Ottawa Senators players trashing own team
author: jacob nelson | staff writer
The players of our nation’s capital / Les Gansky via wikimedia commons
Uber video showcasing Sens trashing their coaching
So, the Ottawa Senators released an apology after some of their players were video taped trashing their teammates and coaching staff. The video shows Senators Thomas Chabot, Chris Tierney, Matt Duchene, and Chris Weidman digging into their team.
To be fair, the Senators organization isn’t really at an all-time high. They’ve been having a lot of troubles recently and I don’t think these players are the only ones upset about that. They did, however, specifically target assistant coach Marty Raymond in the video, with Matt saying he is the only coach in NHL history to have the worst power-play and worst PK within a calendar year. He went on to question why they even have team meetings because nothing ever changes.
But is anyone that has ever been involved with team sports surprised by this? I mean even in the non-sporting world, this happens all the time. Most of the time it’s when you’re at work with your coworkers and you’re not pleased with something your boss told you to do. So why should this be any different in the sporting world? These players are literally the center of attention in the highest-level hockey league in the world, so when their coach’s poor performance leads to them not being put in the right positions, it’s the players that normally take the fall.
Interestingly enough though, USA Today reported that multiple studies done by both the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma found that if two or more people share a negative thought about a singular person, then those people become closer. So, in a way by the players trash talking their coach, its actually building team chemistry. Hurray for negativity!
USA Today also reported that researchers at Stanford and UC Berkley found that once people were ostracized from a group, they usually find a way to turn their attitude around in order to regain the approval of their peers.
I think this research is also an indication that this is in fact a very normal thing, and that the players should not be ashamed of the video. However, the Uber driver that took this video and released it onto the internet should be publicly shamed. Talk about lack of privacy. Having cameras makes sense for taxis and ubers, because a lot of people out there try to rip them off. But if you take footage of people’s conversations and revelations and throw them on the internet, then you suck, man.
Jakub Voracek of the Flyers also shares this view. He said in an interview with NBC, “I guarantee every single person who has a boss, every sports team in the world can guarantee it happens everywhere.” He continues, “And I can guarantee that the coaches behind the door talk about the players. It happens everywhere all the time.”
And that makes sense. What, did you think roster cuts happen by the coaches coming to a non-verbal agreement about every player they dislike? Hell no. they all get together in a room and talk trash, so why is it so crazy for the players to be doing the same thing?
However, we were still presented with a heart-warming apology from the team. “We want to apologize publicly to Marty Raymond, our teammates and coaches for our comments in Phoenix, Arizona on Oct. 29. Our private conversation was recorded without our knowledge or consent. We’re passionate about our team, and focusing on growing together, we are grateful for the support of our fans and organization. This is an important learning experience and we will do better.”
Rob Khazzam the General Manager for Uber Canada made a statement via Twitter regarding this issue.
“A video was released by the media today of several Uber passengers being filmed without their consent while having a private discussion during a trip in Phoenix. This is a clear violation of our terms of service and we worked vigorously to investigate this issue.”
Khazzam went on to state, “Filming or recording passengers without their consent is totally unacceptable and if reported/detected, we will investigate and take action to preserve our community’s privacy and integrity. In this specific case, we made efforts to have this video taken down.”
But really, what does either Mr. Khazzam or the Uber driver have to worry. Uber has faced public backlash since its inception, so this kind of stuff isn’t new to them. And the driver probably made off with a lot of money from whoever he provided that video too. So, if you’re not counting the Senator’s players, coaching staff, or executive staff, then nobody really got hurt.
In all seriousness, this will affect the Senators moving forward, because if changes aren’t made, then not only are the Senators a bad team, but they lack any sort of gumption to make the changes necessary to get better.
However, it may still be a while before Senators fans see any changes. Head coach Guy Boucher said that the team has every confidence in Marty Raymond’s coaching, in the effort and determination of our teams, and in the sincerity of our players apology.”
So, I suppose we must still wait a little while before we see any changes to Ottawa’s organization. But, in the meantime, the video has been scattered everywhere on the internet. So, if you’re bored and need a good laugh, or if you are having a bad day and feel like nobody can relate, then watch the video. It’s pretty reassuring to know that even high-paid athletes have something to complain about.
