04/24/24
July 24, 2021
Logan Mailloux a polarizing pick by Canadiens in first round of draft: The Canadiens selected the 6-foot-3, 212-pound London Knights defenceman with their first-round pick (31st overall) at the NHL Draft Friday night.
The 18-year-old from Belle River, Ont., had renounced himself from the draft this week after paying a fine for an offence of a sexual nature in Sweden last year, which had several NHL teams vowing not to select him this weekend.
“Being drafted into the NHL is an honour and a privilege that no one takes lightly,” Mailloux said in a statement released on social media before the draft. “The NHL draft should be one of the most exciting landmark moments in a player’s career, and given the circumstances, I don’t feel I have demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege in the 2021 draft. I know it will take time for society to build back the trust I have lost, and that is why I think it is best that I renounce myself from the 2021 NHL Draft and ask that no one select me this upcoming weekend.”
Bergevin picked him anyways.
posted by tommybiden to hockey at 10:30 AM - 11 comments
Such a trash move by the Canadiens organization.
posted by tommybiden at 12:19 PM on July 25, 2021
Trevor Timmins, Assistant General Manager, Montreal Canadiens
posted by tommybiden at 02:19 PM on July 25, 2021
Trevor Timmins, Assistant General Manager, Montreal Canadiens
Well, that was ... awkward doesn't quite capture it ... excruciating? He had to expect that question, so it was shocking that he didn't have an answer ready.
Here's your answer Trevor: "By virtue of Logan's own recognition and ownership of his bad choices, he has demonstrated to us as an organization that he is capable of learning from his mistakes and does, in fact, possess the strong maturity and character he feels he lacks." ... or something like that. I mean, it's a bullshit rationalization, but if it helps people get past the choice to draft him, give it a try.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:35 PM on July 26, 2021
BS and if the kid ends up producing 95% will forget all about it.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:27 PM on July 26, 2021
My guess is Timmins was against the move but has no say in the matter and was instructed not to comment.
Bergevin gained some credibility last year by building a roster centered around non-french speaking character players as the core. He's now returned to his comfort zone drafting solely on french heritage. Complete classless move. Guess he hasn't spoken to anyone in New York about how lack of character destroys a team.
posted by cixelsyd at 03:49 PM on July 26, 2021
When you mention a New York team lacking character, you have to be more specific. There are too many possibilities.
(Howard and yerfatma owe me a beer)
posted by beaverboard at 05:42 PM on July 26, 2021
London Knights GM weighs in
Unless I missed something, not a word from Hunter about the victim.
posted by tommybiden at 11:07 AM on July 27, 2021
When you mention a New York team lacking character, you have to be more specific.
Specifically the NHL Rangers and DeAngelo.
Jets, Giants, Yankees, Knicks .. Oh my! Pretty bad time to be a NY sports fan.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:10 AM on July 27, 2021
Man, this kid has put himself in a tough spot.
As a threshold matter, from what I understand of the circumstances, he completely, recklessly, and thoughtlessly violated a young woman's privacy. Consensual sex or not, he had zero consent to take a picture or pictures, and zero right to disseminate those pictures. The severity of this violation is tantamount to sexual assault, and can never be condoned. And from what I also understand, she has asked only for an apology, which he has bizarrely not given to date (maybe advice of counsel?).
So the situation he has put the NHL and the public in is to determine where we draw the line between "youthful indiscretion" and "unforgivable violation." Until recently, the prevailing wisdom would have been "boys will be boys" and "he's making efforts at bettering himself." More recently, and I firmly believe for the better, we're not so willing to write off incidents like this as youthful indiscretion. Our women and girls deserve better, and shrugging off things like this undermines everything we teach them about value and respect. As an added bonus, the kid came of age during the Me Too era, and he has no excuse for overstepping the bounds of any consent she may have given him. (on edit-not that ignorance was ever an excuse)
In a nutshell, fuck him.
posted by tahoemoj at 04:04 PM on July 27, 2021
In a nutshell, fuck him.
Yes.
Fuck the Habs, Bergevin, and Molson as well.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:48 AM on July 29, 2021
Give the kid credit for honesty, although his admission might have been a way to mask disappointment at possibly being drafted in a lower round.
With their pick (21st) Bruins selected Fabian Lysell who was tabbed by some as a top 10. He slid to 21 because of "character concerns", but nobody knows what the so-called concerns might be. Speculation is that it has to do with Lysell's insistence that he be moved up to the Swedish Hockey League while still playing for an under 20 team. Conspiracy theory: Bruins' overseas scouting department, in the person of former Bruin P. J. Axelsson, started the character issues talk in order for the kid to slide.