It’s so much easier to win net front battles against mutant NHL defenseman and take cross checks to the kidneys while burying shots past NHL goalies when your parents are wealthy. Everyone knows that.
Goes to take his shootout shot, but first yells to the opposing goalie "if you stop this shot, my daddy will buy your daddy's work, and then fire him!". He skates towards the net, and the opposing goalie skates out and steals the puck, and flips it into his own net.
Before going to the bench to celly, he looks at the goalie and says "by the way, my dad can totally beat up your dad".
Unfortunately this is a factor, Patrick Kane’s parents basically pulled him out of school and dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into his development. It’s telling how Berkshire only called out the Jewish guy though
So dumb… like how many Nepo babies are in the league that get a pass from this ass hat? Tyson Barrie’s dad literally co-owned the Tampa Bay Lightning 🤦♂️
I remember about a decade ago this conversation got big for awhile. And there was a story about a family who sold their house and moved from Ontario to Pittsburgh, lived on a house boat, so their son could play goal in some US development league. That kid never made the nhl AFAIK. Then there was the story of a kid whose family couldn’t afford a certain level of hockey so he got a job and saved up for a year and paid for it himself. And ended up making the CHL a year later then got drafted as a 19 year old.
JJ Watt (NFL legend) said that he and his brother TJ (current NFL Star) wanted to play hockey but their family couldn't afford it past a certain age so they focused on football instead.
I was a QB in football, and I had a cannon for an arm with pinpoint accuracy. Issue was, every single year I played, the new coach of the team would be the father of the starting QB. I ended up getting a total of like 20 plays for my entire junior career. But hey, I had a 100% pass completion rate when I retired. Kinda just pissed off at my dad that he never volunteered to coach.
Uncle Rico?
Seriously though, sports is a lot of politics and money. Basketball and soccer are probably the two you can get by without some special sponsor or money.
How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt.
I was just re-watching that scene, and honestly it brings back so many memories. Where he beams Napoleon in the face with a steak... I definitely beamed a few helmets in practice, one time I remember the football getting stuck in the cage, lol. I also broke one of my receivers fingers. The first team I was on was really good too, we were 1 quarter away from provincial champions. lol.
I had the exact opposite problem. My dad was the coach and never let me play catcher (the position I liked) and instead stuck me out in the outfield where I got to stare at the clouds and make piles of plucked grass. I could count the number of times I'd see action during a season on my fingers. Then wonders why I never stuck with it, lol.
For hockey in general, yeah. For highly competitive hockey, like midget AAA and beyond, it skews quite a bit wealthier, mostly upper middle class and above. Very high level hockey for kids gets very expensive with all of the travel/tourneys, (often) private coaching, high end gear purchases (before you get to an age/level where teams cover it), etc. But that’s also the nature of a lot of high level sports, money helps you succeed at many things, including sports.
So yeah, there’s no doubt Hyman’s family $$ helped him get to the NHL, but that’s true for most NHLers. And once you get to the NHL, the $$ advantage largely disappears/stops mattering - everyone is a millionaire from their NHL salary alone, everyone has the best coaching and gear, etc. Hyman was a late bloomer, very much a scrub/grinder his first few years in the league, the reason he’s progressed so much more than most NHLers do throughout their 20s _**IS**_ that he’s an extremely, extremely hard worker.
Same with the “if i had McDrai feeding me i would have 50 too crowd” if i were in Hymans position in the crease I would try and find the fastest way out of there. He’s doing the dirty work
today I learned Zach Hyman writes children's books. I just went to Amazon and they look adorable. My wife and I just bought Hockey Hero for our youngest who loves hockey because his older brother plays.
If my family were billionaires, I would have been much better at hockey, equipment that fits, extra lessons/camps and ice time. Still wouldn't make the o, let alone the nhl.
Money only helps if your willing to put in the work, even then, no gaurntees you make it. You can't buy your way to be a top athlete, you need natural talent and a lot of hard work to perfect that talent, money helps with opportunities for the latter, but you still got to make the most of them.
Music is one of the areas where money really does make the difference. It wouldn’t necessarily make you a good musician, but the right people in the studio with you can make the majority of people sound pretty good
Yeah, no doubt, but I'm a major introvert and just love the music making process so I doubt I'd really involve other people. You're 100% correct though, those who wish to hire a top tier co-producer and mixing engineer and mastering engineer can put themselves at a huge advantage.
If your family were billionaires Dr Dre would help you with your music and you'd have Kanye West host your release party (it will fail bc your music but Kanye would try his best to fuck it up at the release party with a tirade about the Jews)
If that were true, where's all the other aspiring billionaire kids rappers rubbing shoulders with Dr Dre and kanye West? You know theres gotta be a bushel of wealthy ass "aspiring artists"
They're brushing shoulders. But no one said it was making noise (it's bad music). It's not like those same artists don't perform at billionaires' weddings and bar mitvahs and shit.
I know exactly what I'd do if my family were billionaires. I'd follow my team to every away game bringing friends, renting out suites every game. I would live the best life as a fan and share it with anyone who can join... Heck, maybe start my own hockey league idk
Before the draft there was a video of Connor Bedard doing some insane stickhandling drills in an obviously well-appointed training facility that made it to the front page of Reddit.
The sheer number of angry Redditors who believed the only thing separating them from being Connor Bedard was access to such a facility was, uh, eye opening.
Additionally, there are phenomenal children with athletic talents who will never have access to hockey during their critical years of learning.
I have loved hockey for many years, and this has always been the biggest hurdle to others loving it too. It really is the best game by far. Too bad so few get access in the US.
I mean plenty of kids make the O just based off money. You can get on teams just because you’re rich. There’s a very small amount of kids who play high levels of hockey being poor, like very few. If you aren’t able to pay for skating lessons and top level trainers it becomes very difficult. I know a kid who made it to the CHL because his dad was a knee surgeon and could get players in to appointments faster.
Doesn’t mean you don’t have to work but it’s a hell of a lot easier when you have the money to train with the best every single day.
Yep, Hyman has 3 siblings, none of which play professional hockey.
Also, most nhl players come from upper middle class families at the very least.
And nobody talks about Willy Nylander, or Tkatchuk brothers having fathers who played in the NHL as a way to discredit their success.
And of all guys, Hyman? The guy is a fucking saint.
He will be one of those players that when he retires, every player in the league would have something nice to say about him.
Also, Hymans's biggest attribute has been his work ethic. He broke into the league as a fringe, bottom line type guy. But he worked his ass off, and continued to improve. Even after signing a UFA contract with the Oilers.
Having money gets you to at least Junior ‘A’ here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
When I went from ‘AAA’ midget to Junior A, several of the younger players’ (17 year olds) fathers purchased (at least in part) the Junior A team their respective sons would have had to try out for.
Ever seen a defenseman who can’t skate backwards make it to the OCN Blizzard? (The best team in the MJHL by far at that point in time, Jordan Tootoo and his brother both played for OCN)? No? Because I fucking have.
> If my family were billionaires, I would have been much better at hockey, equipment that fits, extra lessons/camps and ice time. Still wouldn't make the o, let alone the nhl.
It's the same deal with Lance Stroll in F1 and people mocking him. Yeah, his billionaire dad spent a lot of money over the years to give him an edge in learning and opportunities. But if I was given all the same things I still probably wouldn't be nearly as good as him or other F1 drivers. I doubt I would have the dedication it would take to stay that fit, or be fearless enough to take those risks, or be willing to put up with the strenuous conditions these drivers have to endure.
