Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle
I would suggest you have never been around a competitive athlete then. I agree with you, the guys likely respect Bennett for what he's done, but there is no way any of the existing players view him as an upgrade over themselves in the short run, and there is a huge difference between having been around the guys while recovering from injury, and actually being one of them after battling in the trenches with them all season long.
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I am a competitive athlete, not that I have to prove anything with you, but I played with a bunch of guys who are in the NHL right now, plus worked with an OHL team for a year while I was in university. I now coach minor hockey and definitely know and understand locker room dynamics. If you read my post I never was saying that players would view Bennett as an upgrade, they view him as PART of the team. Being part of a competitive team means putting yourself second to the good of the team. It doesn't matter if they think they are better than Bennett right now, and they know it doesn't matter. They know that he's a part of the group, and if he's given the chance he will help just as they would help if they were called upon.
Again it's not like he's just this high ranked prospect that dominated the OHL. He's a guy whose been in Calgary training with them all year, and he's just another one of the rookies. The guys wouldn't look at him as this "usurper" or some guy who is just riding the coattails of their hard work. They would want the team to do whatever they can to help put the Flames over the top, and if they think playing Bennett would do that, they would be 100% behind that decision. That's what being a close group and good teammate is all about, and the Flames are a team full of those players.