Erik Karlsson Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Growing Pains: The Aftermath of Cody Hodgson Added by Jay Adams on May 14, 2012. It was supposed to be the centerpiece of Mike Gillis’ tenure in Vancouver. It’s what deterred Gillis from selecting the talented, but unpredictable, Kyle Beach with the 10th pick at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. It’s what led him to an 18-year-old playmaker named Cody Hodgson. If Gillis intended to build an organization around character, the draft was his first opportunity to lay the foundation. Hodgson was a fitting first step. Cody Hodgson[ What Hodgson lacked in speed and power, he made up for in vision and intelligence. In 2004, he captained the Toronto Jr. Canadiens to an Ontario provincial championship. In 2008, he captained Canada to a gold medal at the U18 World Championships. Later that year, he was awarded the captaincy of the OHL’s Brampton Battalion. In 2009, he was the alternate captain on Canada’s gold medal winning World Junior squad. Hodgson exuded leadership, accountability and character. In short, he symbolized the new direction of the Canucks organization.[ But somehow, everything changed.[ On April 24, Mike Gillis told Vancouver media that over the past three seasons, he’d spent more time dealing with Hodgson than every other Canuck combined. A general manger who preaches patience and logic had finally decided that Hodgson was more trouble than he was worth And maybe Gillis had a point. Canucks GM Mike Gillis (CalvinChanPhoto/Flickr It’s been suggested that Hodgson’s father is overly involved in his son’s career. It’s also been reported that Ritch Winter (Hodgson’s agent) became a nuisance with his repeated demands for increased ice-time. It’s even been rumoured that Hodgson, at least once, actually asked management for a trade. If these reports are true, the Canucks’ frustrations were not unreasonable. In fact, they may have been justified. But that’s only part of the story. In their dealings with Hodgson, the Canucks were certainly not blameless. And in that sense, the dissatisfaction and distrust amidst Hodgson’s camp may not have been unwarranted.[ In the summer of 2009, Hodgson suffered a significant back injury while “twisting” under the instruction of Dave Gagner (the Canucks’ director of player development). The injury would force Hodgson to miss two months of invaluable off-season training. More importantly, the Canucks’ medical staff would incorrectly diagnose the injury as a bulging disc in Hodgson’s lower-back. The misdiagnosis would lead to an incorrectly prescribed treatment which would ultimately aggravate the injury. As a result, Hodgson was plagued by back pain throughout the 2009 pre-season. After his demotion to Brampton, the ailing Hodgson expressed a desire to obtain an additional medical opinion.] For some reason, Hodgson’s actions struck a nerve with Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. In October 2009, Vigneault publicly suggested that Hodgson’s desire for further examination was an attempt to shift the blame after a poor pre-season. In other words, Hodgson was refusing to accept responsibility for his play. A year later, an MRI would finally reveal the source of Hodgson’s discomfort. The Canucks’ prior diagnosis and treatment of a bulging disc had been incorrect. Hodgson was actually suffering from a muscle strain in his lower-back. Maybe he wasn’t trying to shift the blame, after all. But Hodgson never called out Vigneault or the Canucks’ organization. Instead, true to his character, he persevered. With the help of Gary Roberts’ training program, Hodgson cracked the team’s lineup for good in 2011. On February 2, 2012, he was named NHL rookie-of-the-month. After years of adversity, struggle and determination, things were finally clicking for the Canucks’ blue-chipper.[ Less than a month later, Gillis’ character draft pick was gone. On February 27th, Hodgson was sent to Buffalo for gritty forward Zack Kassian. Ironically, earlier that day, Hodgson’s teammates had playfully taped a “C” onto his practice sweater. So what kind of character were the Canucks getting in return? In December 2009, during his only notable captaincy, Kassian was suspended by the Peterborough Petes for breaking curfew. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Windsor Spitfires. In January 2010, Kassian was suspended 20 games by the OHL after a targeted headshot to Barrie forward Matt Kennedy. Four months later, Kassian was arrested and charged with assault after a bar fight in Windsor. Though the charges were eventually dropped (in exchange for community service, a donation to charity and compensation to the victim), the related issues with US customs threatened to derail Kassian’s budding career. Not exactly the poster-boy for a team building around character. And that brings us back to Gillis. Immediately after the trade, the Canucks’ GM declared that issues related to Hodgson would remain internal. When media reports surfaced that Hodgson was unhappy and wanted out, Gillis refused to comment. It was classy. It showed character. But when the two-time Presidents’ Trophy winners were bounced from the post-season after five games, Gillis found himself on the hot seat. And, for some reason, he decided the trade was no longer an internal matter. Rather than accept criticism for a possible misevaluation (and a player that ended the post-season as a healthy scratch), Gillis publicly buried Hodgson. He painted the 22-year-old as an unhappy, ungrateful diva. In terms of Gillis’ character, it spoke volumes. Ultimately, the one voice missing from this debate is that of Hodgson. In the aftermath of the deal, the Sabres forward has had countless opportunities to address or clarify the rumors. Instead, he’s eaten the criticism and quietly taken the high road.[ The same cannot be said for Mike Gillis, Ritch Winter or Gary Roberts. In fact, by addressing the issue, all three have damaged their public image in some way. In that sense, they could probably all learn something from Hodgson. Maybe the kid’s character did come as advertised, after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigs Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I'm sure his character is great, but can we just move on....please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smashian Kassian Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I did not no about that assault charge to Kassian. And it really sucks this whole thing went sour but it is time to move on, its tough thinking about what could have been.