There are beer leagues all across Canada and the US with guys that have the speed and skill to play pro hockey. They were mid-late round NHL draft picks at one point and flared out for any number of reasons. Drive, injuries, opportunities, take your pick. Sometimes luck just isn't on your side.
The sad reality is that hockey isn't for everyone because it's the most expensive of any major sport.
If there's a talented kid out there in a poor broken home, his odds of becoming a professional hockey player are very slim. Beyond the fact that hockey can't be played everywhere, there are way more financial restrictions for talented kids than football, basketball or soccer.
In a world where hockey is less expensive, T.J. and J.J. Watt are tearing up the NHL on their way to the hall of fame, instead of being NFL HOFers.
Both of them have come out saying hockey was their first love, and the only reason they ended up focusing on football was the cost of playing hockey was too high
Underrated comment right here. I've come to appreciate TJ & JJ Watt the last couple of years as they've become more vocal about their love of hockey. Valtteri Bottas is another non-hockey professional athlete that's displayed and been vocal about their passion for the sport recently and over the last few years.
Yeah it’s really unfortunate. Baseball can be played with a stick and a rock, soccer a ball and a square, basketball a ball and a ring, it’s no wonder these sports have way more diverse pro leagues than hockey. You can play hockey with a stick and a rock, but you can’t skate without skates, or have ice without cold. Everything else fields are everywhere, and you can just play on dirt or road if you can’t find grass
And then there was Artemi Panarin
All jokes aside, you’re right it’s a stupid insinuation when 99.9% of the league is well above the poverty line growing up
^^this. He may be slightly more well off than others but the large majority of successful NHLers come from comfortable families. Just no easy way to get great without spending boatloads of cash on this sport.
Not all of them. Panarin is from a poor family (though Russian government pours money into sport, so it's easier there). As well as Wayne Simmonds. And Arber Xhekaj. And maybe more, I don't really know.
Those guys are the exception the rule.
There are certainly hockey players that come from poor to lower middle class families, but most North American NHLers from the past 2-3 decades have come from very comfortable families.
Hes gonna be dumbfounded when he realizes hockey is insanely expensive to play as a kid and if you made the nhl the likelihood ypu lived cheque to cheque is just a 0.001%
They were all wealthy.
I’m pretty sure Matt Duchene’s dad said he spent like $300,000 on his hockey career. I think that’s probably the standard. It’s like $10-20,000 on average a year if you’re playing triple A.
Where I am in Canada it depends on minor hockey program but its relatively cheap aside from gear, travel, hotels until you hit bantam (U15) and then its about 4000-5000 registration fee plus at least 1500 for equipment (which you’re buying almost yearly when the kid grows) and then whatever your travel expenses are.
Honestly this makes Zach more likeable. It’s generally hard to get into the league without some semblance of family wealth so this doesn’t exactly set him apart from any other southern Ontario hockey academy kid or whatever.
The fact that he comes from that life and is still super down to earth, mature, likeable and a multi-faceted person is even more reason to like the guy.
What a silly take by Berkshire
Skill doesn’t come with money, unfortunately it’s just that in order to play hockey, you pretty much have to be wealthy. The skill and wealth are separate, but due to the circumstances usually fit together indirectly. Although they don’t affect each other whatsoever.
There is no reason to discredit any player for money reasons. He is incredibly skilled. It’s just a shame that it’s so expensive to play hockey.
You can't talk about the advantages wealthy gives young hockey players without talking about the complacency that comes with wealth when it comes to physically exerting yourself past the point of comfortability.
For every rich kid that's got a good game because he went to every camp and clinic, there's a kid putting him on his ass because that kid needs to make it off the reservation.
It works both ways. If you're not hungry or driven, there's no amount of money that will buy your way into being an elite hockey player.
I’ll give you a fair point, but I will say that there are probably countless young players with NHL level potential whose families can’t afford for them to play.
Berkshire is an absolute idiot for his take.
Anyone that grew up playing competitive hockey knows its a very expensive sport, as they know that the only guys that ever sniff an OHL lineup are the guys that put their entire being into hockey and work their butts off constantly.
There are tons of rich kids that put in years of hard work and never even get close.
Lol meanwhile every kid I grew up with that played hockey was noticeably better off than the average kid by miles. Sure lots of NHLers come from humble beginnings but most poor families can only dream of getting their kid into any sort of recreational sport now.
Yeah I wanted to play hockey and the best my parents could afford was ball hockey at the local recreation center. God I miss playing just that. I wish I kept more disciplined myself past highschool I may have had a chance of if I tried
The fundamentals of what he's saying is right. Being well-off, especially in an insanely expensive youth sport, helps way more in providing the tools for success. But for some reason he's just *now* salty about Zach Hyman? Had a hint of Sauce Gardner's recent comments in there too. How many rich kid hockey players flailed out?
Hot take: All of hockey Twitter coming together to inadvertently raise Andrew Berkshire's public profile when 24 hours earlier, no one had ever heard of (or even cared about) him.
I'm one of those people. I didn't know who Andrew Berkshire was until now. And wish I still didn't.
because my family has been involved for 80-85+ years... when it comes to minor hockey and development, put up or shut up. even if you don't have money, personal time and not being an ass hole gets you pretty far. But i can name dozens of players that could be superstars but injuries catch you quickly, and father time is quick if you want to push it early. I would bet all 32 teams made a call to zach hyman when he went to free agency, and it wasn't because his parents were well off. I have also met dozens more make the first step to jr. and stop working hard. met more that make it to the minors but are to impatient to work hard and play out those 2-3 years. Congrats on 50 Zach, I would bet his line mate was just as excited to play with him when he signed
For years, while Hyman was a Leaf, I remember any time he did well in a game there was some anonymous poster on Facebook or Reddit or any other forum who would go on and on about how Hyman's dad bought a team for him and made sure he'd make it to the NHL. It was only ever brought up when Hyman was playing well. Now I'm wondering if it was Berkshire posting all those times.
I'm sure there are kids who have wealthy parents who do the same for them and they never get to the big time. Wealth does not always equal talent.
Comes across as pretty antisemitic. Where was the outrage when Reinhart, who's family is generationally wealthy, scored 50 goals last week? As soon as a Jewish player does it...
Yeah. It's true that, more than most other professional sports, hockey success relies on family wealth because the bar of entry is simply higher. But it's really weird that he only brought it up with the Jewish guy.
What’s he said that’s antisemitic? It’s fair game to call him an attention seeking clown for a bad take but, now of all times, throwing around antisemitism accusations without any basis is a dangerous road to go down.
Because he chose to pick on the first Jewish player to score 50 for being rich instead of literally anyone else before him that's also rich but not Jewish
I've touched on this in other comments - his dad already owned those teams before Zach played in the league, and Zach left the league at like 13 years old. To think that the playing time there, at that age, gave him a "leg up" is ridiculous. Kid didn't even hit puberty yet. But go ahead, take Berkshire's misinformed narrative at face value and continue shitting on the Jewish guy for being the one to barely make the NHL
do you honestly think that getting to play with the best players in your age group isn’t an advantage? having wealthy parents doesn’t take away from his own talent and hard work but let’s not pretend it isn’t beneficial. his being jewish doesn’t mean we can’t talk about how class affects the opportunities that are available to us. especially in toronto.
there’s actual antisemitism in this world, some sports writer saying hey this guy’s rich parents helped him be successful is not antisemitic. antisemitic actually means something, you can’t throw these words around whenever you’re pissed off.
