(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Over the weekend the Golden Knights became the big story around the league and I’m sure it caught them off guard. It was probably even more unsettling as the club was bonding and preparing for the long season ahead up in Montana at owner Bill Foley’s ranch. The tweet storm might have made for some awkward moments at team breakfast.
Let’s rewind to earlier last week when outspoken goaltender Robin Lehner joined the boys at Spittin’ Chiclets to chat about an array of topics. As Vegas fans have learned in a little more than a year, Lehner’s honesty is refreshing.
Tuesday, September 28th – Spittin’ Chiclets Podcast Released
- Lehner discussed his status in net and how he professionally handled the Marc-Andre Fleury goaltending controversy.
I respect what he did actually, he stuck up for his client. It screwed me a bit. It wasn’t the greatest time… It turned up the heat. It really did. This is probably the most pressured season I’ve had coming into this year. It’s fueled by the narrative of how everything was left and the whole (Fleury) trade.-Robin Lehner on Spittin’ Chiclets
- Lehner also spoke about the Jack Eichel injury standoff with Buffalo and had heavy criticism for the Sabres organization.
I hate it. I know they put investments into us but I still think your body is your body. End of story. If Eichel wants to make his surgery and they are scared of protecting their investment, how hard could it be to have him sign a waiver? Is something goes wrong he doesn’t get paid. It bothers me because Jack Eichel is a world class talent. We didn’t always see eye to eye but I respect him as a person. Am
I saying this to trash the Sabres? No I’m not. If I wanted to hurt the Sabres I would have but they destroyed my ankle that year.- Lehner on Spittin’ Chiclets
- The Golden Knights goaltender suggested the NHL has stale “dinosaur” type executives and coaches that control the league and push their agenda’s even though sports and the world have changed.
We’re all robots. Everyone says the same thing. I understand 20 years ago but it’s 2021 now. Am I going to tell a player to be open and honest now? I know a lot of people have but yes they’re going to be punished.-Lehner on Spittin’ Chiclets
Wednesday, September 29th – Lehner plays first preseason game
- Lehner suited up for his first start of the preseason getting some important ice time. The #1 starter stopped 20 of 22 shots.
Friday, October 1st – Lehner tweets his feelings about the Jack Eichel situation in Buffalo
- Lehner stressed that it should be the players choice when it comes to their body.
Where is the @nhlpa and all nhl players in all this attacks on our freedom of choice? Jack situation is crazy to me.. also people getting attacked by journalist that hides behind freedom of speech to trash peoples freedom of choice. When does the hypocrisy end? #lifeaftercareer
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) October 1, 2021
- Lehner also shows disappointment with the NHL Players union and their silence.
@NHLPA it’s disappointing… all I got to say. Same with nhl players not sticking up for each other. Remember next time is you…
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) October 2, 2021
Saturday, October 2nd – Lehner tweets picture of ankle from his injuries in Buffalo
- Lehner accuses Buffalo of screwing up his ankle and pushing pain killers.
https://twitter.com/robinlehner/status/1444348543330828290?s=21
Sunday, October 3rd – Lehner calls out Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault for his tactics handling injured players
- Lehner labels Vigneault a dinosaur coach and calls for his firing.
#PhiladelphiaFlyers ? Dinosaur coach treating people robots not human. Fire these dinosaurs. Fire #vigneault first story. I got proof.. try to shake your way out of this one ….
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) October 3, 2021
- Lehner accuses Vigneault, the Flyers and other organizations for irresponsibly handing players prescription drugs.
Yes. Many teams without prescription just hand it out
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) October 3, 2021
Monday, October 4th – SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman tweets the league is aware of Lehner’s accusations
- The NHL would like to have a conversation with Vegas’ netminder.
There is word this morning the NHL is going to reach out to Robin Lehner…ask if he would like to be directly interviewed by the league.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 3, 2021
- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reacts to Lehner’s tweets and
suggested players shouldn’t be forced to tweet out internal information. Bettman also added that the league has services available to players.
