Buffalo Sabres Ryan O’Reilly’s Masterton Nomination Is Troublesome
Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly was announced as the team’s nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy earlier today.
The announcement was met with mixed reviews. Some support the nomination, while others – including yours truly – find it troublesome.
Of course, the reason it’s found troublesome circles back to O’Reilly’s ongoing court case surrounding the summer incident where he drove drunk into a Tim Hortons, then fled the scene on foot.
O’Reilly’s blood alcohol-content at the time was at the legal limit.
A few weeks after the incident, the Buffalo Sabres gave him a leadership position, naming him an assistant captain.
Before we go any further, let’s revisit the qualifications for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Being a player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
These players, perhaps even moreso than their counterparts, are looked at as role models, as those who got through some difficult situation – be it an injury, a personal matter, a health condition, or whatever you may have it.
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects
Don’t get me wrong. O’Reilly certainly seems to have been a leader on the ice this season for the Buffalo Sabres. Some fans were even calling for him to get the team’s captaincy, and who knows – perhaps that is a thing that will happen in his future with the Buffalo Sabres.
He’s shown great dedication to hockey throughout the course of the year, and has shown good sportsmanship, on and off the ice.
But what has he persevered through? A rough season with the team?
Please, no one try and tell me he persevered through his ongoing court case, which was clearly not a distraction at all, as his lawyer appeared in court multiple times on his behalf and his trial’s been set for the summer. And although some could say he’s a role model for his leadership on the ice, you can’t discount his off-season incident last summer.
Here are the facts.
Professional hockey players, especially NHLers, are already in the public eye more than most “ordinary” people. They’re seen as role models, as good examples of what should and should not be done, both on the ice and off.
Often, this means their lives are picked apart more than usual, and sometimes it means they’re almost put on a pedestal. More is expected of these men than say, perhaps, your everyday businessman, solely because they’re in the public eye and fans of all ages – including young, impressionable kids – are watching.
It means they have to be better, do better and reflect better upon themselves, their team and their community as a whole.
Add in factors like being an NHL All-Star, where you’re put on an even bigger platform, or being an offensively-talented player whose name is regularly in the spotlight, highlighted by the news and media members from across the league. That just makes the player even more of a role model, and it means he needs to do and be even better.
O’Reilly did issue an apology, which as I wrote in the linked piece, sort of came off as meaningless in my eyes. Anyone can say they’re sorry after a transgression; it’s your actions that will really tell the story going forward. Yes, O’Reilly has been involved in the community, including doing the SPCA promotion with the Buffalo Sabres.
But I’d still like to see O’Reilly turn his summer incident into a lesson he can share with the community, such as by going around to local schools & educating kids on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Perhaps he could work with an organization like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (the WNY chapter is headed in Oswego), or work to promote organizations like Safe Ride WNY.
While his blood-alcohol content was at the legal limit in New York State (and Ontario), it’s still an issue. And it’s still punishable by up to six months in jail, fines between $400 and $2,000, seven demerit points on his license and a suspended license for up to two years.
Realistically, it’s not likely that O’Reilly’s Masterton bid goes any further than this. He likely won’t make it to the “final three” nominees that are announced later in the season, but it still merits a discussion on the definition of “role models” and how off-ice transgressions affect the way we look at these players, and how impressionable minds see these actions seemingly “validated” by actions like the team giving him an A, the PHWA chapter nominating him for the Masterton, etc.
Next: Sabres Roster Outlook: Goaltending
The Masterton nomination is just a small part of that, but it brings all those issues back to the surface, and it’s a discussion that needs to be taken seriously.