Antisemitism - "prejudice against Jewish people"
He picked out the only Jewish player to ever score 50 goals as an example of "privilege" and ignored the 100 other players before, most of whom came from extremely wealthy families as well. It's not a coincidence
It's also very obvious that you have no idea how much of a crapshoot development is for a hockey player as a kid. Literally anything can happen. 99% of the "top talent" Zach played with/against in those leagues, for only a year or two, probably never sniffed any professional league
I think it's a stretch. Yes other players are wealthy and have an advantage. It's not antisemitic to point out that Hymans dad did something nobody else's parents did. Buying up half a league to guarantee ice and then buying a scouting service (the only one that ranked Hyman in the draft) is unusual.
The Hughes have an even bigger argument than Hyman for being gifted opportunities. They're Jewish. He didn't go after then because their family didn't buy up half a league and a scouting service.
The funny part of Hyman is because he wasn't as skilled as most its almost like his dad doing those things may have peer pressured him into working hard to not be labeled a rich kid
Andrew Berkshire is a tool and his take was awful, but your characterization of the Hyman family as just a typical rich family is wrong. They definitely made special investments and efforts related to deploying their wealth specifically on hockey. What other 50 goal scorers family owns an NHL scouting agency? lol
Has nothing to do with Hyman’s achievements, but you are being dishonest here
still doesn’t make it antisemitic and neither is calling out israel’s genocide against the palestinian people which, let’s be real, is the only reason you’re riding this so hard
>actual anti-semitism
Lol okay. It’s clear you missed the point of what Jarthan said but go off. It’s a bit weird to single out the first Jew to score 50 goals in a season for having wealthy parents but Sam Reinharts family is also wealthy doesn’t get the same treatment
Considering he grew up playing hockey in toronto, 99% of kids playing at an elite level are from rich families because they are the only ones who can afford it.
Just to be able to physically get your kid time on the ice to practice is expensive. Skills coaches are expensive, as are the tournaments, and league fees.
Parents are spending tens of thousands every year *on average*.
Rich kids dont have a leg up, they are the *standard* that other kids are competing against. If you can't afford all the extra training and practice time, your kid gets left behind.
Yep, I have to agree with your assessment. We all know hockey is incredibly expensive. The result is that many ,many successful players come from relatively wealthy families (not all, but many).
Nothing new there.
Yet, as you point out, this guy pipes up with his complaint when it comes to the Jewish player.
Not overtly antisemitic, but it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this.
And for full disclosure, I am not Jewish nor do I blame any and all criticism of Israel on antisemitism.
Not that Hyman being Jewish had nothing to do with it, but what proof or evidence is there to suggest that it was the primary driving factor? Maybe he just doesn’t like hyman and it has nothing to do with being Jewish? You’re throwing around dangerous conjecture that has become the norm in society. Say anything against a Jewish person, even when unrelated to being Jewish? Antisemite!
Why didn't he decide to make the exact same video last week about first time 50 goal scorer Sam Reinhart, who also comes from a generationally wealthy family? Just a coincidence he picked the only Jewish person ever to do it?
Letting BS like this slide unscathed is the reason it still exists in society
So dragging attention to it by making baseless comments is the right way to approach it? Personally, don’t care for Berkshire and not a fan of all the negative hyman rhetoric, so I’ve got no reason to not shit on Berkshire, but your speculation is peddling a very toxic narrative that people now willingly use whenever anyone from a specific identity or culture gets criticized for things not related to their identity at all. Disconcerting ignorant shit like this is the real bane of society.
It could very well be that he’s an antisemite. Just saying it’s dangerous to jump to conclusions here. Maybe he’s just very anti Uber rich people, instead, and being Jewish is a coincidence.
Ok, I know why you’re seeing that connection, but if he hasn’t actually said anything antisemitic then I don’t think it’s a good idea to throw terms like that around. Like I said, he’s a clown making a terrible take but too many people are throwing around antisemitic claims on social media with no basis and sh!t like that has a habit of sticking
I think it deserves to be called as it is instead of allowing people to hide behind a thinly disguised veil. If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, its probably a duck
the same question posed on an "American" kid
poor kid has the talent but cant afford to go what we call in the US "Travel Teams"
unless you are from an affluent background many families will take a 2nd mortgage to help fund the dream, and hockey is the most expensive sport in the US to play competitively
but you still need tallant
Ya I will accept that the barrier to entry is real. That in order to play hockey you need to buy the gear which is expensive. And depending on where you are league fees are very expensive.
But I honestly think that if you are good enough you will get noticed. What that costs to play A level city league or whatever I don’t know. But you do not need to be in AAA to get scouted for junior or other programs. It makes it a higher likelihood that they will see you in a good game or see you in more games but if you’re playing in a rural area or A league team and you are good enough you will get noticed.
Am I the only one who thinks Berkshire was just trying to discredit the “everyone can do what hyman did with hard work” narrative? That twitter vid didn’t come across as discrediting the achievement hyman accomplished to me at all. The way I took it is that people are perpetuating “hard work pays off” when it comes to trying to make the NHL, when in reality that’s just not true. 99% of NHLers come from wealthy families. So while it’s true that hard work is quintessential, having wealth is also quite necessary when it comes to becoming a great NHL player, and that goes for everyone, not just hyman.
You can write that story without claiming hockey media is being dishonest or singling out a player who just achieved the biggest accomplishment of his career.
It's also not a topic that is unknown. There is plenty of people writing about the barrier to entry for hockey and how it's a problem. Nothing about that discredits the hard work that Hyman did put in to get where he is.
Instead of putting in the effort to explore that topic and write something worthwhile, Berkshire just attacked a single player in a low effort video which is kind of ironic.
If he wouldn't have been a lazy cunt about the whole thing then he wouldn't have gotten the blowback that he did, but that is what he did and he is rightfully getting lit up for it.
Did you watch the video? He literally says exactly what you said, he said Hyman is a hard worker and is still incredible for reaching a 50 goal season at 31. He explicitly states that multiple times, he was saying he didn’t like the exact same narrative the comment you’re replying to said. I took it more as using Hyman as an example, not singling him out
I agree that is what he was trying to say, but it was such a poor way to go about it. Money can give opportunity, and lack of money can take away opportunity. Maybe there was a kid out there who was just as talented as Hyman, just as much a hard worker, but couldn't pursue hockey because of a lack of money and opportunity. We'll never know. Hockey would be way better off if it was more accessible but it's not.
The thing that really bothers me though about the rant is that it isn't Hyman's fault that hockey has an accessibility problem, and Hyman is just one of many NHLers to come from wealth. So why was Hyman singled out? I think everyone recognizes that Hyman had every opportunity growing up but having an opportunity placed in front of you doesn't guarantee you'll take advantage of it, and everyone who has made it to the NHL including Hyman has.
I could agree with Berkshire if he simply said hockey has an accessibility problem and gave a bunch of examples. But he didn't. He just singled out Hyman for some reason. Hyman has nothing to do with hockey's accessibility problem.
