Tony DeAngelo and the need for change

 

Today, the date is 01 February 2021. The World is firmly entrenched in the ongoing Global pandemic. Millions face losing their jobs, losing families, or even their own lives. In other news, Tony DeAngelo of the New York Rangers has cleared waivers after an altercation with a team-mate amidst further personal issues off the ice. Why do I mention the date? Why do I mention the ongoing worldwide situation? This is a Hockey blog right? That's the problem. The World is facing unprecedented problems, we are firmly in the 21st century. And yet, the ugly side of Hockey is rearing it's head again. 

DeAngelo was born in Sewell, New Jersey on October 24th, 1995. In other words, too old to be acting like a frat boy. Too old for any of this shit. On his third team, with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes giving up on him early, he is in what is supposed to be his last chance to shine. To produce. To, quite frankly, grow up. He is failing. Failing miserably. Hockey Twitter has known the deal with this guy for months, if not years. Many calling out his bullshit on a daily basis, mainly Rangers fans who want this guy out of their clubhouse. Now it appears his teammates want him gone too.

During the 2013/14 season, DeAngelo was suspended by Sarnia Sting of the OHL, his team at the time, for "A most inappropriate statement to a teammate".For many, this would have been the end. Game over. As seen with Mitchell Miller, and the Coyotes renouncing him after initially drafting him after actions made by Miller in High School were made public. This was the second such incident involving DeAngelo. Thus, strike one had been completed. Yet, despite this, he was still considered a high level prospect heading into the 2014 NHL Draft. For most, they would have buckled down, decided to dedicate themselves to their career. After all, everyone is young once, right? DeAngelo seemingly missed this memo.

After having been drafted 19th Overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 27th 2014 in Philly, DeAngelo had a golden opportunity. Joining a decent team, with a good spine, with a talent level to thrive in the NHL, this should have been a slam dunk. After all, he was picked ahead of David Pastrnak and Kasperi Kapanen, among others who would have been a better option in hindsight. He played the 2014/15 season with the Greyhounds of the OHL, having been traded by the Sting, gaining 89 points in this season, with a plus/minus of plus-34. This ranked him first amongst defensemen for points in that season, leading to the Max Kaminsky Trophy for the OHL's Oustanding Defenseman. He also gained the award for the best Defenseman in the whole CHL. He was firing on all cylinders going into a professional career, that if he could reign in the transgressions, he would surely become an elite puck moving defenseman, with unlimited upside. Right?

In his first season in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, he registered 43 points against 84 PIM, to finish 7th among AHL Defensemen in points. It would seem he was making a good transition to the professional ranks. However, the Lightning decided he wasnt worth the aggravation and hot headed streak he possessed, and shipped him to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2nd round pick, who turned out to be Libor Hajek. Saying it louder for those in the back, 1st round picks who are performing at an elite level in the AHL are not shipped in the cover of darkness for a 2nd round pick, unless there are major personality issues or attitude problems. In other words, unless Tony DeAngelo is that 1st round pick.

After 16 points in 25 games for the Tucson Roadrunners, the AHL affiliate of the Coyotes, he was called up to the Coyotes roster for a game at the Pepsi Center against the Colorado Avalanche on the 8th November 2016. DeAngelo would register his first NHL point 4 days later against the Boston Bruins, and in the Coyotes roster DeAngelo would stay for the rest of the season. He registered 14 points in 39 games for the Coyotes in the 2016/17 season, yet his personality was never far behind. The NHL suspended him for 3 games for violating rule 40.4 (Physical Abuse of Officials), for an incident against the Calgary Flames. This incident also cost DeAngelo $14,388.90. He had once again outstayed his welcome at yet another NHL team, and this time was shipped to the New York Rangers along with a 1st round pick for the 2017 Draft, for Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta.

DeAngelo split his time in his first season in New York, between the Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. 8 NHL points in that split half season, does not indicate elite. However, in 2018/19 and 2019/20 DeAngelo would explode at the NHL level. 30 points followed by 53 points, showed the elite puck moving defenseman with an eye for point gathering had finally arrived at the NHL level. This should have been the end of the matter, had this been the majority of NHL players. However, this did not take into account one thing. Tony DeAngelo.

