Has a player ever refused to get off the ice?

[Sureves]

Like when a line change is made by the coach, has a player ever straight up refused to get off the ice so that the player leaving the bench had to go back there?

Anything similar to this ever been done? I'm just wondering if a coach has ever been blatantly ignored by a player.

Sorry if this is kind of a "mid-summer" type thread, but I'm curious, and Google is failing me.

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[10coach*]

Doubtful, I think most guys like being in the NHL rather than the minors.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Brett Hull refused to get out off penalty box.

 

[Greg02]

Like when I line change is made by the coach, has a player ever straight up refused to get off the ice so that the player leaving the bench had to go back there?

Anything similar to this ever been done? I'm just wondering if a coach has ever been blatantly ignored by a player.

Sorry if this is kind of a "mid-summer" type thread, but I'm curious, and Google is failing me.

I have this really vivid memory of Jagr doing that in a game against the Rangers when he was on the Penguins. I have no clue how old I was, but it was probably fairly young so not sure how reliable the memory is, but he was on for multiple minutes and Sam and JD were saying how he wasn't going to come off until he scored a goal or got sent to the box. He got sent to the box.

I remember looking at him, drenched in sweat with his helmet off sitting in the penalty box and thinking wow, that's a hockey player.

 

[ecemleafs]

Keenan one time refused to let kovalev come off the ice lol

 

[Prairie Habs]

I have this really vivid memory of Jagr doing that in a game against the Rangers when he was on the Penguins. I have no clue how old I was, but it was probably fairly young so not sure how reliable the memory is, but he was on for multiple minutes and Sam and JD were saying how he wasn't going to come off until he scored a goal or got sent to the box. He got sent to the box.

I remember looking at him, drenched in sweat with his helmet off sitting in the penalty box and thinking wow, that's a hockey player.

It being against the Rangers if "He got sent to the box" was replaced with "then Kovalev scored at the end of his 7 minute shift" the story would be even better.

 

[Prairie Habs]

Keenan one time refused to let kovalev come off the ice lol

And Kovy thought he was being rewarded.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Keenan one time refused to let kovalev come off the ice lol

And here it is:

 

[Satan]

Let me tell you a little about Alexei Kovalev....

 

[Sarcastic]

One time Alexei Kovalev was on the ice for 5 minutes.

 

[Call me betty*]

ovechkin does it all the time. Refuses to get off the PP and plays almost the whole 2 minutes.

 

[Sureves]

ovechkin does it all the time. Refuses to get off the PP and plays almost the whole 2 minutes.

Thanks for adding. Are we actually sure he is being asked to come off there though?

My real question in the OP is that there's a whistle and then the team's are changing lines to prepare for the faceoff and then one player just refuses to come off for the change.

Seems like an extraordinarily unlikely occurrence, but if you had a star player like Jagr, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc. they know the coach is more likely to be fired than them be punished in any significant way so in theory they could do it.

Obviously they don't because they understand they are professionals and it's a team game, but I'm just wondering if anyone, ever, has done it.

 

[Calad]

"the shift"

 

[The Expert]

Keenan one time refused to let kovalev come off the ice lol

This is exactly what I thought of reading this thread. That was hilarious.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Thanks for adding. Are we actually sure he is being asked to come off there though?

My real question in the OP is that there's a whistle and then the team's are changing lines to prepare for the faceoff and then one player just refuses to come off for the change.

Seems like an extraordinarily unlikely occurrence, but if you had a star player like Jagr, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc. they know the coach is more likely to be fired than them be punished in any significant way so in theory they could do it.

Obviously they don't because they understand they are professionals and it's a team game, but I'm just wondering if anyone, ever, has done it.

(mod)

Here's the truth, Ovechkin doesn't play the full 2 minutes anymore. He plays 1:00 to 1:30 per PP, and then he shifts with Orlov or Niskanen. When he is playing the full 2 minutes, it's because the coach actually wants him to do it.

 

[Wease]

This is exactly what I thought of reading this thread. That was hilarious.

