player interviews - do they even care?

[sand1138man]

I know that every NHL player has a built in regular response to every media question, and it is almot always the most uninterested response possible, but i'm listening to these post game interviews and you can not even tell if the player had just won or lost the game. (refering to all interviews, but specifically after the Loss to the Pens)

If you compare Millers outrage with losing this game to Pominville's interview, not only do they sound like they are talking about different games, but they sound like they are talking about different seasons.

Miller is rightfully pi**ed off because they blew a lead in the third period at home without getting a point, and he felt that they gave up after fighting so hard to get back in it. It was like he could not believe that they would play such desperate hockey to claw their way to a 3-2 lead and then blow it like that. This shows to me that miller believes that they are good enough to have ended up on top in that game, or else he would not be mad at all, he would just accept the loss as the norm and move on. With all his faults and streaks, one thing I love about miller is that he is a FAN of his own team, and lives and dies with each game, and he will let you know it. I think that is how team stars and CAPTAINS should be.

By contrast, our captain, who is usually pretty solid on the ice, is just in outer space when he talks to the media. He would say the same thing if we were on a 10 game win streak and just won 5-1 on the road against the best team in the league, or on a 10 game losing streak and we just lost 5-1 at home against the worst team in the league.
"we did a better job tonight then last night"
"we side some things well, and some things wrong"
"we fought hard and battle'd back"
"we had our chances, and we could have taken better advantage of them"
"we played a good (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) period"
and my personal fav...
"we just have to continue to get better each game"
AS IF EACH LOSS IS A STEPPING STONE TO BECOMING A GREAT TEAM. He never mentions that they have major problems that need to be addressed, he never holds anyone accountable for their bad play in a given game. He never just comes out and admits that they blew the game, and they are in trouble, and if something doesn't turn around/change soon, then they are going to miss the playoffs.
He never is upset about the horrible position HIS teams are in at the beginning of these seasons, and he never will show any emotion after a loss as if the last three hours of work meant anything to him. He care's more about pointing out specific players limitrd micr plays and not hurting feelings, then he does about where the team is/or will end up. Not to mention that the rest of the team (except Miller) takes their cue from Pominville on what to say/not to say/how to say it/how much emetion it should be said with.
All this lack of emotion and lack of accoutability says to me is that these players are not surprised about these outcomes, and these programmed responses means that they expected these outcomes, which is why they don't ever seem upset, or mad about their current place in the standings.
All these standard lines come spewing out of Lindy after every game as well, so maybe that is where this all stems from, but miller seems to still believe so that when they lose, he is actually surprised and therefore, outwardly upset. You can't hide your true emotions.

Can we please address where the players mindsets are with this situation? Why don't they show that this hurts them like it hurts the fans? What do other people think. What should these guys be saying?

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[OkimLom]

I know that every NHL player has a built in regular response to every media question, and it is almot always the most uninterested response possible, but i'm listening to these post game interviews and you can not even tell if the player had just won or lost the game. (refering to all interviews, but specifically after the Loss to the Pens)

If you compare Millers outrage with losing this game to Pominville's interview, not only do they sound like they are talking about different games, but they sound like they are talking about different seasons.

Miller is rightfully pi**ed off because they blew a lead in the third period at home without getting a point, and he felt that they gave up after fighting so hard to get back in it. It was like he could not believe that they would play such desperate hockey to claw their way to a 3-2 lead and then blow it like that. This shows to me that miller believes that they are good enough to have ended up on top in that game, or else he would not be mad at all, he would just accept the loss as the norm and move on. With all his faults and streaks, one thing I love about miller is that he is a FAN of his own team, and lives and dies with each game, and he will let you know it. I think that is how team stars and CAPTAINS should be.