See, the issue is, DeAngelo is a huge supporter of Donald Trump. He took to social media to praise the now Former President. He mocked opponents of Trump. Supported the 2021 storming of the US Capitol. Joined Parler, the social media app for the Alt Right and racist scumbags everywhere once Trump was banned from Twitter. The Rangers had admonished him for the posts, the support of tyranny, the public jackassery. DeAngelo chose, wisely, to stop posting in response. However, strike two.

Strike three. This is where we now are. Out. Having signed a 2 year, $9.6million deal with the Rangers in October 2020. However, on 31st January 2021. following a loss an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, reports surfaced stating DeAngelo and Alexander Georgiev had a physical altercation. A much speculated upon, yet unnamed Ranger, reportedly then dealt DeAngelo a swift five knuckle sandwich for his troubles. The locker room had enough. Reports of rifts in the Ranger's camp had been rife for months, and this altercation confirmed it. According to The Athletic, his ongoing maturity issues, had worn thin with the Rangers organization. They waived him, he cleared. This is a sure sign now, that his NHL career is over. The Rangers organization loves a buyout, and not many will want to touch DeAngelo with someone else's dick after this.

Now, this shows a massive issue in the Hockey community. How stars have a longer leish. How toxic behavior can be overlooked should the talent make you worth it. I am all for giving someone a chance, however DeAngelo had 3 chances. 3 strikes. He struck out looking. It should never have gotten to this point. The NHL is showing it is changing, with the Miller scandal a turning point for the league, however there is a way to go. Now, being a conservative is not a strike against you at all. I know in 2021 it seems that way, but it's not. Being a turbo douchebag, supporting people who only wish harm and deny truth, is however a massive strike. For Hockey to move forward, to the point where the NHL envisions themselves to lie in the wider world, the DeAngelo's of the world shouldn't be having a third strike. Two is more than enough. Everyone makes mistakes. Not many make three. It is time the NHL, and the Hockey world in general, stamps out problematic individuals. Until then, many will feel on the outside looking in. Now, Tiny Tony, time to say good bye bud. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Can Two People Be Right At The Same Time?

 Can Two People Be Right At The Same Time?

2021 does not seem to be letting up on 2020, especially in the lunacy that is the Hockey world. In the last week, news broke that the NWHL would not be pursuing a sponsorship opportunity from Barstool Sports, and in particular it's CEO, their "Girl Boss", Erika Nardini. This could easily be a situation of right versus wrong. Good versus bad. However this story, as with life itself, is not so easy to determine right and wrong. 

                                                                           Barstool

Founded in 2003 as a print publication by Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports was distributed in the Boston Area, focusing on gambling and fantasy sports predictions. What it has morphed into over the 18 years since is nothing short of a miraculous success story, and as with such sudden and unexpected success stories there has been no end of controversy. In the time frame since, Barstool has launched into the Internet stratosphere, created a multitude of heavily listened to Podcasts and media shows, entered the public conscious and been bought out by the Chernin Group in 2016. On July 19th of that same year, the company announced that they would have a new CEO, Erika Nardini. 

This is an important step in the future of the company. For a company that prided itself on some blatant sexism and misogyny, along with some other social ills that they have been accused of, Barstool moved into the 21st century, kicking and screaming. This led to a more mature content outlook, better production of their podcasts and videos, and a better standard of guests and hosts for their content. Barstool hit the mainstream. However, to many, these social ills committed by the company, in particular founder Dave Portnoy, have been too much for forgive. For every fantastic podcast such as Spittin Chiclets (arguably the best and most listened to Hockey podcast on planet Earth), controversy has always followed Barstool as a conglomerate at every step of the way. This may be for alleged slurs used by Portnoy while quoting song lyrics, which can be explained away. Others that cannot are off the cuff comments on race and gender, as well as the clear strategy of Frat House humor that determined that, indeed, Saturdays are for the Boys. The content on their website and shows to some is harmless jock humor, to others massively out of line and this has led to Barstool becoming one of the most polarising sporting topics of the 21st Century. 

