Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Can the Canucks change a player?


whytelight

Recommended Posts

Do you think that a winning culture and a solid locker room like the Canucks (or other teams, for example) can change a player?

For example, do you think that if we traded for a star like Alex O, that his selfish and entitled ways could be curbed?

Can WD change AO (or other stars) to be better team guys?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Team chemistry despite being important is a fickle thing and hard to predict. Sometimes a player with a bad attitude can get a "fresh start" with a new team and sometimes if that team has a good work ethic they can buy into it. However, sometimes it can work the opposite way and a player can arrive with a bad attitude that will infect the team. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. Or put another way, a tiger doesn't change its stripes overnight.

So to answer your question, I would say it is possible, especially with the right coach and core of veteran players but it is far from guaranteed even in ideal circumstances.

P.S. I agree Rounoush that Ovechkin isn't necessarily the best example of a toxic attitude but I get your point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's up to management to find guys that won't upset the team majority.

The majority of this team's core are veterans with families.

Younger guys have to be able to hold themselves accountable and not be disrespectful of them or their position.

Jim has four kids and a wife. He ain't putting up with any prima donna's or head case hired guns.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For someone to truly change there has to be motivation for it to happen. This is caused by an event or a chain of events.

In the case of a hockey player, a positive room can cause a chain of events to occur which would create the motivation needed to change for the better, so in a basic sense, the answer to your question would be yes.

This isn't always the case however. For example, what if we have a positive locker room, yet a player that has trouble playing a particular style of game the coach wants? This could demotivate the player. Therefore, in order for the player to change, a positive locker room would only be part of the equation for change. There would have to be other factors to cause that change as well.

So, in conclusion, a positive locker room can help to create a change in a person, but other triggers would have to happen as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ask your wife/girlfriend/significant other if they are able to change you?

We can try and make ourselves better. But it has to come from within, not without.

My wife doesn't want to change me. I've been able to score consistently over the years! :P

Seriously though, I think environment plays a big part in a player's motivation. They are more likely to try harder if they have a sense of camaraderie with their teammates and if they have a mutual respect with their coaches. An example of that is the performances of Edler and Hansen so far this season compared to last season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think Ovechkin is the poster boy for selfish play, especially this year. He's really worked on his all-around game.

I think once you move to a city like Vancouver, you immediately change.

The people want to win, the city is great, you automatically want to play better.

I agree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think once you move to a city like Vancouver, you immediately change.

The people want to win, the city is great, you automatically want to play better.

This is definitely not true. We have some terrible fans here, especially towards young players. I remember when everyone was complaining about Horvat and how we wasted the 9th overall pick on a 4th line plug. This was literally 2 months ago. Now Kassian is the whipping boy. God help Virtanen if he doesn't make the team next year AND produce immediately.

I don't understand how some fans can be so damn impatient. Especially the ones aged 30-40. I'm 19 and I'm a pretty impatient person in general but sometimes I can't believe how many of our players become write offs according to some Canucks fans if they don't perform well right away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is definitely not true. We have some terrible fans here, especially towards young players. I remember when everyone was complaining about Horvat and how we wasted the 9th overall pick on a 4th line plug. This was literally 2 months ago. Now Kassian is the whipping boy. God help Virtanen if he doesn't make the team next year AND produce immediately.

I don't understand how some fans can be so damn impatient. Especially the ones aged 30-40. I'm 19 and I'm a pretty impatient person in general but sometimes I can't believe how many of our players become write offs according to some Canucks fans if they don't perform well right away.

This is not a problem specific to Vancouver or it's fans as much as you'd like to think it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's up to management to find guys that won't upset the team majority.

The majority of this team's core are veterans with families.

Younger guys have to be able to hold themselves accountable and not be disrespectful of them or their position.

Jim has four kids and a wife. He ain't putting up with any prima donna's or head case hired guns.

this is exactly the point. It is one of the most important part of management, to get the team to gel as a unit, just as it is up to the players to try and fit in. But of course it will be easier to make players buy into it all, when you are a winning team...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think once you move to a city like Vancouver, you immediately change.

The people want to win, the city is great, you automatically want to play better.

Which is why they've won so many cups?

Wasn't it just a few years ago that people were saying that Vancouver (in general) doesn't have a winning culture?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Teams can do what they can but in the end it will always be up to the player/person to change their attitude. If a player is looking out for 'no.1' then they will never be accepted into a team culture.

I'd rather have guys like Sedins, Higgins, etc. than all-star players who don't care about the team - which to be honest I doubt there are many players like that. People will always say E.Kane, Yakupov, Ovechkin, etc. are like that be we never know what actually happens in the locker-room so we can't really judge that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...