The Players' Tribune: I Was Meant To Be a Hab

[Jee]

I Was Meant To Be a Hab | By Tyler Toffoli

And here’s the funny thing about what happened next. When I was with the Canucks, I had been watching a lot of games during my time in the bubble in Edmonton — because there wasn’t a whole to do — and one of the guys who kept catching my eye? Nick Suzuki. I’m serious. I didn’t get to see a whole lot of him while I was playing on the West Coast. But watching him against the Pens … I was just like, Man, I want to play on this guy’s line one day.

So when my agent came to me during this last off-season and said Montreal was interested, Nick was one of the guys I thought of when I was looking through their lineup. I had heard from my buddy Nate Thompson that the Habs were a great group of guys off the ice, and that is something that matters a lot to me. And Cat and I both really loved the idea of living in Montreal, so it just made sense.[\Quote]

Great piece, hopefully there will be a crowd at the Bell Centre next week.

Click to read more...

 

[M2Beezy]

If only Benning had more time...

 

[shello]

These player tribune's lost a lot of value to me once I learned the players don't actually write them. But hey I've been enjoying Toffoli a lot with Montreal and I hope he continues his play well into the future

 

[Spring in Fialta]

What a freaking player.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

These player tribune's lost a lot of value to me once I learned the players don't actually write them. But hey I've been enjoying Toffoli a lot with Montreal and I hope he continues his play well into the future

So who ends up writing them? Like ghost writers and stuff?

 

[Lshap]

These player tribune's lost a lot of value to me once I learned the players don't actually write them. But hey I've been enjoying Toffoli a lot with Montreal and I hope he continues his play well into the future

For what it's worth, a lot of what you read is a good reflection of the personality and what was said, even if the player didn't type the words himself. I do this stuff professionally; you don't rewrite the person, you just clean them up and spotlight their most genuine nuggets.

So who ends up writing them? Like ghost writers and stuff?

Yup.

 

[mriswith]

That’s why I wanted to come back to Vancouver. I could have seen myself finishing out my career there. But hockey is a business, I understand that. And at the end of the day, there was no offer from the Canucks’ end, so we had to go another direction

Madden and a 2nd and no offer to extend, classic Benning

 

[BTP]

No Scarborough born kid is meant to be a Hab. Thats like saying a Laval kid was meant to be a Leaf.

 

[NyQuil]

These player tribune's lost a lot of value to me once I learned the players don't actually write them.

I suspect a lot of their skills with the puck may not translate to the written word.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

And here’s the funny thing about what happened next. When I was with the Canucks, I had been watching a lot of games during my time in the bubble in Edmonton — because there wasn’t a whole to do — and one of the guys who kept catching my eye? Nick Suzuki. I’m serious. I didn’t get to see a whole lot of him while I was playing on the West Coast. But watching him against the Pens … I was just like, Man, I want to play on this guy’s line one day.

 

[Jericho111091]

Now the habs just need to reunite top titty with the son of pear

 

[Wall of Wonder]

So depressing as a Canucks fan sigh.

 

[DieSendungmitderMaus]

It's kinda funny that people thought that there were bunches of pro athletes who would just put out these professionally written articles in their spare time. Guess that's how easy some people think it is to be a writer

 

[Gurglesons]

Weird take considering he won a cup with LA lol.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

No Scarborough born kid is meant to be a Hab. Thats like saying a Laval kid was meant to be a Leaf.

Eh.... I mean, players can have their childhood favourite team be from anywhere. Not saying that's the case here but if a kid in Scarbs grew up idolizing Roy or Price and then becomes a NHL goalie prospect and gets drafted by the Habs and plays for them then that sort of checks the boxes doesn't it?

 

[ElysiumAB]

It's kinda funny that people thought that there were bunches of pro athletes who would just put out these professionally written articles in their spare time. Guess that's how easy some people think it is to be a writer

Most of them are written from a personal perspective and don't come across as a professional writer, or even an amateur writer... they come across as insightful blog posts, basically, and it's not surprising, or funny, that people think they're genuinely written by who it says is the author of them.

But, I hope your post makes you feel better.

 

[Rob Brown]

I Was Meant To Be a Hab | By Tyler Toffoli



Great piece, hopefully there will be a crowd at the Bell Centre next week.

Next week? You're going to be wildly disappointed lol

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Most of them are written from a personal perspective and don't come across as a professional writer, or even an amateur writer... they come across as insightful blog posts, basically, and it's not surprising, or funny, that people think they're genuinely written by who it says is the author of them.

But, I hope your post makes you feel better.

All the ones I've read come across as sugary fluff...ghost written

 

[M2Beezy]

This feels Hab board specific ‍

Canucks board is imploding to another degree with more Benning disasters revealed today, this shit needs to be widely seen

Keep in mind, Benning says he ran out of time to offer a deal to Toffoli. This came as he was trying with all his energy to trade our few future prospects and assets for OEL lol

His failure to sign Toffoli was due to him failing to try something even dumber. Cant make this shit up, how is Benning employed still??

 

[Iapyi]

I like Toffoli as a player but so sad to hear him feeling he was 'meant to be a Hab' = poor guy.

 

[Petey O]

Habs fans better be lining up to thank Jim Benning personally for being a dumbass.

Imagine the Habs without Toffoli this season.

 

[Jee]

This feels Hab board specific ‍

There's a Players' Tribune tag on the main boards, don't read the article if you're not interested.

 

[Chimpradamus]

Benning must be one of the worst GMs currently employed in the NHL, no questions asked. He's incompetent. He has dug Vancouver a deep hole and he just keeps digging every year. Not even their fantastic outcome from drafting can help that team. Any player performing like absolute manure for years would be questioned if they belong in the league. That's not the case with GMs, they're paid for responsibility but it's all up to the sometimes equally incompetent owner in many cases if accountability matters. Perhaps golf stories and the friendly evenings together matter more than the adventures of expensive leisure.

The problem always starts with the owner. Most of them seem have no clue what they're doing
with an entertainment franchise, some think of it as a lottery business, some are just lucky and some actually know what they're doing. Some don't know what to do with all their money. Some who shouldn't are strongly invested in it where their ability to lead isn't enough.

That Benning lost Toffoli for nothing really stung hard in the Vancouver group, especially since his price was very modest. It seems the Vancouver method of overpaying every single, below mediocre bottom 6 player - and then some - is the melody.

 

[Wats]

Habs fans better be lining up to thank Jim Benning personally for being a dumbass.

Imagine the Habs without Toffoli this season.

Bergevin would be way more closer to being fired.

 

[North Cole]

Canucks board is imploding to another degree with more Benning disasters revealed today, this shit needs to be widely seen

Keep in mind, Benning says he ran out of time to offer a deal to Toffoli. This came as he was trying with all his energy to trade our few future prospects and assets for OEL lol

His failure to sign Toffoli was due to him failing to try something even dumber. Cant make this shit up, how is Benning employed still??

Lol he didn't even make an offer? Wtf asset management. We cut bait with qualifying AA but still made him an offer...guess he can't refuse if you don't give him something to refuse bahah