Is Matt Duchene a locker room cancer?

[Multigrain]

Naw, the GM doesn't get involved with this. It's treated as a non-issue to the media, which it should be given it was a leaked private conversation. The players and coaches will address it together as a team without needing Ice-Tray and Chezzz to be in the loop.

The team issued a blanket statement on behalf of the the coaching staff and players involved and that's all that needs to happen. Next time PD is interviewed (the last time was a game or two ago during the intermission) I'm sure it will be brought up and he'll address it, much like the coach did when he was spoken to next by the media (today's pre game).

You absolutely do not throw out a GM level statement or media conference about this, I mean all he can really say from his position is that Uber is super lame and that players need to be careful what they say when a stranger is present.

Making this an ownership or management issue is lame. You may not like that all of the coaches weren't fired, but many were fine that GB was given a chance to change his coaching mandate. To be honest the team is playing a much better brand of hockey this year, the kids are getting development time, and the PP is on fire. The PK needs work, and the kids need to keep the fire going into the third periods, but I don't think GB has done a fireable job so far this year.

This is a rebuild. The kids need to be able make mistakes and keep playing through them They need to be sheltered when needed, and they need to sit and watch from the bench for a shift or two sometimes. This is not about wins and loses right now, but developing good habits and adjusting to playing with the best players on the planet. This year GB has allowed players to have a long leash to play with as they learn which leads to tons of exciting plays, and tons of mistakes. When better teams turn it on in the third we struggle to push back. This and the PK are the areas that we need to focus a little more on right now.

I like most of what you said but I am just questioning how the players actually relate to these coaches? GB never played in the NHL. I think that he can have as many degrees as he wants but I am not convinced he is the best head coach for this organization.

 

[branch]

Naw, the GM doesn't get involved with this. It's treated as a non-issue to the media, which it should be given it was a leaked private conversation. The players and coaches will address it together as a team without needing Ice-Tray and Chezzz to be in the loop.

The team issued a blanket statement on behalf of the the coaching staff and players involved and that's all that needs to happen. Next time PD is interviewed (the last time was a game or two ago during the intermission) I'm sure it will be brought up and he'll address it, much like the coach did when he was spoken to next by the media (today's pre game).

You absolutely do not throw out a GM level statement or media conference about this, I mean all he can really say from his position is that Uber is super lame and that players need to be careful what they say when a stranger is present.

Making this an ownership or management issue is lame. You may not like that all of the coaches weren't fired, but many were fine that GB was given a chance to change his coaching mandate. To be honest the team is playing a much better brand of hockey this year, the kids are getting development time, and the PP is on fire. The PK needs work, and the kids need to keep the fire going into the third periods, but I don't think GB has done a fireable job so far this year.

This is a rebuild. The kids need to be able make mistakes and keep playing through them They need to be sheltered when needed, and they need to sit and watch from the bench for a shift or two sometimes. This is not about wins and loses right now, but developing good habits and adjusting to playing with the best players on the planet. This year GB has allowed players to have a long leash to play with as they learn which leads to tons of exciting plays, and tons of mistakes. When better teams turn it on in the third we struggle to push back. This and the PK are the areas that we need to focus a little more on right now.

Not a rebuild at all. Cost cutting. Way to take the bait.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I don’t know.

I don’t care anymore.

 

[Adrianopolous]

Duchene is a awesome player on the ice. IDC what's said in private. He plays hard EVERY shift no matter what. No way in hell is he a locker room cancer. If he was, then he wouldn't have been joking and complaining to the kids about the coaches. It just shows that Marty Raymond is a clown.

 

[Adrianopolous]

Also, it is hilarious that the YES votes are mostly fans of other teams. Maybe stick to your own teams board?

 

[alfstheman]

Duchene does seem like a bit of a Dooch... but then again most of what he said was true.

...With the exception of the "I havent listened for 3 weeks comment" which I think is just the wrong thing to say to the rookies in the car. Like cmon man this isnt high school you're getting paid millions to pay attention, even if you disagree with the coaching.

 

[BonkTastic]

He's not a cancer.

He's been on losing hockey teams fpr most of his career and is sick of it.

He didn't sound like a guy who is a bad egg. He sounded like a guy who is losing confidence in his career ever meaning anything. That's what it sounds like when you're mentally checked out.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

How can I put Boro and Ceci on the same jersey?

Get a reversable jersey.

 

[Samsquanch]

Duchene does seem like a bit of a Dooch... but then again most of what he said was true.

...With the exception of the "I havent listened for 3 weeks comment" which I think is just the wrong thing to say to the rookies in the car. Like cmon man this isnt high school you're getting paid millions to pay attention, even if you disagree with the coaching.

Aside from the embarrassment of being a Sens fan (which lets be honest, anyone still here is pretty galvanized at this point), this is the only thing that kind of irked me as a take away from all of this.

STFU and tow the line, Matt. I fully agree that this looks like highscool crap.

I zone out of 70% of the meetings that I attend at work. But 100% of the time, even in my state of mind, I take away every shred of relevant information that I need to do my job at a gold star level.

