Joshua Ho-Sang, Center/Right-wing, 1st Round

[YearlyLottery]

Really? Cause the things being said about Shcremp are that he couldn't skate and he was lazy.

I have never seen Ho Sang called lazy. The knock is usually that he is "selfish" or "cocky".

So, again, why is Schremp used as the comparison? They have different skillsets and different (supposed) flaws.

The comparison could be Patty Kane, or PK Subban, who plays a different position but was/is also bashed for being cocky. Instead, people want to write off Ho Sang and so they go out of their way to compare him to a complete bust.

I think Ho Sang loves this **** though. He must go to bed at night saying "**** Team Canada I'll be riding shotgun with Strome in a few years."

To me every time Ho Sang gets a point it's just a big **** YOU to Team Canada and the media.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Really? Cause the things being said about Shcremp are that he couldn't skate and he was lazy.

I have never seen Ho Sang called lazy. The knock is usually that he is "selfish" or "cocky".

So, again, why is Schremp used as the comparison? They have different skillsets and different (supposed) flaws.

The comparison could be Patty Kane, or PK Subban, who plays a different position but was/is also bashed for being cocky. Instead, people want to write off Ho Sang and so they go out of their way to compare him to a complete bust.

Here is the article I'm talking about. I just don't think we are seeing eye to eye, misunderstanding.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/7164/the_revealing_of_rob_schremp/

Some say he’s a lazy egomaniac who is only destined for
disappointment, while others feel that he’s a victim of circumstance, harsh
criticism and bad press. The truth
probably lies somewhere in between, but for Oiler fans that truth has yet to be
uncovered. Rob Schremp firmly believes
that he’s been painted with the wrong brush and the time has come to set the
record straight.

Stories of Schremp’s apparent lack of character began
circulating leading up to the drafting of the now 18-year-old native of Fulton
New York. It was those stories and
reports that caused his unpredicted slide to the 25th spot on draft
day, a shock considering the overwhelming opinion that Schremp was in the top 5
talent-wise.

No one questions
Schremp’s potential, but obviously everyone has concerns with his
attitude. What exactly is it about the
London Knights center that has so many people thinking so negatively about this
young man?

“He’s very cocky and
he sure doesn’t lack for confidence,” admitted Kevin Prendergast, Oilers VP of
Hockey Operations. “His abrasive
attitude rubs you the wrong way if that’s not the way you want to be rubbed.”

The bolded is where my comparisons lie. I just don't see race, as I said earlier, the media loves the straight to the point altar boys, like Toews and Tavares. There aren't many personalities in the NHL. Schremp admits to cursing, not at anyone but just aloud in interviews and says he was just being himself and didn't guard or lie about how he is whether it's friends or professional. Maybe not the cursing but Ho-Sang was open and honest during his interviews too. Remember his "I will be the best player out of this draft quote?" Media outrage. Remind anyone of Laviolette his first season here? "Expectations? To win the Stanley Cup of course." There was outrage against that too. I love the personality, I hope he can be to JT what Kane is to his JT in Chi-town.

I just don't accept the race card, the media always prefers the T.J. Oshie "I'm no hero, the real heroes are wearing cammo fighting for our freedom" quote after winning the shootout for team USA over a guy having confidence in himself and also having fun. No personality, all business, can't give yourself any credit without first complimenting your whole team.

 

[YearlyLottery]

Here is the article I'm talking about. I just don't think we are seeing eye to eye, misunderstanding.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/7164/the_revealing_of_rob_schremp/



The bolded is where my comparisons lie. I just don't see race, as I said earlier, the media loves the straight to the point altar boys, like Toews and Tavares. There aren't many personalities in the NHL. Schremp admits to cursing, not at anyone but just aloud in interviews and says he was just being himself and didn't guard or lie about how he is whether it's friends or professional. Maybe not the cursing but Ho-Sang was open and honest during his interviews too. Remember his "I will be the best player out of this draft quote?" Media outrage. Remind anyone of Laviolette his first season here? "Expectations? To win the Stanley Cup of course." There was outrage against that too. I love the personality, I hope he can be to JT what Kane is to his JT in Chi-town.

I just don't accept the race card, the media always prefers the T.J. Oshie "I'm no hero, the real heroes are wearing cammo fighting for our freedom" quote after winning the shootout for team USA over a guy having confidence in himself and also having fun. No personality, all business, can't give yourself any credit without first complimenting your whole team.

