Zack Kassian - Hatred and Redemption

[Ho Borvat]

Lets be clear here too. We can probably all agree Linden is a bit of a ******. A guy who thought Messier was too aggressive and shrunk like a wilted jilted violet around him. Not sure how an org has a guy like this in an important position after everything went down.

"

You've got it backwards. We f***&* hate Messier, and Linden was a god (until recently). But thats all beside the point.


Really glad to see Kassian get a fair shake in Edmonton. He had the potential to dominate games, and I think hes going to make the most of his opportunity.

 

[shoop]

Here I absolutely agree. Problem drinking doesn't cause a personality, it magnifies it. Zach is an ass with or without alcohol. I happen to like the player because of his hockey attributes. That he's zany and over the top about it makes the entertainment quotient shoot right up and lordy Oilers fans could use some of that.

but yeah, Zach was kicking kids in the school yard at age 8. long before he got a whiff of alcohol.

I think I'm not alone in saying all your posts have been appropriate and interesting and I welcome the comments anyway.

cheers

Going back to the OP. Zach might have been that kid getting his arse kicked. Not necessarily in the school yard.

What do we really know about him as a person? He has made many, many bad choices in life.

There are many ways people deal with inner turmoil, whether it's caused by physical/mental abuse or mental illness.

Some become alcoholics, or drug addicts. Some become activists and violently defend their righteous cause. Whatever the cause may be.

Some become first responders. Some join the military. (An admittedly small portion of people in those occupations, but a portion.)

I'll repeat that we don't know, and shouldn't judge, him as a person. What he does on the ice is what counts. It was pretty clear he was on his last NHL chance. Kudos to him for taking it and running with it.

I think we can all only hope that good Zach is the player we see next year, and not bad Zach.

 

[Replacement*]

You've got it backwards. We f***&* hate Messier, and Linden was a god (until recently). But thats all beside the point.


Really glad to see Kassian get a fair shake in Edmonton. He had the potential to dominate games, and I think hes going to make the most of his opportunity.

haha, you've got it backwards. YOu should respect Mess and hate Linden.

could be all the 3 headed fish.

jk aside the Mess chapter in Vancouver was always strange. The only place he didn't do magic. But I think Linden really tried hard to have something to do with that as well. Lindens behavior through all that was the opposite of what one would expect from a captain of a club doing nothing. Most guys would have respectfully handed the keys over. Linden seemingly was a different dude. Figured somehow he was better than Messier.

 

[Ho Borvat]

Going back to the OP. Zach might have been that kid getting his arse kicked. Not necessarily in the school yard.

What do we really know about him as a person? He has made many, many bad choices in life.

I don't know if this is common knowledge amongst Oilers fans, but his Dad died when he was pretty young.

 

[Replacement*]

I don't know if this is common knowledge amongst Oilers fans, but his Dad died when he was pretty young.

I mentioned it earlier in the thread. Really tough break as Kass was real close with his dad. Died when Kass was only 8. An angry Kass was a handful for his mother and had a lot of help from his older bro growing up. But always a crazy, angry streak, as often happens to kids that tragically lose their parents. Boys losing their fathers at a young age often grow up being live wires.

 

[Poignant Discussion*]

Excellent article, and I'm actually in a sort of similar situation with a close family member of mine.

When we acquired Kassian, I wasn't sure how I felt, because I absolutely hated him for so long... but after hearing him talk about trying to put everything behind him, it really hit home.

My family member is currently battling a fentanyl addiction, and stories like your friend you mentioned, and Kassians story really give me hope that he can get through it as well.

After experiencing it on a personal level, people are far too quick to pass off addicts as nothing but weak people with no motivation to become any better, when in reality, they want nothing more than to be strong enough to stop.

Having lived in Ottawa which seems to have a huge problem with Fentanyl I really wish the best for your family member.

 

[howkie]

As someone who always liked Kassian and felt like he could become so much more then he is/was. Is my Eye lying or has Kassian taken the next step in Oilers? I have only really watched 1 game, Oilers vs Flames in Rogers Place, and he looked very solid. Has he been solid all games or I just manage to watch the "best off"? He hits like a truck and works hard what I have seen....