And the last thing on the planet that I do after the meeting is gab with the juniors about how big a waste of time it was, and how much BS flows through the teeth of our president (even if I agree on some points). There is a bigger picture thats hard to see sometimes.

If you want to be a first class organization, you have to act like it even if its not true at times. While its totally valid to lose faith in leadership eventually, Im gonna object to checking out mentally after 4 weeks into a rebuilding season (3 f***ing weeks ago?)

Just be a man and bite your tongue and keep that crap away from young assets in the organization, is how a guy Matt's age should be thinking by now.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

You can be a talent and a cancer at the same time. They aren’t exclusive. Lots of player had bad reputations but they delivered. You get pegged like this as Duchene has been, and you look at his overall team success, and you have to think - there’s something with this guy.

How exactly did he get pegged, aside from all the bashing happening since yesterday... It’s amazing how people are so easily influenced at judging people. One day he’s fine, the next morning he’s crucified.

The guy was having a private conversation with his teammates, big f***ing deal. He didn’t murder anyone. If everyone was crucified this way from talking about someone else in private, no one in the entire world would be talking to each other.

 

[DylanSensFan]

You can be arrogant and say more if you deliver multiple cups like Roy did 4 times.

When your Duchene and your NHL career is lottery teams and not playoff teams and speculation you're a jerk, then maybe you don't get the benefit of the doubt

I like Duchene more now than I did before. I like all the players in that van for talking real. They even called out that weasel Boro, who should have asked Melnyk to shove it up his ass and tell someone else to be a stunt double in that travesty of a rebuild video.

So tiresome that we have had a shit PP one year and shit PK this year and both can be blamed on a coach who literally takes no accountability. The players want change, they want to learn. If you have a coach who doesn't know how to teach, then how the hell does our team grow? You're seriously putting all of this on Duchene? All of those players talked. This is why Boucher's coaching staff needs to be gone.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I like most of what you said but I am just questioning how the players actually relate to these coaches? GB never played in the NHL. I think that he can have as many degrees as he wants but I am not convinced he is the best head coach for this organization.

I agree, he might not be. We have had some guys who have played who haven't been very good as well so who knows. Even guys that are good with some teams suck with others. It's almost like the draft, and we haven't been very good nearly often enough.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Not a rebuild at all. Cost cutting. Way to take the bait.

Branch, obviously the timing is convenient for the owner, I'm not sure anyone around here has argued otherwise, just not everyone cares. He's cutting costs in order to fund the new arena project, big whoop! The public isn't funding a dime of the project, do we really have a right to be pissed off at how one of the partners comes up with their financing? Isn't having a nice new downtown arena worth going through a simultaneous rebuild to save cash? A rebuild that folks around here have been clamouring for for ever anyways? I'm sorry dude, I just can't get worked up about it, you'll just have to accept that.

But in terms of what you see happening at the team level what exactly do you see that makes it different?

I mean there are rebuilds because your team has reached it's potential and it's not good enough to contend so it's time to sell off your best assets and start from scratch.

And then there is a rebuild because the owner needs money for the new arena project so we sell off our best assets and start from scratch.

Regardless of WHY we are rebuilding, make no mistake, this is a rebuilding hockey team. You guys get hung up on being so much smarter than me, but personally I'm a fan of the National Hockey League, not the National Hockey Team Owner's League, and specifically the Ottawa Senators, not the Ottawa Melnyks. I don't care all that much about every burp and fart that comes from the owner, or in pouring over every word said by the GM in order to take snippets out of context and use them against him forever.

By all means stay vigilant and keep fighting the good fight, so that silly old me can sit back and enjoy the season play out the best I can, without worrying about the treacherous underbelly of the sport.

 

[Mr Hat]

What a silly poll. Hfboards will never have enough insider info to answer a loaded question like this.

Duchene leads by example on ice and that's good enough for me. We will never know what the atmosphere is in the room on a daily basis. I played with a bunch of teams where the "leaders" were kind of pricks but they were game changers and gave it their all. Jr hockey is different than pros, but some people are taking this leadership stuff for way more than what it's worth.

 

[Egg]

Based on the Uber video

To me, this is a horrible way to determine whether a player is a good leader or not. A private, off the record conversation. I guarantee you even politicians don't sound like they do on TV, in the privacy of their own homes, knowing they are not being recorded.

A better way to determine it to me, is how he bounces back from the adversity. He made his bed.

If he's a good leader, he will play with a chip on his shoulder, and the youth will follow.

I could quite confidently state, that by the Christmas break, we'll find out what Duchene is made out of.

Does he quit once the going gets tough, or does he dig deeper?

He really doesn't have a choice. He humiliated his coach. If he's a sound leader, he'll want to make his coach look good.

That will speak for itself, vs basing yourself on comments from a flaky ex coach, and a video that was illegally leaked.

If anything, they're quite kind in private. I can honestly state most people I know have said way worse about bosses off the record in private. Not even a cuss word. Maybe its just me, but I'm impressed.