The Kid That Should Have Made It
I often think about this players path and journey in the QMJHL and think what could have been. I’m not going to get into details, but at 16 yrs old he should have made the team out of camp. He deserved it and earned it, but back he went. To this day I don’t really understand why. It was different times back then and I realize the Quebec schooling aspect of things played a massive role, but there was a player that outperformed countless others brought energy, skill and grit to the group and by all accounts was a fantastic teammate, but was somehow cut or released or reassigned or whatever the hell they want to call it these days. Sure he made the team in question the following year and was a great addition, was loved by the group and played fantastic. He went on to have a great few years in the league and then things didn’t go so well and to this day we don’t know the full story and a matter of fact it’s none of our business, but I often wonder what was said to that 16 yr old kid when he was sent home.
“Don’t Piss Down My Back and Tell Me It’s Raining”
One of my favourite quotes is from The Outlaw Josey Wales.
“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining.”
The aforementioned kid at 16 deserved making the team, I just hope he wasn’t fed a bunch of bull shit when he was released.
Seriously though, cutting players is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and those that say it’s easy or just part of business or job are so callused from it by now they just accept it, one can only hope that some people don’t feed some bull shit lines and then say to their staff, “oh, that was hard, but I think that went well.”
Choose Your Words Carefully
Fans, die hard fanatics, reporters and the so called “experts” better be damn careful about putting things out there during training camp. Unfortunately, I’ve been there and done that and have learned a few lessons the hard way.
Pumping a kids tires because they have played well is great and all and they no doubt deserve it, but to then see them get released or cut is a difficult proposition for anyone to understand not let alone a kid.
There are so many variables in effect during training camp that’s it’s incredibly difficult to predict how things will turn out. It’s like rolling a dice, or “a wish and a prayer,” or you can try to build out personalized “ghost rosters” all day long or you can sit back and observe and try to project where certain players fit or not fit, but at the end of the day it all comes down to what one or two people think.
The Can’t Miss Player
Back a few years ago I spotted a can’t miss player on the first day of Training Camp. Of course I tweeted some stuff out almost instantly. I was so sure of this kids talents and how he saw things out there on the ice. He was a can’t miss prospect that just needed a break and an opportunity. He turned out to be one hell of a Junior hockey player and is now playing professionally, so my observations and projections were right on that player which is all well and good, but labelling players as “can’t miss” or throwing out some descriptor word(s) to somehow describe their supposed value can also be a slippery slope. The player in question got off to a very slow start to his Major Junior career after tearing it up in Training Camp. He got a break and took advantage of it, which is rare given today’s model. Some young players aren’t given the opportunity at that level to grow, develop and mature, they’re cast away well before that happens and usually under the premise of, “well, they’re just not good enough.”
Sometimes QMJHL Training Camps “Hits Different”
“Hits different” was one of those new age/hip or trendy sayings that all the kids said for a short period of time, but I found it to be quite refreshing because it provided some small ounce of reality to the equation.
Some teams have already announced cuts and sadly that hits different for kids that have probably never been cut before in their lives, which really sucks, but that’s where the good and great organizations get separated.
Great teams will be transparent and won’t bull shit their way through things. Nonetheless, here are some things about QMJHL Training Camps or any Training Camp for that matter that everyone needs to rationalize and come to grips with.
A) Sometimes having a great camp doesn’t matter and your ass is still going to get cut.
B) The “numbers game” or the“politics” don’t end at Major Junior hockey, shit is still promised to certain players and on some teams every player is treated differently.
C) Just because you think you deserved it or earned it, doesn’t mean shit to the decision makers, but their decision shouldn’t let their decision derail your passion and journey in the game.
D) You would be very surprised to see the importance of “Ghost Rosters” and the role they play in the making of certain Major Junior teams.
E) Major Junior hockey is a business, sometimes people get screwed over, it shouldn’t happen, but it does all of the time so be well aware of that heading into it.
F) Your kid could have been the best player on his team, had the best Spring/Summer training regime have the best agent in the business and be a high draft pick, but if they don’t show up and perform when it matters, they don’t deserve shit, so get over it or try to understand that this isn’t U15 AAA or U18 AAA anymore, this is Junior and no matter how much you want it for them, shit isn’t just handed to them, they have to earn it now!
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