Have Some Class. You hear it a lot… and last night at the Olympics, a lesson was taught to certain soccer goalies, certain coaches who leave their team at a time for maximum hurt and certain now free agents who have earned nothing.
Have some class. American beach volleyball icon Kerri Walsh Jennings did that after losing her for the first time in 26 matches. She took the blame on, she did make excuses… simply saying that the Brazilian team “outplayed” them.
Class.
Unlike what Patrick Roy did to the Colorado Avalanche, leaving the team at a time to inflict quite a bit of damage and I am trying to figure out why. The story seems to be a struggle for control, Roy wanted more of it and was unhappy with the relative lack of roster turnover. On the surface that seems to be a reasonable thought, but I thought the GM and Coach were in lockstep?
Frankly… it was the excuse given for not firing the coach at the end of the season, which many observers (this one included) thought should happen after another disaster area of a season. Look, it could be a case of too much credit being given for a surprise playoff appearance season in Roy’s rookie campaign and too much blame being assigned for two successive seasons of failure.
Why too much credit? That 13-14 team was the Fancy Stats crowd’s worst nightmare. The example used to try and invalidate the entire movement. Why too much blame? Because the Fancy Stats giveth and the Fancy Stats taketh, as the next two seasons balanced out the equation. Call it the Revenge of the Stat Heads.
What no one seems to point to, is the real reason for the team's failure. The Colorado Avalanche are simply a poorly constructed team. Plenty of high end talent on the offense… but a seriously questionable defense. That falls on the GM… maybe Roy saw the writing on the wall after dodging the bullet at the end of last season. But resigning when he did? It makes him look bad… it makes him look selfish… and as a couple of pundits have said… it makes him appear to be afraid.
Afraid of the results of the upcoming season… Afraid that he would be blamed for a lack of production… Afraid that the Roy legacy would be tarnished by being fired after a third straight season of failure.
It is a compelling case to make. So Roy got out at a time where he could inflict damage, but not be blamed for everything… I guess if you want to avoid responsibility, you can do that. But it sure doesn’t make him look like he has any class.
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Random Notes
- For those that like to keep up with former Predator radio play-by-play guy Tom Callahan, after one season with the Indianapolis Fuel, he is now the Voice of the Tucson Roadrunners, Arizona’s new AHL affiliate that begins play this season.
- #VeseyWatch3 is on… after spurning his second straight team. There is a parade of teams embarrassing themselves by begging for his services. It boggles the mind. I have come to the realization that this player may not be worth all of the effort and hubbub surrounding him. For a great analysis on Vesey’s potential, check out
Puck Daddy’s detailed analysis.
- So when is the ESPN special scheduled to announce the results of #VeseyWatch3?
- The late off-season bargain bin is being utilized, Antoine Vermette signed for two years in Anaheim, Radim Vrbata in Arizona for one.
- Training Camp invites are starting to go out, James Wisniewski has been invited to Tampa’s
- Ottawa is retiring Daniel Alfredsson number. Glad to see it happen… well deserved.
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