Thank you, though I think we're already well aware of the human element of this story. Habs fans aren't the ones who need to "Smarten up" here. We're entitled to a normal degree of anger and disappointment, just as we are when a politician screws up. I don't see anyone wishing to banish Kassian to Siberia; we all hope he recovers and gets his life back on track. The debate -- a totally fair one -- is over his professional fate, and whether we think he deserves to play for the Habs.
News Article: Zack Kassian placed in stage 2 Part II - Mod Warning in Post#1
- Thread starter Lafleurs Guy
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Thank you, though I think we're already well aware of the human element of this story. Habs fans aren't the ones who need to "Smarten up" here. We're entitled to a normal degree of anger and disappointment, just as we are when a politician screws up. I don't see anyone wishing to banish Kassian to Siberia; we all hope he recovers and gets his life back on track. The debate -- a totally fair one -- is over his professional fate, and whether we think he deserves to play for the Habs.
Plenty of folks had him pencilled into the top-six. Overly-ambitious maybe, but considering we agreed he was better than Prust it was reasonable to expect a solid 3rd liner. Oh well.
I agree 100%........ At my company, you cannot fire someone who admits to their addiction and want to get help, ..I wonder if it's the same for an NHL team??
Either way, if he comes out of this good, I think it would be almost inspirational for the team if they'd rally around him and make sure he stays the course...it's like protecting their little brother.
I also can't see any scenario where any further mishaps by Kassian would even remotely hinder this teams mental state and commitment to win, I think it's worth the risk if you wanna call it that....either way, speedy and successful recovery to Mr.Kassian
He wasn't the 13th forward when that happened, he was on the 3rd and 4th lines.
He's also an element that would help the PP, a big body in front with good hands.
OnTheRun
/dev/null
- May 17, 2014
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He got thoroughly outplayed by both Flynn and DSP during camp and pre-season. So he was behind Floosh, Weise, DPS and Flynn, that does make him 13th forward.
LastWordArmy
Registered User
For those who don't think Bergevin believes in giving guys another chance.... look no further than Rob Ramage who is now a player development coach.
Its all up to Kassian now, if he proves to get through rehab and shows himself to be clean, he is likely to get a another chance to see if he can help the team on the ice IMO.
Its all up to Kassian now, if he proves to get through rehab and shows himself to be clean, he is likely to get a another chance to see if he can help the team on the ice IMO.
I think Monctonscout is right on this one...they had Kassian playing the right side and DSP playing the left side, pretty sure this is what you would've seen on opening night.
LaP
Registered User
Flynn has a good start of the season by in the camp he was pretty average actually. There's absolutely no way he starts the season in front of Kassian.
BlackStar
Registered User
- Aug 12, 2010
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Are you suggesting that substance abuse is merely "partying", and that there's nothing wrong with that? Certainly, you are not spewing that garbage. So what in the world are you talking about then?
Mario le Magnifique
Habs apologist, closet Pens fan
I disagree with this, he was OK in camp and we all saw he had hands and vision that Flynn, DSP, DLR don't have. He was slow but made nifty plays and had strong possession along the boards (his strenght).
Please don't let the hateful brownish colored glasses blurr your vision.
Mario le Magnifique
Habs apologist, closet Pens fan
We just don't know what substance was the issue. But Alcohol and drugs aren't really something underground anywhere in clubs and bars downtown and in every freaking cities. As long as it remains recreative I have no problem with that, but IF the substance abuse effects your everyday commitments, then it has to be fixed.
I don't know, maybe the people throwing stones at Kassian have never been addicted to anything, but I did, then one day you wake up and you can fix those issues, it's not the end of the road for anyone. In fact the addicted might have never been a 'bad' person, he just needed guidance, most young men do.
It's sad that he can't / won't play hockey for us but please don't start thinking that substances abuse and addictions are signs of a bad human being. It's not related. And it has nothing to do with 'partying' being a 'bad' thing. Everyone parties. It's just the addictions that can come with it that are 'bad'. Some people are more sensible than others with addictions.
I don't know, maybe the people throwing stones at Kassian have never been addicted to anything, but I did, then one day you wake up and you can fix those issues, it's not the end of the road for anyone. In fact the addicted might have never been a 'bad' person, he just needed guidance, most young men do.
It's sad that he can't / won't play hockey for us but please don't start thinking that substances abuse and addictions are signs of a bad human being. It's not related. And it has nothing to do with 'partying' being a 'bad' thing. Everyone parties. It's just the addictions that can come with it that are 'bad'. Some people are more sensible than others with addictions.
Captain Mountain
Formerly Captain Wolverine
- Jun 6, 2010
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Injuries + substance abuse treatment + lack of adequate training + competition for the spot with Weise, DSP and the kids in St. John's = quite some time.
There is no such thing as "party rehab". This is substance abuse treatment and the doctors running the treatment have final say as to when he will be eligible to play. Its quite a bit more serious than just partying to hard. Considering his injuries and the fact that the Doctors will likely require clear signs of commitment to recovery it'll likely be months until he is eligible to play. And with the organization's emphasis on CHaracter and the stiff competition for bottom 6 roles it may take even longer for him to make the team. If he ever does.
