This Jeff Carter Hate is Just Getting Ridiculous
Posted 5:05 PM ET | Comments 13
With the Kings now two wins away from their first Stanley Cup, thanks in part to the OT goal by Carter in Game Two, there has been a resurgence in the hate directed at Jeff Carter. There are many fans in Philly that hate him for his durability, or his supposed off-ice partying. There are also many Blue Jacket fans that hate how he handled the trade to Columbus, and feel that he may purposely lowered his play (perhaps working for a trade). This is absolutely ridiculous. Of course these claims aren't just coming out of nowhere, Carter isn't blameless and there is a grain of truth in these complaints, but they go too far.
First, with the Philly hate. From what I've heard and seen Carter isn't universally hated in the City of Brotherly Love. Some fans do, some still like him and feel bad about the trade and some, perhaps most, don't have strong feelings either way. For any who do hate Carter in Philly I would honestly wonder why. He was consistently good offensively for the Flyers for multiple years. If they were to hate him for his durability, perhaps the strongest argument against him, I would have to assume that they have forgotten that he did play 286 consecutive games before his fractured foot took him out. He has played through injury, both foot and shoulder, but with that many consecutive games it just seems like his injuries were just at the worst possible time, for both Carter and the Flyers. Lastly, as far as the off ice partying, who cares really? If it isn't hurting his work on the ice, then is it really a problem or is just a scapegoat for fans who aren't getting what they want (a Cup) when they want it (now)? Here's a good write up about Carter from a Philly blogger after he signed his extension with the Flyers.
http://flyers.thechecking...eff-carter-mr-consistency
Now on the the major slice of the hate pie: the Columbus fiasco. I will say this, for all the Columbus fans I can completely understand why you would be upset, and your anger isn't groundless. At the same time, however, try to take a step back for a second and objectively evaluate it. No one can say that Carter handled the trade as best as he could have. He made no public statement after the trade saying he was excited to play in Columbus, which is typically the PR cliche that comes after a trade. If a statement to that effect had come out, everyone outside of Blue Jacket territory would have known it was BS, but would have applauded his professionalism. That is how he should have handled it, but is acting less than perfect really grounds for hate?
Speaking for myself, if I were in his shoes I would be incredibly angry with the Flyers organization and would think maybe being silent for a while, at least until I cooled down,would be better then immediately reacting (i.e. Doan, Yandle, Smith). As a Kings fan I hear a lot of people defending, or at least rationalizing, the statements made by some of the Coyotes after their series loss to the Kings, and I tend to agree. Their statements were made immediately after their loss; before they had a chance to really think about what happened or what they were going to say the press was on them like vultures. I, admittedly biased, don't agree with anything they said (especially Smith), but I take it all for what it is: emotionally charged. Since I was a kid I've respected Doan as a player and, despite the fact that he acted less than ideally in that case, I still do. He went a little far with his comments, not necessarily because of their content but because he is the face of the organization. When the leader of a team acts in a way that could be described as whining it makes the team as a whole look bad (see: Crosby). So I can completely understand that Columbus would wish Carter had handled the situation better, but it could have been much, much worse.
I would have to say that considering how the trade happened, if I were in Carter's shoes I would have had a very Doan-like reaction. I would have been furious at the Philly management and would have said as much in the press (making an ass of myself). Anyone thinking objectively could/can see that Carter was, and had every right to be, angry about the trade. This is where the majority of the hate lies. Most Carter haters love to say "You're a professional, act like one." I can't even count the amount of stupid analogies for his situation "If in my job blah blah blah" where people love to act like they're the pinnacle of Stoicism and preach "just do your job and stop whining". First, let me ask what is his job? Is it to play hockey, or is he in public relations? If his job is to play hockey, then how he handles the trade off the ice (silently) is neither here nor there. Just like I said earlier, if it doesn't effect his play on the ice with Columbus (which I'll address in a minute) then in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter (though perhaps understandably upsetting).
I would also like to add that the analogies that people like to come up with about how they would handle a similar situation are garbage. Being a professional athlete is a completely different monster than the ones we regular blue collar folks have. Getting transferred by your office to a different city is not the same thing. If my office says they need me to move I can say I respectfully decline and find another job with another company. Pro athletes without a NTC don't have that luxury. If they want to keep playing, they go where they're told.
As for many saying the Carter slacked off in his play for the Blue Jackets I think this too is an overreaction. True, his numbers aren't up to par with his time in Philly, but did you really think they would be? Really? To not only go from a team as talented as Philly was but also to a different conference, playing against teams like Detroit, Chicago Nashville and St. Louis consistently, is a huge adjustment. Not to mention his injury early on. But on to the numbers. In six seasons with Philly, Carter played 461 regular season games with g-a-pts of 181-162-343 for 0.744pts/gm. He then played 39 games for the Blue Jackets with 15 goals, 10 assists for 0.641pts/gm. That is a significant drop off. Is that an indication that he wasn't putting in any effort for his new team? Not at all. Let's also take a look at Rick Nash's numbers. In the first eight seasons of his career, all with Columbus, Nash played 592 regular season games with g-a-pts of 259-229-488 for 0.824pts/gm. Impressive. Last season? In 82 games he had 30 goals and 29 assists for 0.719pts/gm. His drop off was even more significant that Carter's. *Gasp* Was Nash, the heart and soul of the organization, also not putting in any effort or maybe, just maybe Columbus just wasn't good, AT ALL, last year? They're in a constant state of limbo; either do a full rebuild or don't. One player, especially a shoot first center like Carter, isn't going to cure all that ails you. I think a lot of the problem, and resulting hatred directed towards Carter stems from highly unrealistic expectations. Carter had to fight an injury early, learn a new system with new teammates and still put up pts/gm as comparable to his career stats as Nash did with his stats.