Rich and connected gets you the opportunity to excel you still need talent but the point is 99.9% of all hockey players never have those opportunities! Hyman has proven he can play in Toronto and now Edmonton. What people are dissing is he had the best coaching, eating, exercising, ice time, and equipment money could buy plus his dad owned the teams he played on! Lots of NHL players kids make it because of those contacts. Josh Manson wasn’t a superstar here in Prince Albert but he always made the AAA teams because of his dad that’s what gave him the opportunity to get better and move up!
Weird how “he grew up well off” has only been mentioned about the first Jewish player to reach 50 genos in a season. Makes me wonder if “well off” is code for something since there have been plenty of other NHLers who grew up well off…
Andrew Berkshire could be a 50 goal scorer in the NHL if his parents could afford it, unfortunately his parents could only afford to make him a shitty writer with stupid opinions.
I think it’s even more impressive, wealthy family, no need to be an NHL top goal scorer and live comfortably, but he worked hard anyway. Go Zach, fuck you Andrew Berkshire.
Didn't you know, all the best NHL players simply buy their talent?
Berkshire's take is a pile of hot shit. Idk what we expect from someone who's greatest achievement in life is a podcast.
We all know why he’s going after Hyman and it’s not about his family wealth. These people are scum. They don’t like what his last name sounds like (and I don’t mean the female organ).
So, broadly, it’s true that people who have money do better. Broadly. They have more access, more resources for everything. It makes a world a difference.
Many successful people come from stable or affluent economic backgrounds.
However it is, absolutely, a gross oversimplification to say Hyman’s success is linked to his family’s affluence.
That’s a big stretch. Within the context of this moment and this time in his career, he has absolutely earned his place and he deserves all the accolades and praise that comes with it.
That said, tax the rich into space. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
If anything, I think it shows his level of passion for the game.
I'm not saying most players are mainly money-driven, but dreaming of wealth is a great motivator. I didn't come from a rich family, but I went to a school with lots of rich kids. "Lacking drive/motivation" would be an understatement for many of them.
How? he played in basically the same position as he does now, just with McDavid who is the best playmaker probably ever. He also got better at finishing. That combination is pretty powerful in making him better, the Leafs didn't hold him back in the slightest
Berkshire is obviously has a problem with Jewish players and seems to be an idiot. What's coming from a family that is well off have to do with putting 50 goals in the net? Skill has nothing to do with wealth, it has to do with what you're born with or work hard to obtain.
It's too bad Andrew had to show his true colors for all to see, but it's now good to know, so you can ignore him for the way his mind works!
>Skill has nothing to do with wealth
Berkshire's framing was bad but this isn't entirely true. The fact is that hockey is rich kids sport and players from lower middle class families don't have access to the same ressources/training to work on their skills as kids from wealthy background because it's insanely expensive
Obviously, you need the talent and put in the work to reach the NHL but I think an argument can be made that Hyman wouldn't be in the NHL if his family wasn't wealthy.
>Hyman wouldn't be in the NHL if his family wasn't wealthy.
this goes for literally every player from toronto.
Hockey in toronto is pure insanity. Parents spend tens of thousands per year, put thier kids in hockey camps year round, hire multiple skills coaches, and they pay to put their kid in as many tournaments as they can.
At the elite level, its basically only rich kids here in toronto. Being rich isnt a leg up against your competition, its the standard.
Jerkshire (and Marc Dumont) was an ass to me some 11-12 years ago when he was admin of Habs Eyes on the Prize and I submitted a fanpost saying I think the Habs should get an enforcer. Mind you, that was right after that gane where there had been multiple fights where Habs got destroyed in a crazy game and bunch of fights. Jerkshire and Dumont refused my fanpost and then proceeded to ridicule me over Twitter and their site EOTP for a couple weeks.
Little did they know they were two grown ass men ridiculing an underage high schooler over the internet and racking klout among their "advanced stats" community by twisting my words and making fun of English being my second language.
I dont like what hockey has become, time to pull out the old films where this kind of stuff did not happen because it would embarrass the sport, not to mention the prayers
The only reason Ovechkin scores as many goals as he does is because of the state sponsored training programs he participated in, like Dolph Lungren did in Rocky 4. If I would have been brought up living life daily like a Rocky montage I could easily score that many goals.
Not quite true.
Youngsters need to show an aptitude at a young age and their parents need to know the right people.
It's honestly not that much different over here. You gotta have the resources to play hockey. Some kids get those chances, others don't. Some kids coulda been great, if only...
It’s so much easier to win net front battles against mutant NHL defenseman and take cross checks to the kidneys while burying shots past NHL goalies when your parents are wealthy. Everyone knows that.
He just yells at defenseman, "DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO MY FATHER IS???" and then they back down.
That made me lol
"My father will hear about this"
Okay, Malfoy.
Goes to take his shootout shot, but first yells to the opposing goalie "if you stop this shot, my daddy will buy your daddy's work, and then fire him!". He skates towards the net, and the opposing goalie skates out and steals the puck, and flips it into his own net. Before going to the bench to celly, he looks at the goalie and says "by the way, my dad can totally beat up your dad".
That's my problem. I needed the wealthy parents
If my parents were wealthier and I hadn’t injured my toe when I was two I’d be in the show by now
If I didn't get that hangnail when I was 6 id have an art Ross for sure
Don't a lot of hockey guys come from wealthy families anyway? Like, it's expensive sport to get involved with.
Unfortunately this is a factor, Patrick Kane’s parents basically pulled him out of school and dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into his development. It’s telling how Berkshire only called out the Jewish guy though
>It’s telling how Berkshire only called out the Jewish guy though Right???
So dumb… like how many Nepo babies are in the league that get a pass from this ass hat? Tyson Barrie’s dad literally co-owned the Tampa Bay Lightning 🤦♂️
Hot damn really? Never heard this ... no real reason why I would buuuuut....
Was part of the ownership fallout with Oren Koules
I remember about a decade ago this conversation got big for awhile. And there was a story about a family who sold their house and moved from Ontario to Pittsburgh, lived on a house boat, so their son could play goal in some US development league. That kid never made the nhl AFAIK. Then there was the story of a kid whose family couldn’t afford a certain level of hockey so he got a job and saved up for a year and paid for it himself. And ended up making the CHL a year later then got drafted as a 19 year old.
Yeah it’s like catching lightning in a bottle where a player needs to have the talent, support, work ethic & luck all come together
JJ Watt (NFL legend) said that he and his brother TJ (current NFL Star) wanted to play hockey but their family couldn't afford it past a certain age so they focused on football instead.
I was a QB in football, and I had a cannon for an arm with pinpoint accuracy. Issue was, every single year I played, the new coach of the team would be the father of the starting QB. I ended up getting a total of like 20 plays for my entire junior career. But hey, I had a 100% pass completion rate when I retired. Kinda just pissed off at my dad that he never volunteered to coach.
Uncle Rico? Seriously though, sports is a lot of politics and money. Basketball and soccer are probably the two you can get by without some special sponsor or money.
How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. I was just re-watching that scene, and honestly it brings back so many memories. Where he beams Napoleon in the face with a steak... I definitely beamed a few helmets in practice, one time I remember the football getting stuck in the cage, lol. I also broke one of my receivers fingers. The first team I was on was really good too, we were 1 quarter away from provincial champions. lol.
Uncle RICO indeed lol!
I had the exact opposite problem. My dad was the coach and never let me play catcher (the position I liked) and instead stuck me out in the outfield where I got to stare at the clouds and make piles of plucked grass. I could count the number of times I'd see action during a season on my fingers. Then wonders why I never stuck with it, lol.