Not sure if you are a football guy but Rex Ryan was one hell of a coach and very entertaining. His viewpoints on himself remind me of Ho Sang's viewpoints on himself.

 

[Bronson]

I really don't think it's race.

He is black, son a Jamaican tennis pro and a Jewish mom, a combination of genes the hockey world has likely never known before.

Um yeah I still think race might be involved.

 

[IslandersFan17]

Not sure if you are a football guy but Rex Ryan was one hell of a coach and very entertaining. His viewpoints on himself remind me of Ho Sang's viewpoints on himself.

What do you mean was? Rex is taking my Bills deep! Lol, but yeah, all kidding aside the bravado creates a culture of people waiting for you to fail in a sense.

If you back it up people call you passionate and fiery. If you don't or haven't won anything major than you are arrogant and egocentric.

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

What do you mean was? Rex is taking my Bills deep! Lol, but yeah, all kidding aside the bravado creates a culture of people waiting for you to fail in a sense.

If you back it up people call you passionate and fiery. If you don't or haven't won anything major than you are arrogant and egocentric.

Rex is a great name.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Um yeah I still think race might be involved.

Just because he's multi cultured?

 

[rikker]

not real educated on JHS and his history, so i am talking more about societal tendencies, than particulars.

unfortunately, racism is alive, so i would not rule it out. fortunately, i see it lessening with each new generation. let's hope that one day soon, we never even see the word being used.

i've heard, and believe, that sports is 95% mental. lament physical attributes all you want, but in a team sport, attitude is key. i mean, what good is it to have anything, if you don't know how to use it?

is JHS confident or arrogant? maybe some combination of the two? maybe he has trouble expressing his true nature? i'm 54, and i still have trouble expressing myself effectively. social skills are as mysterious in nature, as is a Yeti.

for me, it comes down to trying not to judge. encouraging, and hoping. i want all kids to be a better version of their mentors, be they parents, friends, teachers, coaches, etc...

Josh, if you read this stuff, try to think of your mind as an umbrella. not much good if it isn't open. work hard. emulate the successful, try not to hurt anyone, and try to have fun.

 

[BroadwayJay*]

not real educated on JHS and his history, so i am talking more about societal tendencies, than particulars.

unfortunately, racism is alive, so i would not rule it out. fortunately, i see it lessening with each new generation. let's hope that one day soon, we never even see the word being used.

i've heard, and believe, that sports is 95% mental. lament physical attributes all you want, but in a team sport, attitude is key. i mean, what good is it to have anything, if you don't know how to use it?

is JHS confident or arrogant? maybe some combination of the two? maybe he has trouble expressing his true nature? i'm 54, and i still have trouble expressing myself effectively. social skills are as mysterious in nature, as is a Yeti.

for me, it comes down to trying not to judge. encouraging, and hoping. i want all kids to be a better version of their mentors, be they parents, friends, teachers, coaches, etc...

Josh, if you read this stuff, try to think of your mind as an umbrella. not much good if it isn't open. work hard. emulate the successful, try not to hurt anyone, and try to have fun.

Have I ever mentioned that you're a lovely person?

 

[CodeE]

Race is involved, but it's not the entire issue.

Look at Okposo, he's half-black and you never hear the media rip him apart because he never gets in trouble. Iginla, Simmonds, Ward, Oduya. You never read articles questioning the character of any of these guys.

However if you do act up, like Kane, like Subban, and even like Ho-Sang, the way the hockey media criticizes you. There's a very funny show called The League on FX, and while they're talking about football, it's funny because they discuss what phrases the media uses to talk about players of different ethnicities:

So black head coaches like Tony Dungy are "class acts".
A white football player like Wes Welker is a "gym rat", "a real scrappy player".
A latino baseball player is a "firecracker".

So yes, there is still an undercurrent of racism, where a black player who "acts up" gets held to a different standard than a white player who "acts up". But hey, I can remember when fans threw bananas at Simmonds, so media double-standards isn't a good thing but it could be way worse.

Personally, Ho-Sang's attitude and cultural background make me hope he succeeds even more. If he hits his potential he'd bring in a diverse range of fans in Brooklyn, and even if the rest of the league hates him he'll still be our guy. If he wears #66 in the pros to piss off Lemieux I'm probably buying his jersey out of respect.