Like I've said many times, I can understand the complaints pointed at Carter, but I think they're a little harsh. I think it's simply a case of overreacting, on both sides. Carter should have handled the trade a little better, but fans also shouldn't have such high expectations. Carter wasn't the problem in Philly or the solution in Columbus. Below I've added some links to some articles about the whole trade. I personally feel bad for him; he produced consistent numbers for Philly, resigned for a long term but fairly cap friendly contract to end his career as a Flyer, was told by Holmgren that the trade rumors weren't true, then was shipped off the worst team in the West before his NTC could kick in. It's worth noting that his NTC is now taken off that contract because the Flyers traded him before it went into effect. If they wanted, the Kings could trade him this off season and he could, in theory, be traded every year for the rest of his career and have zero say in it. If you're going to say hockey is a business and Carter should have acted like a professional then I say Holmgren should have acted as such as well. All signs seem to indicate Holmgren was shopping Carter before resigning him, which makes his statements after the contract was signed disingenuous at best and simply disgusting at worst.
http://flyers.thechecking...eff-carter-mr-consistency
http://sports.espn.go.com...nhl/news/story?id=5801293
http://sports.espn.go.com...nhl/news/story?id=6697235
http://flyersfocus.wordpr...-jeff-carter-to-columbus/
First, with the Philly hate. From what I've heard and seen Carter isn't universally hated in the City of Brotherly Love. Some fans do, some still like him and feel bad about the trade and some, perhaps most, don't have strong feelings either way. For any who do hate Carter in Philly I would honestly wonder why. He was consistently good offensively for the Flyers for multiple years. If they were to hate him for his durability, perhaps the strongest argument against him, I would have to assume that they have forgotten that he did play 286 consecutive games before his fractured foot took him out. He has played through injury, both foot and shoulder, but with that many consecutive games it just seems like his injuries were just at the worst possible time, for both Carter and the Flyers. Lastly, as far as the off ice partying, who cares really? If it isn't hurting his work on the ice, then is it really a problem or is just a scapegoat for fans who aren't getting what they want (a Cup) when they want it (now)? Here's a good write up about Carter from a Philly blogger after he signed his extension with the Flyers.
http://flyers.thechecking...eff-carter-mr-consistency
Now on the the major slice of the hate pie: the Columbus fiasco. I will say this, for all the Columbus fans I can completely understand why you would be upset, and your anger isn't groundless. At the same time, however, try to take a step back for a second and objectively evaluate it. No one can say that Carter handled the trade as best as he could have. He made no public statement after the trade saying he was excited to play in Columbus, which is typically the PR cliche that comes after a trade. If a statement to that effect had come out, everyone outside of Blue Jacket territory would have known it was BS, but would have applauded his professionalism. That is how he should have handled it, but is acting less than perfect really grounds for hate?
Speaking for myself, if I were in his shoes I would be incredibly angry with the Flyers organization and would think maybe being silent for a while, at least until I cooled down,would be better then immediately reacting (i.e. Doan, Yandle, Smith). As a Kings fan I hear a lot of people defending, or at least rationalizing, the statements made by some of the Coyotes after their series loss to the Kings, and I tend to agree. Their statements were made immediately after their loss; before they had a chance to really think about what happened or what they were going to say the press was on them like vultures. I, admittedly biased, don't agree with anything they said (especially Smith), but I take it all for what it is: emotionally charged. Since I was a kid I've respected Doan as a player and, despite the fact that he acted less than ideally in that case, I still do. He went a little far with his comments, not necessarily because of their content but because he is the face of the organization. When the leader of a team acts in a way that could be described as whining it makes the team as a whole look bad (see: Crosby). So I can completely understand that Columbus would wish Carter had handled the situation better, but it could have been much, much worse.
I would have to say that considering how the trade happened, if I were in Carter's shoes I would have had a very Doan-like reaction. I would have been furious at the Philly management and would have said as much in the press (making an ass of myself). Anyone thinking objectively could/can see that Carter was, and had every right to be, angry about the trade. This is where the majority of the hate lies. Most Carter haters love to say "You're a professional, act like one." I can't even count the amount of stupid analogies for his situation "If in my job blah blah blah" where people love to act like they're the pinnacle of Stoicism and preach "just do your job and stop whining". First, let me ask what is his job? Is it to play hockey, or is he in public relations? If his job is to play hockey, then how he handles the trade off the ice (silently) is neither here nor there. Just like I said earlier, if it doesn't effect his play on the ice with Columbus (which I'll address in a minute) then in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter (though perhaps understandably upsetting).
