Player Discussion Arber Xhekaj: The Sheriff

[cphabs]

How much of it is about playing in the best hockey schools or tournaments, events that require big money from wealthy parents? Xhekaj has been chirped on the ice because he had a job in retail by guys, most of whom grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths, most of whom had the best of everything without ever knowing the hardship of having to choose something else over sport because of economic reasons.

It is almost impossible for a middle-class to poor kid to make it to the NHL today. If they are not in the most prestigious tournaments or schools then they just don't exist. I think that was the case with Arber and I chuckle when they call him a throwback player, a tough kid that had to fight his way through everything. That is nothing more than rich people saying "oh wow, one of them managed to slip through(pinkie extended from tea cup)" lol because they can't even relate to the situation. How many Jackeye's never got a shot because they simply give up on what is an uphill battle?

None

 

[Retired]

So between him admitting to knuckles he can’t stop eating now since he went all in with bulking up and that “fritters are the biggest” I wonder if he’ll ever get to Dustin Byfuglien weight! I mean I already think he has a similar swag except I heard Big Buff once admit he got to 300lbs and had to start being careful lol

 

[DAChampion]

How much of it is about playing in the best hockey schools or tournaments, events that require big money from wealthy parents? Xhekaj has been chirped on the ice because he had a job in retail by guys, most of whom grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths, most of whom had the best of everything without ever knowing the hardship of having to choose something else over sport because of economic reasons.

It is almost impossible for a middle-class to poor kid to make it to the NHL today. If they are not in the most prestigious tournaments or schools then they just don't exist. I think that was the case with Arber and I chuckle when they call him a throwback player, a tough kid that had to fight his way through everything. That is nothing more than rich people saying "oh wow, one of them managed to slip through(pinkie extended from tea cup)" lol because they can't even relate to the situation. How many Jackeye's never got a shot because they simply give up on what is an uphill battle?

Does Canadian hockey really only sample from the talent pool of upper middle class Canadians?

That's a very small talent pool,?

 

[Habs]

It's very easy for the outcomes of games to be influenced by officiating. When you hear the game's biggest star complaining about the consistency or lack thereof, it shows us how bad the situation is. As a fan of the game and not just the habs, I am sickened by the inconsistency of what is and isn't a penalty. If a team goes up 2-0, 3-0 you can bet your bottom dollar that 2-3 calls are automatically going against them. It's all about keeping warm bodies in the stands ($$$$) and no lead is safe now because of it.

remember the Makar offside that was deemed 'onside'? I still haven't gotten over that total joke of a call

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Does Canadian hockey really only sample from the talent pool of upper middle class Canadians?

That's a very small talent pool,?

It's pretty much impossible to play hockey seriously unless you are really well off, you also need a car and usually both parents in the mix.

It certainly takes a village lol

 

[OldCraig71]

Does Canadian hockey really only sample from the talent pool of upper middle class Canadians?

That's a very small talent pool,?

The cost of having a kid go through the minor hockey system right now to even get to major junior is very high and almost certainly excludes people because of income levels. An average hockey stick costs between two- four hundred dollars and many parents are required to buy them right through minor hockey. Here in Atlantic Canada our minor hockey systems are all using the lottery style 50/50 draws as a means of trying to keep up with the cost. The game is certainly getting out of reach for many in Canada because of income level.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

The cost of having a kid go through the minor hockey system right now to even get to major junior is very high and almost certainly excludes people because of income levels. An average hockey stick costs between two- four hundred dollars and many parents are required to buy them right through minor hockey. Here in Atlantic Canada our minor hockey systems are all using the lottery style 50/50 draws as a means of trying to keep up with the cost. The game is certainly getting out of reach for many in Canada because of income level.

Id love to somehow know the stats of the percentage of sports fans who have previously played an organized version of the respective sport they watch. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised be surprised to see hockey on either end of the extreme. With the cost of hockey, not many people can play it relative to other sports. But anecdotally, I haven't really/barely met anyone who loves hockey that didn't play either organized ice or ball hockey but I have when it comes to other sports very frequently

 

[MilesNewton]

He will have to hold his weight against Tampa- Maroon will somehow get in the mix with him.

