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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Should Kovalchuk be captain?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tony C. asked two great questions in my previous blog post. Does John Anderson really want Ilya Kovalchuk to be the Thrashers’ captain, and is Kovalchuk’s seeming shyness a result of the language barrier?
Second question first. To some extent, yes. I can only imagine what I’d sound like trying to give interviews in a language other than English, even after I’d lived in another country for the better part of six years. But I think it goes beyond language to the way Kovalchuk views his role. And that goes to the answer of Tony C.’s first question.
I think Anderson would love for two things to happen: 1) Kovalchuk embraces the role of being a leader, and 2) Kovalchuk provides at least a hint that he’ll be here long-term.
I think No. 2 is tricky. The Thrashers don’t want another one-year captain. It won’t be Mathieu Schneider, for example. But when I asked Anderson about Kovalchuk in that regard, he said, “I can’t tell the guy stay here because we’re going to make you captain.”
I think No. 1 is the most important. And that’s where I wish I could have squeezed this into the story I wrote today: “Ilya is inherently shy,” Anderson said. “He almost gets embarrassed with success, embarrassed with greatness. I think he has a big ego, because you have to have an ego to score that many goals, but he doesn’t want to convey that to everybody. I think he has a shyness, a humbleness inside him. He has a humbleness that’s refreshing, but it somehow inhibits him a little bit from stepping out beyond the norm.”
It’s a long quotation, but it gets at a really important point. This is about more than a “C” on the jersey. It’s about Kovalchuk truly fulfilling his amazing potential. There’s a certain comfort level in being one of the guys, in not wanting to stand out, or, perhaps more accurately, not wanting to risk being perceived as putting yourself above other people around you. But if you want true greatness, you have to get over that. You have to be willing to risk setting yourself apart and above if you want to lead.
Barack Obama had to be willing to run for president, with the real possibility he would fail and the certainty people would accuse him of being presumptuous — “uppity” was Rep. Lynn Westmoreland’s unfortunate word — for seeking that office. Kovalchuk doesn’t have to run for president. But he does have to step forward, rather than waiting to be anointed.
What do you Thrashers fans want to see happen? Do you think my analysis is consistent with what you’ve seen, or do you think I’m full of crap? If not Kovalchuk as captain, then who?
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Schneider returns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mathieu Schneider returned to practice with the Thrashers today and shows no apparent ill effects from the hip flexor strain that kept him out of the last five games.
Meanwhile, there’s no sign of overreaction to the first loss in two weeks: The lines remain unchanged.
There’s a very small group of onlookers at today’s practice, but there’s one notable group in the stands: Some of the Dayton Bombers, who play the Gwinnett Gladiators Wednesday and Thursday nights.
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