-Syndrome-And-Scored-35-Cuz-I-Played-A-Lot! We still finished last despite your ass being allegedly this great leader and having a career year.

A real leader lifts his teammates and makes them better, and make the team overachieve. With Erik Cole as a leader, the team crumbled to our worse performance in decades.

Max Pacioretty he ain't. Now that's somebody who's head is screwed on at the right place.

 

[PaulQ]

BTW2: re: his "sacrifice" comment. If I had to go live anywhere else, it WOULD be a sacrifice, because MTL is my home. No matter where I end up or how nice it is.

you can think it but you keep that to yourself

 

[Theosis]

Retire.

With his cap added to Gomez and Kaberle, we're looking at $16M+ available to sign or trade for 2 REALLY good players to take their places.

Hopefully we can get Parise and Suter.

Oh wait...

 

[MD thaivuN]

After all the ranting from the NHLPA about respecting contracts, I kinda LOL'd at this.

 

[Kjell Dahlin]

Why the heck would he say such a thing in a market like Montreal, where we've been waiting for good news and then have to deal with the Subban negotiation and now the possibility of him retiring, one of the only bright spot of last year. As if in Montreal we'd love our distraction.....That wasn't necessary to say the least.

That's definitely not the attitude I expect from a veteran.

If he wants to retire he should... just do it and stop yapping about it. I would disagree with him (he still has a lot of very solid hockey in him) but I would respect his decision. Right now he just sounds like a spoiled teenager.

At first I was agreeing with Carey Price (the poster) when he mentioned that people usually say and do weird stuff when they are frustrated. The thing is, Cole started yapping about this crap months ago so it is not a sudden outburst... it's the result of a long consideration!

Crap like this makes you appreciate no BS guys like Eller, Plekanec and Desharnais even more.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

I really soured on Cole during the lockout and this crap he's pulling now really makes me dislike him off the ice.

Yet we have people here saying PK's a cancer and needs to mature. LOL

 

[Cole Caulifield]

« Tout le monde devrait y penser [à se retirer] en regardant la convention, a-t-il dit. Plusieurs joueurs ont signé des contrats et n'obtiendront peut-être pas ce qu'ils auraient dû obtenir quand ils l'ont signé. »

When I read stuff like that I wonder if Cole is :

1. Bipolar (and currently in a down mood)
2. Pejorative Slured
3. ***** whiped

Speaking of #2, holy **** are our players dumb or what? Gorges, Price, Cole, Markov.. they're all saying and doing Pejorative Slured ****.

Also, please retire.

 

[Habtchum*]

When I read stuff like that I wonder if Cole is :

1. Bipolar (and currently in a down mood)
2. Pejorative Slured
3. ***** whiped

Speaking of #2, holy **** are our players dumb or what? Gorges, Price, Cole, Markov.. they're all saying and doing Pejorative Slured ****.

Also, please retire.

If they would be Columbus or Nashville players instead of Canadiens', you probably would not had heard of anything.

 

[Et le But]

So Markov = bad attitude, everyone praises him but we all **** on Cole for thinking about his family?

Staying one extra day in Russia when the organization hadn't even contacted him yet is a "bad attitude"? The media was far harsher on Markov than Cole, who is effectively making the same threat Kovalchuk is without the threat of the KHL.

I'll still cheer on Cole as long as he plays hard, but his entire attitude toward the lockout has not been very flattering.