 

[duul]

As someone who always liked Kassian and felt like he could become so much more then he is/was. Is my Eye lying or has Kassian taken the next step in Oilers? I have only really watched 1 game, Oilers vs Flames in Rogers Place, and he looked very solid. Has he been solid all games or I just manage to watch the "best off"? He hits like a truck and works hard what I have seen....

He has looked very impressive this year. He had a full offseason of training and sobriety. He claims he is in the best shape of his life and you can tell on the ice.

If he keeps up this pace, then the Kassian deal will look absolutely incredible. The guy seems to be well liked in the room too.

 

[doulos]

Kassian cuts the crap and actually focuses on hockey and golly gee, he plays better. Hoping he can keep it up because he's an effective player when he plays the game right.

 

[McTrashBoat]

He's been great (especially considering some moderate expectations)

he's better disciplined and scarier and a better scorer so far than Pouliot

 

[Perfect_Drug]

You've got it backwards. We f***&* hate Messier, and Linden was a god (until recently). But thats all beside the point.

What's funny is I lived in Vancouver at the time Messier played there, and I still don't understand the hate that he got. He played incredibly well for a 35-39 years old. 0.78 PPG in the Dead Puck Era.

Every Single Canuck on the entire team PRAISED his leadership. Marcus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, Ed Jovonovski, and Mattias Ohlund attributed their development to his leadership skills.

Mess even had them single-handedly in a playoff race his final year there until he suffered a nasty knee injury derailed the entire team into an abysmal tailspin.
His return sparked a playoff run that brought them within 1 point of the playoffs (Oilers knocked them out the final game of the season).


But the kicker is this: The Vancouver fans HATED the Linden Trade. HATED, they rant about it, even till this day.. cursing Messier's name.

But I mean, they DID get the most dominant Power Forward of the time in Todd Bertuzzi, Brian McCabe, and Jarkko Ruutu. It was a monumental fleecing of of the legendary doofus Mike Milbury but Vancouverites seem to ignore that trading away Linden made them better in the present, and WAY better in the near future.


It's so absolutely backwards and nonsensical, and completely and absolutely stupid.

 

[oobga]

Kassian looks like an awesome teammate out there. Any time you see him around our players and on the bench the guy has a huge smile on his face, and he continues to try to be nasty against any opposition in his face. Very happy for him if he is able to keep going and continue to salvage his career and start really living up to his potential.

 

[Psychoil]

Does anyone have an update on how he's doing outside of the rink? I hope he's doing well. Dude looks great out there and he looks like he's having fun. Hope all is well for him. Hope he curbed his addictions for good . Loving the Zach attack right now

 

[phaedrusDH]

Kassian looks like an awesome teammate out there. Any time you see him around our players and on the bench the guy has a huge smile on his face, and he continues to try to be nasty against any opposition in his face. Very happy for him if he is able to keep going and continue to salvage his career and start really living up to his potential.

yet he's managed to cut out some of the crap and play smarter.
he's only got 2 PIMs in the first 6 games.
he's very effective when he focuses on playing the game after the puck drops and not after whistles.

Does anyone have an update on how he's doing outside of the rink? I hope he's doing well. Dude looks great out there and he looks like he's having fun. Hope all is well for him. Hope he curbed his addictions for good . Loving the Zach attack right now

hear hear

 

[thadd]

Really shocked with how he's been spending less time in the PB. Offence is just gravy. Nice to see he has the ability to push Pouliot down the line-up. I'll keep him on his toes to play better. He knows he's capable of making solid contributions on the team and I don't think he's happy with just riding on the 3rd line.

 

[McPuritania]

Pretty happy for him. Cleans up in the off season, gets in good shape, and plays like a boss. Keep it up, Kass, I'm lovin' it.

 

[Wewillrise]

Major difference in Kassian's game this season.

