Sportsnet: Phaneuf: I was too emotional to talk to the media

[The Kessel Run]

Am I the only one who could care less who talks or doesn't talk to the media?

You're not alone.

 

[rumman]

^
like it or not, it's part of the job.

 

[Ari91]

The only thing I find interesting about this is why all of sudden was he so emotional after the Blues loss . Where was this emotion after the first 5 losses ?

Our playoff spot is slipping away and it took until the 6th loss for him to get emotional ?

It doesn't seem like the losses bother him anywhere near playing like an absolute stiff did .

If that's the way you think of the situation then you are exactly the kind of reader the media panders to. You are exactly the reason why the media would rather be TMZ sports than provide any real sports journalism because there will be people like you who would rather find uninteresting things interesting for the sake of controversy.

The team has openly said that they don't feel they played as poorly as a 5 game losing streak would suggest but regardless, those are the results and the team needed to turn things around and it could have started against St. Louis. It's one kind of disappointment when you're team is losing but when the leader has a poor performance amidst the losing streak and contributes to the poor result of the team and extends that losing streak, the accountability becomes even more burdensome. You're right, that sounds like an absolutely fascinating concept.

 

[Faltorvo]

It's only an issue if you think it's an issue.

Guess who made an issue about it? The media. Why? Because they didn't get the sound byte. So now it's a story.

I don't care about it and still don't. I was just here reading some of the responses, which are hilarious, and thought I'd put it in perspective. It's getting out of hand.

It's pretty ironic that you're telling me I have no clue about what leadership is. Sounds pretty subjective and opinionated to me. But I guess we needed to hear to nice cliche words said to the camera to know that Phaneuf is a clear leader. Even when he called Sid and Tim his responses were so cliché and just average answers. Nothing about that interview said anything to me. But I guess he's an awesome leader because he spoke to the media! Super awesome! Now I'm happy!

If anything, he probably did the Leafs a favor. Every fan seems to be talking about not talking to the media instead of how crappy the team looks.

well I can't help you dave

you seem to think it has to do with what he was going to say and the likes.

if you think it sends the right message that the captian of the team slips out the back door after the game he just had and the collapse we are in the middle of

well then we will just have to disagree on how real leaders should act.

 

[egd27]

Talk is extremely cheap. There are no words that can make up for the damage this group has done to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for their extremely painful and dramatic ways of choking the past THREE years. The league just looks at Toronto and they laugh at us. Listen to how dismissive Doughty was about the Leafs. He was right!

What damage has been done to the organization by this group?

Are your friends making fun of you because you're a Leafs fan?

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

This is some over-analyzing. Our captain not speaking to the media during a regular season game

 

[Mess]

On Sportsnet Hockey Central they showed the Tim and Sid show highlight where Sid's blood pressure was boiling as he was calling out Phaneuf asking what kind of captain abandons his team and was ripping Dion a new one on the air.

A few minutes later Phaneuf called into the show to defend himself.

 

[GoodNewfieBoy]

It's all a mistake
How long will you wait
When the dreams are all gone
How long till you wake?

 

[Gallagbi]

On Sportsnet Hockey Central they showed the Tim and Sid show highlight where Sid's blood pressure was boiling as he was calling out Phaneuf asking what kind of captain abandons his team and was ripping Dion a new one on the air.

A few minutes later Phaneuf called into the show to defend himself.

I missed the interview, did he continue to call him out to his face and ask him what type of a man does that?

 

[achtungbaby]

I missed the interview, did he continue to call him out to his face and ask him what type of a man does that?

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/phaneuf-apologizes-for-not-avoiding-media-after-loss-to-blues/

I'm just watching myself but probably not.

 

[Mess]

I missed the interview, did he continue to call him out to his face and ask him what type of a man does that?

You can catch both the Tim and Sid rant and the Phaneuf response.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/tim-and-sid/

 

[LeafOfBread]

I missed the interview, did he continue to call him out to his face and ask him what type of a man does that?

I doubt it. These Sportsnet guys are the same, you look at Bob McCown and how he badmouths people all the time but when they come on his show he kisses their ass (Burke for example).

 

[yubbers]

How is talking to the media leaving your team in the wind? And if you worked at McDonalds and declined an interview with the media, I don't think my crap in the bowl would care.

What are you people on? I'd love to get some of that too.

This is out of hand. Overblown and just not making any sense.

I'll reiterate,

Reimer had to do 5 of those interviews last week that may have been 'emotional' for him. Hell, his wife was getting blasted on Twitter as well. That would piss me off something special. But Dion has a bad game and can't be bothered

So reimer has more balls and character than our Captain

And you guys cant see how that's a problem? It shows this team has a weak leader.

