Note: This was written before Zack Kassian went into drug rehab.
Judgments fall hard on a man in the public eye. An error a man makes in the privacy of his own quiet life is likely to have little consequences, but a loss of good judgment lands hard on the man who has a CH on his chest.
Certainly, Zack Kassian has shown bad character here, but let’s not confuse bad character with unlawful acts. They are vastly different.
Kassian, who broke his left foot and his nose in an early Sunday morning car accident with a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old woman, broke no laws. He was not behind the wheel. Whether he had been drinking also cannot be held against him in a court of law as a passenger.
Sure, nothing good comes from a 6 a.m. finish to the day, but let’s not act like this has not happened to hockey players before.
I have had the honour of working and being on the road with the Edmonton Oilers, the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens through the decades and I can tell you without a doubt that if the standard for a hockey player to remain a hockey player in the NHL would be that he could not be in a car with young women after 5 a.m., then there would be close to no hockey players left.
You see, young men like young women. It has been this way since the beginning of time. It shall be that way until the end.
I know that many want to crucify Kassian but to quote Jesus Christ of all people: He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.
I cannot pick up that stone and throw it at Zack Kassian. Can you? Have you not been out until 6 a.m. showing bad judgment? How about you? Are you 55 now and forgot what you did when you were 24?
I think we have all been there, and if you have not been around that bad judgment, then you have surely been around other bad judgments. And if you are sin free and you can pick up that stone, then you, my friend, are the only one.
Overreacting in the face of sinful hockey players has cost the Montreal Canadiens dearly over the years. Only a cool head can perhaps save them this time, and I hope organizationally they find their cooler heads.
Recently, the team could have failed if they had not been patient with Carey Price who may now be the finest character of a man I have ever encountered in a hockey uniform.
In the past, the Habs have overreacted when Guy Carbonneau gave a photographer the finger and they lost a great player for a stupid reason. Patrick Roy got in a fight with Mario Tremblay and they lost a decade of perhaps the greatest goalie in the history of the game.
These examples are not Kassian’s sin, but they resemble Chris Chelios’s transgressions. How did that work out for the Habs?
I am not by any means arguing Kassian is Chelios talent wise, but Kassian was taken 13th overall in the draft for a reason. Give a stern warning, some discipline, and ask Kassian what support he may need, especially considering he has broken no laws.
If you’re the Habs family, then this man is a member of your family. This morning, Marc Bergevin sent a stern message that this behaviour will not be tolerated, but don’t forget that another message to send when you ultimately want to win the Stanley Cup is that you care for each other, you support each other, and you are a family that will love each other.
We get the not tolerating, but don’t forget to send a message that you’ll support each other as all warriors do.
He’s hurting. He’s failed you. He’s left you frustrated, but don’t pretend he wasn’t once you. He is all of us.
Here’s what I predict for Kassian barring any surprises on what actually happened at 6 a.m. when they struck that tree: his foot will heal, and he’ll be reactivated to the lineup, and maybe, just maybe, this is the scare that is more significant than any other before that will change Kassian so he can put bad decisions in his past.
He’ll need everyone’s support to get there: the Habs, his own family, and you know what? He’ll need your support. Public sentiment is going to decide a lot here. Every fan will have a say and you’ll be heard – the Habs brass will listen to your feelings on Zack Kassian.
Will you stand with him, or will you cast the first stone?
