Exit Alex Guptill
Aaand Alex Guptill took about 30 seconds to follow Phil Di Giuseppe out the door:
Another #Wolverine signed, Alex Guptill with @DallasStars - remember watching him shine with the Brampton Capitals. #OJHL #DallasStars
— Mark Edwards (@MarkEdwardsHP) March 26, 2014 Guptill was the bar-none most frustrating player I can remember in 15 years of Michigan hockey. Talent coming out his ears that he displayed on nearly every shot; a useless slug without the puck. The former saw him score about a PPG for his career. The latter made Red scratch him on the regular despite the PPG thing. I thought that having Copp as his center would force him into something approximating defensive responsibility. This was not the case.
You can directly trace this season's failure to reach the tournament to Guptill cluelessly poking his stick in the general direction of a Penn State player he had every opportunity to stop from having a breakaway and did not. One Penn State goal later they were back in a game they would later win in OT. That specifically prevented Michigan from reaching the tournament and emblematically represented the lack of give-a-shit that characterized Guptill's career, an attitude that bled over into various other players on the team.
I'll miss that guy's hands. Not so much the rest of his game. Next year will be a fascinating test to see how extreme the anti-leadership emanating from the two departures was.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:22 PM ^
Not a surprise. Between Tyler Motte, Dexter Dancs and Dylan Larkin, Michigan is going to be just fine at left wing.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
I thought of it. That 3 game stretch was Guptill's whole career summarized.
- Game 1: Don't give a shit. Fail to even attempt to slow down a PSU player going in on a shorthanded breakaway. PSU scores, we end up losing. The epitome of don't give a shit Guptill.
- Game 2: Healthy scratch
- Game 3: Scored both of our goals in an eventual tie/SOL to OSU
He absolutely wasted his last two years here. Maybe leaving Michigan will motivate him to actually try again
March 26th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
Guptill struck me as an individual guy and not a team player just by his play and demeanor.
March 26th, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^
Having said that, no one has challenged this rule more than Guptill. I've written and erased more tweets than I can count this season.
there was nothing to worry about after the home OT loss to PSU given future games against the likes of OSU and MSU.
I don't like the trends, two annual NHL defections, mix in an annual OHL defection, throw in a couple of underachieving recruits each year, and you have this version of Michigan hockey without a star player (perhaps Compher) and cast to carry the team.
Not that Michigan needs a high end offensive team to succeed, they probably have not had that since 2009, I'm not buying into the pre-college stats and accolades of new players as guys like Wohlberg, Guptill, PDG, K Lynch, Hyman and Boo did not progress or live up to expectations (so far). Diminishing returns from the NTDP this decade compared to the 2000's.
It's challenging listening to the radio broadcast as they (Randall/Trainor) cover-up which d-man made the turnover which led to a goal or great scoring chance. You can be a homer, Call the game, tell it like it is. These aren't 6 year olds.
On the subject of Guptill. Yes, most frustrating player on the team cause he had a higher ceiling. I don't think he was recruited to be a top scorer, but he basically turned out to be one leading the team as a freshman (tie) and a sophomore, while dipping to third (tie) as a Jr. The PSU breakaway was a horrible effort, yet I don't think he got any credit for his backcheck turnover on Moffatt's gametieing goal vs. Wisconsin. Don't think DeBlois/Selman/Downing were fileted as much for their matador 4 on 1 effort vs. Josh Pitt of WMU in the OT loss at the GLI. As you may recall, Pitt was the player who previously tripped over the red line allowing T Lynch to tie the game at 2.
Sounds like there was a lot off the ice too with Guptill and still wasn't learning lessons as a Jr. Probably needed a change of scenery, but I will miss his goal scoring abilities at Yost for a team next year that will have many unproven/underachieving players around still. Despite his weaknesses, I appreciate that Guptill was able to generate some points over the past few years on some offensively challenged teams without dangerous centers leading the attack.
Thanks for good Guptill, good riddance to DGAS Guptill. Hopefully the next team will work hard on a consistent basis.
Well done, on using the term "anti-leadership"..... I feel the same way for the football team now that Lewan is gone.
