Zadorov Shares Some Insight Into Nate MacKinnon

[bree2]

1 hour ago, -DLC- said:

https://coloradohockeynow.com/2021/08/03/former-avalanche-reveals-intense-details-about-what-its-like-being-teammates-with-nathan-mackinnon/

This generating a bit of a buzz on SM right now.

 

I'm sure the talk will be very polarized.....not sure how I feel about it.

 

I love Nate - one of my favourite non Canucks.  And, in order to be the best you have to be extremely focused and dedicated.  But screaming in guy's faces doesn't scream team player...even if it's for all the right reasons.

 

He's a fierce competitor though, so who am I to judge? 

 

Much ado about nothing but it is the off season. 

I remember a few years ago  against us , i think he took a penalty and he seemed to freak out while he ended up getting kicked out of the game. the penalty was warranted, but he didn't feel it was and complained our player  dived, he came out to the press whining about it. after that i lost all respect for the guy, now i read that he screams at his teammates, that is a form of abuse , same as if a coach does it, only the coach gets fired. 

[Patel Bure]

1 hour ago, AV. said:

Imagine being yelled at for mistakes in practice and being told that you can't eat carbonara just to finish your season in the second round every year lmfao.

 

He's lucky he's talented and underpaid or else his micromanagement wouldn't be well received at all.  Hell, in any workplace, who would want to deal with this?

It also speaks volumes that hockey culture not only normalizes but celebrates this Patrick Bateman esque behaviour.  Weird sport.

That's why I'm wondering if Nathan MacKinnon's behaviour, even if it is well intentioned, leads to more adverse effects than positive effects.  

[buddhahoodlum]

14 minutes ago, erkayloomeh said:

Yeah.  I wonder if yelling at Hansen (tortorella) made Hansen a better player?

I was just gonna make that comparison. Players aren't dumb. They know when they've made a bad play/pass. If I had someone screaming at me, especially in practice, for a little mistake, I'd quickly lose any and all respect for them. And telling your teammates what to eat? WTF is that about?  And since Colorado hasn't won anything with Mackinnon, he needs to tone things down a bit. I'd end up punching him in the face if I was on that team. 

[-AJ-]

I truly understand the hypercompetitive feelings, but I'm not sold on the yelling and screaming leadership style, at least not in most scenarios, though there may be select situations in which it makes sense. Other posters are right in that he gets a pass by many because he's one of the best in the game, especially in the playoffs.

 

I'll admit it does make me like him less.

[Tre Mac]

No wonder they always choke in the playoffs.  Seriously, this is a great way to lose the locker room the second you screw up.  Nobody plays a flawless game.  

[warrchief]

Imposing your thoughts and views on the entire team... Is just not right. I get eating right and the correct foods but that's for the individual to decide not the star player. Everyone has different dietary needs. Yelling at everyone isn't the right way to go about things. If you are going to yell, yell at the team not the individual. Use 'we' statements not 'you'. And here I thought that we got rid of abusive behaviour from abusive coaches... I guess we need to fix abusive leaders on the team too.

[Master Mind]

I wonder if this would be a more successful approach if MacKinnon had a cup ring, and was the captain of the team.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Master Mind

[theo5789]

45 minutes ago, buddhahoodlum said:

I was just gonna make that comparison. Players aren't dumb. They know when they've made a bad play/pass. If I had someone screaming at me, especially in practice, for a little mistake, I'd quickly lose any and all respect for them. And telling your teammates what to eat? WTF is that about?  And since Colorado hasn't won anything with Mackinnon, he needs to tone things down a bit. I'd end up punching him in the face if I was on that team. 

 

19 minutes ago, warrchief said:

Imposing your thoughts and views on the entire team... Is just not right. I get eating right and the correct foods but that's for the individual to decide not the star player. Everyone has different dietary needs. Yelling at everyone isn't the right way to go about things. If you are going to yell, yell at the team not the individual. Use 'we' statements not 'you'. And here I thought that we got rid of abusive behaviour from abusive coaches... I guess we need to fix abusive leaders on the team too.

The diet thing is not uncommon. When the Sedins were here, I believe the players were encouraged to eat healthier as well. I remember a teammate saying they weren't allowed certain things in the locker room. Of course the Sedins were more class than crass as MacKinnon is portrayed here, but I imagine the diet thing happens around the league.

 

As for not winning a championship yet, Jordan hadn't won a championship until he was around 27 years old. The Bulls also endured many playoff early exits. So it remains to be seen if MacKinnon will have the impact to take them to the next level, but Jordan is an example of this type of attitude prior to winning a championship which ultimately led to one (and many more after).

 

I'm fine with these hyper athletes, but they will constantly have to show up every night and back up their attitudes by being the best player at both ends of the rink. Zadorov seems to be praising him, so I imagine he isn't exactly a locker room cancer and players seem to respect him for it.

[Patel Bure]

41 minutes ago, Tre Mac said:

No wonder they always choke in the playoffs.  Seriously, this is a great way to lose the locker room the second you screw up.  Nobody plays a flawless game.  

It's why I'm wondering if MacKinnon's conduct has more adverse effects than positive, and if guys like Sakic, Yzerman, Scott Stevens, and Toews conducted themselves in a similar manner?  Chara?  Dustin Brown?  Steve Stamkos?

[Kragar]

2 hours ago, Patel Bure said:

Kudos to Nathan Mackinnon for doing all that but is that kind of authoritative leadership really necessary?  Were guys like Sakic, Yzerman, Scott Stevens, and Jonathan Toews like that as well?  Wayne Gretzky?  Mario Lemieux?

That bald headed a-hole who shall not be named has the leadership award named for him, so maybe he was the one yelling instead of Gretzky. 

 

IIRC, Gretzky only screamed at the refs

[AV.]