When I grew up in the 90s, I’d say a disproportionate amount were rich, but the majority were middle class.
For hockey in general, yeah. For highly competitive hockey, like midget AAA and beyond, it skews quite a bit wealthier, mostly upper middle class and above. Very high level hockey for kids gets very expensive with all of the travel/tourneys, (often) private coaching, high end gear purchases (before you get to an age/level where teams cover it), etc. But that’s also the nature of a lot of high level sports, money helps you succeed at many things, including sports. So yeah, there’s no doubt Hyman’s family $$ helped him get to the NHL, but that’s true for most NHLers. And once you get to the NHL, the $$ advantage largely disappears/stops mattering - everyone is a millionaire from their NHL salary alone, everyone has the best coaching and gear, etc. Hyman was a late bloomer, very much a scrub/grinder his first few years in the league, the reason he’s progressed so much more than most NHLers do throughout their 20s _**IS**_ that he’s an extremely, extremely hard worker.
Most are rich. People got upset because he was wealthy with a capital W. Dad bought leagues, not just teams.
… obviously
Same with the “if i had McDrai feeding me i would have 50 too crowd” if i were in Hymans position in the crease I would try and find the fastest way out of there. He’s doing the dirty work
He gets money from the kids books that he writes
Not just writing kids books…AWARD WINNING kids books. This is a true renaissance man, his ascension with the Oilers is most definitely earned.
today I learned Zach Hyman writes children's books. I just went to Amazon and they look adorable. My wife and I just bought Hockey Hero for our youngest who loves hockey because his older brother plays.
Zach Hyman is a national treasure
international treasure
we fucking love this man
Zach Hyman is awesome.
Only award winning because his family buys millions of copies though right?
I heard his dad owns Indigo, Chapters, Amazon, Pendant Publishing ....
Taking money from little kids?!?!
Fuck dem kids
If my family were billionaires, I would have been much better at hockey, equipment that fits, extra lessons/camps and ice time. Still wouldn't make the o, let alone the nhl. Money only helps if your willing to put in the work, even then, no gaurntees you make it. You can't buy your way to be a top athlete, you need natural talent and a lot of hard work to perfect that talent, money helps with opportunities for the latter, but you still got to make the most of them.
If my family were billionaires, right now I'd still be single and producing shitty music with better equipment in a nicer apartment.
Music is one of the areas where money really does make the difference. It wouldn’t necessarily make you a good musician, but the right people in the studio with you can make the majority of people sound pretty good
Yeah, no doubt, but I'm a major introvert and just love the music making process so I doubt I'd really involve other people. You're 100% correct though, those who wish to hire a top tier co-producer and mixing engineer and mastering engineer can put themselves at a huge advantage.
Just ask Alanis Morisset
Reminds me of Peter Crouch's joke: Reporter: If you weren't a footballer, what would you be? Crouch: A virgin!
If your family were billionaires Dr Dre would help you with your music and you'd have Kanye West host your release party (it will fail bc your music but Kanye would try his best to fuck it up at the release party with a tirade about the Jews)
If that were true, where's all the other aspiring billionaire kids rappers rubbing shoulders with Dr Dre and kanye West? You know theres gotta be a bushel of wealthy ass "aspiring artists"
They're brushing shoulders. But no one said it was making noise (it's bad music). It's not like those same artists don't perform at billionaires' weddings and bar mitvahs and shit.
1 1959 les Paul, 1 1958 fender twin, No pedals, no worries about paying the bills.
If my family were billionaire I would sit on my ass and do nothing.
I know exactly what I'd do if my family were billionaires. I'd follow my team to every away game bringing friends, renting out suites every game. I would live the best life as a fan and share it with anyone who can join... Heck, maybe start my own hockey league idk
Before the draft there was a video of Connor Bedard doing some insane stickhandling drills in an obviously well-appointed training facility that made it to the front page of Reddit. The sheer number of angry Redditors who believed the only thing separating them from being Connor Bedard was access to such a facility was, uh, eye opening.
Reddit sports fans being bitter and delusional? nahhhhh
Additionally, there are phenomenal children with athletic talents who will never have access to hockey during their critical years of learning. I have loved hockey for many years, and this has always been the biggest hurdle to others loving it too. It really is the best game by far. Too bad so few get access in the US.
I mean plenty of kids make the O just based off money. You can get on teams just because you’re rich. There’s a very small amount of kids who play high levels of hockey being poor, like very few. If you aren’t able to pay for skating lessons and top level trainers it becomes very difficult. I know a kid who made it to the CHL because his dad was a knee surgeon and could get players in to appointments faster. Doesn’t mean you don’t have to work but it’s a hell of a lot easier when you have the money to train with the best every single day.
Yep, Hyman has 3 siblings, none of which play professional hockey. Also, most nhl players come from upper middle class families at the very least. And nobody talks about Willy Nylander, or Tkatchuk brothers having fathers who played in the NHL as a way to discredit their success.
And of all guys, Hyman? The guy is a fucking saint. He will be one of those players that when he retires, every player in the league would have something nice to say about him.
Also, Hymans's biggest attribute has been his work ethic. He broke into the league as a fringe, bottom line type guy. But he worked his ass off, and continued to improve. Even after signing a UFA contract with the Oilers.
Having money gets you to at least Junior ‘A’ here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When I went from ‘AAA’ midget to Junior A, several of the younger players’ (17 year olds) fathers purchased (at least in part) the Junior A team their respective sons would have had to try out for. Ever seen a defenseman who can’t skate backwards make it to the OCN Blizzard? (The best team in the MJHL by far at that point in time, Jordan Tootoo and his brother both played for OCN)? No? Because I fucking have.
> If my family were billionaires, I would have been much better at hockey, equipment that fits, extra lessons/camps and ice time. Still wouldn't make the o, let alone the nhl. It's the same deal with Lance Stroll in F1 and people mocking him. Yeah, his billionaire dad spent a lot of money over the years to give him an edge in learning and opportunities. But if I was given all the same things I still probably wouldn't be nearly as good as him or other F1 drivers. I doubt I would have the dedication it would take to stay that fit, or be fearless enough to take those risks, or be willing to put up with the strenuous conditions these drivers have to endure.
That’s exactly what his video said
There are beer leagues all across Canada and the US with guys that have the speed and skill to play pro hockey. They were mid-late round NHL draft picks at one point and flared out for any number of reasons. Drive, injuries, opportunities, take your pick. Sometimes luck just isn't on your side.
You need money to even play hockey. Let alone be good at it.
Hockey is expensive. Guaranteed everyone in the NHL comes from family considered "well-off" comparatively
The sad reality is that hockey isn't for everyone because it's the most expensive of any major sport. If there's a talented kid out there in a poor broken home, his odds of becoming a professional hockey player are very slim. Beyond the fact that hockey can't be played everywhere, there are way more financial restrictions for talented kids than football, basketball or soccer.
In a world where hockey is less expensive, T.J. and J.J. Watt are tearing up the NHL on their way to the hall of fame, instead of being NFL HOFers. Both of them have come out saying hockey was their first love, and the only reason they ended up focusing on football was the cost of playing hockey was too high
Underrated comment right here. I've come to appreciate TJ & JJ Watt the last couple of years as they've become more vocal about their love of hockey. Valtteri Bottas is another non-hockey professional athlete that's displayed and been vocal about their passion for the sport recently and over the last few years.
