Stars grinning from ear to ear
Auston Matthews was just having a bit of fun when he silenced the United Center crowd with Toronto’s sixth goal of the game on Sunday night, putting his hand to his ear in an “I can’t hear you” pose.
He had just stolen Patrick Kane’s thunder; Kane had scored Chicago’s fifth. Kane then went out and scored again — forcing overtime — making the crowd erupt. He did the “I can’t hear you” pose back.
Matthews was caught on camera, laughing.
It’s something we don’t see enough of in hockey: players actually celebrating goals, showing some personality in the process.
It’s just “not hockey.” The sport craves uniformity. Everyone in suits before the game and after. Team above individual.
“Guys don’t want to single themselves out in our league,” Columbus defenceman Seth Jones told the Star in a preseason interview.
“For hockey, you don’t want to go against the guys in the room,” Sabres captain Jack Eichel said. “If you lose the respect of the guys in the room, it’s a tough thing to deal with. Guys try and stay more conservative, because that’s how things have always been done in our league. The few people who have done the opposite, who have spoken out, have not always had the best response.”
Players like P.K. Subban and Evander Kane have stepped out of their lanes over the past few years, upsetting the conservatives within hockey. Roberto Luongo has had more success being self-effacing on Twitter. J.T. Brown and Blake Wheeler, both Americans, have spoken out on political issues.
Examples are few and far between.
Now if Matthews starts showing more personality as the biggest name on the biggest team, he could create a safe path for others to follow outside the lane. We saw it last year, when Matthews did the ref-pose of a “good goal” when he scored a shift after he had a goal disallowed. Eichel and Matthews revisited that pose at the all-star game. That the Matthews-Kane thing is even a talking point speaks to how revolutionary it is. Tell that to an NFL player who scores a touchdown, or an NBA player after a big dunk. Or one not afraid to take on Donald Trump or take a stand against a sometimes-unfair justice system.
In a sport that’s craving growth and recognition, hockey players are sometimes too bland for their own good.
“It’s a great strength and asset of our sport that our players are really good citizens,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “(They are) dedicated to their sport and their careers, and don’t necessarily step out of line.
“Having said that, I do think we’re trying to adjust the cul- ture a little bit, where they’re a little more open with their personal lives and share a little bit more. It goes to them building their personal brands and, in doing so, creating more attention and promotion for the league and the game.”
The league used to produce some funny videos, bringing out the players’ personalities: Remember Alex Ovechkin ordering room service using Sidney Crosby’s name?
It will take more than a hand gesture now and then to change hockey’s culture and grow the connection.
“Guy playing football, his helmet’s off on the sidelines,” Eichel said. “You see his face. You’re able to make a personal connection. And they do a better job of promoting themselves through social media. And their game is bigger. Think of a Sunday, everybody watches football. From 1 o’clock to 11 at night.”
Jones, whose father Popeye played in the NBA, understands the cultures of both sports well.
“Hockey is more about tradition and what you do. Wearing suits,” he said. “Basketball, they’re trying to find the next new things all the time. In hockey, you can’t win by yourself. LeBron can win by himself. He pretty much did.
“I don’t know if you can blame the (hockey) players. It starts when you’re a kid and that’s the way the game is played.”