Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Good. The last thing the team needs is a goalie who is distracted by opinions of fans and the media.
Just because Smith doesn't "address" this with media and fans does not in any way mean he is failing to take accountability for his own mistakes. (What is he realistically going to say, anyways, that will make everyone feel better?)
Smith has no one to answer to but his teammates, his coaches, and himself. I suspect that whatever needs to be said is said behind closed doors and out of the public eye, as it should be.
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But his claim that the media is making this up is where his opinion and answer comes into play. It's not that Smith needs to grovel at fans feet for forgiveness, but it's the dismissive 'I've been playing great' response to what he's done so far this season that's not ideal.
All fans are seeing is a goalie put up more garbage nights than is acceptable, take credit for the Ws and tell everyone that he's gone a great job. He doesn't need to answer to the fans, but he doesn't need to blow smoke up our ass either.
If he's honest behind closed doors that's great, and I hope he is. I hope that what he says to fans is the exact opposite of what he tells his team, as he needs to be better. He needs to carry his weight. What he can say to make fans feel better is that the nonsense is behind him, he's in this... and other things he's said throughout his career. What fans don't want to hear is that the goaltending they witnessed with their eyes looked 'pretty good' in his - and that everyone is making this up.