5 minutes ago, theo5789 said:

 

The diet thing is not uncommon. When the Sedins were here, I believe the players were encouraged to eat healthier as well. I remember a teammate saying they weren't allowed certain things in the locker room. Of course the Sedins were more class than crass as MacKinnon is portrayed here, but I imagine the diet thing happens around the league.

 

As for not winning a championship yet, Jordan hadn't won a championship until he was around 27 years old. The Bulls also endured many playoff early exits. So it remains to be seen if MacKinnon will have the impact to take them to the next level, but Jordan is an example of this type of attitude prior to winning a championship which ultimately led to one (and many more after).

 

I'm fine with these hyper athletes, but they will constantly have to show up every night and back up their attitudes by being the best player at both ends of the rink. Zadorov seems to be praising him, so I imagine he isn't exactly a locker room cancer and players seem to respect him for it.

Yeah, I do think Mackinnon's actions are perceived by teammates to be closer to "passionate" more so than authoritative and controlling.  Where I see issues is the apparent policing of teammate routines.  It's one thing to demonstrate by example and encourage certain changes, but from all accounts here, it seems he demands his teammates to follow his routines and behaviours.  Again, it's fine to be "demanding" to an extent, but it goes without question that every player has their own niches that got them to where they are.  It seems to me it would be much better to let guys prepare how they would prepare rather than how you would want them to prepare.

[BabychStache]

I work with a guy like this. The first while it was great, made me better at what i was doing. However, this approach has a shelf life. Especially if you're also a high performer. 

 

For myself, I put up boundaries and shifted to a pick and choose project based approach. I can handle his intensity in limited doses, but its important for me to be able to tell him to go "F" himself once in awhile. Makes us a much more effective duo. 

 

Jordan needed Pippen just as much as Pippen needed Jordan. 

 

Landeskog is Captain for a reason. 

[theo5789]

2 minutes ago, AV. said:

Yeah, I do think Mackinnon's actions are perceived by teammates to be closer to "passionate" more so than authoritative and controlling.  Where I see issues is the apparent policing of teammate routines.  It's one thing to demonstrate by example and encourage certain changes, but from all accounts here, it seems he demands his teammates to follow his routines and behaviours.  Again, it's fine to be "demanding" to an extent, but it goes without question that every player has their own niches that got them to where they are.  It seems to me it would be much better to let guys prepare how they would prepare rather than how you would want them to prepare.

When you start seeing results, teammates won't complain. If they were losing a ton of games and he had this attitude, frustration would boil over. If it is as bad as some are portraying it, a former teammate wouldn't be praising him and would instead call him out for it if it was something he really didn't like. It's a fine line for sure, but I'll trust that his teammates would also call him out if he's being over the top. Zadorov seems to believe they have improved because of MacKinnon's direction to prepare, so I think they trust that MacKinnon knows what he's talking about.

[PhillipBlunt]

22 minutes ago, AV. said:

Yeah, I do think Mackinnon's actions are perceived by teammates to be closer to "passionate" more so than authoritative and controlling.  Where I see issues is the apparent policing of teammate routines.  It's one thing to demonstrate by example and encourage certain changes, but from all accounts here, it seems he demands his teammates to follow his routines and behaviours.  Again, it's fine to be "demanding" to an extent, but it goes without question that every player has their own niches that got them to where they are.  It seems to me it would be much better to let guys prepare how they would prepare rather than how you would want them to prepare.

Exactly. A team is a group of individuals united in a common goal. Mackinnon's actions seem eerily familiar to some coaches who are referred to as fossils in the league now. 

[PhillipBlunt]

51 minutes ago, Master Mind said:

I wonder if this would be a more successful approach if MacKinnon had a cup ring, and was the captain of the team.

Totally.

[Pears]

3 hours ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Maybe the comparisons to Jordan should be quelled until MacKinnon actually wins the Stanley Cup, seeing as how Jordan won 6 NBA championships.

Well, Jordan didn’t win his first title until his seventh season so it’s not like he became the goat right away. But I agree, you can’t really compare anyone to him. 

[AV.]

8 minutes ago, theo5789 said:

When you start seeing results, teammates won't complain. If they were losing a ton of games and he had this attitude, frustration would boil over. If it is as bad as some are portraying it, a former teammate wouldn't be praising him and would instead call him out for it if it was something he really didn't like. It's a fine line for sure, but I'll trust that his teammates would also call him out if he's being over the top. Zadorov seems to believe they have improved because of MacKinnon's direction to prepare, so I think they trust that MacKinnon knows what he's talking about.

I agree.  Ask of any Jordan's/Kobe's or Brady's teammates and they'd all have raving reviews of their leadership styles, I'd imagine.

[PhillipBlunt]

Just now, Pears said:

Well, Jordan didn’t win his first title until his seventh season so it’s not like he became the goat right away. But I agree, you can’t really compare anyone to him. 

Didn't say that he was a proven winner as soon as he entered the league. 

[-DLC-]

1 hour ago, -AJ- said:

I'll admit it does make me like him less.

Me too.  I always liked his quiet confidence (or what I thought I saw) ...that it was a competitive brooding.  But to spill it out towards teammates?  No.  Save that energy for the opponents.

[theo5789]

5 minutes ago, AV. said:

I agree.  Ask of any Jordan's/Kobe's or Brady's teammates and they'd all have raving reviews of their leadership styles, I'd imagine.

I guess the difference was we heard about the behind the scene stuff after they became legends, whereas we are hearing about MacKinnon before he has won it all yet (if at all). This is why there is scrutiny, but every player has had to start somewhere and overcome their obstacles for a championship. Zadorov emphasized that MacKinnon is focused on the team winning and is doing what he believes is best for the team to be successful.