There is no such thing as "party rehab". This is substance abuse treatment and the doctors running the treatment have final say as to when he will be eligible to play. Its quite a bit more serious than just partying to hard. Considering his injuries and the fact that the Doctors will likely require clear signs of commitment to recovery it'll likely be months until he is eligible to play. And with the organization's emphasis on CHaracter and the stiff competition for bottom 6 roles it may take even longer for him to make the team. If he ever does.
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OnTheRun
/dev/null
- May 17, 2014
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And don't let what you wish Kassian to be rather than what he was blur your judgement.
Does Kassian have more talent than Flynn? indisputably, yes. But that's irrelevant, that's not how you win a spot on the 4th line.
True, but providing help to people in need is hard while setting them aside is easy
Having an addiction is bad. It doesn't make him an animal.
The fact he likes to party isn't the problem, if he does it 3-4 times a week, that's the issue. It's a problem for his health, but again, it doesn't make him an animal.
Mike Mike Caron
Registered User
- Aug 29, 2010
- 7,471
- 1,247
Flynn did not outplay him in preseason, he started playing good in the second game of the season.
Rob Ramage did his damage in 2003 and he was away from the game for about 8 years.
Kassian just entered rehab. He's not playing with us this season. I just don't see how that's going to happen.
BenchBrawl
Registered User
- Jul 26, 2010
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In my experience with drug addicts, keeping him is not worth the trouble considering he isn't that good of a player.Especially with the great team chemistry we have.Just throw him away and let him be somebody else's problem.
Drug addicts normally have deep underlying issues, often familial/from childhood, and those aren't fixed by the usual drug therapies.Just look at the rate of relapse in those and you can see they are not efficient in fixing the underlying issues, if they are even fixable in some cases.
Now I'm not saying give up on drug addicts in society, but this isn't society, this is playing for your NHL franchise for a player that just got here and is already a recedivist in that department.
Out.
Drug addicts normally have deep underlying issues, often familial/from childhood, and those aren't fixed by the usual drug therapies.Just look at the rate of relapse in those and you can see they are not efficient in fixing the underlying issues, if they are even fixable in some cases.
Now I'm not saying give up on drug addicts in society, but this isn't society, this is playing for your NHL franchise for a player that just got here and is already a recedivist in that department.
Out.
- Jun 24, 2012
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I thought this was going to be open letter from Zach Kassian.
Instead, it's just another post disguised as some "article", which introduces nothing new and establishes a record for Habs cliches and platitudes.
FerrisRox
"Wanna go, Prettyboy?"
Getting help and getting clean is showing character.
I can't get over the people here that think Kassian struggling with substance abuse is somehow a lack of character.
Where is the empathy?
LastWordArmy
Registered User
Its been said that his time in rehab will 2-3 months... why don't we see where he is in January before making that decision?
Bryson
#EugeneMolson
- Jun 25, 2008
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Sorry buddy but gonna have to disagree. It would be one thing if Bergevin got duped but if he went into this with full disclosure then you don't get to wash your hands of this as soon as the going gets tough. I think that will be the true test of Bergevin's character.
Whenever I had problems the gym was the best thing that ever happened to me. It allowed me to focus my energy into something positive and productive. Guys like Kassian have the perfect vehicle to channel their energy into and be productive along with unlimited resources to get the help they need if they want it. Key word being want because in order to change you have to really want it first.
On the flip side having unlimited resources means you will undoubtedly attract all kinds of leeches that want your money and will give you free drugs just to have you as a trophy friend.
Kassian has a wonderful girlfriend, assuming he still does. He's going to need her, his family and a support group. Someone who he can check in with everyday. What people don't realize is that once you're an addict it's for life. There is no getting "over" it. The struggle will last until the day you die. There is a great line in Hand of God by Erykah Badu. When asked how does one know you're over addiction? She responds,"Once you become a cucumber there's no way of going back to being a pickle."
His rehab will be 2-3 months assuming everything works out. There is no actual timeline. The priority is for him to get better, not join his hockey team. Some people will be good after a couple months, others need longer, others never fully recover and always relapse no matter how long their rehab takes.
So I'm going to assume that he's just not going to play for us because he has to go through rehab, needs to cure his injuries, and after all that he would have to through a reconditioning process.
It's possible that he comes back, I don't think he should though. Take the year off, forget about this season, let him focus on himself, workout hard and come back next season stronger than ever.
Captain Mountain
Formerly Captain Wolverine
- Jun 6, 2010
- 20,437
- 14,014
Please don't confuse my comments with thinking that Kassian struggling with substance abuse is a lack of character. I think dealing with his problems shows a great deal of courage and the work required to overcome the challenge is both hard, never ending and a sign of character.
My point was that Montreal's brass knew about the problems and spoke with Kassian about them. He was in the 1st stage of the program and it was obviously insufficient for him getting the help he needed. But its natural to feel a sense of betrayal when a guy you gave a chance to lets you down in that manner. Obviously Kassian needed more help than he was getting, but trust between the org and Kassian will need to be rebuilt and that takes time. I think the Habs will give him another chance, I just don't think it will be soon at all.
