On Michal Neuvirth's Reputation
by J.P. on Oct 7, 2010 7:06 PM EDT
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In a somewhat bizarre and, by the author's own admission, "completely irrelevant to the discussion" attack on Michal Neuvirth 's reputation, The Globe and Mail's Sean Gordon related the following anecdote in a post that appeared on the paper's site yesterday:
Last year in the playoffs, I was shooting the breeze with a couple of the Washington writers, they were talking about how detested the kid is in the Caps locker room (a few of the players later corroborated this).
Huh.
Is it odd that scribes would be discussing (in April) a player that hadn't been with the team for two months? Perhaps, though with the future of the Caps' netminding always a hot topic, it's certainly something that would have come up eventually, even if Neuvirth was up the road in Hershey at the time. Is it strange that "a few of the players" would later corroborate "how detested the kid is in the Caps locker room"? That seems to be a bit more of a stretch (and a particularly strong word in "detested"), though presumably Mr. Gordon is solid on his sources.
As to one of those sources, Mike Vogel and Brett Leonhardt suggested on yesterday's Capitals Report (around the 32:30 mark here) who that "Washington writer" might have been:
Vogel: At least one Washington reporter never liked Neuvirth from the start and was very vocal about it....
Leonhardt: And this had nothing to do with his performance on the ice, it had nothing to do with how his teammates liked him...
Vogel: It had something to do with the fact that he didn't come out of the shower when this reporter was on deadline and wanted to talk to him after a tough loss on the road, in Toronto. ... Sometimes a reporter gets a grudge and passes the word around on a guy and then other reporters get it and run with it.
The pair go on to question and refute the substance of the Gordon quote and then to out the reporter to whom they were referring as then-Washington Post beat writer Tarik El-Bashir (who back on the June 26 edition of Japers' Rink Radio said of Neuvirth, "there are a few question marks there in terms of attitude and work ethic, and a few things that, you know... I mean, there are some concerns there.").
There's a lot of circumstantial evidence here, of course, but this isn't a court of law, so you can make of the information what you want. And if the opinions of Vogel and Leonhardt and the lack of objective sources - anonymous or otherwise - badmouthing the kid aren't enough for you, CSN Washington's Alan May had this to say of Neuvirth this afternoon on "The LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes" (around the 3:30 mark here):
He's a consummate team player. ... He's got a terrific attitude... everyone loves his attitude. A guy like that you'll always want to bring in. Whether he's the starter or a backup, he's the kind of guy you want on your team.
To be sure, none of these parties is without their own inherent bias - Vogel and Leonhardt are team employees, and, as an analyst for the network that broadcasts Caps game, May has something of a vested interest as well. But money doesn't have those same biases, and teams with aspirations don't keep "detested" players around... so the recent two-year extension Neuvirth signed speaks for itself as well as anyone can.
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Interesting.
I can’t imagine any player “corroborating” on the word “detested”. That’s just way too strong a word. TEB being bitter over missing an interview, itself kind of surprising, is honestly a lot easier to believe, but yeah, obviously Vogel/Stretch and May are amongst the parties most likely to refute it.
Until something comes of this, though, it’s a non-starter IMO.
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This sounds more like TEB having an ax to grind rather than Neuvirth truly having a lousy reputation among his teammates.
You don’t ink a guy for two more years if he’s hated by other players. Period. That’s the most damning evidence to me.
It’s really a shame when these media types try to manufacture an idea about a player based on their own experiences with a player (and honestly, I do believe the Toronto incident is more common than uncommon). Very disappointing if true.
Nice username! That and Whiskey Tango are my two favorite military acronyms.
Great. Now I have to change my name to "Jaromir meet Alex".
by Chris meet Alex on Oct 7, 2010 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo.
/OT
The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Oct 7, 2010 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions
No, no—Gordon misheard: it was “destined,” not “detested.” It’s a good thing.
We're Hüsker Dü and we're on MTV. Who are you, and what are you on?
No.. no, mister Connery. The category is Therapists. Ugh.
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by winterion on Oct 7, 2010 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
dammit! I just sprayed tea all over my keyboard
Watching the O’s try to use strategy is like watching Mike Green trying to figure out the difference between "your" and "you’re"--Terpgrrl
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Hey this is a good thing. Unbelievably ridiculous conspiracy theories about how players get along with each other is usually something saved for Canadian and other big market teams. Ladies and Gentleman, we’ve made it, we are officially a hockey town: idiotic media coverage and all
by DC FURY on Oct 7, 2010 7:46 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
If the reporter was just quoting Washington writers then I can see that it was just a writer with an ax to grind, but what is troubling is the statement that players later corroborated the statement. Do you think the writer would just make that up, It is kind of hard to believe though that players would confirm it though. This whole story is a little strange.
