Abondoning teammates for $ signs
It's official, DU's Brock Trotter has left his team in the stretch run and signed with the Montreal Canadians of the bribing NHL. This follows on the heels of Minnesota's Kyle Okposo bailing for Long Island earlier this season. If you're unfamiliar with the situations, Mike Chamber's has a good article dealing with the NHL playing on greed. Apparently he thought he was too good and should be treated as the best player ever to walk through the doors a Magness. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly crying over the fact that DU is without a big scoring threat coming down the wire, but I love college hockey and something like this damages the game. The NHL is struggling while college hockey has a strong niche following and doesn't suffer from the hyper-commercialization that plagues NCAA basketball and football. It lets us fans really feel like we are part of the team. Oh, and we don't have hideous jerseys we are forced to stare at (the sole reason I don't watch the Avs anymore, those stripes make me go crazy!) I'm hoping either the NCAA or the WCHA sets up new rules next season to prevent this mid-season treason from happening. The WCHA should be concerned, having the most talent in the NCAA.
One of the best commentaries I have ever read came from an unlikely source, the Gazette, today that detailed this whole situation. David Ramsey hit the who the nail right on the head.
NHL should not raid college hockey during the season
By David Ramsey
THE GAZETTE
February 10, 2008 - 5:15PM
The NHL is doing a terrific job of attacking a fast, wonderful game. The league axed the 2004-05 season while owners and players engaged in a civil war.
And now, just when hockey fans are beginning to forgive the foolishness, NHL clubs are raiding college teams, swiping key players and enraging fans.
On Thursday, the University of Denver announced redshirt sophomore Brock Trotter had signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Trotter will soon play for the Canadiens’ top minor-league team in Hamilton, Ontario.
Trotter apparently tumbled into still-mysterious disciplinary troubles at DU. Ah, but the NHL offered a convenient, lucrative escape route. He left his teammates and bolted into the Canadiens’ open arms.
Wade Arnott, Trotter’s agent, defended his client.
“He didn’t walk away from his team,” Arnott told Canadian Press.
Hate to disagree, Wade, but that’s exactly what Trotter did.
Trotter’s departure follows Kyle Okposo skipping away from coach Don Lucia and the Minnesota Golden Gophers in December.
Okposo fled to the New York Islanders, saying he was unhappy with his “development” in Minnesota. Translation: The ultra-talented Okposo didn’t think he was being coddled enough. He now plays for the Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ minor-league team, in Bridgeport, Conn.
Colorado College coach Scott Owens doesn’t see the trend invading Colorado Springs, but he’s still uneasy.
“Is it wrong?” he asked, standing in the hallway Saturday after CC’s 4-2 loss to St. Cloud State. “Yeah, it’s wrong. It’s wrong because you’re abandoning your teammates.”
The NHL’s recklessness is a recipe for disaster. Swiping college players in midseason is about as wise as seeking nourishment by gnawing on your foot.
Showing disrespect to thousands of college hockey fans in Minneapolis and Denver is a great way to chip away at the NHL’s popularity, which is teetering anyway. The NHL can’t afford to be so ruthless, or clueless.
The league set a record — a dubious one — during Game 3 of last season’s Stanley Cup Finals. The game delivered the lowest prime-time ratings in NBC’s history.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should ban midseason college robberies. Today would be the ideal time to make such a proclamation.
Otherwise, gifted college players will be tempted. If they’re uncomfortable with their coach or playing time or teammates or campus girlfriend, they can skip away to an NHL paycheck.
Bettman hasn’t exactly shown strong leadership in this area. In December, a few days after the Okposo move, he said, “Nobody makes somebody leave college.”
Wake up, Gary. Please, wake up.
These middle-of-the-season exits will devastate the college game, but they’ll also slowly drain support for the NHL. It’s bad for both versions.
Bill Sweatt, CC’s sophomore star, isn’t sure of all the details in the Trotter and Okposo cases, but he does know he has no interest in his own quick exit.
