REVscene Automotive Forum - Official 2009/2010 Canucks Thread

Sharp tongue might end up biting Vigneault

By Tony Gallagher, The ProvinceOctober 11, 2009 10:00 AM

You have to wonder if Canucks coach Alain Vigneault isn't feeling a little sheepish these days over his remarks last week directed towards Canucks' blue chip Cody Hodgson.

Then again, when offered a chance to soft-pedal his comments somewhat Friday, he strangely chose not to apologize but instead referred questions to general manager Mike Gillis.

It's often the job of a coach to light a fire under players or get them riled up in order to go out and do a job on the ice. But usually, said coach at least waits until a player makes his team before making disparaging remarks about his character. But that's what Vigneault did when asked for his reaction to Hodgson seeking another opinion on his back nine days ago, a Cleveland clinic diagnosis which eventually concluded he should spend a month off the ice to give nerve damage in his back time to clear up.

For the record, here's what AV had to say: "As far as I know, he has already had two opinions. He had an opinion back home from a specialist who gave the exact same report that our back specialist gave him. If he wants to get a third opinion, that's fine. I think Cody is a very young man who hasn't had a lot of disappointments throughout his life. He's probably having a tough time, personally, dealing with this one and trying to find a reason why it happened.

"We've all had times where we've encountered disappointment and tried to roll the (blame) in a different direction. We've all been through those things. Cody will learn from this."

Try to imagine how this plays with Hodgson, particularly now he knows he wasn't imagining things when he couldn't get there when he tried to accelerate on the ice.

Let's see what might be going through his mind as he takes his time off and goes through his physio and rehab: "Here's a coach who thinks my character is such that I have trouble handling disappointment in my life. And said coach is going to be around the team I'm trying to make for the next four years, at least that's what his contract is calling for. What are my chances of ever getting a prominent role as long as this guy is around?"

Would it surprise anyone if

he had his agent Don Meehan quietly call Gillis and ask to be traded. Thankfully, given the character Hodgson really does have, this is unlikely. He'll probably try to do his best to handle this disappointment in his life -- the one where his prospective coach seems to question his character -- by writing it off to a slip of the tongue and come back next year ready to make a push at becoming the darling of training camp. You know, like Sergei Shirokov.

To be fair to the coach, these guys are asked a million questions a year by reporters, and if you really look for things to pick out, you could murder anyone trying to do what Vigneault in particular tends to do so well, which is answer almost every one of them. But this shot at Hodgson stuck out like wart on Cindy Crawford's nose from the moment it came out, and part of a coach's job in the NHL is to think quickly on his feet in such situations and be aware of the consequences of what he is

saying. Why would you ever say a thing like that about any of your players, no matter whom they might be, let alone the most promising draft pick this team has had since Mattias Ohlund? Even if you think the very worst of a player -- which we're certain Vigneault does not in this case -- why say such things?

Even if the player in question has absolutely worn out the patience of everyone in the organization -- which Hodgson clearly hasn't -- all you're doing is driving down said player's asset value to the organization.

The GM asked Hodgson face-to-face, straight up, if he was hurt and the player said "no." And be assured, the last thing in the world Gillis would ever do is ask a player to play hurt.

He would never do that. It would betray all the work he did as an advocate for players when he was an agent. But at age 19, Hodgson was probably thinking if he didn't play, his chances of making the team and realizing his childhood dream this year were kaput, so he told the GM what he had to in order to get on the ice. Right now, that is about the only reasonable explanation to this whole mix-up.

With respect to the coach however, he should say whatever he likes in private -- once the player is actually playing for him that is. Go up and down him all you like, if that's what you feel will get him going, because players don't have to like their coach, just respect him. And they develop very thick skins eventually.

But to make these kinds of remarks in public is almost always an absolute dead end.