Now, it is not my job to be critical of Barstool at this point. Certain aspects, such as calling Samantha Ponder a, direct quote, "Slut", are inexcusable. As are the multiple slurs by personalities on their network. The rape jokes are inexcusable. Abhorrent behaviour in every way shape or form. However, in the same vain, there are many aspects of Barstool Sports as a network that are very positive. In recent years, it would appear Portnoy has matured a fair bit. His series on Pizza Reviews are very good, and give a shout out to restaurants that may not be in the wider public conscious. While his humor is still sophmore-ish in it's nature, the more egregious transgressions from Barstool have been widely eradicated in the more recent past. As stated earlier, Spittin Chiclets as an example, is a very fine podcast, and the sheer status of their guests, such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan Mackinnon, Chris Pronger, Duncan Keith, etc, show their standing in the Hockey World. It is a Hockey podcast, for hockey fans, by people who know Hockey and clubhouse humor. It has also been suprisingly progressive in it's championing of Women's Hockey and minorities in Hockey. The credit needs to be placed on Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, Real Admiral, Mike Grinnell, Dave Portnoy and Erika Nardini. 

This background leads us to where we are now. The NWHL rejecting an offer of investment and sponsorship from Erika Nardini, a vocal ally of women's hockey. While this topic has been beaten to death in recent hours and days, there can be a case that neither is incorrect in this issue. Barstool has mostly cleaned up it's act in recent years, and is moving slowly away from the rape jokes, the slurs. It has focused more on providing quality content. However, as a League, the NWHL cannot be blamed for wanting to distance themselves from Barstool Sports, despite it's best intentions. While Barstool can feel rightly aggrieved, as their initiatives in helping small businesses and Spittin Chiclets shining a brighter light than many towards Women's and Minorities hockey can only be applauded, they can also not be truly shocked by the snub. The hate and vitriol showered towards Saroya Tinker of the Metropolitan Riveters is nothing short of disgusting. While her words may have been strongly worded, and may have been some generalisation of Barstool Sports as a whole and was in no way nuanced, it is her opinion. She does not deserve hate for that. The reaction from certain Barstool employees has fueled this, and they need to acknowledge this and apologise to Tinker directly. Anything less is unacceptable.

However, this is where the main issues lie. How much do we hold individuals and organisations accountable for former actions, if the good actions are becoming louder on the whole than the bad actions? Do we deem Barstool irredeemable for good? In my opinion, no. There is room for a Barstool to operate, especially when the content being produced in certain areas such as Spittin Chiclets is superior to most competitors. However, to do this, Barstool needs to denounce a large area of it's fanbase. Racism and sexism is not acceptable at any time, and especially not in 2021. 

On the second part, should the NWHL have accepted the offer from Barstool? In my opinion, they maybe should have, albeit in the guise of Spittin Chiclets. Having a team sponsored or ran by Nardini, with the Pink Whitney branding front and centre, this would have helped the League grow. Whilst understandable that the League decided to not align itself with the controversial brand, the fact remains. There was wiggle room on this, and the decision to refuse and denounce Barstool was naive by the League. This does not include Tinker. Her words were her own, and she does not deserve the hate. However, the League could have maybe focused less on virtue signalling, and more on negotiation or polite refusal. Especially when partnered with NBC Sports, and the shady past of abuse, the collusion to hide said abuse, and multiple instances of racism and sexism within the ranks of NBC. It feels like Barstool was an easy target, as it can be turned down and no repercussions, which is not the same as the NBC deal. 

 How can we move on?

Overall, this is one big mess. A mess that has led to hate and vitriol all around. Generalisations of those towards the Barstool brand, ignoring the good in their ranks, and focusing on the bad and grouping them all together. The racism and sexism shown towards Tinker and the NWHL as a whole is disgusting too. Hockey has a racism and sexism problem. That is plain to see. However, society's refusal to let people change, and the toxicity of a section of the Hockey fanbase, these issues will rumble on for the foreseeable future. Something needs to change. Racism cannot win. Sexism cannot win. In my opinion, should Barstool apologise to the NWHL and Saroya Tinker for the abuse they have received on behalf of their fans, a huge statement can be made. And if the NWHL can be open to working with Nardini, there may be common ground found. It's 2021 folks, it may be time to open our minds. It's high time.