Character is such am ambiguous word that I feel like it's used by coaches to rationalize poor personnel decisions.
Player Discussion Jeff Gorton
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I get the point you're trying to make, but character has an actual definition. It's not some sort of fantastical notion developed by the old guard to give brownie points to the guys they like.
Except the idea of favoring character over pure skill should be totally acceptable now and then.
What I mean is, those definitions are too general to mean anything in the context of analyzing hockey players.
Character is a guy that will call out his teammates and challenge them to play harder
Character is a guy that will threaten his teammates behind the scenes
Character is a guy that will protect his teammates and make everyone on the other team accountable
Character is a guy that WILL NOT ACCEPT his teammate being injured by a dirty cheap shot or predatory hit
CHARACTER IS HOCKEY. THINK MARK MESSIER, AND IF HES TOO “OLD SCHOOL” for you or a cancer (machine head) THEN THINK STEVEN STAMKOS, WHO WILL JUMP THE FIRST PERSON TO TAKE A CHEAP RUN AT ONE OF HIS GUYS.
It doesn’t have to be a goon, but you can’t have a team full of pansies
Character is a guy that will threaten his teammates behind the scenes
Character is a guy that will protect his teammates and make everyone on the other team accountable
Character is a guy that WILL NOT ACCEPT his teammate being injured by a dirty cheap shot or predatory hit
CHARACTER IS HOCKEY. THINK MARK MESSIER, AND IF HES TOO “OLD SCHOOL” for you or a cancer (machine head) THEN THINK STEVEN STAMKOS, WHO WILL JUMP THE FIRST PERSON TO TAKE A CHEAP RUN AT ONE OF HIS GUYS.
It doesn’t have to be a goon, but you can’t have a team full of pansies
Synergy27
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Character to me is the ability or willingness to keep going when adversity hits. It's the ability to inspire others in a situation where it seems like all hope is lost.
I think there are very rare cases in which a guy's character is so bad that his skill can just be outright ignored, but most time when we're talking NHL talent, the skill margins are so small that character is a significant distinguishing factor.
I think there are very rare cases in which a guy's character is so bad that his skill can just be outright ignored, but most time when we're talking NHL talent, the skill margins are so small that character is a significant distinguishing factor.
Off Sides
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It's not character that is the issue, it how that may be weighed versus talent.
Can they just maybe try to go with pure talent and not worry too much about character? Is there a team out there saying something like, "we have too much talent but not enough character" And even if there were such a team, given the ability to make trades, wouldn't they be in an advantageous position versus a team that has too much character and not enough talent?
Just because Edmonton or whoever has a tough market, or a management group who can't figure anything out, or a scouting department that can't hit on anything beyond a top 5 pick, that should not effect how the Rangers look to build their team.
Can they just maybe try to go with pure talent and not worry too much about character? Is there a team out there saying something like, "we have too much talent but not enough character" And even if there were such a team, given the ability to make trades, wouldn't they be in an advantageous position versus a team that has too much character and not enough talent?
Just because Edmonton or whoever has a tough market, or a management group who can't figure anything out, or a scouting department that can't hit on anything beyond a top 5 pick, that should not effect how the Rangers look to build their team.
I would argue it's the opposite. The character margins are so small that skill is a differentiating factor. Now, I think this is more true of established NHLers where the lazy bums were weeded out already.
Only if you're being wilfully ignorant, IMO. No, there's no definition in the "hockey dictionary" but this really shouldn't be this difficult.
Synergy27
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This is fair, and probably right, particularly for established guys. I was definitely speaking more in the context of the draft though. Maybe I just didn't realize what thread I was in.
Amazing Kreiderman
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Exactly. If character is the best skill of a player, you end up paying 6m a year for Ryan Callahan
Seems to me that there is a school of posters who believe that character and skill are mutually exclusive. And to tout anything outside of pure skill is "caveman". If it cannot be measured on the Corsi bell curve, it cannot be reliable.
GeorgeKaplan
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Well it was about Jeff Gorton so it can be anything. I'd argue that character is more important for drafted kids but probably like everything it's harder to measure at that at that level.
Glen Sathers Cigar
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A big thing about "character" that I think the Rangers want is guys who are going to put in the work off the ice and take this (their careers) as serious as it needs to be taken.
Frankly, character should be a factor when you are drafting teenagers to come play in New York City. It might be unfair, but it is something that some players might not be able to handle or be mature enough to handle. There's a reason why guys like Stepan, McDonagh and Lundqvist thrived in New York. All very mature, workmanlike and understand how serious they need to treat their careers. Kevin Hayes learned the lesson after his poor sophomore season and look how much better he's been since.
Everyone needs to relax. Looking for players with strong character doesn't mean that he's looking for less skilled players. Not all high character guys are low skill guys. And it being a factor doesn't mean it's the number 1 factor.
He just traded for Tony DeAngelo last season so clearly character isn't the be all end all.
Frankly, character should be a factor when you are drafting teenagers to come play in New York City. It might be unfair, but it is something that some players might not be able to handle or be mature enough to handle. There's a reason why guys like Stepan, McDonagh and Lundqvist thrived in New York. All very mature, workmanlike and understand how serious they need to treat their careers. Kevin Hayes learned the lesson after his poor sophomore season and look how much better he's been since.
Everyone needs to relax. Looking for players with strong character doesn't mean that he's looking for less skilled players. Not all high character guys are low skill guys. And it being a factor doesn't mean it's the number 1 factor.
He just traded for Tony DeAngelo last season so clearly character isn't the be all end all.
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I guess when I hear character I don't think of the bare minimum that should be expected of a pro athlete. When I hear character I think of players that lay a lot of hits, block a lot of shots, and fight, but don't necessarily have good skill. How often do you hear about Sidney Crosby's character despite having one of the best work ethics in the NHL? You only hear about it with guys like Glass.
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