Prospect Info: 2017 NHL Draft / Pick #7 - Lias Andersson (C)

[will1066]

This is different, you are talking about sportsmanship. Throwing his medal away shows that he wasn't satisfied with the loss which shows competitive passion. Disrespecting your opponents is a another topic and a trait that I wouldn't want to see in a player.

Throwing his medal away doesn't show sportsmanship either, in my book. One can show passion and fire. Yell out. Scream. Bang on the glass with your stick. Don't toss something that has been rewarded to you. Yeah, it's not gold, but think about how many other kids playing competitive hockey would want the opportunity that LA's gotten. Don't like it? Take it off. Hand it, not toss it, to someone later, not on the spot. We read a lot about "optics" these days. That was bad optics. No need to disrespect the tournament and the medal.

Also, don't think that I'm one of those sensitive easily outraged types. I'm not outraged. It's not going to ruin my weekend. Lias is a smart kid. He surely must have thought about what he was going to do with the medal. If he wanted to get noticed, get attention, more power to him. I just think that if it were someone else and not one of our valuable prospects, he'd get less rope here for his actions.

 

[SnowFort]

He said himself that he saw it as a losers’ medal and didn’t want it. What he does with it after he well received it doesn’t matter in my opinion. He didn’t disrespect anyone, he did it for himself.

 

[will1066]

He said himself that he saw it as a losers’ medal and didn’t want it. What he does with it after he well received it doesn’t matter in my opinion. He didn’t disrespect anyone, he did it for himself.

Like I said, it's just bad optics. This thread is now lit, as is the sports media. I don't think he and the organization need the attention, but if Lias felt compelled to tell the world that he's not happy, then mission accomplished. At best, it shows selfishness, according to what he said about how he sees it as a loser's medal. Then he's saying that he played with a team of losers.

 

[SnowFort]

Like I said, it's just bad optics. This thread is now lit, as is the sports media. I don't think he and the organization need the attention, but if Lias felt compelled to tell the world that he's not happy, then mission accomplished. At best, it shows selfishness, according to what he said about how he sees it as a loser's medal. Then he's saying that he played with a team of losers.

I think you are over analyzing the whole situation.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Like I said, it's just bad optics. This thread is now lit, as is the sports media. I don't think he and the organization need the attention, but if Lias felt compelled to tell the world that he's not happy, then mission accomplished. At best, it shows selfishness, according to what he said about how he sees it as a loser's medal. Then he's saying that he played with a team of losers.

Do you really think at the moment he is thinking “ok, now let me show the world how mad i am, oh i know i’ll chuck this piece of metal”. I’m pretty sure that him trying to get attention was the absolte LAST thing going through his mind at that moment.

 

[will1066]

I think you are over analyzing the whole situation.

Plenty of others have and will for days on end.

 

[will1066]

Do you really think at the moment he is thinking “ok, now let me show the world how mad i am, oh i know i’ll chuck this piece of metal”. I’m pretty sure that him trying to get attention was the absolte LAST thing going through his mind at that moment.

I'm sure the consequences of said action went through his mind.

 

[Tawnos]

I'm sure the consequences of said action went through his mind.

I’m sure they didn’t.

It was absolutely disrespectful to the tournament and to the game. Frankly though, that’s okay. I don’t consider disrespect to be a negative 100% of the time. Like someone said above, this is like when people talk about disrespecting the flag. There are times where disrespecting the flag is the appropriate thing to do.

That said, a 25 year old with the same viewpoint probably saves the opinion for the media scrum after and makes it known that he’s donating the medal to charity or selling the thing and donating the proceeds to charity.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Not going to make a big deal of it but I'm not impressed. I'd prefer our guys to act more Gretz or Leetch than Avery. I hope this is just 1 moment in time.

 

[eco's bones]

If we want to talk about disrespecting opponents we shouldstart with players who play dirty and try to injure others. Examples--Scott Stevens, Matt Cooke, Patrick Kaleta, Brooks Orpik for a few examples. Lias doesn't play like that. Not wanting a medal doesn't really qualify in my book as disrespecting an opponent. The sanctimonious officials who run the IIFC like the sanctimonious people who run the NHL might not like it.....but whatever. What I got out of yesterday is that Andersson wasn't hiding his feelings like most others do. So he's not a fake....I've no problem with that.

 

[John Eichel da GOAT]

Came here to praise this kid. I'm an Avs fan and hope you guys somehow manage to trade him to us one day. This kid was angry and showed he only wanted to win! He didnt feel like he should be rewarded for losing. I want him on my team asap!

 

[Matt Rentfree]

I'm not sure I understand why people are getting emotional about this. Separating the emotion from the expression of the emotion, I LOVE the fire this kid has. I LOVE that he thinks losing is unacceptable and personally I think this team could use a little more of that.