Proud to be a Caps fan. Its a Great Day for Hockey.
Would love to follow up Gordon about exactly how this conversation went. I can easily see he and TEB talking about how Neuvy blew him off and perhaps other similar incidents that got TEB’s panties in a wad. Gordon goes to corroberate the story with some caps player:
Gordon: “Hey, I heard from TEB that Neuvy doesn’t like to talk with reporters and once totally blew him off after a game in Toronto.”
Caps Player: “Yeah, he sometimes does that.”
There’s your corroboration. Not that Neuvy is detested in the locker room, but that he pissed off reporters sometimes.
As for Neuvy’s extension being proof that he’s not a douche in the locker room. Well, we are talking about GMGM. Not that he wouldn’t be concerned about locker room cohesion, but I don’t gather he’s really touchy-feely when it comes to stuff like that. Neuvy is a prized asset who apparantly was willing to trade some salary upside for a little price certainty. I think GMGM wisely signed that deal and I think he would have even if Neuvy was “detested” in the locker room. Kid is 22…who didn’t act like a bit of a jerk at that age?
Also, if he was a jerk in DC, he was probably a jerk in Hershey…lot of good that did them up there. Couple of Calder’s and all.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
JP, you hit it on the head regarding the new contract for Neuvirth. If players “detested” him, McPhee would know and he’d probably would have waited on the new extension until he saw if Neuvy had regained the respect of his teammates this season. No way he signs a guy who could turn out to be a divisive presence in the locker room.
Bunch of smoke and noise. Makes absolutely no sense to even give this one iota of thought when the team is focusing on unity. Little coincidence that this was kicked up by a Toronto based writer. Even if a shred of this is true, TEB is no longer the beat writer, Katie Carrera is. No point in focusing on one ex-beat writer’s hissy-fit from last year when on-ice results are what matter most.
My thoughts too. When you start getting ticked because a 21-year old won’t talk to you, it’s time to switch jobs.
I have to say, TEB wasn’t the one who was terribly unprofessional here. So he got grumpy and bitchy one night because a kid kept him waiting — he never wrote anything about it. If it colored his perceptions, then that’s a shame but it’s all to human.
No, Gordon is the one who decided to run with this while Tarik was busy keeping his mouth shut. I’m not saying TEB is a saint here, but it’s not like TEB went after the kid.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Oct 7, 2010 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Well...
Except the stuff he said on JRR about there being some concerns about Neuvirth. “Concerns” that I haven’t heard any local media type speak to in any capacity.
It just smells fishy.
by Charlie Foxtrot on Oct 7, 2010 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions
all true—i agree that sean collins is enemy #1 here—but vogs paints the picture of TEB constantly griping about him….which is odd and unprofessional at a level that goes beyond typical reporter beefs, i think. not just a throwaway comment to one out-of-town reporter, but a lingering resentment/grudge that gets expressed to lots of people, lots of times.
never liked neuvirth from the start.
was very vocal about it, and kept repeating it…“i don’t like that guy,” “i don’t like that kid.”
on and on and over and over.
repeatedly told us that he didn’t like this kid…“mark my words” [fades out].
i agree that sean collins is enemy #1 here
When did he get involved in all of this?
The guy is Peter Schumpmaker. Lord knows what a schump is, but you can bet your bippy his ancestors made them. What he's doing is far worse than crafting fine schumps.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Oct 7, 2010 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I guess my feeling is that the world would be better if people didn’t ever build up irrational dislikes for other people. But it’s human to do so. What matters more is what you do about it.
TEB bitched and moaned off the record to his co-journalists about the kid. That kind of “over a beer” or “over coffee” conversation is just not a big deal to me. It may have colored his opinions, like on the radio that one day, but he was clearly trying to be fair, and even on that day he later backed away from what he first said.
His biggest error was letting the wrong guy (Sean Gordon) in on the bitching and moaning.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Oct 8, 2010 2:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Having never met the player it seemed like most of the Caps Con stories involving him indicated he was very zoned out the entire time.