We take his comments seriously and we’d like in short order to be in a conversation with him so we can hear his concerns directly and we’re going to follow up to see what merit there may be to his concerns. You don’t have to tweet to get our attention. We have an 800 number people can call. You can call us directly, we’re an open book. But if he has concerns we want to hear them and see how they need to be addressed.-Gary Bettman with SportsNet’s Jeff Marek
- Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault responds to Lehner’s strong accusations.
I consider myself experienced. A dinosaur? You could say with experience you become a dinosaur maybe. But I do know I’ve been coaching a few years and I am tough, I am demanding but I care about my players. Through the years probably there are some guys who liked me and probably some a little less, but I’ve done it with the best intention (and) with respect.- Alain Vigneault, Flyers coach
- Vigneault was confused and disappointed about the idea of him pushing prescription pills.
I was obviously very disappointed, as far as me pushing pills, I don’t need another income. I have no idea where that comes from. I don’t know what else to say. I have no idea.- Alain Vigneault, Flyers coach
Chances are the league and possibly the Golden Knights front office are scrambling to squash the accusations, but would also like to listen to Lehner’s concerns. Expect more developments to come down this week.
Ricardo
I’m glad we kept the most mentally stable goalie in the NHL v the Stanley Cup winner. Good job, McCrimmon.
Contact Tracer
Tweeter Kneeler needs to STFU and play hockey. He hasn’t proven anything at this point. No Cups, no Vezina, notta, zip, zilch ….
George T
Lehner is the distraction nobody needed at a time when nobody wanted. I’d prefer him play between the pipes and not hit the pipes.
Carl
Lehner and his “brutal honesty” are getting old, fast. Keep up his play-the-victim crap is making many of us miss the Vezina Trophy Winner more than ever before.
At least Fleury SMILES. All Whiner, errr, Lehner does is play that victim shite. STFU, Drama Queen 90 and try playing some GDFing hockey for a change.
Vegas pete
Yeah. I was all for getting rid of one of the goalies and fleury made the most sense. But this guy is making it really hard to like him.
Tim
Today I’m seeing a lot of new posters or old posters that have changed there handle.
Lehner is the evil empire and the NHL are the good guys. Lehner had experience with the medical staff in Buffalo when he was there. Now he’s telling you how he was treated for injuries but he doesn’t know shit and you posters who I believe weren’t there know. You the readers of crystal balls also believe that the way hockey players get knocked around they aren’t taking pain pills. I’ll bet it they really checked it would be wide spread but covered up for the sake of the business.
Let me give you a baseball scenario after the strike in 1994 most baseball players were on steroids and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire were having that homerun duel . Everyone in baseball was aware of steroid use but the game was dying and they needed excitement so everyone turned a blind eye to what was happening because it is big business.
Please don’t tell me the NHL is lily white and there is no drug problem. Lehner has the balls to tell it like it is and all you posters say is he’s lost it. Keep your head in the sand and it will all go away.
Ken saying something negative is an easy way to lose your seat at the press conference. I’ve said it since the beginning of Sin Bin the Knights spin news in there favor and if you criticize them your toast. Reminds me of the Russian paper Pravda or in Germany during the war with there propaganda machine believe or goodbye.
THE hockey GOD
Tim it’s Jason’s article , not Ken. Look at the author above. Jason is shit stirrer among the two, mostly stirring BS.
Tim
THG who writes the article isn’t my concern it’s the posts where people don’t have a clue try to get into someone’s head. We haven’t been on four or five teams like Lehner has so how do we know what he’s seen? Using Buffalo as an example who have a pathetic organization is it out of the realm of possibility that there medical staff would be influenced to do what management says to keep there jobs which may not always be in the players best interest?
THE hockey GOD
@Tim, I hear you, but walrus/panda should be issuing his complaints to the NHL players union or what ever it’s called if they legitimate. He is coming out looking like a whiner with one sob story after another. Not doing any good for his own personal value.