Any of us old enough to remember it, this was the first thing I thought of and I started to laugh...

 

[polarbearcub]

Sbisa just spent the last 2 minutes on the ice when the canucks were trying to tie the game. Hutton sitting on the bench ...

 

[Sens Rule]

Mario just stayed on as long as he wanted. His whole career mostly. I don't know if it was really refusing a coaches order. He was above the coaches and especially after he was team owner too.

Not trying to rip Mario... at all. But he just did what he wanted. And he deserved the ability to just play as much or as long as he wished to do it.

In all my life watching hockey... Mario could just play as long as he wanted. More the Kovalev or Kovalchuk or Bure or Karlsson or Jagr. Mario just decided his own shifts. Before he was team owner too. And yeah... he deserved to do it.

 

[Sureves]

Mario just stayed on as long as he wanted. His whole career mostly. I don't know if it was really refusing a coaches order. He was above the coaches and especially after he was team owner too.

Not trying to rip Mario... at all. But he just did what he wanted. And he deserved the ability to just play as much or as long as he wished to do it.

In all my life watching hockey... Mario could just play as long as he wanted. More the Kovalev or Kovalchuk or Bure or Karlsson or Jagr. Mario just decided his own shifts. Before he was team owner too. And yeah... he deserved to do it.

Very interesting thanks for sharing!

 

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

Like when a line change is made by the coach, has a player ever straight up refused to get off the ice so that the player leaving the bench had to go back there?

Anything similar to this ever been done? I'm just wondering if a coach has ever been blatantly ignored by a player.

Sorry if this is kind of a "mid-summer" type thread, but I'm curious, and Google is failing me.

I'm sure there have been plenty of examples of players jumping on the ice and having to get back onto the bench because the player they're changing for stays on the ice but I've never seen it done intentionally. Usually it's just a misunderstanding or a miscommunication.

I'm also sure a player has pretended to not hear a coach calling for them to come off the ice... and players overstay their shift all the time (e.g. as many have mentioned, Kovalev )

 

[Sens Rule]

Very interesting thanks for sharing!

At least post Bowman. After Bowman Mario was essentially coach and just decided himself whatever he thought he should do or play.

 

[Rebels57]

Kovalev had to be one of the most enigmatic star players in NHL history.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

Thanks for adding. Are we actually sure he is being asked to come off there though?

My real question in the OP is that there's a whistle and then the team's are changing lines to prepare for the faceoff and then one player just refuses to come off for the change.

Seems like an extraordinarily unlikely occurrence, but if you had a star player like Jagr, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc. they know the coach is more likely to be fired than them be punished in any significant way so in theory they could do it.

Obviously they don't because they understand they are professionals and it's a team game, but I'm just wondering if anyone, ever, has done it.

Of course he's ************. You don't really believe Ovechkin blatantly refuses to listen to his coach do you?

 

[Sens Rule]

Mario vs Gretzky vs Orr.

IMO. Mario mostly dictated his ice time. Gretzky had his coaches do it... especially Sather. In his prime he had strong coaches that played him a ton and might ask him if he was fresh...but the coach decided.

Orr....I think... the coaches just would play him 60 minutes and unlike Mario... Orr decided when he needed a break mostly (while deferring to coaches) vs Mario who decided when he played not when he was too tired to play.

My opinion. Guys like Bure and Kovalchuk and Kovalev were never really above coaches. They might have often challenged them or ignored them. But with Mario he just was above the coach. With Orr he was Orr and coaches were always just trying to maximize his ice time. Not ever trying to reign him in. Gretzky was well coached mostly. And listened to them. But idiots like Keenan thought they could better coach Gretzky and they failed massive. If you coach Gretzky... you just play him. As much as you can. Short shifts, but double shifts. Keenan at one point tried to embarass Gretzky ad be the "boss"and it failed utterly because the whole team was like... it is Gretzky! Gretzky!!! Just play hima ton and not try to be a "smart coach" or light a fire under Gretzky.

 

[clunk]

Didn't Kovalev not leave the ice for five minutes once? I'm surprised no one else has brought it up.