OT: Hot Take: I support Larkin not wanting to attend the All Star Game.

[vladdy16]

And I think that if questioned without the need to play every conversation like a game of poker where the team keeps everything tight lipped, and if the world of hockey wasn't built on the pride of playing through any injury possible, he might offer a different comment (assuming injury plays a role). If he just says "I've been dealing with a nagging groin injury for the season and could really use the time off to get healthy," nobody bats an eye, but teams also try to attack that weakness.

I think this is a lot of speculation, giving slack, or holding his feet to the fire. I'm sure someone will coach him up on not leaving things open to speculation, but this is not a comment that anyone should be holding against him.

For sure. 100% agree.

And that's what I want to see, Larkin break through that game of poker without folding so to speak.

And if he doesn't, I'm not at all holding that against him as a player, or dear lord as a human, but as a captain/cultural icon/etc etc, there are ways that that role can be harnessed in a energy surplus instead of tax kind of way, and since we are rebuilding I'm interested in somebody or the team as a whole eventually finding that path.

So I'm stuck on the other side of this argument, not because I want athletes to be robots or super tough, but because I think the platform they have is part of the appeal and zeal of the occupation to begin with, so it would be sad to see some uberbitch like HSJ undermine the opportunities involved with being a DRW.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

I'm sure Dylan has learned his lesson that in this day and age you can't make a joke because even the local beat reporter you have a working relationship with can tweet part of it completely out of context and make you look like an *******.

Back to robot talk. "It'd be an honor... compete every night... keep pucks deep... stick to our gameplan..."

He wasn't joking though. That's what he tried to back track and say after the heat came down on him. But it shows a lot where his head is at. The guy who is this "great leader" doesn't want to REPRESENT the wings in the ASG but wants the coveted "C" on his jersey while having a bad season individually and horrible season as a team.... if AA said the same statement you guys would want to give him a lethal injection! Let's keep the same energy for all of the players at least people!

 

[Hen Kolland]

He wasn't joking though. That's what he tried to back track and say after the heat came down on him. But it shows a lot where his head is at. The guy who is this "great leader" doesn't want to REPRESENT the wings in the ASG but wants the coveted "C" on his jersey while having a bad season individually and horrible season as a team.... if AA said the same statement you guys would want to give him a lethal injection! Let's keep the same energy for all of the players at least people!

Have you considered running for president?

 

[MBH]

That's such a positive thing to hear. You have to learn to love yourself before you can truly love others.

LOL
True, true.
Milbury and Burke are just piss and vinegar, though. Cherry has some laughs and love in his tirades,

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

He doesn't have the status to make that kind of "joke". He is a young player on the worst team in the NHL that wants to "rest" instead of being an all-star. And this is the guy you guys are BEGGING to be the captain....

The status to make a joke? WTF does that even mean?? Only seasoned veterans get to be funny? How many games do you need to qualify?

Watch the actual video clip. People are freaking out about half a sentence Larkin said between praising Bertuzzi and saying there's more deserving people to go.

He wasn't joking though. That's what he tried to back track and say after the heat came down on him. But it shows a lot where his head is at. The guy who is this "great leader" doesn't want to REPRESENT the wings in the ASG but wants the coveted "C" on his jersey while having a bad season individually and horrible season as a team.... if AA said the same statement you guys would want to give him a lethal injection! Let's keep the same energy for all of the players at least people!

He was absolutely joking. In the initial interview it's very clear he's kidding. I'm not talking about any comment he's made after that.

ahh I see it now. Your fixation on Larkin is actually about AA's treatment here. And has little to do with this soundbite.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Setting a standard where the team is intimidated into restraining/censoring themselves because the media is full of asshats.

I understand it's complicated, and I'm not saying Larkin should have the tools to navigate the situation easily. The media that Holland assembled is detestable imo.

But the last thing I want to see is a leader on the team give up on having a platform to speak to their team, and a way to engender a connection with the fans and community, just because of an imaginary line they are towing with the media.

If you are forthright and elaborate, eventually you can't be taken out of context. I think there is less stopping a player from avoiding cliches and being void of substance than they let on. I understand there is an energy management component, but this case seems an example of why it's sometimes valuable to bite the bullet and use that energy for positivity.

And again, I get that Larkin was trying to be forthright and was trying to have a laugh mostly at his expense. My concerns lie there within.

I'm confused. Larkin hasn't done any of that. I think you're taking a statement I made about him becoming a robot and acting like it's already happened??

You can ALWAYS be taken out of context. Always. This is a perfect example. The bulk of Larkin's comments were about how deserving Bertuzzi is of playing in the all-star game, and regarding him going him saying there's more deserving people. But all people want to talk about is "Larkin says don't vote for him! He'd rather have the days off!"