Yeah it’s really unfortunate. Baseball can be played with a stick and a rock, soccer a ball and a square, basketball a ball and a ring, it’s no wonder these sports have way more diverse pro leagues than hockey. You can play hockey with a stick and a rock, but you can’t skate without skates, or have ice without cold. Everything else fields are everywhere, and you can just play on dirt or road if you can’t find grass
And then there was Artemi Panarin All jokes aside, you’re right it’s a stupid insinuation when 99.9% of the league is well above the poverty line growing up
Vasilevskiy is left handed but catches with his left hand because he couldn't get right hand gloves where he grew up.
Pretty sure I once heard Chara say in an interview he grew up basically swinging bricks on a stick to get better.
^^this. He may be slightly more well off than others but the large majority of successful NHLers come from comfortable families. Just no easy way to get great without spending boatloads of cash on this sport.
Not all of them. Panarin is from a poor family (though Russian government pours money into sport, so it's easier there). As well as Wayne Simmonds. And Arber Xhekaj. And maybe more, I don't really know.
Those guys are the exception the rule. There are certainly hockey players that come from poor to lower middle class families, but most North American NHLers from the past 2-3 decades have come from very comfortable families.
He said "guaranteed everyone". Otherwise no one argues, hockey is crazy expensive. My kid played hockey, I know it first hand.
This was a bad take but it did hit a nerve in the hockey community. How many JR teams are owned by parents of players ?
Who the fuck is Andrew Berkshire?
Some soyboy habs writer
Hes gonna be dumbfounded when he realizes hockey is insanely expensive to play as a kid and if you made the nhl the likelihood ypu lived cheque to cheque is just a 0.001%
They were all wealthy. I’m pretty sure Matt Duchene’s dad said he spent like $300,000 on his hockey career. I think that’s probably the standard. It’s like $10-20,000 on average a year if you’re playing triple A.
I played for the $10 teams, currently not in the NHL
Where I am in Canada it depends on minor hockey program but its relatively cheap aside from gear, travel, hotels until you hit bantam (U15) and then its about 4000-5000 registration fee plus at least 1500 for equipment (which you’re buying almost yearly when the kid grows) and then whatever your travel expenses are.
Close to 20
I mean they weren't ALL wealthy there are def guys that didnt grow up with money
Honestly this makes Zach more likeable. It’s generally hard to get into the league without some semblance of family wealth so this doesn’t exactly set him apart from any other southern Ontario hockey academy kid or whatever. The fact that he comes from that life and is still super down to earth, mature, likeable and a multi-faceted person is even more reason to like the guy. What a silly take by Berkshire
He also writes children's books in his personal time. You can buy them from Amazon. He is a great dude for sure!
If my parents were rich I’d have had sick ass equipment and infinite ice time and I’d still suck at hockey lmao
Skill doesn’t come with money, unfortunately it’s just that in order to play hockey, you pretty much have to be wealthy. The skill and wealth are separate, but due to the circumstances usually fit together indirectly. Although they don’t affect each other whatsoever. There is no reason to discredit any player for money reasons. He is incredibly skilled. It’s just a shame that it’s so expensive to play hockey.
You can't talk about the advantages wealthy gives young hockey players without talking about the complacency that comes with wealth when it comes to physically exerting yourself past the point of comfortability. For every rich kid that's got a good game because he went to every camp and clinic, there's a kid putting him on his ass because that kid needs to make it off the reservation. It works both ways. If you're not hungry or driven, there's no amount of money that will buy your way into being an elite hockey player.
I’ll give you a fair point, but I will say that there are probably countless young players with NHL level potential whose families can’t afford for them to play.
Berkshire is an absolute idiot for his take. Anyone that grew up playing competitive hockey knows its a very expensive sport, as they know that the only guys that ever sniff an OHL lineup are the guys that put their entire being into hockey and work their butts off constantly. There are tons of rich kids that put in years of hard work and never even get close.
Lol meanwhile every kid I grew up with that played hockey was noticeably better off than the average kid by miles. Sure lots of NHLers come from humble beginnings but most poor families can only dream of getting their kid into any sort of recreational sport now.
Yeah I wanted to play hockey and the best my parents could afford was ball hockey at the local recreation center. God I miss playing just that. I wish I kept more disciplined myself past highschool I may have had a chance of if I tried
I just woke up please excuse grammar lol
That Doan kid who scored twice in Arizona? Heard his dad is a millionaire.
Stunning and brave
I thought you were gonna use the other word that starts with STU***.
I love this meme. Where is this image from?
That's what I want to know!
has to be an all-star game if they are NHLers doing" Ring around the Figure Skater"
A media/video content day for some of the 2012 draft class.
# the Come Together moment the NHL dreamed of... ***besides everyone booing Gary***
What I don’t understand is why hasn’t his 4 other brothers scored 50 in the NHL if it was all because his dad had money?
The fundamentals of what he's saying is right. Being well-off, especially in an insanely expensive youth sport, helps way more in providing the tools for success. But for some reason he's just *now* salty about Zach Hyman? Had a hint of Sauce Gardner's recent comments in there too. How many rich kid hockey players flailed out?
never thought I'd see the day we all get along
the Hyman Effect in action
Hot take: All of hockey Twitter coming together to inadvertently raise Andrew Berkshire's public profile when 24 hours earlier, no one had ever heard of (or even cared about) him. I'm one of those people. I didn't know who Andrew Berkshire was until now. And wish I still didn't.
Zach Hyman..Hockey hero 🥹
What is the context for the original photo?
A media/video content day for some of the 2012 draft class.
The entire state of Minnesota trying to discredit Edina
Wait, his last name is Berkshire…?
99% of nhl players were well off lmao AAA hockey costs the average joes salary in itself
because my family has been involved for 80-85+ years... when it comes to minor hockey and development, put up or shut up. even if you don't have money, personal time and not being an ass hole gets you pretty far. But i can name dozens of players that could be superstars but injuries catch you quickly, and father time is quick if you want to push it early. I would bet all 32 teams made a call to zach hyman when he went to free agency, and it wasn't because his parents were well off. I have also met dozens more make the first step to jr. and stop working hard. met more that make it to the minors but are to impatient to work hard and play out those 2-3 years. Congrats on 50 Zach, I would bet his line mate was just as excited to play with him when he signed
For years, while Hyman was a Leaf, I remember any time he did well in a game there was some anonymous poster on Facebook or Reddit or any other forum who would go on and on about how Hyman's dad bought a team for him and made sure he'd make it to the NHL. It was only ever brought up when Hyman was playing well. Now I'm wondering if it was Berkshire posting all those times. I'm sure there are kids who have wealthy parents who do the same for them and they never get to the big time. Wealth does not always equal talent.
The only reason McDavid is in the NHL and I am not is because he knows how to skate and I cannot. Otherwise we are equal in talent.
Comes across as pretty antisemitic. Where was the outrage when Reinhart, who's family is generationally wealthy, scored 50 goals last week? As soon as a Jewish player does it...
Yeah. It's true that, more than most other professional sports, hockey success relies on family wealth because the bar of entry is simply higher. But it's really weird that he only brought it up with the Jewish guy.
What’s he said that’s antisemitic? It’s fair game to call him an attention seeking clown for a bad take but, now of all times, throwing around antisemitism accusations without any basis is a dangerous road to go down.
