Will Sens’ Uber video push players back into their shell?
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews gracing the cover of a fashion magazine.
Always-in-the-limelight Nashville Predators defenceman P.K. Subban continuing to be a social media force.
Historically a conservative sporting culture, hockey has only very recently begun to see some of its stars share glimpses of their personalities in public.
The photo shoots and Instagram posts offer fans something different, while at the same time marketing and growing the sport.
But in the wake of the release of a video that went viral showing seven members of the Ottawa Senators criticizing an assistant coach in an Uber, will some NHLers close ranks and slam the door shut when it comes to their own stories?
Max Pacioretty thinks that, even though the players in question didn’t know they were being filmed, it’s a possibility.
The Vegas Golden Knights winger also wonders how real the recent shift towards NHLers opening up truly is.
“If you’re coming out of your shell and it’s on camera, I don’t know how genuine you’re able to be, you know?” Pacioretty said. “Just naturally, you want to make yourself look good, and that’s what we’re doing as a team when we do interviews, we want to make our team look good.
“So you can’t really come out of your shell when there’s a camera on, that’s the human nature of it, so I don’t know how it will affect others in the future. (But the Uber video) definitely makes you think twice.”
Unlike NBA, NFL or MLB players, NHLers have largely lived a buttoned-down existence where being an individual or speaking one’s mind has usually been frowned upon.
“I wonder what it is?” Pacioretty asked of hockey’s reserved culture. “No one can pinpoint exactly what it is. We’re supposed to be these perfect people that have never made a mistake, and everybody wants to see, ‘Hey, he made a mistake, they’re just like the rest of us.”’
Speaking last week before the Senators’ Uber video dealt that franchise its latest blow, Dallas Stars centre Tyler Seguin was asked about how the NHL has started to market its players and their personalities.
“Oh, they’re doing that finally?” responded Seguin, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
“We have a ways to go compared to other leagues and other sports, but guys are putting their foot forward, which is great,” he continued. “What P.K. does, I think is awesome, what Matthews has been doing lately with all the fashion stuff has been great. I enjoy it. I’d like (Edmonton Oilers superstar) Connor McDavid to fall in love and marry some big-time celebrity. I think that would be great for our game, too.
“Guys are stepping out of their comfort zones and showing more personality. I think that’s great for the game.”