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

[rockhouse15]

I think JHS is in the 'professional athlete' category that involves talent, dreamers, and multi-millionaires of all kinds. He's no longer in HS or college once you find yourself invited to a professional hockey team training camp...

I don't care if he just got elected to be prime minister of Canada (not that he can) he's still 19 years old. You can give him whatever title and expectations you want, that still doesn't change the fact he's just a year older than most kids who graduated high school a few months ago and like most kids that age he will make a mistake he really probably shouldn't have made. That doesn't mean we should excuse those mistakes or lower our standards on how a (hopeful) professional athlete should act because he's young but everything must be kept in perspective. He made a mistake and was fairly punished for it. Hopefully he will learn.

 

[JeffNYI]

We all like Mike Peca.

But what really soured me on him was an interview he gave, as our captain, and he said it certainly wasn't his job to babysit or help other professional hockey players prepare for a game because he had to focus on getting himself ready..

And I thought, no, Mike, that WAS exactly your job.. to see if anybody needed anything.. or to see what you could do.. you're the captain.. lead.. and be there for the stupid stuff.. that was precisely your role and even your RESPONSIBILITY.

Ho-Sang failed himself and the organization today.. cutting him sent the proper message to JHS and the other prospects.. this isn't the time or place to be screwing around..

But I'm also disappointed in the other people who were grouped with JHS who didn't have his back.. either our prospects REALLY were so focused on themselves that they didn't notice someone (in a relatively small group) was missing from breakfast or the lobby waiting for the charter or whatever -- or they DID notice Ho-Sang's absence and chose not to get involved...

Yep. Personal responsibility. Got it. Josh Ho-Sang brought it on himself. Agreed.

But at the same time I just kind of wish that someone, anyone, was enough of a team-first kind of person and player to have had his back this morning..

 

[doublechili]

We all like Mike Peca.

But what really soured me on him was an interview he gave, as our captain, and he said it certainly wasn't his job to babysit or help other professional hockey players prepare for a game because he had to focus on getting himself ready..

And I thought, no, Mike, that WAS exactly your job.. to see if anybody needed anything.. or to see what you could do.. you're the captain.. lead.. and be there for the stupid stuff.. that was precisely your role and even your RESPONSIBILITY.

Ho-Sang failed himself and the organization today.. cutting him sent the proper message to JHS and the other prospects.. this isn't the time or place to be screwing around..

But I'm also disappointed in the other people who were grouped with JHS who didn't have his back.. either our prospects REALLY were so focused on themselves that they didn't notice someone (in a relatively small group) was missing from breakfast or the lobby waiting for the charter or whatever -- or they DID notice Ho-Sang's absence and chose not to get involved...

Yep. Personal responsibility. Got it. Josh Ho-Sang brought it on himself. Agreed.

But at the same time I just kind of wish that someone, anyone, was enough of a team-first kind of person and player to have had his back this morning..

IDK. What you say might apply to other situations. But when you're dealing with a kid with a history, and if he's of the current state that he needed someone else's help to get him to his first ever day on NHL training camp, I'm kind of glad he is learning a lesson rather than having his failings covered by others.

 

[isles31]

We all like Mike Peca.

But what really soured me on him was an interview he gave, as our captain, and he said it certainly wasn't his job to babysit or help other professional hockey players prepare for a game because he had to focus on getting himself ready..

And I thought, no, Mike, that WAS exactly your job.. to see if anybody needed anything.. or to see what you could do.. you're the captain.. lead.. and be there for the stupid stuff.. that was precisely your role and even your RESPONSIBILITY.

Ho-Sang failed himself and the organization today.. cutting him sent the proper message to JHS and the other prospects.. this isn't the time or place to be screwing around..

But I'm also disappointed in the other people who were grouped with JHS who didn't have his back.. either our prospects REALLY were so focused on themselves that they didn't notice someone (in a relatively small group) was missing from breakfast or the lobby waiting for the charter or whatever -- or they DID notice Ho-Sang's absence and chose not to get involved...

Yep. Personal responsibility. Got it. Josh Ho-Sang brought it on himself. Agreed.

But at the same time I just kind of wish that someone, anyone, was enough of a team-first kind of person and player to have had his back this morning..

The other people that never had a chance to help him because he didn't even make it to the first day of camp on time??? Sorry, this kid has the opportunity to be slotted with one of the best centers in the world in camp and cannot be mature enough to get to the rink on time...buhbye. Literally hundreds of guys would kill for that chance.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

Wow, no way to paint this other than, "What a stupid move."

You can make millions. Get there on time DUH.

 

[19 Straight]

Kabanov was late to the first day of rookie camp if I remember correctly. There's also this..

JHS is not the caliber of player Potvin was, who was the #1 pick and a sure thing to make the roster. And Capuano is not Arbour by a long shot.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I think a lot of you guys are overreacting here. So he was late once. Big ****ing deal. With the way some of you are reacting, you'd think he had streaked naked across the ice with "GARTH SNOW IS A WEENIE" written across his chest.