 

[OldCraig71]

Id love to somehow know the stats of the percentage of sports fans who have previously played an organized version of the respective sport they watch. For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised be surprised to see hockey on either end of the extreme. With the cost of hockey, not many people can play it relative to other sports. But anecdotally, I haven't really/barely met anyone who loves hockey that didn't play either organized ice or ball hockey but I have when it comes to other sports very frequently

A lot of kids have played minor hockey in Canada but the ones that are good enough or have to financial means to get to a higher level is reserved for a select few. There are parents that swing above their respective income levels and make big sacrifices to keep going. 50/50 draws are a tool used here in Atlantic Canada as a means to offset some of the costs for parents and some of that money goes toward arena maintenance etc. The cost of hockey equipment, travel and ice time are pushing the sport out of reach for a lot of families.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

Xhekaj may well turn out to be a diamond in the rough, but winning a Norris Trophy maybe a couple of bridges too far for this surprisingly effective young player.

The more I watch Xhekaj, the more I’m impressed with his poise and calmness with the puck. He actually slows the game down once he has possession of the puck. There’s just no panic in his game. He shows great vision in both the offensive zone and easily has one of the best first/stretch passes of all Montreal defencemen and shows a level of creativity in the offensive zone that belies his image of being just an on ice enforcer. Xhekaj also possesses a frighteningly hard and accurate wrist shot that he has shown he can get by pressing opposing forwards and hit the net. This is no easy task and Xhekaj gets that powerful shot away, accurately even when under duress. Its a tangible skill that another prime Montreal defensive prospect , Mailloux, needs to develop.

Defensively, Xhekaj continues to punch above his NHL experience weight displaying a level of anticipation, physicality, positioning and defensive awareness that has quickly turned a supposed questionable part of his game into a contributing element of the Team’s surprising level success in the first part of the season.the aura of this menacing player in the league has only contributed to Xhekaj’s success as most opposing players Give him more time and space to make a play whether that aura is warranted or not. Intimidation is still alive and thriving in the NHL and Xhekaj’s presence in the line up provides Montreal with a measure and counter measure of intimidation that we haven’t seen in a long time here.

A future trophy candidate? Highly unlikely. But the tangible on ice and office elements that Xhekaj brings to the team will be nevertheless hugely contributory to this team’s long term success. Like it or not, Xhekaj is at forefront of the wave of new, young players who will shape the future of this storied franchise.

It goes to show that in team building, like most things in life, being lucky is as important as being good.

perhaps you missed the “lol” in my post with Tyson.

I agree with your take on Xhekaj and I too am continually impressed by his patience. Now I say that knowing how difficult it is to be a big physical wide-eyed rookie on defence. Most big physical players who understand the fighting game, revert quickly into that intimating tuff guy bully when caught off guard or out of position. Xhekaj has a real tempered response with respect to his pugilistic nature & when he’s made a mistake or simply been beat his response’s have been very measured. He shows a great deal of introspection and that’s rare for such a young man. He has a skill set that is eye opening now, if he keeps progressing as he has in the past 3 years, wow, the 25 year old Xhekaj will be a special player.
Cheers

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

A lot of kids have played minor hockey in Canada but the ones that are good enough or have to financial means to get to a higher level is reserved for a select few. There are parents that swing above their respective income levels and make big sacrifices to keep going. 50/50 draws are a tool used here in Atlantic Canada as a means to offset some of the costs for parents and some of that money goes toward arena maintenance etc. The cost of hockey equipment, travel and ice time are pushing the sport out of reach for a lot of families.

Teams at the highest levels (AAA) will make sure that they get the best kids regardless of income. I have been around it long enough to understand the politics. I have witnessed on multiple occasions AAA teams taking on weaker kids from wealthy parents with kickbacks in order to subsidize the kids from lower income households.

Minor hockey needs to be regulated at all levels to keep the greedy pigs who run many of these teams and tournaments from lining their pockets at the expense of the community. AAA teams with $10 000 annual team fees per player in the GTA while not contributing to equipment and travel expenses is borderline criminal in Canada where every effort should be made to make the sport as accessible as possible.....

Hockey will always be expensive relative to other youth sports but this recent push for more inclusiveness in the game should extend past race and gender and further into economics and affordability as there are too many kids who never get to play the game due to the costs. If the costs were just equipment/ice time related I could live with that but there are way too many parasites out there sucking the life out of this countries national past time and the youth that are being robbed of the chance to play long enough to display their potential.

 

[Habs]

Look at the size of his hands wtf! Lol

That's what she said

 

[OldCraig71]

Teams at the highest levels (AAA) will make sure that they get the best kids regardless of income. I have been around it long enough to understand the politics. I have witnessed on multiple occasions AAA teams taking on weaker kids from wealthy parents with kickbacks in order to subsidize the kids from lower income households.