Julie
I agree with you on this. And he’s the #1 goalie in Vegas right now, he should lead by example – going to the NHLPA, presenting his proof. There is such a thing as slander in this country and laws about it. He needs to be careful or he’ll get sued if he doesn’t have proof (which we haven’t seen yet). Also, there should be some responsibility on the player who takes the pills and makes the decision to keep taking them.
Daryl
Laheer also never played for Flyers or their coach yet he is calling him out. If this is as bad as Lehner tries to make it, why haven’t others stepped up before or even had his back now? Why didn’t Lehner go straight to Bettman or the NHLPA? It sounds to me like he is off his meds again
Mister Mister
Maybe he should concentrate on the hockey Season starting soon… No? Is job is to be a Goalie not the savior of the league or the P. R Representative
George T
I see that Ken (Sinbin) is quiet. He couldn’t stop talking about the “goalie controversy “ that was mostly in his head, now that there’s an actual controversy, he’s gone radio silent. I can’t wait until Lehner just stops pucks. I mean, that his actual job, right?
THE hockey GOD
welcome to jungle GT, and spot on with your post
Dry
Ken erased my comments on this post. Not sure why other than I questioned him on his silence on this issue and question if VGK was controlling what he says.
THE hockey GOD
what is with the VGK goalies and their agents?
Common thread here: needless trashing management and FOs; needlessly stirring the pot. VGK goalies and their agents are making VGK product the laughing stock of NHL. I bet you Bettman is feeling sorry about giving a franchise to Vegas now seeing all these goalie issues popping off with their fake BS sob . whinny , cry baby stories. These are supposed to be professional athletes paid millions dollars a year, not pre school children that don’t know squat !!!
Nothing more, most of it is BS, and those in know, know it to be a FACT.
Even the NHL players is getting on Lehner’s case, if there were real issues the NHL Players would have been on it years ago.
Lehner just shot himself in foot, his stock is falling faster than Facebook on day they have whistleblowers and their web site goes down. HE needs therapy, lots of it.
And what is it with Nevada Goobner Sissypants ? He gives an order to halt water. YEt there it is the Bellagio using millions of gallons of water in their fountains. And every time the VGK re surface their ice for a hockey game it costs 20 to 40,000 gallons of water. Yet you can’t have a patch of grass in your front lawn. Grass takes in the so called “green house” gases (if you believe these hoaxsters) and turns it into oxygen. So goobner you can’t have it both ways. Water or clean air ? Hypocrisy abounds on the left.
VGK goalies need to stick to hockey and STFU.
THE hockey GOD
if walanda has a real issue with NHL FOs, he should have brought it to the players union. Why didn’t he ? (because it’s all BS). And if he did, and they didn’t act , then he could have called them out. That is first step in process. He did an end run, not good. No credibility, none what so ever. Just like Fleury (agent) whining and making stuff up.
Fluery “look at me I am no. 1 , I am no.1 .. … why am I not playing “? Agent comes out with back stabbing cartoon. Believe it. Team player ? BLAH !
Michaela
While I respect Lehner for speaking out on the mental issues, what the F was he thinking calling out another teams coach to get fired??? A Coach he never played for?? Definitely not a good look for him , wonder what the Golden Knights front office is thinking right now??? And yes, I hope Ken and Company are going to be recording a podcast soon talking about this, since everybody covering NHL IS talking about it!!! Also i am more confident in Broissoit then Lehner as a stable goalie for VGK!!
THE hockey GOD
welcome to jungle Michael A. Nice post.
Tim
Lets just say the Genie’s out of the bottle and now if’s it’s true Lehner will stick to his guns and won’t be coherst into letting his version of the story die. He says he has proof and as the saying goes money talks and bullshit walks. If it’s all a hoax then Lehner is dead in the water but if he’s right there goes the fake news out the window.
Let’s just say another interesting week in the short life of the Golden Knights. On a different subject Vegas is still in on Jack Eichel but they want Krebs and Vegas isn’t bending. I find it interesting that Lehner is sticking up for Eichel who may end up teammates and Pat Brisson his agent has a son drafted by Vegas playing at Michigan. You know folks you can’t make this shit up no one would believe the Vegas story if they made a movie.