“I would never leave my team during the season because you would be leaving your team behind,” he said. “I’m not a believer in doing something halfway.”
That’s the right attitude, but here’s the problem. Not everyone is so dedicated to his teammates. The NHL temptation shouldn’t be there for college malcontents and rule breakers.
Players can’t bolt in football or basketball and expect a fat paycheck as a reward. The powers who direct the NBA and NFL have their faults, but they don’t create collegiate chaos in the middle of a season. The NBA and NFL decline to dabble in self-destruction.
The NHL must close a door that never should have been left open.
Subjects
brock trotter,
CC Tigers,
DU,
kyle okposo
5 comments:
I surely don't want to go to bat for the NHL and all they do right or wrong. However, in the Trotter incident we must not forget that he was mysteriously suspended prior to the alledged defection from his team. The word is he was in major trouble with an incident that most likely would have suspended him for quite a long time. Possibly similar to Lampl's time frame. That was not good for his "career". He would be gone elsewhere anyway, most likely for good. He sure wasn't going to wait through his suspension time to play again. He had a good year going and even though he was undrafted, the fikelness of the NHL or again, in general, whatever the next level of competition may be, the players stock is worth more cuz he was going well. For example, Rau's stock to the Toronto team up to now was very high but it has probably dropped somewhat cuz he has't scored like he was. So at this time, even though Trotter had a mediocre previos season, suddenly he is a hot commodity to the next level right now. Will it continue? Probably not, but the timing of his mess at DU was in his favor due to his current success that may very well have changed like the wind if he had had no problems to deal with and could have continiued to play. SO let us not forget he was most likely outa there anyway. It is just to his good fortune the timing, if you will. The whole ordeal with hockey is to get to the next level, quick as possible in most player's eyes. After all leaving your team may not be noble but if called to action ya go, quick and excited. It happens all the time in, perception, in the NHL and Baseball as they call guys up and send them down. So overall they just get used to. Not quite the same at college but again percetion to the players is the same type of a promotion. Does it need fixing, well, ya. But a ton of ramifications to recruiting will happen and kids will pick major juniors more cuz they don't have to worry about scholarships and the NCAA if they see a path to the "Pros". A lot of new thought will have to be created to make it work. Best of luck.
good points, except that if he was suspended for a violation of team rules and if it would have been for a very long time, shouldn't he live with the consequences instead of being awarded a fat paycheck?
If the NHL bans collegiate signings during the season, it will level the playing field but will also probably lower it - especially in the WCHA. More players may choose not to go the college route if they lose that flexibility. But personally I'm OK with that: give me the players that want to be in college and play college hockey.
Should he get a fat paycheck? Doesn't matter. We live in a free enterprise system where one can do what they want to better themselves. Even though you wouldn't probably ever get into the same situation as Trotter and the like, be honest now, if you were in the same position what would you do? Sports has a history of forgiving proven and prospective players if it helps the team possibly "win, baby". I don't like it either but it is what it is. Can it be changed somehow, sure can but at a cost of less flexibility. Then should we somehow protect the player that is stashed or encouraged to leave their families and schools to enter the USHL or the like? After all the USHL is like a farm system for the colleges that they don't fund. The player takes a chance on going hoping for opportunity at a risk. This all gets hairy. Good discussion started. Keep only those that really want an education? I guess that works and surely would attract most that are in now. The least the NHL could do now is not sign any defections until seasons end. That way it would hold those kids a little more accountable for their actions off the ice, such as Trotter's, and not reward them with a paycheck until at least the next season.
if hockey meant that much to me, I would make sure I never put myself in a position to screw up. When I was playing football, I avoided any situation that could get me in trouble or be taken out of context. Do you miss out on some aspects of "living life"? Sure, but you stay focused and can continue living your dream. I guess he's got it now, but it comes at a price to DU and the WCHA.
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