Biggest differences:

-Faster
-Controlled emotions
-Controls bounces/ softer hands
-Improved back check

I agree he has taken a step but I believe he has played at this level before (haven't watched him much during his career). Very obvious he has gained more control of his emotions but still plays with enough edge to be effective. I think with some confidence he could be a good fit on that second line, contract year will help with motivation. He really has taken on the defensive roll and doesn't cheat on the PK or while on Nuges wing. Although he most likely won't put up career numbers I think he will be an important part to that shutdown line. Taking strides on the defensive side of the game will not only help the team but will most likely get him longer contract in his next deal.

 

[GMofOilers]

Kassian has looked really good so far to start the season. Way better than last year, and hes added a piece that we needed. Great for us.

 

[joestevens29]

He reminds me of Ben Eager. Two guys that probably went a lot higher than they should've, but you can see why some scouts were excited on both these guys. Fortunately for us Kassian is hitting some more of that offensive potential he had when drafted and he's finally "gotten" it.

One problem with Eager was he thought he was better than he was and a lot of times didn't do what made him an effective NHLer all the time.

In Kassian's case the coach flat out said last year they see him as a bottom 6 guy and that top 6 wasn't an option. What he has done though is played the simple game that we need from him and he's being rewarded with playing with good players and getting some points. The fact that he's out on the PK is kinda big IMO. Coach is trusting him and could lead to some more opportunities.

 

[Dorian2]

Hope Kassian keeps it up. As someone who also has a past (and present, doesn't go away) with substance abuse both in the family and with myself, I have a pretty good idea of the inner turmoil he had felt and how it probably affected his play.

Don't slide Kass.

 

[Bangers]

Thought he'd play better this year (provided he doesn't relapse). He's had the benefit of a full training camp and he's been given a clear role on the roster.

It's good to see him cut down on the PIMs as well; it seemed like the refs were gunning for him a bit last year.

 

[FanOfSadTeam]

I'm always up for cheering on people going through personal issues. Kassian looks healthy; he's leaner, quicker and..less wild looking lol don't know how else to put it. Also looks like he's getting along with his teammates. I get the vibe that him and McDavid get along really well.

 

[fancy dan]

What's funny is I lived in Vancouver at the time Messier played there, and I still don't understand the hate that he got. He played incredibly well for a 35-39 years old. 0.78 PPG in the Dead Puck Era.

Every Single Canuck on the entire team PRAISED his leadership. Marcus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, Ed Jovonovski, and Mattias Ohlund attributed their development to his leadership skills.

Mess even had them single-handedly in a playoff race his final year there until he suffered a nasty knee injury derailed the entire team into an abysmal tailspin.
His return sparked a playoff run that brought them within 1 point of the playoffs (Oilers knocked them out the final game of the season).


But the kicker is this: The Vancouver fans HATED the Linden Trade. HATED, they rant about it, even till this day.. cursing Messier's name.

But I mean, they DID get the most dominant Power Forward of the time in Todd Bertuzzi, Brian McCabe, and Jarkko Ruutu. It was a monumental fleecing of of the legendary doofus Mike Milbury but Vancouverites seem to ignore that trading away Linden made them better in the present, and WAY better in the near future.


It's so absolutely backwards and nonsensical, and completely and absolutely stupid.

as an oiler fan living in vancouver, i love the hate they have for messier. i also love telling people that linden was not a HOFer.

the reason is the canucks fans are the least knowledgeable in the league... because..... geography. you have to play hockey to know about hockey.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Kass Is awesome. Hard to not root for a guy who's been through what he has, and has cleaned himself up. He seems so happy on the rink this year, and he's been playing great!

 

[Blitzago*]

Really shocked with how he's been spending less time in the PB. Offence is just gravy. Nice to see he has the ability to push Pouliot down the line-up. I'll keep him on his toes to play better. He knows he's capable of making solid contributions on the team and I don't think he's happy with just riding on the 3rd line.

They play opposite wings, I dont think Pouliot is getting pushed down cause of Kassian.