I would also like to add that the analogies that people like to come up with about how they would handle a similar situation are garbage. Being a professional athlete is a completely different monster than the ones we regular blue collar folks have. Getting transferred by your office to a different city is not the same thing. If my office says they need me to move I can say I respectfully decline and find another job with another company. Pro athletes without a NTC don't have that luxury. If they want to keep playing, they go where they're told.
As for many saying the Carter slacked off in his play for the Blue Jackets I think this too is an overreaction. True, his numbers aren't up to par with his time in Philly, but did you really think they would be? Really? To not only go from a team as talented as Philly was but also to a different conference, playing against teams like Detroit, Chicago Nashville and St. Louis consistently, is a huge adjustment. Not to mention his injury early on. But on to the numbers. In six seasons with Philly, Carter played 461 regular season games with g-a-pts of 181-162-343 for 0.744pts/gm. He then played 39 games for the Blue Jackets with 15 goals, 10 assists for 0.641pts/gm. That is a significant drop off. Is that an indication that he wasn't putting in any effort for his new team? Not at all. Let's also take a look at Rick Nash's numbers. In the first eight seasons of his career, all with Columbus, Nash played 592 regular season games with g-a-pts of 259-229-488 for 0.824pts/gm. Impressive. Last season? In 82 games he had 30 goals and 29 assists for 0.719pts/gm. His drop off was even more significant that Carter's. *Gasp* Was Nash, the heart and soul of the organization, also not putting in any effort or maybe, just maybe Columbus just wasn't good, AT ALL, last year? They're in a constant state of limbo; either do a full rebuild or don't. One player, especially a shoot first center like Carter, isn't going to cure all that ails you. I think a lot of the problem, and resulting hatred directed towards Carter stems from highly unrealistic expectations. Carter had to fight an injury early, learn a new system with new teammates and still put up pts/gm as comparable to his career stats as Nash did with his stats.
Like I've said many times, I can understand the complaints pointed at Carter, but I think they're a little harsh. I think it's simply a case of overreacting, on both sides. Carter should have handled the trade a little better, but fans also shouldn't have such high expectations. Carter wasn't the problem in Philly or the solution in Columbus. Below I've added some links to some articles about the whole trade. I personally feel bad for him; he produced consistent numbers for Philly, resigned for a long term but fairly cap friendly contract to end his career as a Flyer, was told by Holmgren that the trade rumors weren't true, then was shipped off the worst team in the West before his NTC could kick in. It's worth noting that his NTC is now taken off that contract because the Flyers traded him before it went into effect. If they wanted, the Kings could trade him this off season and he could, in theory, be traded every year for the rest of his career and have zero say in it. If you're going to say hockey is a business and Carter should have acted like a professional then I say Holmgren should have acted as such as well. All signs seem to indicate Holmgren was shopping Carter before resigning him, which makes his statements after the contract was signed disingenuous at best and simply disgusting at worst.
http://flyers.thechecking...eff-carter-mr-consistency
http://sports.espn.go.com...nhl/news/story?id=5801293
http://sports.espn.go.com...nhl/news/story?id=6697235
http://flyersfocus.wordpr...-jeff-carter-to-columbus/
As a Flyers fan I feel the Organization really broke a contract of trust with him. I feel he signed a much lower and longer contract than he could have gotten from philly or elsewhere. He gave a hometown discount and was kinda betrayed a bit. I understand how he felt when he was first traded to Columbus but there is no excuse for his behavior. I'm happy he and the Kings are in it. Go Kings
Not all Philly fans feel that way. Many are like me, just happy Gagne, Richie
I understand what you're saying, but I never really know what people mean when they say " his behavior". Do you/they mean not making a public statement? People have told it was a problem because he didn't report to Columbus, but it was the offseason. Yes, he should have called a press conference and said something, but at the same time the summer was his, not Columbus'. Like I said, he didn't handle it as well as he could have, it just seems like people are inferring a lot from his silence.
Most people in Philly hate Carter because of the fact he'll score you 30-40 goals in a season, and then disappear in the playoffs. It happened every year with him. He also plays soft for his body type, we're seeing something similar out of JVR as well.
he was given the keys and didn't deliver along with richard to bring the cup. he unprofessional behavior (like it or not it's a business) in Columbus. for his size he plays soft...such is life. I will be happy for Gagne
Great blog. You hit the nail on the head.
Didn't read the blog, just had to say that's a great username.
Don't feel bad for Jeff Carter, he gets paid over $5M/year to play hockey. All the stats you listed were regular season, please see his playoff stats to get an idea of how his soft playing style makes him ineffective in the second season.
Bottom line:Kings org and fan base didn't bring Carter in with the expectation of 40 goals and/or to be the 1st or 2nd best C/player on the team. A team with zero expectations from Carter (other than a JJ -15) is a great team to be on. He didn't win or lose the cup. He merely met expectations. What an interesting concept?