Gaming hobbies ‘a flag’ for Canadiens scout
MONTREAL — Parents aren’t the only ones concerned these days about kids spending too much time playing video games. It’s also a concern for some NHL scouts, including Trevor Timmins, the Canadiens’ vice-president of player personnel.
“We have a player information file (prospects) fill out during the season and they have to list their hobbies,” Timmins told reporters in Buffalo, N.Y., over the weekend when he held a media scrum at the NHL Scouting Combine. “So if they list video games or gaming or whatever, then that’s a flag. A lot of young people now are spending too much time on it through all hours of the night …”
“I think it’s been an issue for years and years. Going way back, one of our players, Ales Hemsky, the year he was drafted I remember him sitting down, he was slunched in the chair and he didn’t look like an athlete at all. We asked him what he did, he says he plays video games all day, all night. Well, that’s a long time ago. But now I guess with the advent of technology and being able to go online and play against your friends, that can be a big issue, especially if some of your friends are in Europe on the other side of the continent.
“I’m not saying video games are a bad thing. It’s just if they’re not getting enough rest and recuperation, then it becomes a problem.”
The Edmonton Oilers selected Hemsky in the first round (13th overall) at the 2001 NHL draft after the Canadiens took defenceman Mike Komisarek with the No. 7 overall pick. Hemsky, 34, played seven games with the Canadiens this season after signing as a free agent last summer and was pointless before suffering a season-ending concussion.
The Canadiens have 10 picks at this year’s NHL draft, which will be held June 22 and 23 in Dallas, including the No. 3 overall choice in the first round. They also have four second-round picks, one thirdround pick, three fourth-round picks and one fifth-round pick. They have no picks in the sixth or seventh rounds.
The Canadiens posted the full video from Timmins’s 21-minute media scrum in Buffalo on their website.