Larkin is 23 years old, and having to face the media night after night during a historically awful season. He's doing a fantastic job being a professional and answering the same questions time and time again when the answer to all of them is really "We just don't have a talented roster."

The only thing I worry about Larkin maturity wise is acting like he's been shot any time a stick comes near his face. You're a hockey player, that's gonna happen a lot.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

Beyond that, I'm just criticizing a hockey player for not wanting to play hockey

lol, "hockey"

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

He wasn't joking though. That's what he tried to back track and say after the heat came down on him. But it shows a lot where his head is at. The guy who is this "great leader" doesn't want to REPRESENT the wings in the ASG but wants the coveted "C" on his jersey while having a bad season individually and horrible season as a team.... if AA said the same statement you guys would want to give him a lethal injection! Let's keep the same energy for all of the players at least people!

1) AA has shown time and again that he doesn't want to play in games that actually matter in the standings... so it wouldn't actually be surprising him wanting to skip an All-Star game.
2) Larkin was saying something in jest and people reading it take it out of context, because written words do not convey meaning.
3) It's got nothing to do with "not wanting to represent the Wings" and more not wanting to be essentially a last resort choice via a fan vote when the Wings already have a representative who is more deserving than he is AND there are other guys in the league more deserving. If Larkin goes, he's the face of the Wings and it tromps all over little Bert's moment being there.

Why is it okay that Datsyuk said "I don't want to play" or Z or Nick or whoever "I don't want to play"? Sidney Crosby skipped several ASGs. It is a completely meaningless exhibition game that they've made even more completely meaningless by dropping it to 3-on-3 and having stuff like John Scott or Rory Fitzpatrick or other meme candidates make it there.

The only people who actually have a problem with Larkin skipping are the guys like Brian Burke who are the greybeards that live in the 1970s and 1980s with their mindset of what hockey is. Like I had said earlier, All Star games and other national games meant a lot more. Now, you can see any game from anywhere in the world practically on demand. You voted as fans for the guys like Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzyk or Dominik Hasek to make it because it was one more chance to see the best players in the league. Now, if I'm a fan of Henrik Lundqvist in Detroit, I can watch NHL.tv or Center Ice or any myriad of options and see him every single game he plays. It's literally a generational thing. Burke has in his mindset what the All-Star game is. The players, fans, and the public at large see it differently.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

For sure. 100% agree.

And that's what I want to see, Larkin break through that game of poker without folding so to speak.

And if he doesn't, I'm not at all holding that against him as a player, or dear lord as a human, but as a captain/cultural icon/etc etc, there are ways that that role can be harnessed in a energy surplus instead of tax kind of way, and since we are rebuilding I'm interested in somebody or the team as a whole eventually finding that path.

So I'm stuck on the other side of this argument, not because I want athletes to be robots or super tough, but because I think the platform they have is part of the appeal and zeal of the occupation to begin with, so it would be sad to see some uberbitch like HSJ undermine the opportunities involved with being a DRW.

That's something that happens organically. And right now, there is not a whole lot that Larkin can do. The team is woefully undertalented. They could have Tony Robbins reborn in Larkin's body (with Larkin's talent) and he's not motivating them to be a plus roster nor are his post-game interviews going to be life-changing. Larkin is not Stevie Y who was able to put the Dead Wings on his back and just outplay whole other rosters. So it'll take a little bit of time and of coaching. Stevie commanded instant credibility because he was a superstar in the 80s. And even then... as late as 1994, people were questioning Yzerman's leadership chops and he was involved in legit trade conversations.

 

[MBH]

1) AA has shown time and again that he doesn't want to play in games that actually matter in the standings... so it wouldn't actually be surprising him wanting to skip an All-Star game.

This is ridiculous.
All this kid wants to do is play more.
And when he does, he usually plays really well.

You go back to his interview with Regner on the Red and White. He didn't care who he played with.
When asked about playing with Larkin - he said, he loved it because it meant he got to play more.

Last year, he finished the season playing 19 minutes a night over the last 16 games, scoring 8 goals and 7 assists and going +1 while showing pretty substantial improvement on faceoffs.

This year? He gets 19 minutes on night one and was summarily busted down to 14,13 and 14 minutes in 3 of the next four games.

Coming into the season, Athanasiou had played 18 or more minutes in 39 games, going 19-22-41 +1 with 129 shots on goal.

Double that.
78 games. 38-44-72 +2 258 shots.

Athanasiou needs a new coach or a new place to play.

 

[LeftWingLocked]

He doesn't have the status to make that kind of "joke". He is a young player on the worst team in the NHL that wants to "rest" instead of being an all-star. And this is the guy you guys are BEGGING to be the captain....

