Wild Speculating - think there's ever been an NHLer on the autism spectrum?

[teravaineSAROS]

He licks people.

Literally licks people when he's flustered.

If it's not autism... It's something.

Well somebody's never heard of Psychology.

Psychological warfare is very common in all forms of competition and the fact that Marchand makes so many fans and players frustrated only means it's working for him and it's officially a skill of his, wether we like it or not.

Muhammad Ali and Conor McGregor are pioneers in getting under their opponents skin, but in hockey it's more stigmatised cos everybody has to be a good canadian boy with no personality and only get to have opinions like "yea i might've destroyed all of Gretzkys records tonight but whats important is that my team won this one game in regular season"

 

[Mrb1p]

Mods letting this shit run... jeez.

 

[hairylikebear]

There’s no reason to speculate who has autism. It’s a personal condition that benefits no one by being public info.

Based on the fact that a relatively large percentage of people are on the spectrum compared to other conditions, and that many of those are high functioning, you can assume there are several in the NHL right now. You’ll never be able to tell from a distance. Just because someone is weird, quirky, or introverted does not mean they are autistic. You wouldn’t be able to tell unless you knew them on a deep personal level and even then it requires a professional to properly diagnose.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

Disappointed to see so many people associate autism with mental disability/instability.

 

[hairylikebear]

Created an account just to say how disgusting this thread is. So the guy is intelligent, likes his brother, and prefers museums over team dinners... That means he is autistic to you? This is just another case of fans trashing players after the team loses a trade.

Goalies are notorius for being weird loners also. Does that make them autistic to you also?

The guy played amazing for the Flames. Have some respect.

Explain to everyone please why suggesting someone is autistic is trashing them.

 

[Holymakinaw]

Disappointed to see so many people associate autism with mental disability/instability.

I don't think you really understand the range of the autism spectrum. For some, it's not a massive deal. For others, it's all consuming.

My brother is a non-verbal autistic and he requires 24 hour care. He can certainly be high functioning at times(plays the piano a bit.....can do the dishes....help with the groceries.....), but he cannot come close to making healthcare decisions or look after himself. He is completely lost in his own world, most of the time. It's like he experiences life on a TINY little TV screen, in the corner of a dark room.

Like it or not, for many, it is a "mental disability".

 

[Montreal Shadow]

I don't think you really understand the range of the autism spectrum. For some, it's not a massive deal. For others, it's all consuming.

My brother is a non-verbal autistic and he requires 24 hour care. He can certainly be high functioning at times(plays the piano a bit.....can do the dishes....help with the groceries.....), but he cannot come close to making healthcare decisions or look after himself. He is completely lost in his own world, most of the time. It's like he experiences life on a TINY little TV screen, in the corner of a dark room.

Like it or not, for many, it is a "mental disability".

Not what I mean. Look at the thread comment. People saying stupid jokes such as Sean Avery or Brad Marchand being autistic when they clearly aren't. They just say that because they think said players are extremely stupid or borderline crazy which is not a universal trait of autism.

 

[Holymakinaw]

Not what I mean. Look at the thread comment. People saying stupid jokes such as Sean Avery or Brad Marchand being autistic when they clearly aren't. They just say that because they think said players are extremely stupid or borderline crazy which is not a universal trait of autism.

It's still a "problem" with the brain and can still manifest itself in many ways. And MANY people go undiagnosed. When someone has no empathy in their interactions with other people, it doesn't mean they are evil. There certainly could be something going on there that we all don't know. A lot of us are somewhere on the spectrum. In more severe cases, they can be seen as sociopaths.

I don't like the term "borderline crazy"......but I can understand where it comes from. Doesn't mean people are wrong. They're just speculating and maybe saying it in rather insensitive way.

 

[hairylikebear]

It's still a "problem" with the brain and can still manifest itself in many ways. And MANY people go undiagnosed. When someone has no empathy in their interactions with other people, it doesn't mean they are evil. There certainly could be something going on there that we all don't know. A lot of us are somewhere on the spectrum. In more severe cases, they can be seen as sociopaths.

I don't like the term "borderline crazy"......but I can understand where it comes from. Doesn't mean people are wrong. They're just speculating and maybe saying it in rather insensitive way.

It sounds like he's saying he disapproves of people using autism as an insult for people they don't like. In that context it sounds like you are trying to defend the use of autism as an insult.