 

[Felix Unger]

Personally, Ho-Sang's attitude and cultural background make me hope he succeeds even more. If he hits his potential he'd bring in a diverse range of fans in Brooklyn, and even if the rest of the league hates him he'll still be our guy. If he wears #66 in the pros to piss off Lemieux I'm probably buying his jersey out of respect.

There are over 20 baseball players that wear Babe Ruth's #3.
There are over 20 baseball players that wear Hank Aaron's #44.
There are 9 hockey players who wear #9 (Gordie Howe's #, that disrespectful Clark Gillies)
There are 15 hockey players who wear #4 (Bobby Orr)

The idea that nobody can wear #66 because of Mario is completely ridiculous. Nobody on the Penguins should wear #66. To think it's disrespectful for any non-Penguin to wear it is absolutely crazy.

 

[seabass45]

Race is involved, but it's not the entire issue.

Look at Okposo, he's half-black and you never hear the media rip him apart because he never gets in trouble. Iginla, Simmonds, Ward, Oduya. You never read articles questioning the character of any of these guys.

However if you do act up, like Kane, like Subban, and even like Ho-Sang, the way the hockey media criticizes you. There's a very funny show called The League on FX, and while they're talking about football, it's funny because they discuss what phrases the media uses to talk about players of different ethnicities:

So black head coaches like Tony Dungy are "class acts".
A white football player like Wes Welker is a "gym rat", "a real scrappy player".
A latino baseball player is a "firecracker".

So yes, there is still an undercurrent of racism, where a black player who "acts up" gets held to a different standard than a white player who "acts up". But hey, I can remember when fans threw bananas at Simmonds, so media double-standards isn't a good thing but it could be way worse.

Personally, Ho-Sang's attitude and cultural background make me hope he succeeds even more. If he hits his potential he'd bring in a diverse range of fans in Brooklyn, and even if the rest of the league hates him he'll still be our guy. If he wears #66 in the pros to piss off Lemieux I'm probably buying his jersey out of respect.

I'm not sure hockey is better or worse than other sports about this but they have an expectation of what a hockey player should be and they end up griping about players who stray from those values. Like look at Nail Yakupov getting the hammer from Don Cherry for having the audacity to be excited after a last minute tying goal. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl...-with-nail-yakupov-goal-celebration-1.1380193

If you're humble, hockey loves you. Once you stray from that expectation? That's when the ugly stuff sometimes comes out.

 

[seabass45]

There are over 20 baseball players that wear Babe Ruth's #3.
There are over 20 baseball players that wear Hank Aaron's #44.
There are 9 hockey players who wear #9 (Gordie Howe's #, that disrespectful Clark Gillies)
There are 15 hockey players who wear #4 (Bobby Orr)

The idea that nobody can wear #66 because of Mario is completely ridiculous. Nobody on the Penguins should wear #66. To think it's disrespectful for any non-Penguin to wear it is absolutely crazy.

I'm with you, but the fascinating part about this is that 66 is NEVER used, so Mario made it iconic, like you can't associate it with anything else. It's really goofy that this is where we're at now.

Seriously, only five guys have ever worn 66, the last one being TJ Brodie for one year. http://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/numbers.cgi?number=66

 

[seabass45]

I could be mistaken but I don't think I've seen any Canadian writers torch O'Reilly for driving drunk into a Tim Hortons the way they've torched players for being hams during celebrations.

 

[CodeE]

I could be mistaken but I don't think I've seen any Canadian writers torch O'Reilly for driving drunk into a Tim Hortons the way they've torched players for being hams during celebrations.

IMO the allegations against Ribiero & Voynov are far, far, far worse than anything Subban or Kane have ever done.

 

[Felix Unger]

I could be mistaken but I don't think I've seen any Canadian writers torch O'Reilly for driving drunk into a Tim Hortons the way they've torched players for being hams during celebrations.

You know, sometimes I wonder that the fact that Canada always had a strong progressive tradition stunted their media. I mean, I think it's established that American Newspapers regarded themselves as cultural institutions, actually improving their readers. Living in the Midwest for a while, it was clear just how strong that attitude was with (great) papers like the Detroit Free Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The NYtimes + Wall Street Journal + Washington Post are more smug (higher barrier to entry), but there's a similar attitude there, too.

When I've been in Canada, I never read a good newspaper that expressed any kind of similar attitude. They were all rags like the Dailey News or the Post, or worse. It's like they got their acculturation from some other source.

I apologize to Canadians. This is just my personal observation. I may be way off.

 

[danteipp]

IMO the allegations against Ribiero & Voynov are far, far, far worse than anything Subban or Kane have ever done.

