Read on Twitter
but hockey culture is fine https://twitter.com/Dreamer_Aliu78/status/1199119380774359045
you know, a couple of observations here.
first, it's always the same responses when we get a peek behind the curtain at what hockey culture is really all about.
first, it's always the same responses when we get a peek behind the curtain at what hockey culture is really all about.
they boil down to (a) it's just boys being boys/locker room talk (i mean, they're not wrong about that first part, but that's not a feature it's a bug)
(b) it's part of team building, building character and creating cohesion so that guys will go through a wall for each other. guess you need to break down individual will so you can build it back up with a hive mentality.
or, when it's really bad and no longer socially acceptable, (c) just one bad apple. no one else is like that. it just came out in a flash of anger, he doesn't really think that way. etc.
and you know, when you keep every incident locked away in it's own little box you can get away with those kinds of excuses.
but maybe one day someone will gather up every incident and put it all together in one place.
but maybe one day someone will gather up every incident and put it all together in one place.
it'll be a lot harder to argue against it being part of the culture at that point.
but hey, the hockey media is faithfully executing its role as guardians of the public image. so unlikely that happens any time soon.
but hey, the hockey media is faithfully executing its role as guardians of the public image. so unlikely that happens any time soon.
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!”
-- Upton Sinclair
-- Upton Sinclair
oh, and my second observation is this, i am going to guess up front that i will get away with this thread without much of a backlash.
but the fact that if any of the numerous, knowledgeable, talented women on hockey twitter expressed even 1/10 of this, they would be harassed for days is just one more indication that the issues with "hockey culture" aren't limited to the locker rooms.
going to add this to the end of this thread for completeness https://twitter.com/petbugs13/status/1199388827825012737?s=20
and if former players, many of whom made a significant living from player careers, take this long to come forward, you start to wonder about the hiring practices and culture in the off-ice roles in the NHL.
one day more on this will come out. count it. https://twitter.com/CarBombBoom13/status/1199403251826876417
one day more on this will come out. count it. https://twitter.com/CarBombBoom13/status/1199403251826876417
well, i've let this sit all day, waiting, hoping for someone, anyone to pick up the threads here and get to the root of the issue.
because if we don't, we're back to square one.
isolated incident.
one bad apple.
yadda yadda yadda.
isolated incident.
one bad apple.
yadda yadda yadda.
once again, the notion that there is an issue with the culture is being swept under the rug.
everything's fine.
nothing to see here.
everything's fine.
nothing to see here.
but there's only nothing to see here because (a) there are vested interests that don't want you to see it, and (b) the gatekeepers, are all too willing, if not eager, to help contain these incidents in their individual little boxes.
now, i'm gonna start out by reiterating that i'm just a nobody on the internet. so i have no idea what actually went on.
but that's part of the issue here. there are people that do know what went on. or at least have the ability to ask what went on. and maybe they have.
but either way, the rest of us rubes get a pat on the head and fed some pablum about funniest hockey quotes over the last decade.
phew.
glad all that heavy stuff has been dealt with.
phew.
glad all that heavy stuff has been dealt with.
so let's start with that question that people started to ask yesterday, but suddenly, mysteriously, stopped following up on? https://twitter.com/petbugs13/status/1199421641161236480?s=20
who were the people that allowed the atmosphere and culture to develop where coaches could play mind games with rookies, or physically assault their own players, or whatever else that has gone on that we don't even know about yet?
what is their responsibility here? and more importantly why are they not accountable for what they allowed to take place under their leadership?
and that, ultimately, is what this comes down to. a failure of leadership.
i mean, there are so many narratives about how this player or that player is "good in the room" and how much that contributes to team success.
i mean, there are so many narratives about how this player or that player is "good in the room" and how much that contributes to team success.
but a coach gets to mindfuck a promising rookie, or physically assault a player, and then life just goes on until someone finally gets the courage to speak up years later?
that's messed up. and so is the culture allows it to happen and the culture that develops as a result.
heck, that's *why* victims don't speak up until years later. because they quickly learn that raising it while they are still in that type of atmosphere is only going to cause them more grief.
so yeah, i would like someone to ask Ron Francis about what he did do to address the issue with Bill Peters when it happened.
we know what he didn't do.
we know what he didn't do.
and maybe there were mitigating circumstances where Francis found himself between a rock and a hard place. that's fine. but talk about it. don't hide from it. that's not going to help anyone. not in the long run.
the fact is, even if it was a money thing and ownership didn't want to fire Peters and pay another coach, that doesn't explain why he was subsequently given a two contract extension despite having assaulted a player.
yes, yes, this is just my speculation on my part. like i said, i'm just a nobody on the internet.
but damn, for all the talk about character and courage and leadership we hear about in the NHL, there sure seems to be a lack of it when it comes to addressing serious issues in a responsible, adult way like you would in any other real world business situation.
so yeah, maybe i'm completely wrong and totally off base. but that's the impression the NHL and it's franchises and the people who cover them for a living have left me with.
don't shoot the messenger.
actually, you know what? forget all that.
eat Arby's. https://twitter.com/LeafsAllDayy/status/1199834801735372801?s=19
eat Arby's. https://twitter.com/LeafsAllDayy/status/1199834801735372801?s=19
ooh boy.
well then, let's see who has the wherewithal to take on Bettman's edict. https://twitter.com/GeoffBakerTIMES/status/1199894033486598144?s=19
well then, let's see who has the wherewithal to take on Bettman's edict. https://twitter.com/GeoffBakerTIMES/status/1199894033486598144?s=19
welp
that's a bold crisis communication strategy https://twitter.com/AGoldFan/status/1199916177830694912?s=19
so how *should* the NHL be handling this? well, this would be a good start...
but instead, it looks like their messaging is that the process will be "coming to a conclusion" when the Flames decide what to do with Peters. https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1200205750896939013
presumably, the hockey men think that if they drag this out long enough for the uproar to die down and focus entirely on Peters vs the Flames, then by sacrificing one of their own they can just wash their hands of the whole thing.
but again, a reminder that i am just a nobody on the internet. perhaps i am reading too much into this, and the NHL will also address what happened in Carolina.
as you well know, #iwishiwaswrongmore.
as you well know, #iwishiwaswrongmore.
