Freedom of Speech

As many of you may have heard, Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane sparked some controversy last month when he tweeted a picture of himself holding stacks of cash on the balcony of his Las Vegas hotel room. 

Some people were upset at Kane for flaunting his money and chalked it up as another example of his immaturity. Kane, when asked about the picture, called it a joke and said that people shouldn't get worked up about something so trivial. 

I thought the tweet was pretty funny and not out of line with what a rich young kid (which is essentially what Kane is) would post online.

But it is a departure from what people expect out of professional hockey players in terms of their comments to the media (traditional media and social media). Clichés are the friend of hockey players, and athletes generally, when they deal with the press.  When someone veers out of clichéville, people take notice. And by people, I mean journalists.

A quote that is a non-cliché is a breath of fresh air to beat writers. In a recent column, Winnipeg Free Press sports writer Ed Tait lavished praise on Jets' coach Claude Noel, someone who can be counted on for a candid comment.

Brian Burke, ex-GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, always speaks his mind. In the news conference following his firing, Burke responded to a question from Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons, who he’d been on the outs with, with this remark: “That’s the best part about today, Steve, is that I probably don’t have ever have to talk to you again.”

Hall of Fame right winger Brett Hull never shied away from a media scrum in his playing days.

And Alex Ovechkin somewhat carries on the tradition of being one of the rare players who speak their minds. Admittedly, Ovechkin's charm comes partly from his weakness with the English language. One memorable quote came a few years ago after Ovechkin had snuck into an opposing team’s practice, which was being conducted by coach John Tortorella. When he was asked by the media what motivated his actions, Ovechkin responded, "Tortorella, pisses off."