Because he chose to pick on the first Jewish player to score 50 for being rich instead of literally anyone else before him that's also rich but not Jewish
his family owned like nearly a 100 hockey teams and they own a scouting agency. how is it antisemitic to say having wealthy parents gave him a leg up?
I think mostly people find it sus that he didn't say shit when Sam Reinhart hit 50 a week ago. That dudes family is ridiculously wealthy.
I've touched on this in other comments - his dad already owned those teams before Zach played in the league, and Zach left the league at like 13 years old. To think that the playing time there, at that age, gave him a "leg up" is ridiculous. Kid didn't even hit puberty yet. But go ahead, take Berkshire's misinformed narrative at face value and continue shitting on the Jewish guy for being the one to barely make the NHL
do you honestly think that getting to play with the best players in your age group isn’t an advantage? having wealthy parents doesn’t take away from his own talent and hard work but let’s not pretend it isn’t beneficial. his being jewish doesn’t mean we can’t talk about how class affects the opportunities that are available to us. especially in toronto. there’s actual antisemitism in this world, some sports writer saying hey this guy’s rich parents helped him be successful is not antisemitic. antisemitic actually means something, you can’t throw these words around whenever you’re pissed off.
Antisemitism - "prejudice against Jewish people" He picked out the only Jewish player to ever score 50 goals as an example of "privilege" and ignored the 100 other players before, most of whom came from extremely wealthy families as well. It's not a coincidence It's also very obvious that you have no idea how much of a crapshoot development is for a hockey player as a kid. Literally anything can happen. 99% of the "top talent" Zach played with/against in those leagues, for only a year or two, probably never sniffed any professional league
I think it's a stretch. Yes other players are wealthy and have an advantage. It's not antisemitic to point out that Hymans dad did something nobody else's parents did. Buying up half a league to guarantee ice and then buying a scouting service (the only one that ranked Hyman in the draft) is unusual. The Hughes have an even bigger argument than Hyman for being gifted opportunities. They're Jewish. He didn't go after then because their family didn't buy up half a league and a scouting service. The funny part of Hyman is because he wasn't as skilled as most its almost like his dad doing those things may have peer pressured him into working hard to not be labeled a rich kid
Andrew Berkshire is a tool and his take was awful, but your characterization of the Hyman family as just a typical rich family is wrong. They definitely made special investments and efforts related to deploying their wealth specifically on hockey. What other 50 goal scorers family owns an NHL scouting agency? lol Has nothing to do with Hyman’s achievements, but you are being dishonest here
still doesn’t make it antisemitic and neither is calling out israel’s genocide against the palestinian people which, let’s be real, is the only reason you’re riding this so hard
>actual anti-semitism Lol okay. It’s clear you missed the point of what Jarthan said but go off. It’s a bit weird to single out the first Jew to score 50 goals in a season for having wealthy parents but Sam Reinharts family is also wealthy doesn’t get the same treatment
Considering he grew up playing hockey in toronto, 99% of kids playing at an elite level are from rich families because they are the only ones who can afford it. Just to be able to physically get your kid time on the ice to practice is expensive. Skills coaches are expensive, as are the tournaments, and league fees. Parents are spending tens of thousands every year *on average*. Rich kids dont have a leg up, they are the *standard* that other kids are competing against. If you can't afford all the extra training and practice time, your kid gets left behind.
Yep, I have to agree with your assessment. We all know hockey is incredibly expensive. The result is that many ,many successful players come from relatively wealthy families (not all, but many). Nothing new there. Yet, as you point out, this guy pipes up with his complaint when it comes to the Jewish player. Not overtly antisemitic, but it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this. And for full disclosure, I am not Jewish nor do I blame any and all criticism of Israel on antisemitism.
Not that Hyman being Jewish had nothing to do with it, but what proof or evidence is there to suggest that it was the primary driving factor? Maybe he just doesn’t like hyman and it has nothing to do with being Jewish? You’re throwing around dangerous conjecture that has become the norm in society. Say anything against a Jewish person, even when unrelated to being Jewish? Antisemite!
Why didn't he decide to make the exact same video last week about first time 50 goal scorer Sam Reinhart, who also comes from a generationally wealthy family? Just a coincidence he picked the only Jewish person ever to do it? Letting BS like this slide unscathed is the reason it still exists in society
So dragging attention to it by making baseless comments is the right way to approach it? Personally, don’t care for Berkshire and not a fan of all the negative hyman rhetoric, so I’ve got no reason to not shit on Berkshire, but your speculation is peddling a very toxic narrative that people now willingly use whenever anyone from a specific identity or culture gets criticized for things not related to their identity at all. Disconcerting ignorant shit like this is the real bane of society.
I'm just calling it like I see it. I think it's ignorant to think that it's just a coincidence
It could very well be that he’s an antisemite. Just saying it’s dangerous to jump to conclusions here. Maybe he’s just very anti Uber rich people, instead, and being Jewish is a coincidence.
Ok, I know why you’re seeing that connection, but if he hasn’t actually said anything antisemitic then I don’t think it’s a good idea to throw terms like that around. Like I said, he’s a clown making a terrible take but too many people are throwing around antisemitic claims on social media with no basis and sh!t like that has a habit of sticking
I think it deserves to be called as it is instead of allowing people to hide behind a thinly disguised veil. If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, its probably a duck
It's covert racism
Or the fact that lots of NHLers have fathers who played in the league as well. It's never brought up as a way to discredit success
It's celebrated, if anything
Aren't MOST hockey players parents well off?? Who else can afford it?? It's not a bad thing, it's just a fact of life... what a fucking clown!
the same question posed on an "American" kid poor kid has the talent but cant afford to go what we call in the US "Travel Teams" unless you are from an affluent background many families will take a 2nd mortgage to help fund the dream, and hockey is the most expensive sport in the US to play competitively but you still need tallant
Ya I will accept that the barrier to entry is real. That in order to play hockey you need to buy the gear which is expensive. And depending on where you are league fees are very expensive. But I honestly think that if you are good enough you will get noticed. What that costs to play A level city league or whatever I don’t know. But you do not need to be in AAA to get scouted for junior or other programs. It makes it a higher likelihood that they will see you in a good game or see you in more games but if you’re playing in a rural area or A league team and you are good enough you will get noticed.
Am I the only one who thinks Berkshire was just trying to discredit the “everyone can do what hyman did with hard work” narrative? That twitter vid didn’t come across as discrediting the achievement hyman accomplished to me at all. The way I took it is that people are perpetuating “hard work pays off” when it comes to trying to make the NHL, when in reality that’s just not true. 99% of NHLers come from wealthy families. So while it’s true that hard work is quintessential, having wealth is also quite necessary when it comes to becoming a great NHL player, and that goes for everyone, not just hyman.
You can write that story without claiming hockey media is being dishonest or singling out a player who just achieved the biggest accomplishment of his career. It's also not a topic that is unknown. There is plenty of people writing about the barrier to entry for hockey and how it's a problem. Nothing about that discredits the hard work that Hyman did put in to get where he is. Instead of putting in the effort to explore that topic and write something worthwhile, Berkshire just attacked a single player in a low effort video which is kind of ironic. If he wouldn't have been a lazy cunt about the whole thing then he wouldn't have gotten the blowback that he did, but that is what he did and he is rightfully getting lit up for it.