Though does that mean I should go write a long winded Fanpost about how Neuvi doesn’t connect with fans? No. Though I don’t find “detested” as a very strong negative word I’m sure there were worse things said of the late great Godzilla for his attitude he often displayed, especially on ice. Point being Olaf is also a well documented wonderful person office as I’m sure there’s a lot of fluff to such statements(and a tiny smidgen of truth somewhere)
Bruce Boudreau when asked about Brooks Laich's return to the lineup, he said: "He just adds another dimension to our team. If it was puzzle, he just fits that thing. He completes us."
Brooks Laich completing everything from teams to tires and everything in between.
The issue you should have is with the person at the Globe and Mail who wrote the article. Tarik did not write that article. To my knowledge, Tarik did not write or make public statements about whether or not he like Neuvy as a person. I think it was wrong of Mike and Stretch to say it was Tarik, esp after they just said how the media people talk among themselves and express views but that the person generally does not write or publicly speak those views. Also, they did not say that they had any knowledge that it was Tarik who spoke to the Globe and Mail reporter; they assumed it based on other private conversations they had with Tarik. They may be correct but Stretch did not say that he was present and heard the conversation that was the basis of the Globe and Mail story, He is assuming.
I’m with ya. Back to the statement that started this: “..a couple of the Washington writers…a few of the players…”. So far we’ve got about half a corroboration that one writer (not a couple) may not have especially liked him, and absolutely nothing that confirms any players corroborated anything. Sounds to me like pretty creative rumor-mongering.
It’s all wrong, but it’s all right.
Honestly I expect nothing less as of late. There has been a trend with this type of coverage as of late it seems. Thing is, there’s really no better way to garner hits, response, comments, and buzz than to take a shot at this team and this fanbase. I’m sure they take that into account, and nothing ‘saves a floor’ like a well timed shot at this team.
Refs allow play to continue....
Great blog JP, all of these pieces of evidence needed to be brought together in one spot and you have done a great job at that.
Sounds like a great false rumor. I recall that when Neuvy first came up, he was allowed to borrow the car of Fleischmann’s then girlfriend.
Rocking the Red since 1975
not a rumor. Flash jokingly told it to the Post (I think. I may have the publication incorrect)
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
Sean Gordon’s French Immersion column sounds like he’s more of a wise guy than Wise. This is an excerpt from his column about Game 3 at the Bell Center. (Note: he doesn’t like Ovi either)
But what about Alex Ovechkin’s maturity level and conduct?
We know, he’s one of the faces of the league, the most dominant player, can leap tall buildings in single bounds, and punch opponents in the head with impunity (see Gionta, B., in game two).
Last night, with the lights dimmed and the kids waiting under the spotlight, the rambunctious Russian hot-footed it across the ice toward his team’s bench – it’s probably the fastest he skated all night – and slammed on the brakes just a couple of feet from one of the flag-bearers, covering him/her with snow.
There are two ways of seeing it: it’s just Ovie being Ovie, hey-wouldn’t-it-be-cool-to-get-a-snow-shower-from-him. Or maybe it can be viewed the kind of classless, borderline reckless gesture that really has no place in the game.
We’re just saying.
oh, he’s that guy.
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
by RedBirdie on Oct 7, 2010 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I bet he volunteered to “fact check” Cox’s new book :)
Pledge Drive 2010-2011: SO KIDS CAN!! Help build a playground
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/french-immersion/bush-league-moves/article1543223/
In case the link above doesn’t work.
for shame!
Direct and circumstantial evidence are both equally acceptable in a court of law. Perpetuation of such stereotypes really is demeaning to cicumstanial evidence!
A danger to myself and others on the ice
Not to get into semantics here, counselor, but I didn’t say that circumstantial evidence isn’t allowed in a court of law. Rather, I implied (or meant to imply) that the bar for accepting it as convincing is lower in the court of public opinion (i.e. here) than in a court of law, that the link between these facts and the ultimate fact which was being sought proven (i.e. who trashed Neuvirth to Gordon) might be a bit too tenuous to infer “beyond a reasonable doubt” that it was TEB. I’m well aware that circumstantial evidence is generally admissible in a court of law.
