Confirmed with Link: Mike Smith (25%) to Calgary for Hickey, rights to Johnson and 2019 2nd or 3rd

[Bonsai Tree]

Legend, we have a very different understanding of the word "toxic". Turris was toxic in the clubhouse. Smith was toxic the way he publicly shamed players who made mistakes costing him goals, with those long, angry stares. To be toxic is to purposefully undermine the well being of the the club.

Doan was not toxic. He was disengaged. There is a difference of intent. It was time for him to go, but he shouldn't be blamed for being toxic to the club.

 

[_Del_]

You had a captain who was just "there", admittedly and obviously disengaged. He publicly complained and pouted when his friends were shipped out and just "can't understand" why a perpetual basement team would ever trade an impending free agent that they couldn't get under contract. You had a good guy goaltender whose feelings about the state of the franchise were pretty transparent and hardly changed overnight. You had a head coach that surrounded himself with "his guys", complained everytime a wise decision was made, and we have multiple reports even in the media now to back our observation that he was frustrated and wanted to be anywhere but here.

I don't know what other word to use but "toxic", sorry. The talk about wanting "glass half-full" is directly related to all this. The situation was highly toxic and has been festering far too long.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Doan was not toxic. He was disengaged. There is a difference of intent. It was time for him to go, but he shouldn't be blamed for being toxic to the club.

Isn't that a kind of passive toxicity, though? I mean, if I go into a meeting at work and get assigned a task I don't want to do, and I agree to do it, but my face looks like my cat has died and I spend the time doing what I'm doing clearly acting like I'd rather be cleaning storm gutters blocked by dead squirrels and muttering under my breath that life sucks, then even if I don't say something out loud it's going to have a pejorative effect on my coworkers.

If Doan was upset about his pals leaving and that led directly to his inability to care enough on the ice to be as effective as he could be, that's a toxic situation. His unhappiness as captain trickles down to the rest of the room; whether the other players share his feelings, or if they look at him and lose respect for him because he is sulking, that's bad juju.

 

[Ebb]

I don't know what other word to use but "toxic", sorry.

Toxic
1: containing or being poisonous material especially when capable of causing death or serious debilitation toxic waste a toxic radioactive gas an insecticide highly toxic to birds
2: exhibiting symptoms of infection or toxicosis the patient became toxic two days later
3: extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful toxic sarcasm
4: relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on the market

I'm guessing you're thinking of #3, but I would disagree with Doan being considered a "toxic" influence on the team. Typically, there is a negative intent (maliciousness) behind a toxic person/act (whether intentional or unintentional). I would rephrase it to something along the lines of Doan having a more deleterious influence on the team (Deleterious=harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way).

I worked for 5 years in a toxic environment with several toxic people/personalities, it was horrible and no matter what you tried to do, you couldn't help but become hardened, angry, and/or disheartened (at work and after you went home). I don't think that's what happened last season (to the team). The young players continued to play with vigor despite some of the slackers that appeared once we were eliminated from contention halfway through the season. Yet, there were times, even after some gave up, that passion was evident/renewed up and down the team, maintaining the passion was the problem.

 

[rt]

You had a captain who was just "there", admittedly and obviously disengaged. He publicly complained and pouted when his friends were shipped out and just "can't understand" why a perpetual basement team would ever trade an impending free agent that they couldn't get under contract. You had a good guy goaltender whose feelings about the state of the franchise were pretty transparent and hardly changed overnight. You had a head coach that surrounded himself with "his guys", complained everytime a wise decision was made, and we have multiple reports even in the media now to back our observation that he was frustrated and wanted to be anywhere but here.

I don't know what other word to use but "toxic", sorry. The talk about wanting "glass half-full" is directly related to all this. The situation was highly toxic and has been festering far too long.

We've amputated the gangrene.

 

[lanky]

Doan was not toxic. He was disengaged. There is a difference of intent. It was time for him to go, but he shouldn't be blamed for being toxic to the club.

OEL was also disengaged. Duclair as well. Pretty much the entire team.

 

[_Del_]

If you don't think having your Captain sulk, pout, and just go through the motions is "harmful", I'm not sure what conversation we're having.

 

[Ebb]

If you don't think having your Captain sulk, pout, and just go through the motions is "harmful", I'm not sure what conversation we're having.

I guess I see a difference in degree between maliciously harmful (toxic) and unintentionally harmful (deleterious). Yes, he was disengaged (as were others), but he didn't act in a way to intentionally and negatively sabotage the team's success. He was burned out and probably realized that returning one more season was a bad idea; it just happens that Doan can't "fake" or "disguise" his emotions like some people can.

Sure, he could be all fake and participate in all sorts of tomfoolery with the youngsters in an illusory sense of engagement, but that's just not Doan.

Don't get me wrong, it was time for him to go, but I don't think he intentionally sabotaged or added a doom and gloom feel to the locker room to be malicious or cantankerous, which would be more along the lines of how I'd see a "toxic" influence impacting a team.

 

[_Del_]

Noone thinks Doan (or even Tippett) deliberate set out to damage the team with malice aforethought. Doesn't change the fact that they were toxic and hurting the team. Use whatever word makes you feel better about it.

 

[TheLegend]

I'm guessing you're thinking of #3, but I would disagree with Doan being considered a "toxic" influence on the team. Typically, there is a negative intent (maliciousness) behind a toxic person/act (whether intentional or unintentional). I would rephrase it to something along the lines of Doan having a more deleterious influence on the team (Deleterious=harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way).

I worked for 5 years in a toxic environment with several toxic people/personalities, it was horrible and no matter what you tried to do, you couldn't help but become hardened, angry, and/or disheartened (at work and after you went home). I don't think that's what happened last season (to the team). The young players continued to play with vigor despite some of the slackers that appeared once we were eliminated from contention halfway through the season. Yet, there were times, even after some gave up, that passion was evident/renewed up and down the team, maintaining the passion was the problem.

Actually I would think #4 is the most applicable in this case.

 

[PerpetualTankYear]

First time I've seen the Penner goal since I saw it live. **** everything about that.

 

[Lilhoody]

Epic!

 

[RemoAZ]

I sooooo won't miss his theatrics.