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Good for Oesterle to go back home and thanks, Craig, for sharing his difficult story. Players are human and personal situations impact performance as it would for any of us in our own jobs. Will be cheering for him!
One of the things that makes free agency great is the opportunity for players to choose where they want to play, including their hometown team. Thanks for getting to the bottom of why Oesterle wound up in the press box for the back half of he season.
You'd think that the team would stress to the players that they need to be in the proper mindset to play. Some guys will be able to play without a drop in performance but others won't. Things like family members dealing with cancer may take your head out of the game. If you keep it to yourself, nobody else is going to know. If the coaches are told of the problem maybe they can suggest a trip home for a visit if there's been a noticeable decline in play. A couple days visit may cure weeks of problem play. Trying to keep it to yourself won't work out well for a lot of people.
When I was working nuclear weapons security for the Air Force they wouldn't arm you if your head wasn't in the game. Death in the family, marital problems, or just being prescribed certain medications would be enough for a "healthy scratch." The thing is, you needed to let someone know.
Not only do you need to let someone know, but that someone needs to be willing to listen. And that's a huge problem in so many masculine culture zones..."You gotta be tough." "Suck it up, buttercup" "Don't be such a crybaby"....how many guys have heard those very same lines, or similar lines?
It's why, one of the most important positions I think at any sports organization is the team psychiatrist. Someone who the players can trust and confide in and can help them....and in turn also be a bit of an advocate for the player if there is something mentally bothering the player that the player isn't willing to approach the coach or leadership about.
I agree with both you and Rob that emotional and mental health are critical in sports and something that so many athletes have been told to walk it off or tough it out. Especially with hockey which has players leaving their homes to billet elsewhere, making the move to new places when drafted and playing in the NHL at younger ages than before, it's critical that we allow them to develop not just as players but as mature adults. The locker room lends itself to sophomoric, albeit close, relationships but as such aren't as deep when it comes to gut level sharing. This is where sage and approachable veteran players can really help. My nickname for Doaner was Daddy Doan because of his ability to bond with much younger players but maintain a fatherly (Christian) interest in them as people too. It was he who encouraged OEL to go home when his mom was terminal before the season was completely over. OEL had been staying to try to help the team in what was a losing season, yet Shane reminded OEL that his greater commitment had to be to his family which gave OEL permission to leave unencumbered by feeling he had let down his team mates.
I really like this, and echo the need for human connection and holistic thinking. I’ve read a lot of “it’s a business” in quotes here recently. That is largely expected given the expansion draft, draft, free agency in quick succession and a lot of players playing somewhere new come the fall. However, it may also indicate players feeling a little like cogs in a machine. Doan may have provided much of the needed guidance unofficially over the last many years of uncertainty. Maybe it is a gap in the organization now that needs to be filled officially. The payback could be huge if people like OEL and Oesterle felt appreciated and supported, and that reflected in their on ice performance. Not to mention the more important value as a person part. Meruelo’s “family” approach.
Happy he was able to go home, prayers his sister can overcome this terrible disease
Good for Oesterle to go back home and thanks, Craig, for sharing his difficult story. Players are human and personal situations impact performance as it would for any of us in our own jobs. Will be cheering for him!
One of the things that makes free agency great is the opportunity for players to choose where they want to play, including their hometown team. Thanks for getting to the bottom of why Oesterle wound up in the press box for the back half of he season.
You'd think that the team would stress to the players that they need to be in the proper mindset to play. Some guys will be able to play without a drop in performance but others won't. Things like family members dealing with cancer may take your head out of the game. If you keep it to yourself, nobody else is going to know. If the coaches are told of the problem maybe they can suggest a trip home for a visit if there's been a noticeable decline in play. A couple days visit may cure weeks of problem play. Trying to keep it to yourself won't work out well for a lot of people.
When I was working nuclear weapons security for the Air Force they wouldn't arm you if your head wasn't in the game. Death in the family, marital problems, or just being prescribed certain medications would be enough for a "healthy scratch." The thing is, you needed to let someone know.
Not only do you need to let someone know, but that someone needs to be willing to listen. And that's a huge problem in so many masculine culture zones..."You gotta be tough." "Suck it up, buttercup" "Don't be such a crybaby"....how many guys have heard those very same lines, or similar lines?
It's why, one of the most important positions I think at any sports organization is the team psychiatrist. Someone who the players can trust and confide in and can help them....and in turn also be a bit of an advocate for the player if there is something mentally bothering the player that the player isn't willing to approach the coach or leadership about.
I agree with both you and Rob that emotional and mental health are critical in sports and something that so many athletes have been told to walk it off or tough it out. Especially with hockey which has players leaving their homes to billet elsewhere, making the move to new places when drafted and playing in the NHL at younger ages than before, it's critical that we allow them to develop not just as players but as mature adults. The locker room lends itself to sophomoric, albeit close, relationships but as such aren't as deep when it comes to gut level sharing. This is where sage and approachable veteran players can really help. My nickname for Doaner was Daddy Doan because of his ability to bond with much younger players but maintain a fatherly (Christian) interest in them as people too. It was he who encouraged OEL to go home when his mom was terminal before the season was completely over. OEL had been staying to try to help the team in what was a losing season, yet Shane reminded OEL that his greater commitment had to be to his family which gave OEL permission to leave unencumbered by feeling he had let down his team mates.
I really like this, and echo the need for human connection and holistic thinking. I’ve read a lot of “it’s a business” in quotes here recently. That is largely expected given the expansion draft, draft, free agency in quick succession and a lot of players playing somewhere new come the fall. However, it may also indicate players feeling a little like cogs in a machine. Doan may have provided much of the needed guidance unofficially over the last many years of uncertainty. Maybe it is a gap in the organization now that needs to be filled officially. The payback could be huge if people like OEL and Oesterle felt appreciated and supported, and that reflected in their on ice performance. Not to mention the more important value as a person part. Meruelo’s “family” approach.