Mina and I were recently discussing how sentimentality affects our ability to rationalize and accept player trades. While neither of us would like to see Joe Thornton traded, for example, losing Patrick Marleau to a trade would be far worse. That might not bear out statistically speaking, but from a sentimentality stand point, it’s true. The same could be said for the loss of Evgeni Nabokov.
While it was clear when Nabby was let go that he was not the right goalie for the job, to the outside fan looking in, it felt a lot like a betrayal. Here’s a player who was drafted and raised in the Sharks family. He probably wouldn’t have gotten to the NHL without the Sharks, he’s been there for all the ups and downs (and boy were there some downs) and here they are, letting him walk with nothing more than a pat on the back and a thanks for all your hard work.
It would essentially be the same scenario with Patrick Marleau, although the general consensus is that he’d be more likely to go in a trade than walk in free agency (despite the pesky NMC. Not sure why everyone keeps ignoring that little nugget of not moving, but rumors will be rumors) Marleau was drafted by the Sharks, has played all if his 18 NHL seasons with them, was a Captain for them, has been an alternate/assistant Captain for them even after he was stripped of the C. He’s stayed loyal to them after being stripped of the C, thrown under the bus by former coaches and teammates, and generally underrated by everyone, fan and reporter alike. He’s given a lot to the organization, and seeing him shipped out would be lick a cleated kick to the guts.
Fan favorites aren’t necessarily chosen for their amazing stats or god like performances, it’s the little things they do over the years that make them sentimental favorites. To see guys like that go, it hurts. It doesn’t matter than ultimately, these are business decisions. As fans, we aren’t attached to the business aspect of the game, we’re attached to the players. At the end of the day, they draw us in and keep us coming back and because of this, we feel like they deserve some level of loyalty from their respective clubs than business realistically allows.