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawberries Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 lol kassian is a boss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoKnows53 Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Kassian is more man than Cody will ever be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bure's triple deke Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Being new to the forums, I don't doubt that this is a topic that's been done to death, but nice post! I like how you touched on the contrast in character, or at least perceived character/what can be gleaned from the facts. I remember that's one of the things that struck me most when I was frantically trying to find out more on Kassian at the time of the trade. Hard to name a more infamous junior career... Prior to that 20-game suspension in 2009-10, he was suspended one game by his own team (Peterborough Petes) for breaking curfew as a captain. (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Police+charge+Kassian+after+altercation/3104416/story.html) He received another three-game suspension in 2011 for a questionable hit in the playoffs. (http://windsorite.ca/2011/04/zack-kassian-suspended-for-three-additional-games/) Chalk it up to youthful recklessness, I hope. On the other hand, as much as I liked Hodgson's squeaky clean reputation, every team can use a jerk on the ice. Long as he harnesses it into something useful...like a few goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I love a nice non-biased article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another rant by a Hodgson fanboy. Can we end this already? People are makng it sound like he's some sort of golden boy that can do no wrong. The article fails to mention that Hodgson got a second opinion from one of the top back specialists in North America, and they came up with the same diagnosis. It was the Canucks medical staff that found the problem after diagnosing him again. So why wouldn't AV think he was making excuses when two doctors said that there was no real problem with him? I love how he has to bring Kassian into it too, and try and attack his character. From what I've seen, Kassian seems like a more real person than Hodgson. Hodgson seems like a fake that hides behind politeness and fake smiles. When behind closed doors he's letting his dad and his agent b!tch and complain for him. Grow up kid. This team doesn't need more politeness and "nice" play, it needs some balls and some grit. Exactly what Kassian will bring in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watermelons Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 After reading this, I've grown more respect for Hodgson for the way he has handled criticism from the media, and his former team. I wish him best of luck in Buffalo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Another rant by a Hodgson fanboy. Can we end this already? People are makng it sound like he's some sort of golden boy that can do no wrong. The article fails to mention that Hodgson got a second opinion from one of the top back specialists in North America, and they came up with the same diagnosis. It was the Canucks medical staff that found the problem after diagnosing him again. So why wouldn't AV think he was making excuses when two doctors said that there was no real problem with him? I love how he has to bring Kassian into it too, and try and attack his character. From what I've seen, Kassian seems like a more real person than Hodgson. Hodgson seems like a fake that hides behind politeness and fake smiles. When behind closed doors he's letting his dad and his agent b!tch and complain for him. Grow up kid. This team doesn't need more politeness and "nice" play, it needs some balls and some grit. Exactly what Kassian will bring in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfxHaley Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 This.. Hodgson lets everybody in his camp do the dirty work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 In case you couldn't tell from the extremely biased article, Jay Adams is the Buffalo Sabres correspondent for THW. The reason Sabres writers have to shill Cody Hodgson is that a lot of their fans moaned and groaned about losing Zack Kassian, a player with size, speed and hands, or at least the idea of what his size, speed and hands might someday become. Lucic 2.0? Not quite. Think slightly less hits, slightly more goals. Depending on development. After years of watching the Bruins run over their miniature team, the addition of a softish Cody Hodgson at the expense of their great big bear of toughness wasn't exactly well-received. That's why they will also strive to knock down Kassian's character as much as we like to knock down Hodgson's now. Still, i expect Hodgson to break out well before Kassian. First of all, he's a year older. Secondly, he's a playmaker, not a power forward. And lastly, he's going to be gift-wrapped icetime in Buffalo, while Kassian will likely see a lot of bottom-6 time in Vancouver while he matures. The 'aftermath' of the trade? That's going to be years in the making. Not wrapped-up in a heavily one-sided Buffalo Sabres article that features a bunch of old news. Cheers. TOML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Doctor Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InSoM- Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Coho = Douchey Primadonna bitch whose daddy told him to keep his damn mouth shut to look classy. Kassian = Young kid doing what young kids do, on top of that, hes a Canuck, hes making what, 900K a year? - The guy is young and feeling invincible at this point in his life, nothing wrong with getting drunk, partying and having fun at his age, and the headshot - well, I still miss Raffi Torres, so I don't really mind, lol. - As long as he is able to mature with the group, and keep it together during playoff time, Im not worried about him, I'm expecting big things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
250Integra Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It's ironic how the same people defending Kassian here are also the same people that make fun of Patrick Kane for his partying antics, and assault charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jägermeister Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It's ironic how the same people defending Kassian here are also the same people that make of Patrick Kane for his partying antics, and assault charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ṣpiderman Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Kassian is more man than Cody will ever be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prana16 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Another rant by a Hodgson fanboy. Can we end this already? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prana16 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Kassian has made his share of mistakes just like Kane has, difference is Kassian has kept his nose clean recently, whereas there seems to be a new Patrick Kane endeavor every few months. What bugged me about this article was just how it portrayed both Kassian and Coho, giving only one side to each players character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remy Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Another rant by a Hodgson fanboy. Can we end this already? People are makng it sound like he's some sort of golden boy that can do no wrong. The article fails to mention that Hodgson got a second opinion from one of the top back specialists in North America, and they came up with the same diagnosis. It was the Canucks medical staff that found the problem after diagnosing him again. So why wouldn't AV think he was making excuses when two doctors said that there was no real problem with him? I love how he has to bring Kassian into it too, and try and attack his character. From what I've seen, Kassian seems like a more real person than Hodgson. Hodgson seems like a fake that hides behind politeness and fake smiles. When behind closed doors he's letting his dad and his agent b!tch and complain for him. Grow up kid. This team doesn't need more politeness and "nice" play, it needs some balls and some grit. Exactly what Kassian will bring in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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