By contrast, our captain, who is usually pretty solid on the ice, is just in outer space when he talks to the media. He would say the same thing if we were on a 10 game win streak and just won 5-1 on the road against the best team in the league, or on a 10 game losing streak and we just lost 5-1 at home against the worst team in the league.
"we did a better job tonight then last night"
"we side some things well, and some things wrong"
"we fought hard and battle'd back"
"we had our chances, and we could have taken better advantage of them"
"we played a good (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) period"
and my personal fav...
"we just have to continue to get better each game"
AS IF EACH LOSS IS A STEPPING STONE TO BECOMING A GREAT TEAM. He never mentions that they have major problems that need to be addressed, he never holds anyone accountable for their bad play in a given game. He never just comes out and admits that they blew the game, and they are in trouble, and if something doesn't turn around/change soon, then they are going to miss the playoffs.
He never is upset about the horrible position HIS teams are in at the beginning of these seasons, and he never will show any emotion after a loss as if the last three hours of work meant anything to him. He care's more about pointing out specific players limitrd micr plays and not hurting feelings, then he does about where the team is/or will end up. Not to mention that the rest of the team (except Miller) takes their cue from Pominville on what to say/not to say/how to say it/how much emetion it should be said with.
All this lack of emotion and lack of accoutability says to me is that these players are not surprised about these outcomes, and these programmed responses means that they expected these outcomes, which is why they don't ever seem upset, or mad about their current place in the standings.
All these standard lines come spewing out of Lindy after every game as well, so maybe that is where this all stems from, but miller seems to still believe so that when they lose, he is actually surprised and therefore, outwardly upset. You can't hide your true emotions.

Can we please address where the players mindsets are with this situation? Why don't they show that this hurts them like it hurts the fans? What do other people think. What should these guys be saying?

Their coach doesn't seem to care, why should they? We have more things to worry about than how they come off in interviews. Does this indicate a lack of urgency or show an example of the type of players we have? Sure, but it really doesn't matter what fans think to them, even though fans feel the players should care what the fans want to see and how the fans think they should come across.

You want to see changes in the teams mood, change the coach. Regardless of the type of coach they get, it might put a jump in their step. They hire a John Torts type of coach they change the way they play so they don't p*ss him off, or if they get a player friendly coach, their joy of playing might increase. Until they get rid of Ruff, this is what we're stuck with, finding small things that make us fans mad.

 

[HockeyH3aven]

I don't listen to player/coach interviews for a reason. They just find ways to say absolutely nothing, it's a waste of every-bodies time.

Don't confuse what a player says to the media in a staged interview with what they actually feel.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I don't listen to player/coach interviews for a reason. They just find ways to say absolutely nothing, it's a waste of every-bodies time.

Don't confuse what a player says to the media in a staged interview with what they actually feel.

Very true. It's not staged though, just seems that way

 

[SackTastic]

If the same 5 people asked you the same 10 questions for your entire career, you'd eventually tune out too.

 

[chadthestampede]

 

[Paxon]

I'm willing to bet most every player in the NHL cares more than fans do or fans realize, just throwing that out there.

 

[Eb]

Before entering the OHL, players attend a class to teach them how to speak the media.

 

[HockeyH3aven]

Very true. It's not staged though, just seems that way

Of course they're staged. The guys know the interviews are going to happen, they already know the questions that are going to be asked (unless they're a rookie, and even then).

The people asking the questions already know what kind of answers they're going to get. People like Ryan Miller are the exception.

 

[Myllz]

The team (minus Miller) is just a reflection of their coach and captain. Lifeless and boring.

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

Of course they're staged. The guys know the interviews are going to happen, they already know the questions that are going to be asked (unless they're a rookie, and even then).

The people asking the questions already know what kind of answers they're going to get. People like Ryan Miller are the exception.

I agree with this whole post. When the same questions are asked ad nauseum, then there reaches a point where responses feel staged because it's second nature.

In response to the bolded part, i would go further and say that guys like miller are the exception and are often labelled prima donna's, a locker room cancer, they are upset with the organization and looking to be traded, or some other form of "this player's unscripted/emotional response means something more than they care about winning."