Seriously...you are dead on. The kid made a mistake and i guarantee as of tomorrow the Isles will forget about it and treat Ho-Sang like any other prospect they have. The discipline was handed down, Ho-Sang hopefully won't forget but the Organization will certainly put it in the past and he'll have another shot next camp to show he's ready to do this.

Fans need to do the same and drop it.

 

[LeapOnOver]

Thank god he got traded to Niagra. Williamson is very genuine and one of the great coaches and people in Juniors.

Yeah, all the right answers from Williamson and the most important thing to take away is it's 100% fixable.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I think JHS is in the 'professional athlete' category that involves talent, dreamers, and multi-millionaires of all kinds. He's no longer in HS or college once you find yourself invited to a professional hockey team training camp...

Uh duh, I think that was the posters point. He's a professional athlete AND a 19 year old kid. One does not automatically overrule the other. He acted like a 19 year old kid. It's only unacceptable because he's a professional athlete. There are plenty of professional athletes that go on to have remarkable careers, even after doing something way worse than Ho-Sang. Chill out. He has to learn responsibility. Message sent. Trying to find eternal fault in him is ridiculous.

 

[CREW99AW]

Seriously...you are dead on. The kid made a mistake and i guarantee as of tomorrow the Isles will forget about it and treat Ho-Sang like any other prospect they have. The discipline was handed down, Ho-Sang hopefully won't forget but the Organization will certainly put it in the past and he'll have another shot next camp to show he's ready to do this.

Fans need to do the same and drop it.

I agree. He screwed up by not arriving on time, was handed a pretty severe punishment and hopefully learns from it. Too bad because from the reports coming out of the July and Sept prospect camps, JHS was not only impressing on the ice, but also creating no waves or issues off the ice.

Unfortunately, the gotcha crowd licks their chops over any kind of misstep and JHS has been enough of a lightning rod that any misstep he makes will draw out the ' see,I told you' comments.

 

[IslandersFan17]

What is really frustrating are those from the outside looking in thinking this is the same old Ho-Sang.

Saying, this is why he dropped in the draft, this is the character issues that perpetuate and foreshow further short comings and that all the talent in the world wont excuse his attitude.

The kid was late, nothing more, nothing less. Irresponsible sure, but had he not been sent back to the OHL, no one blinks an eye

The punishment is what makes people believe that the crime was far more sever.

Honestly, Ho-Sang wasn't going to make the team and I am not the least bit surprised by the ramifications.

 

[Fan101]

It is a huge distraction when players arrive late, especially on the first day of camp. Yes he may have played with JT in the first game, but they start cutting the jrs after the first game anyway.

 

[Isles Junkie]

I want to preface this by saying that I like Ho Sang and I believe all of his off the ice troubles have been largely overblown. However, this just bugs the hell out of me.

19 years old is not an excuse for being late. He can't wake his dumbass self up on time and get to his first NHL training camp on time where he'll play with one of the best players in the entire world?

I don't know, it's one of my biggest pet peeves in life, so maybe I'm just being a jerk. But lateness is a sign of a lack of motivation & in this case, respect for his teamates & the coaching staff.

I have no problem with the punishment at all.

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

He has a hyphenated last name...I lost hope in him from the moment I discovered that.

 

[rockhouse15]

I want to preface this by saying that I like Ho Sang and I believe all of his off the ice troubles have been largely overblown. However, this just bugs the hell out of me.

19 years old is not an excuse for being late. He can't wake his dumbass self up on time and get to his first NHL training camp on time where he'll play with one of the best players in the entire world?

I don't know, it's one of my biggest pet peeves in life, so maybe I'm just being a jerk. But lateness is a sign of a lack of motivation & in this case, respect for his teamates & the coaching staff.

I have no problem with the punishment at all.

I don't think anyone is saying his age is an excuse for being late. Obviously if you have to be somewhere on time you better get there or at least have a better reason than oversleeping.

However, what I, and what it seems like a few others, take exception to is the overreaction that him being late yesterday is grounds for declaring him never being able to play in the NHL or that we should for some reason cut our loses and trade him for scraps. I bring up that he's 19 not to excuse him but because like most 19 year olds he's not immune to mistakes. There's no question he made a mistake at a very bad time but he simply made an impulsive decision that cost him. Brain development is not finished until your mid-20s and you tend to make more impulsive decisions before that development is complete. Not an excuse but puts everything in perspective. If this was 31 year old Nielsen being late for the same reason it would be a completely different story.

 

[Isles Junkie]

I don't think anyone is saying his age is an excuse for being late. Obviously if you have to be somewhere on time you better get there or at least have a better reason than oversleeping.

However, what I, and what it seems like a few others, take exception to is the overreaction that him being late yesterday is grounds for declaring him never being able to play in the NHL or that we should for some reason cut our loses and trade him for scraps. I bring up that he's 19 not to excuse him but because like most 19 year olds he's not immune to mistakes. There's no question he made a mistake at a very bad time but he simply made an impulsive decision that cost him. Brain development is not finished until your mid-20s and you tend to make more impulsive decisions before that development is complete. Not an excuse but puts everything in perspective. If this was 31 year old Nielsen being late for the same reason it would be a completely different story.