I just read up on and looked at the court documents posted online regarding Ribeiro. He sounds like a terrific PoS and loathsome waste of human flesh. I cannot believe any team wants him in their locker room. I wouldn't allow him around any impressionable young players.

 

[seabass45]

IMO the allegations against Ribiero & Voynov are far, far, far worse than anything Subban or Kane have ever done.

And it's beyond that in both cases! Voynov pled guilty to a misdemeanor and is IN JAIL and Ribiero just settled. In Voynov's case, at least one writer had the guts to call out the Kings like this: http://www.latimes.com/sports/kings/la-sp-kings-voynov-elliott-20150703-column.html

Subban had to deal with a decent amount of crap early on but I think he disarmed most of it by being incredibly likable.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

Race is involved, but it's not the entire issue.

Look at Okposo, he's half-black and you never hear the media rip him apart because he never gets in trouble. Iginla, Simmonds, Ward, Oduya. You never read articles questioning the character of any of these guys.

However if you do act up, like Kane, like Subban, and even like Ho-Sang, the way the hockey media criticizes you. There's a very funny show called The League on FX, and while they're talking about football, it's funny because they discuss what phrases the media uses to talk about players of different ethnicities:

So black head coaches like Tony Dungy are "class acts".
A white football player like Wes Welker is a "gym rat", "a real scrappy player".
A latino baseball player is a "firecracker".

So yes, there is still an undercurrent of racism, where a black player who "acts up" gets held to a different standard than a white player who "acts up". But hey, I can remember when fans threw bananas at Simmonds, so media double-standards isn't a good thing but it could be way worse.

Personally, Ho-Sang's attitude and cultural background make me hope he succeeds even more. If he hits his potential he'd bring in a diverse range of fans in Brooklyn, and even if the rest of the league hates him he'll still be our guy. If he wears #66 in the pros to piss off Lemieux I'm probably buying his jersey out of respect.

White guy Avery says that color doesn't matter. If you act like an ass hat you get treated like one, and he was run out of the league. Overall I like the old school drama and garbage some of these guys bring because it adds heat to a sometimes sterile game. I do hope HoSang keeps it classy when he is finally up though.

 

[rikker]

Have I ever mentioned that you're a lovely person?

thanks Jay. age has mellowed me. most of the time

p.s. i hope that you guys don't think that all Canadians are loyal followers of Don Cherry and Steve Simmons. the mere thought of these two often lead to painful rectal spasms, for the majority of us.

 

[NYI13]

White guy Avery says that color doesn't matter. If you act like an ass hat you get treated like one, and he was run out of the league. Overall I like the old school drama and garbage some of these guys bring because it adds heat to a sometimes sterile game. I do hope HoSang keeps it classy when he is finally up though.

But what if Avery was black?

 

[seabass45]

White guy Avery says that color doesn't matter. If you act like an ass hat you get treated like one, and he was run out of the league. Overall I like the old school drama and garbage some of these guys bring because it adds heat to a sometimes sterile game. I do hope HoSang keeps it classy when he is finally up though.

The pest debate is something else entirely and I'm iffy on the comparison between someone like Avery and Kane. Kane can fight but he isn't known as a pest. But a fun discussion here if you're interested: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/who-is-the-nhls-biggest-dirtbag-of-all-time/

 

[A Pointed Stick]

The pest debate is something else entirely and I'm iffy on the comparison between someone like Avery and Kane. Kane can fight but he isn't known as a pest. But a fun discussion here if you're interested: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/who-is-the-nhls-biggest-dirtbag-of-all-time/

Oh, I have no problem with pests. Avery was a black eye for the NHL with the crap he said and did. I still could care less what he did to Brodeur but his comments while on the Kings were vile, as were some of the other things he said. Voynov, Ribiero, and now Richards took that to whole different level.

Kane is a giant non-story compared to some of the garbage we have seen from "classier" players.

 

[LetsGoIslanders]

I was not a fan of the Ho-Sang pick at all.

That said, I think Ho-Sang is maturing and is getting better advice regarding PR, hence the soft piece on NYI.com on him going to Jamaica. I want to see another solid season out of him in Niagara and I'll start feeling better about things.

 

[cliu122]

Also, he is black.

He is barely black. From what I hear he identifies as Jewish. His mother is white/Hispanic (she is European ethnically but was born in Chile) and his father is primarily black but judging by his last name, part Chinese.