 

[joshjull]

This encapsulates the majority of player interviews in any league

 

[dugman]

I'm a whole lot more interested in what they bring on the ice. I give the players who will speak to the media after every game a lot of credit....they show much more patience with the same inane questions than I would. If they give any answer that isn't vanilla, everyone reacts that they are too emotional, or that they threw teammates under the bus, or that they deflected blame from themselves.

 

[S319R11S16]

It pisses me off that they don't sound angry. Well, atleast some of them anyways.

I like Pominville as a player for the most part, but the way he comes across in interviews is pathetic. You don't have to throw players under the bus if thats not your motto, but sound pissed off. Sound like this is your team. To me he lacks everything in that department.

Its up to an owner, president, gm, coach and captain to take this as it is THEIR team and to take control of it. Right now and for quite a while it seems to me like NONE of them want to say anything bad at all about what is going on.

I'd seriously like a camera on Terry for a game to see how he looks when we suck ass or choke away a game in the 3rd period. Willing to bet it looks NOTHING like any of us.

 

[SackTastic]

It pisses me off that they don't sound angry. Well, atleast some of them anyways.

I like Pominville as a player for the most part, but the way he comes across in interviews is pathetic. You don't have to throw players under the bus if thats not your motto, but sound pissed off. Sound like this is your team. To me he lacks everything in that department.

Its up to an owner, president, gm, coach and captain to take this as it is THEIR team and to take control of it. Right now and for quite a while it seems to me like NONE of them want to say anything bad at all about what is going on.

I'd seriously like a camera on Terry for a game to see how he looks when we suck ass or choke away a game in the 3rd period. Willing to bet it looks NOTHING like any of us.

I'd rather they BE angry and do something about it as opposed to SOUNDING angry in an interview.

 

[S319R11S16]

I'd rather they BE angry and do something about it as opposed to SOUNDING angry in an interview.

Hows that been working out so far this season? Or for some players for the last 2/3/4 seasons?

 

[SackTastic]

Hows that been working out so far this season? Or for some players for the last 2/3/4 seasons?

So you're implying there's a correlation between a player getting angry, and on-ice performance?

 

[S319R11S16]

So you're implying there's a correlation between a player getting angry, and on-ice performance?

No but you just did by saying you rather they do something about it on the ice than sound angry in an interview.

Most of them don't do either.

 

[PlamsUnlimited]

I'm getting annoyed with this team.. They don't even care...

 

[SackTastic]

No but you just did by saying you rather they do something about it on the ice than sound angry in an interview.

Most of them don't do either.

No, I did not.

I'm simply saying that I don't really care if a player shows that they're angry about their play while talking to Paul Hamilton or not.

 

[S319R11S16]

No, I did not.

I'm simply saying that I don't really care if a player shows that they're angry about their play while talking to Paul Hamilton or not.

And what happens when they don't do either?

 

[Jim Bob]

And what happens when they don't do either?

It's rare that you can get to the NHL and not have pride in your play and that of your team.

The players care. They just aren't playing well.

I don't think they are just going through the motions and don't care about their bad record.

 

[S319R11S16]

It's rare that you can get to the NHL and not have pride in your play and that of your team.

The players care. They just aren't playing well.

I don't think they are just going through the motions and don't care about their bad record.

I'm not saying they don't care about their play. I'm sure to an extent they do. But to completely shut off frustration 10 minutes after a loss just sounds... idk strange. This crap has gone on far too long and it just seems odd to me that a team that has been talked up by their coach, gm, and owner can seem so ho hum after losses like we've seen this year. Same goes to Lindy.

 

[jBuds]

Miller cares. Pretty evident.

 

[S319R11S16]

Miller cares. Pretty evident.

I really don't see the issue with what he has said. He isn't singling out players to the media. He isn't throwing anyone under the bus. He's saying it how it is.

Big deal.