I agree with that. There is overreaction to those who now are soured on him copmletely. I hope like hell the Isles don't sell him. He has every chance to be a really good top 6 player that will be a major part of our future success. Still i like that they dropped the hammer on him & dropped it hard.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Any other prospect I might give the benefit of the doubt to, but not Ho-Sang. He was late and was sent packing--too bad there's always next year Josh. Time to put on your big boy pants and grow up.

I still do not see any of the guys jumping all over the kid saying how late he was.. was it 10 hours, 1 hour or 20 minutes--sorry to be rude--but I will lead the charge if it is over an hour to run the guy down--but before I run a guy down I want to know how late he was and why he was late

Doesn't matter if he was a second or a day late. Late is late. He violated the rules--and now he suffers the consequences. No exceptions. Isles management (which I've been critical of in the past) got this one 100% right!

Compromising on your pre-stated rules to 19 year olds is a sign of weakness, and they wont take you seriously in the future. Also, it's not fair to everybody else who made it on time. JHS needs to understand that he's expendable at the end of the day.

 

[ottawah]

I think a lot of you guys are overreacting here. So he was late once. Big ****ing deal. With the way some of you are reacting, you'd think he had streaked naked across the ice with "GARTH SNOW IS A WEENIE" written across his chest.

Its not that this type of thing has happened just once. He fell far in the draft because he has always had a me first attitude, has showed an utter lack of respects for teammates, coaches, officials, etc. This incident is just an extension of why he has been so maligned.

The NYI made a stand (just like Windsor did) that they would not tolerate nor validate his attitude. He was drafted on his top 10 skills and hopefulness that he would learn where the problem lies, not with everyone else in the world, but with him. An extra bag skate will not do it with this guy, thats been seen.

 

[rockhouse15]

Its not that this type of thing has happened just once. He fell far in the draft because he has always had a me first attitude, has showed an utter lack of respects for teammates, coaches, officials, etc. This incident is just an extension of why he has been so maligned.

The NYI made a stand (just like Windsor did) that they would not tolerate nor validate his attitude. He was drafted on his top 10 skills and hopefulness that he would learn where the problem lies, not with everyone else in the world, but with him. An extra bag skate will not do it with this guy, thats been seen.

Oh give me a break with this bulls**t about his attitude being poor and that he is selfish. How on earth does accidentally sleeping in proof that he disrespects Capuano, Snow or any of the current Islanders? Did he walk in the door 3 hours late and yell and Cappy for starting practice too early? Did he get in Snow's face for moving up to draft him 28th and not 1st? No? Can you show me any actual proof that "he has always had a me first attitude, has showed an utter lack of respects for teammates, coaches, officials, etc." without just rehashing the same old tired and vague crap that the Ontario media has been pushing for the last few years? No, didn't think so.

Go back through Arthur Staple's tweet yesterday and he said that everyone was impressed by how Ho-Sang behaved during the summer when he was on the island. They were going to put him on a line with Lee and Tavares before being sent home. Snow/Cappy clearly thought highly enough of him to place an elite play-maker like JHS on a line with the team's top two goal scorers last year. This was a learning experience, not a signifier of a belligerent hockey player.

 

[blitzkriegs]

I agree. He screwed up by not arriving on time, was handed a pretty severe punishment and hopefully learns from it. Too bad because from the reports coming out of the July and Sept prospect camps, JHS was not only impressing on the ice, but also creating no waves or issues off the ice.

Unfortunately, the gotcha crowd licks their chops over any kind of misstep and JHS has been enough of a lightning rod that any misstep he makes will draw out the ' see,I told you' comments.

Not the gotcha crowd, but this is being seen as an isolated incident, when in reality it's not. His comments in the public about HC haut demonstrate a complete lack of immaturity and consciousness. He's talented, no doubt. Isles took a risk a whole bunch of other teams did not want. Sometimes who you are and how you act is more important than what you actually do.

 

[TeamKidd]

Ahhh...to be 19 and self entitled. Look...he didnt drown puppies for fun here. He was late...unbelievably, stupidly, horrendously, ridiculously late. It's a terrible thing BUT it's something that HAS happened to EVERYONE here at some point in their lives. This situation reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

If you meet with triumph and disaster, treat those two impostors the same.

Ok Josh, the next chapter is for you to write. How does this story end? How do YOU want it to end?

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

Posted on Artur's Staple Twitter is an interview from the Niagara newspaper, link posted in the training camp thread.
Listened to Niagara's broadcast of their pre season game, Marty Williams talked to Garth after JHS missed being on time. Marty quoted Garth saying "this is one thing I can control."

 

[seafoam]

 

[seafoam]

 

[BMOK33]

Guaranteed if Pulock did this he would not be sent back because they know he may make the team. They ultimately have nothing to lose with Ho Sang because they knew he was not making the team anyway, so they can make a statement and know they lose nothing. But they don't do this next year or the year after when they would know they could be losing 20-30 goals off the roster.