I agree. He has as many goals as the Wings have wins (10). This is the kind of captain we don't need.

 

[bedtime20]

Larkin Should be able to say if he wants to go but I rather see someone like Zadina Or fabbri go

 

[guinness]

I would rather watch the old timers games, then the ASG. Is it in Nashville this year? Honestly that's how much I care, I don't really know where it is.

Just make it a pre-season exhibition game, because all it is, is an exhibition. The NFL does the Pro Bowl after the season, and they do it in Hawaii, going to the island is part of the appeal, and even then, the players don't take it seriously.

 

[jkutswings]

Apparently AA just needs more minutes to transform into an outstanding player, and the measure of a team captain is how many goals he scores.

Assuming everybody else is sober, maybe I need a drink or two to understand these boards.

 

[Red Stanley]

Dylan clearly needs some sensitivity training. That was as savage as a blind-side elbow to the face. Poor Burke. Thoughts and prayers to get you through these tough times. Stay strong!

 

[ThankGord]

Ovi and Fleury decided not to play, is Burke going to go after them?

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Have you considered running for president?

Not looking for a running mate, sorry.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Not looking for a running mate, sorry.

I wouldn't want to tie my name to that campaign

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

I wouldn't want to tie my name to that campaign

Ok. You want to get back on topic now?

 

[GMR]

Larkin is just scared to race McDavid. That's what it is.

 

[ShelbyZ]

I don't care about the ASG unless John Scott is playing, and I agree with Larkin's motivation here, but from a PR standpoint and the predictable over reactive viral nature of media these days, he should've just given some phony canned response like: "You know I went in 2016 and it was a real blast and an honor to represent the team and the league and blah blah, but it's also nice to get that long break and get focused and refreshed for the rest of the season." If he was trying to be funny, he should've just started with "You mean people might actually vote for me this year?"

Same goes for Bertuzzi... I also shook my head when his "I wouldn't be going if the league didn't have to pick one player from each team" comment went out... Just give the PR babble about how it's such honor to be selected when there's so many deserving guys in the room (LOL) and the rest of the league.

This is stuff that I'd expect to hear from peak mental fragility Manny Legace, barely playing and almost retired Chris Osgood or 46YO Chris Chelios, not two young guys that could be major pieces and leaders for the future. I think Burke needs to calm down a bit, but his comment about what Yzerman should have done about it makes me curious. I wonder what Steve thinks of it. I don't ever remember him responding to anything the way Bertuzzi or Larkin did.

I wonder if I would've been sad when I was a kid and Sergei Fedorov said not to vote for him after I'd make my Dad log onto his dial up internet so I could vote for him back in the day.

 

[HIFE]

Ouch this was sooo stupid of HSJ to throw Dylan under the bus, what a witch.

You really have to watch the interview to understand the context. It was an awkward moment... he was trying to be funny and was showing humility/embarrassment at the thought of being chosen as a "last man."

It was a misunderstanding and I don't blame Burke for reacting to the information given.

 

[ricky0034]

it's a little weird that some people get more upset when someone that isn't even in the all star game yet tells people not to vote for them than they get when someone that's already supposed to be in it just doesn't go

 

[Oddbob]

He wasn't joking though. That's what he tried to back track and say after the heat came down on him. But it shows a lot where his head is at. The guy who is this "great leader" doesn't want to REPRESENT the wings in the ASG but wants the coveted "C" on his jersey while having a bad season individually and horrible season as a team.... if AA said the same statement you guys would want to give him a lethal injection! Let's keep the same energy for all of the players at least people!

Umm, he literally smiled as he said it! That generally means it was a joke or he was kidding! Mind boggling how you take every opportunity to throw mud at Larkin, but AA gets a complete free pass for everything. Nothing Larkin said, makes him a bad leader or a bad teammate or any bullshit like that! This whole thing is a nothing burger of enormous proportions and only in this day and age, is it turned into some super serious, "oh man, he shouldn't be captain and I hate him, he is poopy!" kind of situation!

I bet that if you interviewed every player in Detroit's locker-room, over 75% of them would say Dylan is the team leader.

 

[Oddbob]

Ouch this was sooo stupid of HSJ to throw Dylan under the bus, what a witch.

You really have to watch the interview to understand the context. It was an awkward moment... he was trying to be funny and was showing humility/embarrassment at the thought of being chosen as a "last man."

It was a misunderstanding and I don't blame Burke for reacting to the information given.

Whenever I see him answer HSJ's questions this year, he looks annoyed before she even finishes the question and he disagrees with her many times! I get the feeling she is not currently well liked by the boys! Pretty sad that she seems to annoy him more than Art Regner, who annoys me the second he opens his mouth! She is annoying too no doubt, but she really must be pushing buttons on Larkin.