Two prospects. Two quotes. Two perspectives. Two attitudes.
One of them is a boy who has been playing among men. The other is a scoring machine that seems to be a man among boys. But one stands out as ready to be a professional athlete and the other… well…
Two quotes, try to guess which of the prospects said each:
Quote from Player #1:
“That’s a big challenge, and I’m really looking forward to that….It’s up to me to show them I’m good enough to play in the NHL. I see it as a challenge, and I have big expectations on myself, too. I hope not to disappoint the fans of the team I go to.”
Quote from Player #2:
“I’m just going to be happy to be part of an organization, be part of a future and hopefully build a winning tradition and be part of a team….(The Lightning) obviously is in a rebuilding mode. The team’s got some pretty good offensive depth and developing some defensemen and has a pretty good goaltender, too. So things are going to be turning around here pretty soon.”
Maybe you see no true difference, besides the perspective that each athlete was speaking from. The second quote seems team orientated while the first quote speaks of personal abilities and limitations and expectations. The first quote seems more humble while the second comment seems more bold, matter-of-factly in it’s quality and assessments of perspective team mates.
Amanda Harris at Joe Bolts Fan saw the differences between the two and pounced in endorsing the athlete in quote #1, declaring:
Just knowing [he] is cognizant of his own expectations as well as those held by fans of the franchise to which he is signed is enough to instill a healthy dose of confidence in me. Talk about character, huh?
Quote #1 from Athlete #1 seems more on par with what the Lightning have already seen from former and current stars – those who played for the Stanley Cup and those thirsting for another shot. Lecavalier, Andreychuk, Richards, Taylor, St. Louis, etc.
And that quote came from Victor Hedman.
Maybe you’re hoping for more offense, maybe you’re hoping for more attitude and color from members of the roster… But a professional is a professional, and Hedman’s perspective shows that he is ready to contribute and get down to business while Tavares continues to enjoy the circus around him.
Tavares or Hedman – which seems more appealing?
| John Tavares – the tools, the talent, the touch, the ‘tude! | 10 |
| Victor Hedman – cool, professional, prepared, self-aware | 80 |