Well put here, Brian. Next year will be better.
I seriously wonder to what extent Red actually pushed these two out. Because they needed to go, especially Guptill.
I'm not a hockey guy, won't pretend to understand it as well as some others, but I find it interesting the general tone towards hockey players seem...harsh compared to other sports. I have a hard time seeing a front page post being as harsh to a football player leaving early, even on a team that underacheived. I'm not saying anyone here is even wrong with what they are saying, just noting it as interesting.
Hockey is probably the easiest sport to tell if someone is actually working hard, so it's blatantly obvious when someone isn't.
I've never seen any of us be this individually harsh to a player...but no one else has been as frustrating as him. We've had plenty of guys who didn't live up to expectations, weren't cut for top-tier hockey, or didn't give it their all every night....but like the above said, this is just 2-3 years of frustration being released. He was really, really difficult to watch because the single most talented player on the team but probably gave the worst effort of anyone. He easily could've been in the Hobey discussion if he tried
I guess you haven't read too many football/b-ball game threads, because some people are worse than just "harsh."
You're right I specifically avoid game threads because they are filled with reactions like that, but I'm more referring to the front page treatement from Brian. I mean even football players that Brian was particularly harsh in criticizing (take Obi Ezeh for example), he didn't skewer like this.
That may be because of the passion Brian has for hockey. Also Ezeh didn't have much upside. I think a football player like (to use a non-U-M example) Randy Moss, who showed lots of talent, but took plays off when his number wasn't called, would get harsher criticism.
Ezeh wasn't good but it wasn't for lack of effort.
Guptill had the talent to be one of the best in college hockey, but short of being benched they couldn't motivate him. He would disappear for weeks at a time and look like he didn't care.
"Next year will be a fascinating test to see how extreme the anti-leadership emanating from the two departures was."
I don't see either of these guys making a difference in the NHL. If guys like Hensick, Palushaj, Porter, and Kolarik can't make a splash in the big leagues then I doubt Di Guiseppe has a chance. We all know Guptill has the skill to play there, but it takes much more than just skill. I mean look at what Glendening has done to earn a spot on the Wings. He doesn't have the offensive skill of these guys, but he always gives maximum effort and he plays with a nasty streak. Patch and Hagelin have the skill and have always played harder that their opponent. I don't understand how Guptil can watch the players before him and not understand that effort is a key ingredient to their success. Maybe he doesn't give a shit and either do I. He'll make good money and probably be a quality player in the AHL.
Now that it's his job on the line, maybe he'll realize he needs to develop his work ethic, or he'll have to find a new line of work.
Why on earth did he ever see the ice then? I don't watch the hockey team like you all do, but seems to me it would send a horrible message to the team as a whole to keep playing a guy who obviously and consistently isn't busting his ass.
March 27th, 2014 at 12:49 AM ^
Even when he didn't care at all, he was still good enough to be in those top 4 lines. His shot is so good that just standing in the slot for 60 minutes probably still gets him to 4th or 5th on the team in scoring. Thats what's most frustrating about him. He could've been elite if he tried. Like Kevin Porter/Chad Kolarik elite. But he never cared enough to try. He easily could've been that good.
March 27th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
also say something for the coaches who keep these players on the team? Desperate?
The Daily article mentioned two of Guptill's legal issues in his 3 years on campus, apparently there are other bad situations too.
I assume that Guptill, Clare and Merrill were the "bad apples" people spoke about on the 2012-13 team, not sure if there were more or the role the Sr. class of Treais, Lynch and Moffie played in team chemistry.
Merrill, Clare and Jacob Fallon (now at Vermont) allegedly had issues in High School at the USNTDP, and it seems to have continued throughout their college careers as those red flags continued in college.
Tristin Llewellyn booted in 2011 for drinking with Fallon. Kevin Quick credit card fraud in 2007-08.
Attitude and effort from players like Wohlberg, Czarnik, PDG.
The coaching staff is finding more character problems and limited potential in their recruits as opposed to talent.
Luke Moffatt on the ice, improved throughout each of his four years. He was not a great performer with only a career season high of 25 points.
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