The Individual vs The Team Player

Maybe a better title would be “The Individualistic Person versus the Athlete Who Actually Cares About Their Sport,” but let’s be honest, that just doesn’t flow as easily as the current one.

When you look at nearly every All Star Competition out there, there is an overwhelming focus on the individual to perform better than his peers. In baseball, you have the Home Run Derby, basketball you have the slam dunk contest, 3 point contest, and a handful of other drills which are combined for an overall team score, yet it is all where the focus is on the individual.

Even outside of the so called All Star “Game,” watching any highlight show, you see the most mundane of accomplishments being glorified. In the day and age of preaching “teamwork” and “being team players,” people are flooded with images of individual achievements and plays.

As hockey blogger, Eklund pointed out “ESPN Sportscenter isn't about sports teams, it's about athletes. There may be no "I" in team, but if you watch ESPN you quickly realize you can't spell team without "ME." From Barry Bonds, to Alex Rodrigez...Peyton Manning to Tiger Woods...ESPN covers individuals and their respective, corresponding soap operas.”

How long did the nation get wrapped up in the Tiger Woods scandal? Weeks, months? I’m sure we all know more about his former wife, Elin, swinging a 9 iron at the rear windshield and his infidelities which led to that memorable event.

How about the Lebron James embarrassment? For a month, Sportscenter not only covered, but GLORIFIED his gold digging and attention seeking. Then, to top it all off, they devoted an hour, yes, the most boring hour in sports history, to give him the national spotlight in which to further prove he never cared about any team as much as the money.

For you James defenders, if it was only about winning, why did he need a max contract in order to sign in South Beach? He never was about the team nor loyalty, otherwise he would have stayed in Cleveland, close to the town that supported him throughout his rise to fame and continued to support him even when the team struggled, even after they barely showed up in the finals the one time they made it.

Hockey is not exempt from lengthy contract disputes, as we saw last summer with the Ilya Kovalchuk saga. Yet, when he did sign his deals, there were no hour long specials devoted to just him, there were no high-school esc pep rallies at the Prudential Center to “introduce” him the fans. He signed on the dotted line, held a press conference [just like EVERY sport] then walked around some landmarks in Newark for photos to promote the team.

Even after their respective games, hockey players’ true colors come out continuously. Win or lose, players will make an effort to not only meet their fans, but to communicate with them and even sign autographs. Not every player stops outside the arena after games, but at some point during the year, they do. They appreciate the fans and their commitment and it shows. Through the autographs, public appearances, and even through social media outlets such as Twitter, players try to reach out to their fans. They seldom utilize the players only parking areas which are completely separated from any fan contact, and rarely ignore those who are appreciative of them, like other athletes.

Sportcenter continuously shows athletes and their individual accomplishments throughout their “Top 10” segment. Plays which require team efforts (deep touchdown passes, blocks which spring their running backs for touchdowns, alley-oops, 6-4-3 double plays) rarely beat out breakaway slam dunks or dunks in which another player is embarrassed. Individual over the team is in the forefront time and time again.

Hockey is barely shown on the network or its highlight shows. Why bother cover a sport in which its players, let’s face it, are pretty normal. Out of all the “major sports” the players are most like their fans. Even when certain players seem to break away from the pack, nights like last night show them in a different light, the same light they once stood. Even with larger salaries, nearly every player still holds that same energy, that same attitude, they love their jobs, they love their sport, they love simply being a hockey player.

Rarely do you see such jubilation in other leagues when their players get selected for their respective games, let alone at the events themselves. In other sports, the players weigh collecting their bonuses versus having time off. Understandable considering how much time they spend away from their families, but rather than fulfill their obligations to the fans who voted them in, they’d put themselves before the league and bail out.

In hockey, the players who did not attend the weekend have legitimate concerns. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are out with significant injuries, while Jarome Iginla requested to be given leave from the events to be with an ailing family member. You don’t hear anyone worrying about getting hurt, even though it’s a prominent risk [see: Mike Richter and his knees]. Veterans and rookies alike are excited to not only have the chance to play against their idols, but to be a part of something so unique.

