June 4th, 2014. The Kings are filing into the locker room after a thrilling Game 1 victory in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers.
In front of a standing room only sellout, the Kings edge the Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers in a 3-2 overtime decision. Thrilling. Exciting. Momentous. It is the first step to a second Stanley Cup for the franchise, and the city of L.A. is abuzz with the thoughts of another championship.
Near his stall, Justin Williams answers questions amidst a sea of reporters. He just scored the overtime winner for L.A., and is becoming a living legend in the NHL for his clutch performances. As he ends his media scrum, the media crowd moves systematically around the room to each big name player. Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, etc.
Off in the corner, undoing his pads is the man between the pipes, Jonathan Quick. Quick played a strong game 1, coming up with 27 saves in capturing the Game 1 victory. While he didn't face too much pressure in the latter stages of the game, he made several key first and second period saves which held the Kings in the game long enough to tie it and eventually go on to win.
But as you look at Quick when the media eventually surrounds him and bombards him with the classic questions of "Tell us about the game" and "Talk about play XYZ" it doesn't look at all like he just won the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals. He looks nervous. He looks anxious.
It wasn't uncommon during the 2014 Finals or the 2012 Finals to see the Kings fiery netminder huddled under hat and hoodie while answering media questions. Honestly, who could blame him? Generally there aren't any groundbreaking questions thrown your way in a post-game media scrum. It's a fairly ho-hum affair with simple questions followed by even simpler answers. The funny thing here is that Jonathan Quick, the man capable of contorting his body in unbelievable ways in front of 18,000+ fans on a regular basis, looked fairly uncomfortable answering questions from 15-20 people holding iPhones, recorder, and writing down his every word. Give him an overtime game in the Stanley Cup Finals and he looks unshaken. Get him in the locker room after with a recorder stuck in his face and all of a sudden it's a different game.
In the midst of it all, the pressure and the importance of the games, there was still a wonderfully human element to the players there in those moments. Maybe it was a stammer, a mispronunciation, or a simple grin when a silly question was asked, but there was something that reminded you that these were everyday Joes playing a game for a living. They have thoughts and feelings just like you and I. They have likes and dislikes as well. Just like many people out there, a lot of them HATE speaking in public.
Then you get a guy like Willie Mitchell, who was beloved by L.A. Media for his openness and willingness to talk. And talk. And talk.
A quick word count of an interview from Jonathan Quick, where he answered seven questions, yielded 251 words.
Ask Willie Mitchell three questions and you get close to 350 words, a few stories, a couple laughs, and a really good feeling interview. And that's on the record and on the recorder. The veteran always seemed to have more to say even after the interview was technically over. He's a talker. Everyone knew that. The media, his teammates, he himself. That was Willie Mitchell. A jovial and outspoken guy who was completely comfortable sticking around and answering questions from just about everyone and about everything. Jarret Stoll, great interviewee. Likewise with Anze Kopitar. Dustin Brown has evolved over the course of his career and become much more comfortable answering questions. It's just in the make-up of some of these guys. Some of it is learned and some of it is natural.
But then you get to Jonathan Quick or Drew Doughty, and it's just not in their makeup maybe. Maybe they haven't developed that side of the game yet. And you know what? That's totally fine.
It isn't always easy to remember this when we are fans, watching from a distance. We only see brief snippets of these guys playing the game, doing bench interviews, or doing post-game media scrums. It's almost impossible to find them in their element being regular people. However, they are just like you and me. Some of you out there are really great public speakers. You feel comfortable engaging in conversations, answering questions, and generally shooting the breeze with whoever. Then there are others like Quick, who for one reason or another just don't really seem all that comfortable.
There has been a lot of fuss made recently in the NFL about Marshawn Lynch and his relationship with the media. The NFL will fine its players for not making themselves available to post-game media, and Marshawn Lynch was fined for one such act. Just like the NHL, the NFL makes it an obligation for players to make themselves available to answering questions. Lynch, a very private person, has taken a pretty interesting route in showing his displeasure for the dog and pony show that can sometimes be post-game media.
I am, of course, talking about the infamous "Yeah" interview.
Whether or not you agree with what Lynch is doing here, it does bring up the reminder that these guys are human. NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB etc. they are all humans. Whether it's Jonathan Quick with a hat pulled down over his eyes or Marshawn Lynch answering every question with "Yeah", it is just another example of how different we may seem from a professional athlete but how similar we really are.
Ever laughed or been frustrated at how silly some of the questions can be? Take a look at Ben Scrivens' most recent reaction to a question from an Edmonton media member,
"Sorry, I'm in a bad mood."
We've all been there, Ben.
And this isn't to rip on the media members by any stretch of the imagination. There is a job to be done as a member of the media. You have to go in and talk to these guys and ask them questions. You have to ask the questions and they have to answer them. It is the nature of the beast.
Jonathan Quick isn't trying to do his best Stonewall Sutter impression or answer questions in a lackluster fashion like it is a choice he makes. It is because he is a human being, capable of all the same emotions as you and I. As much as we like to put pro athletes on a pedestal sometimes, all it takes is one simple moment to realize they are just like you and I.
Whether it's frustration, anger, introversion, extroversion, or something completely different, you'll find it all amongst athletes at any given moment.
It's true, they aren't like you and I in many ways. They don't have 9 to 5 jobs, they make millions of dollars, and they play a game for a living. However, it's in those moments where Drew Doughty looks completely disinterested in answering questions after a game that we realize how close we truly are. It's Friday, you just got out of work, and your boss wants you to interview about the day. Could you imagine?
It is 2012, the Kings are playing the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals. Drew Doughty is being barraged with questions from reporters and patiently answers as many as possible. Barefoot, drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted, he stands amongst microphones and gives the best answers he possibly can. Upon completion, Doughty heads towards an unmarked door in the back of the Kings locker room. However, he is intercepted by several other reporter with questions at the ready. Thankfully just as the reporters edge close to Doughty, Mike Kalinowski, Manager of Communications with the Kings, steps in and says "He's done with questions guys." With a visible sigh of relief, Doughty says "Thanks Mike", meanders between the reporters and quickly heads for the door like he had a hot date to get to.
It was a minor memory in hindsight, but one that stuck with me as to how similar we all really are when you get right down to it. You have more in common with Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar than you might ever know.
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