elvis15 Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 I expect to recycle this article and substitute Kabanov for Ho-Sang in about 5 years. Maybe. Ho-Sang is more driven I think, but attitude and commitment have certainly been perceived as issues with him as well. I think he'll have less hype and fade away myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Maybe. Ho-Sang is more driven I think, but attitude and commitment have certainly been perceived as issues with him as well. I think he'll have less hype and fade away myself. Driven? Maybe. But maybe not toward the correct goal. My impression is that Ho-Sang believes he is more of an entertainer than a hockey player. I think he's more committed to his own Star rather than the team by becoming the best player he can be. I think he cares more about being famous than putting in the hard work needed to get there. I see a fizzle out from frustration from not reaching his own expectations. As we can see from Kabanov, ego can manifest itself in different ways, some positive some negative. There is a difference IMHO between believing you can be the best vs believing you ARE the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Kabanov is certainly an enigma. He gets painted as a guy with serious character issues and a questionable level of commitment to the game. However, the more I hear and read from people who've actually spent significant time with the kid, the more I come across repeated descriptions of a humble, good-natured, caring young man who's a joy to be around and who's been great in the community for nearly every team he's played for. He's also a strange guy and strangeness doesn't play well in many corners of the hockey world. This is a kid who comes from a privileged and cultured background, and someone who's much more comfortable on the streets of Moscow and New York than pitching hay-bales down on the farm and playing shinny on frozen ponds. He's certainly not the good simple farm boy from the Prairies that old-school hockey types fawn over. Kabanov speaks five languages (Russian, Old Russian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, and English), is an urbanite through-and-through, likes to take strange photographs, enjoys social media, has a bit of an odd fascination for Hollywood gossip and celebrity culture, has a very eclectic taste in music and pop culture, is a known computer "geek", has a brother who's a professional actor/singer, a doctor for a mom, and a successful businessman for a dad. He wears a tonne of ink, including sleeves and neck tattoos, and pretty much looks like the hockey version of Cherokee Parks with his shirt off. He's a guy who will rub many people the wrong way before he even opens his mouth. Again, he's a weird kid and hockey doesn't like weirdness. But the people who've taken the time to get to know Kirill Kabanov seem to universally come away with a positive impression of his level of character and personality traits. His father, however, is quite another story. And that's where the bad reputation most likely comes from. Sergei Kabanov is just the worst kind of player parent. He basically makes Cody Hodgson's dad look like the patron saint for non-interference, accommodation, and reasonability. The senior Kabanov has become an infamous thorn in the side of Kabanov's player agents, management, coaches, and team support staff. He's been repeatedly criticized for treating his son's agents "like slaves" by constantly making unreasonable demands, questioning every decision, micromanaging his son's career, and throwing around baseless accusations. It was so bad that one summer, J.P. Barry actually let Kirill live live with him in Calgary to try to get the kid away from everything and give him a solid home life with positive surroundings and influences. However, only a few months later, Kabanov's father's behaviour had become so unbearable that Barry decided his agency needed to part ways with the Kabanov family. J.P. liked the kid and believed in his talent, but he just couldn't work with the father and ultimately decided to cut his losses. It was supposedly quite a hard decision as Barry had taken quite a liking to Kirill and really felt like the kid needed (and deserved) some help. But "father figures" can only do so much for someone when the actual father is that kind of a problem. Sergei Kabanov has been in his son's ear for his entire life telling him that he's the next great Russian superstar. Kirill's grown-up hearing that he's special and deserves special treatment and can set his own rules. Whenever there have been setback, daddy has always been there to assign blame to someone else and to supply his son with a fresh set of excuses. Agent Ilya Moliver: “Kabanov’s problem is his father” In what sense? Moliver: “Sergei Kabanov believes that an agent is a player’s servant. He doesn’t know how to communicate with people. In view of this, he incorrectly educates Kirill. Kabanov is a nice guy. He is very curious, he likes computers. When Alexei Cherepanov, who was our client, passed away, he sent us a text message: ‘Please, call me. We are mourning.’ But the dad…” What about him? Moliver: “I’ve told Kirill once: ‘You have to choose. We either work with you or with your dad.’ Kabanov’s dad is hard to please. I work with players and their parents since 1992, and I never had to deal with such a complicated person.” http://thehockeywriters.com/2010-nhl-entry-draft-prospect-profile-kirill-kabanov/ Surprisingly, Kabanov seems to resist his father's influence and has somehow managed to remain a humble and hardworking young man who's willing to admit, own, and learn from his mistakes. Here's a good example of the type of person he is (from a 2010 Combine interview): http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=70932&catid=39 Like I said, he's made mistakes but he's also owned-up to them. As in the Russian parable he quotes, Kirill really wants to find a way to grow into the "smart man" who "learns from other's mistakes" but he freely admits that he's often been the foolish man has to make and learn "from his own mistakes." Kabanov also seems to be a player who actually cares quite deeply about his the teams and communities where he's been given opportunities to play the game he loves. You hear a lot about the demands and difficulties (which are almost always linked to his father) but you don't hear about the stuff that Kabanov does on his own (and away from "Daddy"). You don't hear much about the fact that he was a 2011 Golden Puck Awards finalist for the QMJHL's Humanitarian Player of the Year. You don't always get to hear about him volunteering in nearly every community he'd played in or how he routinely visits schools or checks in with sick kids in hospitals (and on his own time--not just when his team sends a few players out for the PR). Nor do you hear much (outside of local markets) about how he's well known for stopping his car when he comes across street hockey games and asking to join in (and always having a jersey or hat ready to sign and give to one of the kids). You don't tend to hear how he chose to stay in town one offseason and became a frequent surprise teammate at community roller hockey games (and again would always come with some gear to give out--and on his own dime). People in the towns and cities where he's played (who are close to the teams) seem to have great memories of Kabanov and countless positive anecdotes about him. Here's an example of how he is around the rink on game days: Many of you have noted Kirill Kabanov is not shy! During a recent stretch of being scratched from the line-up while recovering from an upper body injury, Kabanov was in the lobby shaking hands, taking photos, and welcoming fans to the rink at game-time. In the community, he has been equally engaged (there's a great photo in the 12/15/10 Sun Journal), and he's been having a blast meeting people in the L-A area. Funny and candid, it's hard to predict where a conversation with KK will go! That's the kind of thing you read time and again about Kabanov's time playing in North America. And that's why I don't buy into the stories about this kid being difficult or having character issues (but his father is another story completely). Maybe it's just that I've always liked the kid's personality and that I generally hate cookie-cutter types. Maybe I've just grown weary of the way old-school hockey pundits seem to have a lovefest over the players who display the most the boring and typical personality types. Just as the hockey world needs more players of colour and desperately needs some "out" LGBT players, it also needs a few more "weirdos" like Kirill Kabanov. Hopefully, he can still find a way to reach his potential as a hockey player. With good results on the ice, it's amazing how much the hockey world forgives (or even embraces) the stuff that happens off the ice. But fail to produce on the ice (no matter the reason--and Kabanov has had several tough breaks over the years), and the hockey world (at least the old-school part) has very little patience for "strangeness" and players who might be just a little bit different (at least different from that never-ending NHL parade of good ol' Canadian farm boys with their cookie-cutter backstory and carefully scripted and robotic personalities). For more on Kabanov (and the sources for much of the above material): http://thehockeywriters.com/2010-nhl-entry-draft-prospect-profile-kirill-kabanov/ http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=556997 http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4135629 http://bruins2010draftwatch.blogspot.ca/2010/03/kabanov-leaves-moncton-for-russia.html http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/hockey/post/_/id/407/better-late-than-never-kabanov-skates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripplereh Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 if he grows up a bit I would take him,till them leave the door shut! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripplereh Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 oh btw we have a couple weirdO players in goalies (Lack+Markstrom), but they take the game serious and off ice they act up,to bad Kirill Kabanov couldn't be that way,maybe one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaManbeast Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Just as the hockey world needs more players of colour and desperately needs some "out" LGBT players Why does the NHL need more of this or more of that? Shouldn't it just have the very best hockey players alive regardless of anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaSwede Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Why does the NHL need more of this or more of that? Shouldn't it just have the very best hockey players alive regardless of anything else? I like the way you think, could care less if the guy comes from North Korea if he scores 50 for the Canucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senpai Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 So Kabanov is pretty much just a Russian Hodgson? Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Why does the NHL need more of this or more of that? Shouldn't it just have the very best hockey players alive regardless of anything else? I don't think Sid was saying that the league needs to sacrifice quality of play for better representation of certain groups. However, if quality of play can be maintained while including these groups, a lot of benefits may unravel. More representation of different groups may make these different groups more interested in hockey, which will increase revenue. Increased revenue can mean better production quality for fan viewing. It can also mean that teams are in a better financial state and thus better equipped to invest in their players (better practice facilities, more scouts, better development at the AHL level, etc.). All of which would improve the quality of the game we love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 ^its a free prospect.... why not? He's being bought out lol. I don't think I've ever heard a prospect getting bought out before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pears Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Wasn't this guy projected to go 1st overall (or top 5) at one point in his draft year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Driven? Maybe. But maybe not toward the correct goal. My impression is that Ho-Sang believes he is more of an entertainer than a hockey player. I think he's more committed to his own Star rather than the team by becoming the best player he can be. I think he cares more about being famous than putting in the hard work needed to get there. I see a fizzle out from frustration from not reaching his own expectations. As we can see from Kabanov, ego can manifest itself in different ways, some positive some negative. There is a difference IMHO between believing you can be the best vs believing you ARE the best. And I don't think Kabanov is even driven enough to care about his own star. He's just a happy go lucky guy (some former teammates have said if you're ever having a bad day, go talk to Kirill and you can't help but feel better) who likes tattoos yet isn't motivated to conform to the rules of being a professional hockey player but happens to be good at hockey. It's not much of a difference, but it's a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavel_Burrows Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 pick him up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcanucks Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Kabanov is certainly an enigma. He gets painted as a guy with serious character issues and a questionable level of commitment to the game. However, the more I hear and read from people who've actually spent significant time with the kid, the more I come across repeated descriptions of a humble, good-natured, caring young man who's a joy to be around and who's been great in the community for nearly every team he's played for. He's also a strange guy and strangeness doesn't play well in many corners of the hockey world. This is a kid who comes from a privileged and cultured background, and someone who's much more comfortable on the streets of Moscow and New York than pitching hay-bales down on the farm and playing shinny on frozen ponds. He's certainly not the good simple farm boy from the Prairies that old-school hockey types fawn over. Kabanov speaks five languages (Russian, Old Russian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, and English), is an urbanite through-and-through, likes to take strange photographs, enjoys social media, has a bit of an odd fascination for Hollywood gossip and celebrity culture, has a very eclectic taste in music and pop culture, is a known computer "geek", has a brother who's a professional actor/singer, a doctor for a mom, and a successful businessman for a dad. He wears a tonne of ink, including sleeves and neck tattoos, and pretty much looks like the hockey version of Cherokee Parks with his shirt off. He's a guy who will rub many people the wrong way before he even opens his mouth. Again, he's a weird kid and hockey doesn't like weirdness. But the people who've taken the time to get to know Kirill Kabanov seem to universally come away with a positive impression of his level of character and personality traits. His father, however, is quite another story. And that's where the bad reputation most likely comes from. Sergei Kabanov is just the worst kind of player parent. He basically makes Cody Hodgson's dad look like the patron saint for non-interference, accommodation, and reasonability. The senior Kabanov has become an infamous thorn in the side of Kabanov's player agents, management, coaches, and team support staff. He's been repeatedly criticized for treating his son's agents "like slaves" by constantly making unreasonable demands, questioning every decision, micromanaging his son's career, and throwing around baseless accusations. It was so bad that one summer, J.P. Barry actually let Kirill live live with him in Calgary to try to get the kid away from everything and give him a solid home life with positive surroundings and influences. However, only a few months later, Kabanov's father's behaviour had become so unbearable that Barry decided his agency needed to part ways with the Kabanov family. J.P. liked the kid and believed in his talent, but he just couldn't work with the father and ultimately decided to cut his losses. It was supposedly quite a hard decision as Barry had taken quite a liking to Kirill and really felt like the kid needed (and deserved) some help. But "father figures" can only do so much for someone when the actual father is that kind of a problem. Sergei Kabanov has been in his son's ear for his entire life telling him that he's the next great Russian superstar. Kirill's grown-up hearing that he's special and deserves special treatment and can set his own rules. Whenever there have been setback, daddy has always been there to assign blame to someone else and to supply his son with a fresh set of excuses. http://thehockeywriters.com/2010-nhl-entry-draft-prospect-profile-kirill-kabanov/ Surprisingly, Kabanov seems to resist his father's influence and has somehow managed to remain a humble and hardworking young man