I know you don't mean it that way but just trying to help clarify. Nothing in your posts is wrong.

 

[Montreal Shadow]

It's still a "problem" with the brain and can still manifest itself in many ways. And MANY people go undiagnosed. When someone has no empathy in their interactions with other people, it doesn't mean they are evil. There certainly could be something going on there that we all don't know. A lot of us are somewhere on the spectrum. In more severe cases, they can be seen as sociopaths.

I don't like the term "borderline crazy"......but I can understand where it comes from. Doesn't mean people are wrong. They're just speculating and maybe saying it in rather insensitive way.

I know what a sociopath/psychopath is and I wasn't associated being crazy with that. There are definitions in the DMS for these personality disorders I believe. Being "crazy" to my knowledge doesn't mean much in the context of psychology. I simply said "borderline crazy" to refer to their generally stupid behavior.

It sounds like he's saying he disapproves of people using autism as an insult for people they don't like. In that context it sounds like you are trying to defend the use of autism as an insult.

I know you don't mean it that way but just trying to help clarify. Nothing in your posts is wrong.

Yeah this pretty much.

 

[CashMash]

Most of you don't seem to know a lick about autism or what you are talking about at all.... Brad Marchand, Sean Avery....give me a break. If you guys had suggested Pierre McGuire, that might make more sense, but even that would be pure speculation. He just makes my radar go off, personally. He is very knowledgeable about what he does, but his social skills don't seem to be all there and he has some mannerisms that seem funny to other people.

While I agree with the poster on here who talked about his own experiences on why it would be less likely for an autistic person to make it as a pro-athlete, I will echo the fact that those are just traits and that the diagnostic criteria varies. ADHD does also not count on its own, though the conditions are sometimes co-morbid.

I don't think it's disrespectful to ask these questions, as high-functioning autists could indeed perform well, but I would say that none of you have met them in person and are not qualified to speculate on the topic with any accuracy. I'm betting very few of you have studied the fields required to make such an assessment.

Personally, I am also very clumsy because of my condition(s), which, aside from my more obvious diplegia, would make it unlikely for me to be any good at sports. I don't much care about physical skills, however, so I don't mind it much.

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

- claims in Boston that he was "an uppity loner"
- claims in Calgary that he would go by himself to the museum when all his teammates would go for lunch

I'm not autistic, but just very introverted. This pretty much describes me on any organized team I played for.

 

[end]

The guys who really excel at developing skills through practice have that aura of autistic hyperfocus, though the reason why some players appear to gain more from practice is likely far more mysterious. I'd imagine any advantage you'd get from autism (following details others do not perceive) would be nullified by the disadvantages (not following details others do perceive).

 

[kyle n00bas]

Professional sport has a long and varied history of mistrusting intelligence.

I'm more concerned for his teammates who skipped out on a trip to a museum to sit around eating chicken wings

 

[Nick Hansen]

Gretzky must've had something. Uncanny the way he saw the ice.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

God forbid anyone should want to go to a museum.

 

[Stand Witness]

I am going to stay out of the whole autism discussion here because I am not educated enough on it but this trashing of Hamilton sounds so pathetic. The dude wanted to spend his free time checking out museums and people think he has a problem lol? Come on.

Not every NHL player has to fit into the same culture.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

I'm more concerned for his teammates who skipped out on a trip to a museum to sit around eating chicken wings

I think it should depend on what's being exhibited. Personally I would much rather eat wings than study Pioneers of the Midwest, but if someone asked me if I wanted to go check out a Pompeii exhibit? Hell yes.

Either way, wings are great, museums are great.

 

[Jumptheshark]

yes there has been and this thread should be locked because MANY people DO NOT UNDERSTAND AUTISM and DO NOT UNDERSTAND that many famous scientists had forms of Autism. People assume if you have autism that you have mental issues

 

[justafan22]

I don't think Hamilton is autistic, he's just an introvert which wouldn't shock me at all. Who also just didn't like "conforming" to team ideals/rules etc. It's not that outlandish for that being the reason why he and other guys get traded who have talent.

 

[hatterson]

It’s almost a guarantee that an NHL player either past or present has been/is on the spectrum simply due to the population size, but I don’t see any benefit in trying to speculate who may be based on incomplete public information.

Either we’re unqualified to diagnose becuase we’re not medical professionals, or we are medical professionals and realize we’re unqualified to diagnose because you can’t diagnose something like this based on a few press clippings and random teammate comments.