The fantasy draft saw rivals selecting one another, families literally split up, everyone having a phenomenal time. Patrik Elias and Henrik Lundqvist were seen multiple times talking and kidding around, Nicklas Lidstrom selected Duncan Keith, the Sedin twins [Henrik and Daniel] were split up for the first time probably ever. From Cam War to the last Phil Kessel, everyone had a smile on their face and were excited to be there.

Hopefully, this trend will find its way into other sports, but with so many conflicting personalities and various egos to play down to, I highly doubt it will.

So tonight if you have a chance, hockey fan or not, tune to Versus, TSN, CBC or whatever your preferred hockey network is to just watch a group of grown men reminding us all that some players care more about the love of the game than their own paycheck.

Offensive Offense

With the devastating injury of Martin Brodeur’s left arm nearly two weeks ago, the New Jersey Devils turned to veteran Kevin Weekes as the backstop.

Weekes accepted the challenge whole heartedly and turned aside 28 shots on goal from a potent Buffalo Sabres attack, including 19 of 20 in the first period. On any other team, the 93% save percentage, and two goals against, night which Weekes put up would have been sufficient to force overtime, if not a victory for the team. Unfortunately for Weekes, the Devils’ offense could not muster even a fraction of the offensive prowess they displayed the night they lost future the future Hall of Famer in Broduer in a 6-1 victory over Atlanta.

Now, to say that the loss to the Sabres is entirely the offenses’ fault is slightly unfair. Ryan Miller was on a roll, he had just come off a shut out victory and got into an easy groove facing only 3 shots in the first period. This effort was also aided by nearly 10 minutes of Sabres power play time, including a 5 on 3 for nearly 90 seconds where the Sabres netted their first tally of the game.

On the other hand, the fact that if not for Zach Parise, the Devils would have been shut out for 3 of the past 4 games. His team leading 10th and 11th goals were the only markers versus the Red Wings and Oilers. The Devils offense, while riddled with injuries, has been horrific. Going back to that Sabers game, after surrendering the first 6 penalties of the game, the Devils received 6 power plays of their own, including 3 in the third period. The Devils only have one power play goal since losing Brodeur.

Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Gionta and Patrick Elias continue to struggle on offense. The defense is also struggling to maintain a level of consistency which could allieviate some of the pressure off the offense. But with leader Paul Martin on IR and occasional offensive threat Andy Greene also hurt, how much can you blame the backline which is looking more and more like the Lowell Devils as the injuries mount.

This is one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory in regards to the injury bug for the Devils. Brian Rolston sustained a high ankle sprain early in the season. Luckily for him, and the Devils, the injury was much less severe than it looked. But in the offseason, he was looked upon to not only bring some much needed offense to the club, but to be a leader on the power play. Bobby Holik broke his finger trying to catch a puck in the following game. With two key losses on offense and two on defense, the Devils are using patchwork to sustain the team for the time being. Brodeur’s injury, however, makes the offensive issue even more profound. The offense needs to find a spark and help shoulder the load with Weekes which Broduer’s absence leaves.

Where to go from here? The options are pretty limited for the Devils, as they are hamstrung by the cap space and the fact the entire league knows they are struggling. Marion Gaborik is rumored to being shopped around by the Minnesota Wild. Former Devil Brendan Shannahan is also in need of a good home and is said to be on the Devils’ radar. Other teams with greater cap space are believed to be in the hunt, but he would like to hear to a contender, and is said to be deciding his future by the end of this week and as early as today.

One player who I feel should undoubtedly be on the trading block is Travis Zajac. The 3rd year player has yet to find his rookie season form and is constant liability in the offensive zone. Struggling for most of last season, Zajac looked to find a groove as the season closed out, but this year, his offensive woes continue, as do most of the team’s. One rumor from a year ago which would not be a bad idea for the Devils should look to begin exploring again is Zajac for Phil Kessel of Boston. Kessel, who also had a sophomore slump last season, is off to a decent start. As stated before, a change of scenery could help both players re-discover their scoring touch.