Arnold Rothstein
Kraken on opening night is getting better and better, especially if this guy starts in net.
Arnold
president
CEO
CFO
of Rothstein Syndicate
where players never lose their shirts because the Vig is not too big.
John
I see a lot of bums in these comments who have no idea what mental health struggles are all about — it’s crazy to me that some “fans” would rather attack a player on our team rather than the league in which he is calling out.
Just say, I have no idea what I’m talking about and Panda is “bad”. It would make everyones lives easier and would make majority of you look less stupid.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Love you Panda.
George T
So, it’s his mental health struggles that made him tweet? It’s his mental health that made him potentially defame and then call for the removal of an NHL Head Coach? It’s his mental health struggles that made him make a current teammate guilty by association then walk it back and then clarify?
Got it. Your TED Talk was about as useless as the other TED Talks
Daryl
Exactly…. So what if Lehner has me tal health issues. That isn’t an excuse and doesn’t give him a right to say whatever he wants. There is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. If you have proof, then take it to the NHL and NHLPA and if that doesn’t work then you tweet about it. Lehner called out the Flyers organization and if he doesn’t have proof to back it up he should get terminated from his contract and banned from the NHL. The Flyers coach would have a lawsuit against Leh er as well and it would be an easy one to win
Whatever happened to minding your own business???
Contact Tracer
The voice of reason. Couldn’t be more right Daryl.
Julie
^^^^Yup, exactly right. I’ll add that Lehner’s “honesty” is code for “loose cannon”. You can’t run around accusing people of things publicly. It’s going to affect the team and him if someone decides to punch back. He will need to play pretty pretty good this year to make people forget this display.
John
George,
In no way was my post blaming it on his mental health—by simply bringing up the topic it is showing peoples naivety towards mental health. He obviously has merit to what he has said mentioned or the league wouldn’t be taking it as seriously as they are.
Its so funny to me that “fans” crave for authenticity then when you get it—you want to box it in the authenticity to make it what make you feel comfortable.
Read about the former players who have long term illnesses due to the way their health was treated while in the league.
By also pointing out how pointless TED Talks are proves how much of a simpleton you really are, George.
Contact Tracer
Maybe Tweeter Kneeler needs a big snort of Carrier’s smelling salts to clear his head …
Jason Mason
The boys in the front office saved $2million in the crease during the off season. That should be enough to pay for all the Rx meds the fans are going to need trying to get over their collective headache this season is going to be.
Morgan Jameson
People with common sense who have paid attention saw a potential Lehner meltdown coming a mile away. We already learned last year that when he plays a bad game, he suddenly becomes “injured” and then rage tweets. He is DEFINITELY feeling the pressure to live up to Fleury standards. That is why he is acting out. By constantly touting victimhood, he is trying to insulate himself from accountability. What a huge mistake his contract has been.
Mister Mister
Mental health is brilliant these days. It’s the new Tourette Syndrom. ” Oh i Can say what i want, i have mental health issues and nobody can critics me”
BEA
Social media has made all of you way too comfortable to say things and not get punched in the mouth for it.
With that being said, the actions or words of one person does not give any of you permission to insult or bash mental illness,those affected by it or it’s effects on them.
At the end of the day, maybe the NFL JUST LIKE ALL BIG BUSINESS, acknowledged what is said when it’s said in public…. Anyone ever thought maybe all of this was done another way before this? Asking for a panda…
Daryl
Wrong…. but thanks for trying. While I agree that social media has made a lot of internet warriors out there, don’t think for a second that we all hide behind a keyboard. And nobody on here is bashing RL for having mental issues or trash talking mental health, we are calling out an individual who feels he has a right to talk about someone else, someone he has never played for.
As for your last comment, No, it doesn’t appear as though this was brought about a different way simply by the comments from other players/coaches. They were surprised of the comments made from RL which shows there was no attempt prior to deal with the situation. It looks like someone is simply having a meltdown. Again, that isn’t trash talking mental health, but it is calling the situation as we see it
Thanks for coming late to the pary