who's willing to admit, own, and learn from his mistakes. Here's a good example of the type of person he is (from a 2010 Combine interview): http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=70932&catid=39 Like I said, he's made mistakes but he's also owned-up to them. As in the Russian parable he quotes, Kirill really wants to find a way to grow into the "smart man" who "learns from other's mistakes" but he freely admits that he's often been the foolish man has to make and learn "from his own mistakes." Kabanov also seems to be a player who actually cares quite deeply about his the teams and communities where he's been given opportunities to play the game he loves. You hear a lot about the demands and difficulties (which are almost always linked to his father) but you don't hear about the stuff that Kabanov does on his own (and away from "Daddy"). You don't hear much about the fact that he was a 2011 Golden Puck Awards finalist for the QMJHL's Humanitarian Player of the Year. You don't always get to hear about him volunteering in nearly every community he'd played in or how he routinely visits schools or checks in with sick kids in hospitals (and on his own time--not just when his team sends a few players out for the PR). Nor do you hear much (outside of local markets) about how he's well known for stopping his car when he comes across street hockey games and asking to join in (and always having a jersey or hat ready to sign and give to one of the kids). You don't tend to hear how he chose to stay in town one offseason and became a frequent surprise teammate at community roller hockey games (and again would always come with some gear to give out--and on his own dime). People in the towns and cities where he's played (who are close to the teams) seem to have great memories of Kabanov and countless positive anecdotes about him. Here's an example of how he is around the rink on game days: That's the kind of thing you read time and again about Kabanov's time playing in North America. And that's why I don't buy into the stories about this kid being difficult or having character issues (but his father is another story completely). Maybe it's just that I've always liked the kid's personality and that I generally hate cookie-cutter types. Maybe I've just grown weary of the way old-school hockey pundits seem to have a lovefest over the players who display the most the boring and typical personality types. Just as the hockey world needs more players of colour and desperately needs some "out" LGBT players, it also needs a few more "weirdos" like Kirill Kabanov. Hopefully, he can still find a way to reach his potential as a hockey player. With good results on the ice, it's amazing how much the hockey world forgives (or even embraces) the stuff that happens off the ice. But fail to produce on the ice (no matter the reason--and Kabanov has had several tough breaks over the years), and the hockey world (at least the old-school part) has very little patience for "strangeness" and players who might be just a little bit different (at least different from that never-ending NHL parade of good ol' Canadian farm boys with their cookie-cutter backstory and carefully scripted and robotic personalities). For more on Kabanov (and the sources for much of the above material): http://thehockeywriters.com/2010-nhl-entry-draft-prospect-profile-kirill-kabanov/ http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=556997 http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4135629 http://bruins2010draftwatch.blogspot.ca/2010/03/kabanov-leaves-moncton-for-russia.html http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/hockey/post/_/id/407/better-late-than-never-kabanov-skates I'm starting to dislike you a lot, Sid...just when I form an opinion about something, there you go and write something and back it up with some good research and make me re-think my opinion. Seriously, awesome post and thanks for providing insights into what may be the underlying issues with Kabanov. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N4ZZY Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 should the canucks take a chance on this kid? Still very young at 22 years old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Isles Nation @NYIslesNation Kirill Kabanov addresses Isles fans following today's news. pic.twitter.com/c0p960vxG6 I haven't seen official word he wasn't claimed, but sounds like he's cleared from some fan reports. Certainly if the Canucks had claimed him we would have heard by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down by the River Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 He was given 48 games in the AHL and had twelve points. Can hardly say that the Isles never gave him a chance. Seems like he is trying to find someone else to blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Wasn't this guy projected to go 1st overall (or top 5) at one point in his draft year? He certainly was. He looked amazing at one point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 To be fair, the Islanders probably doesn't have the healthiest environment to groom prospects. I wouldn't mind having the Canucks signing him and then ship him to Utica. Maybe under a more structured development program with some wily vets in the farm may be just what this kid needs. Makes me wish that Mike Keane was still playing, he would have easily straighten Kabanov out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n00bxQb Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 It already starts. "Sign him" "Pick him up" " I'd give him a shot" I love cdc This is the same forum that wanted to take him WITH OUR FIRST ROUND PICK that year ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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