Minor hockey needs to be regulated at all levels to keep the greedy pigs who run many of these teams and tournaments from lining their pockets at the expense of the community. AAA teams with $10 000 annual team fees per player in the GTA while not contributing to equipment and travel expenses is borderline criminal in Canada where every effort should be made to make the sport as accessible as possible.....

Hockey will always be relatively expensive to other youth sports but this recent push for more inclusiveness in the game should extend past race and gender and further into economics and affordability as there are too many kids who never get to play the game due to the costs. If the costs were just equipment/ice time related I could live with that but there are way too many parasites out there sucking the life out of this countries national past time and the youth that are being robbed of the chance to play long enough to display their potential.

I agree with this totally. I did some digging and found an article via Google written by the parent of a 10 year old child in Western Canada.

The Cost of Making the NHL

So, you've failed your childhood dream of making the National Hockey League? Now what? There is only one thing to do: Live out your dream t...

www.bravestthing.com

The cost accrued by year's end is at the bottom of the page. The escalating costs of the game could mean the next potential Crosby or McDavid never gets the real shot at making it because of the time and money associated with the whole prospect. I did not have a child in the minor hockey system, my daughter chose to dance and that was by no means a cheap undertaking, it was though when compared to hockey. I commented about Arber Xhekaj because stories like his are not the norm in the new NHL, most of the parents of NHL players have spent insane amounts of money on skills and power skating coaches and whatever training tool at their disposal to increase their kids chance at making it. The fact that he wasn't drafted at the junior or NHL level and still made it speaks volumes about his resolve as a person.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I agree with this totally. I did some digging and found an article via Google written by the parent of a 10 year old child in Western Canada.

The Cost of Making the NHL

So, you've failed your childhood dream of making the National Hockey League? Now what? There is only one thing to do: Live out your dream t...

www.bravestthing.com

The cost accrued by year's end is at the bottom of the page. The escalating costs of the game could mean the next potential Crosby or McDavid never gets the real shot at making it because of the time and money associated with the whole prospect. I did not have a child in the minor hockey system, my daughter chose to dance and that was by no means a cheap undertaking, it was though when compared to hockey. I commented about Arber Xhekaj because stories like his are not the norm in the new NHL, most of the parents of NHL players have spent insane amounts of money on skills and power skating coaches and whatever training tool at their disposal to increase their kids chance at making it. The fact that he wasn't drafted at the junior or NHL level and still made it speaks volumes about his resolve as a person.

The author is being something significantly less than honest here. There are enormous exaggerations and some blatant b.s. but yes....the game is expensive and the ugly truth is that players that show more earlier are more likely to be given financial breaks whereas kids who might be late bloomers often fall by the wayside.

My experience is in southern Ontario where ice is more expensive than anywhere in the country but travel can be restricted to smaller areas as the population is so dense and there is less need to look too far for competitive tournaments. The author conveniently leaves out the fact that many parents split hotel costs and take turns bringing small groups of kids to different tournaments.

I agree with the author's overall frustration but there were egregious liberties taken with the truth. The costs incurred would be closer to what a very wealthy family would pay without looking for cost saving measures and even then the number is grossly exaggerated as lying about the green helmets and then using that along with the rest of the green equipment as a typical cost was intentionally misleading.

 

[OldCraig71]

The author is being something significantly less than honest here. There are enormous exaggerations and some blatant b.s. but yes....the game is expensive and the ugly truth is that players that show more earlier are more likely to be given financial breaks whereas kids who might be late bloomers often fall by the wayside.

My experience is in southern Ontario where ice is more expensive than anywhere in the country but travel can be restricted to smaller areas as the population is so dense and there is less need to look too far for competitive tournaments. The author conveniently leaves out the fact that many parents split hotel costs and take turns bringing small groups of kids to different tournaments.

I agree with the author's overall frustration but there were egregious liberties taken with the truth. The costs incurred would be closer to what a very wealthy family would pay without looking for cost saving measures and even then the number is grossly exaggerated as lying about the green helmets and then using that along with the rest of the green equipment as a typical cost was intentionally misleading.

18k is not a crazy number when you consider the travel challenges associated with his region and sharing hotel rooms might not always be a possibility for every family, there are always circumstances at play. I have friends here in the Maritimes that have spent between 10-15 k per season per child and travel is a big part of that with many weekend tournaments being 2-5 hours drive away.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

18k is not a crazy number when you consider the travel challenges associated with his region and sharing hotel rooms might not always be a possibility for every family, there are always circumstances at play. I have friends here in the Maritimes that have spent between 10-15 k per season per child and travel is a big part of that with many weekend tournaments being 2-5 hours drive away.