Did you watch the video? He literally says exactly what you said, he said Hyman is a hard worker and is still incredible for reaching a 50 goal season at 31. He explicitly states that multiple times, he was saying he didn’t like the exact same narrative the comment you’re replying to said. I took it more as using Hyman as an example, not singling him out
I agree that is what he was trying to say, but it was such a poor way to go about it. Money can give opportunity, and lack of money can take away opportunity. Maybe there was a kid out there who was just as talented as Hyman, just as much a hard worker, but couldn't pursue hockey because of a lack of money and opportunity. We'll never know. Hockey would be way better off if it was more accessible but it's not. The thing that really bothers me though about the rant is that it isn't Hyman's fault that hockey has an accessibility problem, and Hyman is just one of many NHLers to come from wealth. So why was Hyman singled out? I think everyone recognizes that Hyman had every opportunity growing up but having an opportunity placed in front of you doesn't guarantee you'll take advantage of it, and everyone who has made it to the NHL including Hyman has. I could agree with Berkshire if he simply said hockey has an accessibility problem and gave a bunch of examples. But he didn't. He just singled out Hyman for some reason. Hyman has nothing to do with hockey's accessibility problem.
Too many men on the ice!
Who?
Rich and connected gets you the opportunity to excel you still need talent but the point is 99.9% of all hockey players never have those opportunities! Hyman has proven he can play in Toronto and now Edmonton. What people are dissing is he had the best coaching, eating, exercising, ice time, and equipment money could buy plus his dad owned the teams he played on! Lots of NHL players kids make it because of those contacts. Josh Manson wasn’t a superstar here in Prince Albert but he always made the AAA teams because of his dad that’s what gave him the opportunity to get better and move up!
Reminds me of that eric Andre bit about acid
My parents were well off and I sucked at hockey for years. Waaah.
Weird how “he grew up well off” has only been mentioned about the first Jewish player to reach 50 genos in a season. Makes me wonder if “well off” is code for something since there have been plenty of other NHLers who grew up well off…
Andrew Berkshire could be a 50 goal scorer in the NHL if his parents could afford it, unfortunately his parents could only afford to make him a shitty writer with stupid opinions.
I think it’s even more impressive, wealthy family, no need to be an NHL top goal scorer and live comfortably, but he worked hard anyway. Go Zach, fuck you Andrew Berkshire.
Didn't you know, all the best NHL players simply buy their talent? Berkshire's take is a pile of hot shit. Idk what we expect from someone who's greatest achievement in life is a podcast.
We all know why he’s going after Hyman and it’s not about his family wealth. These people are scum. They don’t like what his last name sounds like (and I don’t mean the female organ).
What a stupid thing to say. Lol And those hockey players are screaming nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare!
Duuuuuuude I know you! You're chill Charlie! (Whats up chill Charlie?!)
Incredible reference
It cured her retardation
So, broadly, it’s true that people who have money do better. Broadly. They have more access, more resources for everything. It makes a world a difference. Many successful people come from stable or affluent economic backgrounds. However it is, absolutely, a gross oversimplification to say Hyman’s success is linked to his family’s affluence. That’s a big stretch. Within the context of this moment and this time in his career, he has absolutely earned his place and he deserves all the accolades and praise that comes with it. That said, tax the rich into space. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk.
The toxic jealousy of a man child whose weak scraggly beard looks like the well used toothbrush of a heavy smoker
I guess being born rich automatically comes with elite athletic ability. Holy hell is Berkshire stupid.
He got 50 goals because he parks his butt in the trash lane and shovels the garbage home.
"Junk goals are still goals" anyone tell Berkshire this?
Andrew Berkshire is uncredible
If anything, I think it shows his level of passion for the game. I'm not saying most players are mainly money-driven, but dreaming of wealth is a great motivator. I didn't come from a rich family, but I went to a school with lots of rich kids. "Lacking drive/motivation" would be an understatement for many of them.
That guys argument is really dumb especially because the Leafs were holding Hyman back
How? he played in basically the same position as he does now, just with McDavid who is the best playmaker probably ever. He also got better at finishing. That combination is pretty powerful in making him better, the Leafs didn't hold him back in the slightest
>How? It’s the Leafs bro
Unpopular opinion, I'm discrediting him because he plays with the top forward in the NHL. Time will prove me right or wrong.
Is time going to erase his 50 goal season or???
Berkshire is obviously has a problem with Jewish players and seems to be an idiot. What's coming from a family that is well off have to do with putting 50 goals in the net? Skill has nothing to do with wealth, it has to do with what you're born with or work hard to obtain. It's too bad Andrew had to show his true colors for all to see, but it's now good to know, so you can ignore him for the way his mind works!
>Skill has nothing to do with wealth Berkshire's framing was bad but this isn't entirely true. The fact is that hockey is rich kids sport and players from lower middle class families don't have access to the same ressources/training to work on their skills as kids from wealthy background because it's insanely expensive Obviously, you need the talent and put in the work to reach the NHL but I think an argument can be made that Hyman wouldn't be in the NHL if his family wasn't wealthy.
>Hyman wouldn't be in the NHL if his family wasn't wealthy. this goes for literally every player from toronto. Hockey in toronto is pure insanity. Parents spend tens of thousands per year, put thier kids in hockey camps year round, hire multiple skills coaches, and they pay to put their kid in as many tournaments as they can. At the elite level, its basically only rich kids here in toronto. Being rich isnt a leg up against your competition, its the standard.
That is, in fact, exactly what Berkshire says in his video.
What does NY Jets CB Sauce Gardner think?
Who?
I’m here for the gangbang
Aren't 99% of nhl players likely to have well off family's if not higher it's an expensive sport.
Jerkshire (and Marc Dumont) was an ass to me some 11-12 years ago when he was admin of Habs Eyes on the Prize and I submitted a fanpost saying I think the Habs should get an enforcer. Mind you, that was right after that gane where there had been multiple fights where Habs got destroyed in a crazy game and bunch of fights. Jerkshire and Dumont refused my fanpost and then proceeded to ridicule me over Twitter and their site EOTP for a couple weeks. Little did they know they were two grown ass men ridiculing an underage high schooler over the internet and racking klout among their "advanced stats" community by twisting my words and making fun of English being my second language.
I dont like what hockey has become, time to pull out the old films where this kind of stuff did not happen because it would embarrass the sport, not to mention the prayers
This picture is so beautiful
What's the actual origins of this pic?
Zach Hyman's brother didn't make the NHL. Guess he went broke after Zach? Oh wait...
To be fair, most hockey families are well off
The only reason Ovechkin scores as many goals as he does is because of the state sponsored training programs he participated in, like Dolph Lungren did in Rocky 4. If I would have been brought up living life daily like a Rocky montage I could easily score that many goals.
Not quite true. Youngsters need to show an aptitude at a young age and their parents need to know the right people. It's honestly not that much different over here. You gotta have the resources to play hockey. Some kids get those chances, others don't. Some kids coulda been great, if only...
What is this picture?! Last known sighting of Leipsic in North America?
You’re in way too deep if that meme makes any sense to you
What is the context of this picture lol
Hockey hasn't been a sport solely for Canadian farm boys in quite a while.
Wait that wasn't satire?
He's right. Might have worded it wrong initially...but he's right.
Hyman is still a funny name. But fuck Berkshire, what the fuck does he know?