For all we know, it might take decades for hockey players to totally shake off their generic “aw shucks” mentalities. Maybe it will never fully happen.
That said, it sure seems like we’re seeing a rise in trash talks, brutally honest conversations, and examples of bigger personalities during this goal-happy start to the new NHL season. The latest incident involves Lars Eller, Nazem Kadri, “bulletin board material,” the Leafs, Capitals, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. So, yes, it’s pretty entertaining.
To catch you up to speed, Eller half-dismissed the rising Maple Leafs after they beat his Capitals 4-2 on Saturday, as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reported:
“We’re used to playing against Crosby and Malkin,” Eller said. “Everything kind of drops from there, so it’s not that special.”
While Eller added that the Maple Leafs are “a good team” and that he thinks Toronto would make the playoffs, Nazem Kadri didn’t take those comments kindly.
“Bulletin board material,” Kadri said on Monday, via NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “I don’t know how he can be serious with that comment. I understand they’re coming off hanging a banner, but you’ve got to give teams respect that have earned it, and I certainly think we’ve earned it.”
Juicy stuff, right?
Here’s a request: teams and players shouldn’t be so stuffy. Instead of getting tense in the shoulders about “respect,” it would be a lot more fun for fans if there were more comments like those of Ellers, and if personalities continue to surface.
Now, don’t get this totally twisted. NHL players aren’t going to rival the NBA when it comes to gloriously flamboyant behavior, at least not yet. It’s fitting that Eller was already walking back his comments on the Maple Leafs, as Gulitti notes today:
Eller said today:
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) October 16, 2018
“The point is you’re facing top-end talent on a nightly basis in this league whether you’re going up against Toronto, Pittsburgh or Chicago or Tampa or any teams. There’s a lot of very good, talented teams and Toronto is one of them, and that was my point.” https://t.co/TuLdcMl2kR
Sure, it’s possible that people got a little carried away with Eller’s comments ... but who does it really hurt?
OK, so maybe Eller himself was recently bloodied by Brad Marchand for showing some personality following a goal, so you can understand why he might want to pump the brakes a bit here:
Let’s not forget that, while there’s a lot on the line in the NHL, this is still about entertainment.
Thankfully, this latest crop of hockey players - particularly stars - are opening up in ways that are keeping us laughing and sometimes egging on a fight like a crowd watching high schoolers slap each other. And it’s great.
Consider the recent flourishes we’ve enjoyed:
- Just about anything P.K. Subban does, honestly.
who wore it better? 😂 #Happy4thofJuly pic.twitter.com/WbknASoPM6
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) July 4, 2018
- Drew Doughty acknowledging his interest in the Leafs, smiling with his doppelganger, and engaging in a blood feud with Matthew Tkachuk.
- You won’t find many better combinations of style and substance than Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane trading goals and taunting post-goal celebrations, seemingly in good fun:
Matthews’ fashion sense generates memes that are almost as fun as watching him score ridiculous goals.
- Do the Hurricanes have a name for this celebration yet? “The Carolina Climb” doesn’t have the same ring to it (or the same accuracy) as “The Lambeau Leap.” Either way, it’s a fun celebration; it also shows that elder statesmen can get it on the fun, as apparently this is the masterwork of Justin Williams:
(And you thought the team undergoing “Team Grit” and “Team Grind” practices couldn’t have fun.)
- The Ryan Johansen - Ryan Kesler feud hasn’t resulted in a parking lot brawl ... yet. The real highlight is Johansen’s adorably weak smack talk, to be frank.
- Patrik Laine is just about as quick with quips as he is releasing shots. The highlight might be the jab he sent Vancouver’s way regarding “Fortnite” habits, as PHT’s own Scott Billeck reported on Oct. 3:
Patrik Laine on Vancouver’s decision to ban video games on the road: “They need something to blame after last year.” #NHLJets
— Scott Billeck (@ScottBilleck) October 3, 2018
Good stuff, and this list is really just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve already seen Connor McDavid embrace his funny side with commercials and that meme-generating awkward airport photo. Matthews isn’t the only Maple Leafs youngster who can take and/or dish out jokes, as we saw from those cheesy Mitch Marner as a child barbs.
Maybe this all boils down to a more social media-savvy, meta generation of hockey players. On the other hand, we all might need to step up our games to even briefly wrestle the attention away from Gritty.
Whatever the case may be, let’s hope these moments of personality become a consistent part of hockey fandom, and - if we’re really lucky - crop up even more often.
If this is just a brief wave before we land back into blandness, at least it’s been a good run.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.