I have done it with my boys and then again with my girlfriend's boy. Families who can't afford it always have these options, whether they use it is another story.....You also have to subtract the dollar figure for whatever activity that your child would be involved with if they weren't playing hockey.

Nobody is paying 18 k for a 10 year old like the author claimed.......Midget/Bantam years maybe but that is extreme and absolutely not necessary. The cost differs from AAA teams as there is a hierarchy among the organizations and certain teams like the JRC and the Marlies in Toronto are considerably more expensive than Vaughn or Don Mills. You also have to consider that these families often don't take family vacations like the rest of us. These tournaments are their vacations so you have to factor the savings from not having the typical vacation and reallocating those funds for tournaments.

The commitment is huge but this article was grossly overstating the costs in a worst case scenario. The financial commitment is substantial but is something that a two income family (even if the incomes are very modest) can pull off if they are committed to sacrificing the time. The real shame is for families that can only do it for one kid and that is where it becomes quite heartbreaking.

 

[OldCraig71]

I have done it with my boys and then again with my girlfriend's boy. Families who can't afford it always have these options, whether they use it is another story.....You also have to subtract the dollar figure for whatever activity that your child would be involved with if they weren't playing hockey.

Nobody is paying 18 k for a 10 year old like the author claimed.......Midget/Bantam years maybe but that is extreme and absolutely not necessary. The cost differs from AAA teams as there is a hierarchy among the organizations and certain teams like the JRC and the Marlies in Toronto are considerably more expensive than Vaughn or Don Mills. You also have to consider that these families often don't take family vacations like the rest of us. These tournaments are their vacations so you have to factor the savings from not having the typical vacation and reallocating those funds for tournaments.

The commitment is huge but this article was grossly overstating the costs in a worst case scenario. The financial commitment is substantial but is something that a two income family (even if the incomes are very modest) can pull off if they are committed to sacrificing the time. The real shame is for families that can only do it for one kid and that is where it becomes quite heartbreaking.

I could have picked from many articles that talk about the cost of minor hockey, maybe I should have researched it a little better. My point is that the sport is expensive and the costs associated with having a kid play the game as opposed to trying to pay for the grooming of a talented player, a player that might have the potential to play the sport as a career are even more staggering.

Here is a short read from the Montreal Gazette regarding Patrick Kane from 2009.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/the-price-of-nhl-success.

I assume that most of the stars of today's game had parents that sacrificed time and big money to help their sons achieve their goals of being an NHL player and it probably goes without saying that many other parents made similar investments but without the success stories of P Kane.

There aren't many stories like the one of Xhekaj and he is to be commended for how hard he worked to get to the NHL, working at whatever he could and not giving up on his dream. He is the exception and not the rule.

 

[CHwest]

I could have picked from many articles that talk about the cost of minor hockey, maybe I should have researched it a little better. My point is that the sport is expensive and the costs associated with having a kid play the game as opposed to trying to pay for the grooming of a talented player, a player that might have the potential to play the sport as a career are even more staggering.

Here is a short read from the Montreal Gazette regarding Patrick Kane from 2009.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/the-price-of-nhl-success.

I assume that most of the stars of today's game had parents that sacrificed time and big money to help their sons achieve their goals of being an NHL player and it probably goes without saying that many other parents made similar investments but without the success stories of P Kane.

There aren't many stories like the one of Xhekaj and he is to be commended for how hard he worked to get to the NHL, working at whatever he could and not giving up on his dream. He is the exception and not the rule.

Yes he is to be commended, as is any other kid that single mindedly aims at his goal, puts his head down, and goes to work. I admire anyone like that. It is amazing what is possible in humans when we really, really want something.

 

[Tyson]

I am sure Kassian will want a rematch.

 

[OldCraig71]

 

[Hannibal]

I am sure Kassian will want a rematch.

If he plays.

 

[ZUKI]

I am sure Kassian will want a rematch.

or not

 

[Cournoyer12]

Glad X put Maroon in his place last night, at least we won something yesterday!!

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

The guy is a more regular shift on the 1PP away from essentially being Sheldon Souray. Except at 21 and we got him for free. His wrists aren't barely hanging on by a thread either, so he might be way more durable in the end.

 

[OldCraig71]

He is my favorite player on the team, he gives me vibes of Odelin, Mcphee, Skrudland and Nilan, habs that played the game hard and honest.