Sorry, but thats my opinion -- he is a 3rd string goalie and nothing more (at least nothing more to me, I'm sure his friends and family love him dearly and he is a heck of a nice guy and can play the heck out of a deck of cards). And I am not likely to play along if you're looking to use the alleged gumblings from, about, or around, a 3rd string goalie to call into question the Coach's bonafides. Sorry, but its going to take a lot more than a disgruntled 3rd string goalie (or his girlfriend) to allow me to accept "The Coach is a liar, cheat, and scoundrel" type comments -- either expressly stated or otherwise inferred.
Having spent my life in and aound hockey, I have heard these sorts of under-the-radar / behind-the-back / under-the-table gripes from many, many, many 3rd string goalies and 4th line players, 7th defensemen, 13th forward. At every level. If it sounds like a standard administration response, thats because it is a standard hockey team issue. Some guys play alot, some guys play a little, and some guys sit. Guys who sit want to play a little; guys who play a little want to play a lot. And guys who play a lot never want to come off the ice. And its ALWAYS the coach's fault. I was a slow, plodding defenseman with a wiffle-ball point shot -- but you know darn well when I was 18, I was convinced that I should be getting PP time -- and if only that stupid old goat of a coach woud give me the shot, I would show him that my skills would be more fully-revealed with more ice-time. The coach s always the source of frustration -- he makes you work, he makes you skate, he gives you dirty looks, he makes you have no-puck pratices when you sucked on Saturday night. He imposes rules that take the fun out of going out drinking with teammates. The coach is a bully, a scold, a taskmaster. Sometimes he can be a friend, sometimes he can be a counsellor, but he is always some sort of drill sergeant. Don't like it? Don't play hockey.
A similar absurd example is Kevin Hodson. He was a living diety in the Soo after backstopping the amazing Hounds' Memorial Cup run in 92-93. I remember when there were local Soo-based Wings fans screaming at Scotty Bowman because he didn't play Kevin Hodson enough! If only Scotty understood! If only Scotty knew how amazing this guy is! If only Scotty would give him a full chance! Scotty Bowman has lost his mind, he is just screwing with this kid! Let him play and he'll show you! Hodson was great in Juniors, highly prized, but he truly was a 3rd string goalie in the NHL. And was he a career 3rd Stringer because Scotty Bowman was out to ruin his career in a cavalvcade of lies and deceptions? (Actually, with Scotty, he might have been!). Or was he a 3rd stringer because that was about the best level he could get to?
One more Scotty Bowman nugget -- its one I pass on to every kid I coach: Larry Robinson (himself in the Hall of Fame on the 1st Ballot) said of Bowman, "For 364 days you hated that man. On the 365th day you picked up your Stanley Cup Ring." Roque is not Scotty Bowman. But the underlying fact is a hockey truth going back to the first days of strapping on skates -- hockey coaches are miseable SOBs. I played for some guys I look back on with tremendous affection and respect. But I know that for each of those coaches, at the time I played for them, I had a reason (or thought I had a reason) to complain about them.
The old Hockey Joke is that in hockey, you can't say "COACH" without adding the "effing" in front of it. There is no such thing as just a plain old "Hockey Coach," but every hockey player has an "effing Coach."
Anyhow, just my rambling thoughts on the matter. I love talking about line combinations, defense pairings, line-up choices. And the coach -- no matter who it is -- is always open to second guessing and questioning. Maybe Roque is playing unfair with this kid, maybe he really wants him to leave, and wants him to quit, and wants to make him leave. Maybe Roque is a mean spirited little creep. Or is it likely that the young man just hasn't shown enough on the ice to earn game-time minutes? I know what is the more likely explaination. But if we want to play Conspiracy Theory games, ok . . . so be it. To my ears, it just sounds like people reinventing the wheel, over and over again.
Coaches are mean.
Players gripe.
3rd String goalies sit.
Always.