If the last 3 years haven't

 

[GreekLeafer]

The fact that Dion the Phlug only wears a leaf hat after losses because hes contractually obligated to wear redbull after wins says enough about the clowns character. Hes one dollar and a brain cell away from wearing habs promo gear

Unbelievable. You think Crosby or Toews wouldn't do the same if Reebok or whoever came calling with the $$$? How can people be this dumb. You have no idea what Dion or anyone else WANTS.

 

[hotpaws]

If that's the way you think of the situation then you are exactly the kind of reader the media panders to. You are exactly the reason why the media would rather be TMZ sports than provide any real sports journalism because there will be people like you who would rather find uninteresting things interesting for the sake of controversy.

The team has openly said that they don't feel they played as poorly as a 5 game losing streak would suggest but regardless, those are the results and the team needed to turn things around and it could have started against St. Louis. It's one kind of disappointment when you're team is losing but when the leader has a poor performance amidst the losing streak and contributes to the poor result of the team and extends that losing streak, the accountability becomes even more burdensome. You're right, that sounds like an absolutely fascinating concept.

A true leader would understand he's responsible for not only his own performance but also that of the team . It isn't acceptable for a leader to not feel personally responsible/emotional for losses if he believes his play is acceptable (which it hasn't been for a while now).

 

[GreekLeafer]

Montreal has near comparable levels of media coverage and pressure from their fans, yet somehow, with the weak rosters they've had over the years, they have managed to make the playoffs consistently and even win a round or two.

This "the media is hurting our guys play" is the lamest, deflecting excuse in the book. The only people responsible for the mess we're currently witnessing are those guys on the ice and behind the bench, no one else.

Bingo. No one makes this excuse in Madrid or Barcelona, when either of them loses the Liga title. Same in Manchester or London in the Premier League. The media coverage for soccer is 100x greater than anything in North America and SOMEHOW these guys thrive! How can it be when they have vulture media! These guys got torn apart in tabloids, DAILY! FFS!

 

[Gallagbi]

You can catch both the Tim and Sid rant and the Phaneuf response.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/tim-and-sid/

I won't be able to watch it until later this evening, but you're welcome to spoil the surprise and answer my question.

 

[Ratboy]

It also plays a huge part in why people don't wanna 'come home'

If I can get paid 7m to play the game I love in Dallas where nobody gives a damn, why go to a place where if I take a **** the wrong way it turns into an international scandal?

Absolutely.

 

[i1]

Phaneuf's been there and taken the heat for every failure, embarrassment, poor showing, collapse, blowout etc. for the past four years, which for this team is no easy feat. Let him have one stitch of peace in the most crucial stretch of the year. He probably just wanted to clear his head and reset for the next one without having to answer the same question 20 times.

 

[Faltorvo]

Absolutely.

I'd answer that by saying good riddance to those kind of players, we are better for it without them.

 

[nsleaf]

On Sportsnet Hockey Central they showed the Tim and Sid show highlight where Sid's blood pressure was boiling as he was calling out Phaneuf asking what kind of captain abandons his team and was ripping Dion a new one on the air.

A few minutes later Phaneuf called into the show to defend himself.

Saw Sid's rant- a bit over the top IMO. Not a big fan of his anyway.
Dion phoned in and all was quite civil. Sid let up on him substantially. Would of been more interesting if Dion had of showed up in person.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Not that big of a deal really.. people took that way too far.

Agreed. Sid Seixeiro is a drama queen.

 

[Tak7]

I'm pleased that he did eventually speak to the media.

I'm sure that the team, his agents and Newport Sports had a big hand in him getting out and doing the radio rounds yesterday afternoon, but good on him.

Not only was his explanation reasonable enough, but I liked that he owned up to the mistake of not talking AND more importantly his performance.

As I've said this week, the questions about the leadership of this team will be feverish, frequent, difficult, and totally justified after the third collapse in three years. However, I do think that the problem is less with Phaneuf as a leader and more with the other leaders that he has in the group - quite frankly, I don't think this has a strong enough core; both from a skill set perspective, and a leadership perspective.

 

[Ratboy]

Agreed. Sid Seixeiro is a drama queen.

it worked for him.

 

[achtungbaby]

Saw Sid's rant- a bit over the top IMO. Not a big fan of his anyway.
Dion phoned in and all was quite civil. Sid let up on him substantially. Would of been more interesting if Dion had of showed up in person.

Dion not showing up in person was what started this whole thing off to begin with.