That said, I think the way he chose to express that emotion was a little immature.

THAT said, I wasn't exactly the paragon of maturity when I was 18, so I don't feel I have any right to judge this kid.

 

[Tawnos]

By the way, the best part of this story is that fan who realized that maybe the 19 year old would regret it later and gave the medal back.

 

[cheech70]

By the way, the best part of this story is that fan who realized that maybe the 19 year old would regret it later and gave the medal back.

And peeling away his jerseys till he got to the Swedish one! Lias is a winner and I can not wait to watch him at msg...he is the antithesis of today's athlete..and thank GOD for that!!

 

[nrf83]

Because millenials gave themselves consolation prizes and taught themselves they mean something, right?

Lias isn't even a millenial, get out of here with your nonsense.

40 years later, Team USA still defiant over controversial Olympic loss « NBA.com | Hang Time Blog

most of the posters here weren't born when this happened; What Lias did is not unprecedented; entire US team refused silver medals and walked off not shaking hands. I remember watching on TV

 

[Mikos87]

Loved what he did. Loved it.

This guys got character and a will to win. 2nd place doesn't it cut it.

 

[Siddi]

Canadians should focus on their own teams reaction to winning the Gold medal.

 

[Blueshirts777]

40 years later, Team USA still defiant over controversial Olympic loss « NBA.com | Hang Time Blog

most of the posters here weren't born when this happened; What Lias did is not unprecedented; entire US team refused silver medals and walked off not shaking hands. I remember watching on TV

That is way different, the US were actually cheated in that game and they protested the outcome, still to this day.

 

[TGWL]

Throwing his medal away doesn't show sportsmanship either, in my book. One can show passion and fire. Yell out. Scream. Bang on the glass with your stick. Don't toss something that has been rewarded to you. Yeah, it's not gold, but think about how many other kids playing competitive hockey would want the opportunity that LA's gotten. Don't like it? Take it off. Hand it, not toss it, to someone later, not on the spot. We read a lot about "optics" these days. That was bad optics. No need to disrespect the tournament and the medal.

Also, don't think that I'm one of those sensitive easily outraged types. I'm not outraged. It's not going to ruin my weekend. Lias is a smart kid. He surely must have thought about what he was going to do with the medal. If he wanted to get noticed, get attention, more power to him. I just think that if it were someone else and not one of our valuable prospects, he'd get less rope here for his actions.

I'm on the fence with this but I agree that Lias could have gotten rid of the medal elsewhere. Taking it off as soon as it went on his neck and then chucking it wasn't the right way to do it in my opinion. Love the passion for winning, but hockey players are known to be class athletes and there was probably a better way to show that you're upset about not winning. I'm not upset with his actions, it was his choice, but I can also see why some find it a little disrespectful. Hockey is a team sport, not an individual prize.

Still, I think the media took it a little too far. I don't think he needs to grow up. I don't think he's immature. I think he's just really passionate and made a quick decision.

 

[Bob Richards]

I liked the whole thing last night and after sleeping on it, I'm still feeling that. Even the medal toss. Is it a lil disrespectful and immature? Probably, but I also think its pretty f***ing cool too so I'm grading on that curve.

 

[nrf83]

That is way different, the US were actually cheated in that game and they protested the outcome, still to this day.

not so different; Swedes called on ticky tack penalties, Canadiens not called; Soviets benefitted from obvious clock manipulations; results silver medals for Sweden and USA. When you feel wronged emotions can get very high w strange things happening

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I liked the whole thing last night and after sleeping on it, I'm still feeling that. Even the medal toss. Is it a lil disrespectful and immature? Probably, but I also think its pretty ****ing cool too so I'm grading on that curve.

Everyone's sick of boring hockey players with no personality, if you want some personality injected into the game there's going to be things players do that divide people. If it makes hockey as a whole more interesting, I'm all for it, good or bad because it's going to get more people to watch

 

[Irishguy42]

I liked the whole thing last night and after sleeping on it, I'm still feeling that. Even the medal toss. Is it a lil disrespectful and immature? Probably, but I also think its pretty ****ing cool too so I'm grading on that curve.

Me too. I'm still pumped about it. I think I'm going to carry this high through the weekend.

I love Lias Andersson.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Bob McKenzie defended him on twitter last night, haven't seen any real respectable media figure bash the kid or call him classless or any of that nonsense.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Bob McKenzie defended him on twitter last night, haven't seen any real respectable media figure bash the kid or call him classless or any of that nonsense.

The idiot on TSN overreacted and said that's not the right thing to do when it happened. Obviously he probably has never played a sport and has emotions running through him.