Moreover, I’m just a caveman. I fell on some ice and was later thawed by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Sometimes when I fly to Europe on the Concorde, I wonder, am I inside some sort of giant bird? Am I gonna be digested? I don’t know, because I’m a caveman, and that’s the way I think! When I’m courtside at a Knicks game, I wonder if the ball is some sort of food they’re fighting over. When I see my image on the security camera at the country club, I wonder, are they stealing my soul? I get so upset, I hop out of my Range Rover, and run across the fairway to to the clubhouse, where I get Carlos to make me one of those martinis he’s so famous for, to soothe my primitive caveman brain. But whatever world you’re from, I do know one thing – Sean Gordon’s comments here were inappropriate to publish, and for that reason, I ask you to find him guilty, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.
The defense (or am I the prosecution?) rests.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Oct 8, 2010 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
michal neuvirth
Met Neuvy a couple of times in Hershey after practice. He came over for a chat and signed my son’s jersey…was very nice…down to earth. He seemed to be having a good old time with the boys on the ice. This article sounds a bit like propaganda…have you ever heard a CAPS player make a negative remark about anyone? … but the Tarik remarks are a bit odd.
Michal Neuvirth, with rocking blond highlights and in his own word:
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
I don’t want to believe this. But how do you explain this away?
a few of the players later corroborated this
Would a guy like Gordon just make that up?
The keyboard is mightier.
Our alma mater is justly famous for producing pretty much the smartest of all smarty-pants.
Still, French Immersion couldn’t resist going down to the Habs’ rookie development camp in Brossard to day to try and match wits with our fellow McGill alum Guy Boucher and try to wheedle some exclusive-type exclusives about his future.
You’ll recall the 38-year-old coach of the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs is the hot young thing among hockey bench bosses this year, and is rumoured to be courted by several teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are reportedly set to interview him for their head-coaching gig.
And so the assembled hacks deployed the mighty and fearsome journalistic arsenal (badgering, pleas, subterfuge) but Boucher, an historian and engineering grad who has a master’s degree in sports head-shrinkery, is a tough nut to crack.
We’ve had this debate a lot over at our site. What’s the point of access if you don’t do anything interesting with it?
Let’s step back here. A writer would presumably not get quotes from players on things like this anymore if he printed their names to go along with these kinds of quotes. Unfortunately without a real source this is no better than HF Boards trade rumors: I can’t verify the authenticity of the quote which means I should ignore it.
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And how often did he actually talk to the Caps? My guess is not much more than the playoff series. Would the Caps players trash one of their own (even if a prospect) to the MON media during a playoff series? Doubtful. I’m guessing he’s really stretching the definition of both “detest” and “corroborate” in that comment.
I am Hiiiiiiiiiiiighly suspicious.
Lockout talk makes me want to go out and choke an old lady - Elliotte Friedman
J.P., why keep this going and give the author an even bigger audience for this statement?
I’m sure it will be on puck daddy tomorrow where the truth of the statement will be far less debated.
This kid is the starting the season tomorrow for the caps – a monumental accomplishment in his career. Sure, professional athletes need to learn to ignore the noise, but should it get back to him that “teammates” detest him, it seems like that could be an unneeded distraction. Especially for something that may or may not be true, and at this point, is really just hearsay.
If anything, I think this serves to clarify the record a bringing out the likely background and context of the Gordon comment to a bigger audience. The comments themselves were already very much out there, but the audio clips referenced have a much more limited reach.
Besides, it’s neither my job nor my interest to protect this team or its players when something relevant, timely and newsworthy warrants discussion.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Oct 8, 2010 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
My two cents:
Thanks for putting this out there. Serious but not fully informed fans should be diligent enough to come here and see the evidence that you’ve put out here. I had heard some of this stuff, but was kind of clueless as to how and what I should believe. You’ve given a rationale but Caps fan perspective that helps this reader a bunch.
The wait for 10/7 begins. This man is focused. Are you?
As everyone’s favorite Leafs blogger I can offer the following insight into the Canadian hockey media:
1. They hate hockey fans and want all of us to be unhappy.
2. They hate any player who fans are excited about because they know more than us and being cynical about prospects is easy.
3. Any player who isn’t currently in the running for a major award is a locker room cancer and a jerk.
4. If he beats his wife and doesn’t pay child support but gives interviews (Glenn Anderson) he’s a good guy.
Basically you should ignore this.
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by Chemmy on Oct 8, 2010 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
3. Any player who isn’t currently in the running for a major award is a locker room cancer and a jerk.
Um…are you forgetting a guy who wears #8, sir? He’s a jerk even when he IS in the running for a major award! Duh. Everyone knows that. Damien Cox told us so.
If anyone needs me, I'll be at Kettler.
by Becca H on Oct 8, 2010 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
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