First Claude Lemieux, now Jason Allison and Theoren Fleury.
Two players that have seen better days, yet they follow in the footsteps of many just like them. Too many. Players who have had a nice little picnic in the National Hockey League, achieved mediocre careers - at best - and made millions of dollars doing so.
They've been there, done that and got a t-shirt to prove it.
Yet for some reason, after time away from the game, they decide they have the desire to comeback and play. What do they expect to do? They couldn't amass more than 40 points in their prime, so what makes them think they are going to be productive now?
Allison looks like a canoeist stuck in cement thus far in the pre-season. He's trying real hard to move but he isn't going anywhere. The strong part of his game was his play-making ability. Now you have to be able to actually keep up to the scorers to give them the puck.
Fleury on the other hand, with his speed he can still keep up to the play, but lets be honest, he's never really had anything close to resembling soft hands. He looks like Michelangelo's "David" trying to cut down a Red Oak tree.
These old men who obviously couldn't hack it in the league the first time around are coming back for seconds. That's like the Ottawa Senators bringing back Alexandre Daigle or the San Diego Chargers bringing back Ryan Leaf.
Maybe it's the mentality that these guys can't handle seeing young talent run the league that used to be dominated by the old savvy veterans so they think that they are going to come back and make a difference. Instead, it's actually making the old guys look worse because it's opening up the eyes of the fans to how much the game has evolved.
Maybe its just their competitive nature. If that's the case, they should turn their attention to lawn bowling or tennis and away from the ice for the benefit of all of us.
Look at Michael Jordan, the self-proclaimed most competitive man alive and despite Austin Kent's point-of-view (a view obviously obstructed by blinders), him coming back to play for the Washington Wizards was an absolute dark spot on what is one of the best careers by anyone in professional sports.
Even "Mr. Hockey" Gordie Howe did it to play with his sons in the IHL. But what about fans that saw Howe play for the first time at the age of 70? They have a stilted sense of what sort of hockey player he was, which diminishes his legacy.
These players come back because they say they still have the drive to play the game and still feel that they can at the highest level in the world. That teams are even granting these guys tryouts is not only disturbing (the talent pool is not nearly that low) but it's also giving others hope that they can do the same thing.
The last thing hockey needs is Tom Barrasso or Darren Puppa thinking they can strap on the pads for a couple more years to collect a paycheck.
Current Comments
3 comments so far (post your own)"These old men who obviously couldn't hack it in the league the first time around are coming back for seconds."
Couldn't hack it? Lemieux is a 4-time stanley cup winner and Conn Smythe winner in 1995. Theo Fleury has won the cup once and added an Olympic Gold Medal. Even Jason Allison was an above average player who made an impact when he was in his prime.
"They couldn't amass more than 40 points in their prime, so what makes them think they are going to be productive now?"
C'mon now! Did you not look at the stats before you wrote this? Here's a briefing in case your readers don't know: of his 15 full seasons in the NHL (not shortened by injury), Claude Lemieux amassed less than 40 points only two times. In 91-92 He had 41 GOALS and 68 points. Theo Fleury has had two 100+ point seasons (90-91, 92-93) and added 51 goals in 90-91. Fleury's 96 points in 95-96 wasn't so bad either. Any player would be happy to produce those kind of #'s. Even in his last full season in the NHL Fleury still tallied 63 points for the Rangers while he was drunk and stoned most of the time. Jason Allison was a little more human, but he still put in 36 goals and 95 points in 2000-2001. Putting up those #'s last year would have put him just behind Pavel Datsyuk and before Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuck, Ryan Getzlaf and Jarome Iginla for points.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put you down, but I think that your opinion is way off the mark. Theo is trying to play again so he can end his career on his own terms. Getting suspended indefinitely by the NHL for substance abuse is no way to retire. Jason is playing so he can try to prove that he can still do it physically. After almost having your career ended by a neck injury, it's not surprising. Claude Lemieux? Your guess is as good as mine. I think he just wanted a chance at another cup so he could say he won one with 4 different teams.
I have to say that I do agree with one point you made here: that Michael Jordan's comeback with the Washington Wizards was a huge mistake. Period. No question about that.
I just think you're being too harsh on these other guys. If they can keep up with the speed of the game, give them a chance. If not, send them packing. Simple as that. No GM is going to sacrifice a place on their team just to be nice to an old player.
Posted by RedMIle on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 @ 4:31pm
RedMile:
"Couldn't hack it? Lemieux is a 4-time stanley cup winner and Conn Smythe winner in 1995. Theo Fleury has won the cup once and added an Olympic Gold Medal. Even Jason Allison was an above average player who made an impact when he was in his prime."
You can't honestly believe that these three players were "impact" players? Lemieux was a coat-tail rider his entire career and ended up on some good teams among his travels through the league and Fleury was mediocre at best and had very little if anything to do with his gold medal. The only "impact" Allison left was on the fans ... because they're still pulling out their hair after watching him play.
I thought - wrong apparantly - that it was obvious that the 40 points comment was sarcasm. Sorry.
As for why Fleury is coming back - it doesn't matter WHY he's coming back because he shouldn't be. Sure he was a fan-favourite in Calgary because everyone loves the underdog which is why he's getting so much attention during his comeback.
The fact that these guys are even taking up a spot at training camp is crushing another kids dream of going to an NHL camp - which is the problem.
Plus it's just sad to watch.
Posted by Chris on Thursday, September 24, 2009 @ 11:25am
Now, c'mon Pope, this is a little over the top.
I respect your point of view on Lemieux. I agree that he couldn't hack it at this point in his career, but I will give him this: he set out to do something, and he did it.
Same goes to Allison and Fleury.
Now, with that said, I ask you this (and no disrespect while saying it): if you were to break your hand and couldn't write for The Good Point anymore (ie. Allison getting hurt and not playing) would you not attempt to make a comeback?
These guys don't do it for their legacy, they do it because they love the game.
Posted by Mike Wilson on Friday, October 2, 2009 @ 10:43pm