CALGARY – If anyone is wondering… Zain ParekhThe hockey player's comments that NHL players are robots with no personality were noticed by his teammates in Calgary. Mackenzie Weegar I can confirm.
“We've already talked about it a little bit in text,” Weegar said Monday morning of the lengthy conversation he shared with Parekh at the World Juniors.
“I think he does feel a little bad about it, and that's okay.”
Parekh confirmed that late Monday when he apologized during celebrations of Canada's bronze medal victory over Finland.
“But obviously my words were not my intention and I sincerely apologize to the Flames organization and my teammates. Ultimately, this is unacceptable and cannot happen.”
Parekh's game and personality have been the talk of the Minnesota teen tournament for the past few weeks, as the 19-year-old appears to have rekindled the swagger he lost in the mountain of anticipation during the first half of his first NHL season.
But despite scoring five goals and adding eight helpers to set the Canadian record for most points by a defenseman in the Christmas tournament, the ever-smiling Parekh was asked last week why he was so comfortable baring his soul to the media.
“I think it's more like the NHL guys are robots with no personality,” said Parekh, who will join the Flames on a five-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Montreal.
“I think you need individuality and that's the best way to grow the game. I don't want to come here and be a robot. When I'm in Calgary, I definitely have a lot of guys telling me to give really simple answers. But here I can do what I want.”
Indeed, there are those within the organization who believe the team's ninth overall pick in 2024 tends to be “overrated” when it comes to personal issues and his early confidence issues as an NHL player.
This is generating some great writing, debate and interest in Calgary's most intriguing first-rounder since Matthew Tkachuk, who, by the way, has also had a penchant for providing the press (and therefore fans) with far more than what the average NHL player is willing to offer.
However, in a league where the team comes first and domestic prominence is shunned, flamboyant players like Parekh are forced to ruffle feathers from time to time amid the beige sea of their brethren.
Even though it is accurate, it doesn't work when you are young and inexperienced.
“I kind of knew it wasn’t a personal shot at the guys because I know here that we don’t tell him that anyway,” Weegar said of the advice to answer briefly.
“I think he was just in the spotlight. His words just hurt him a little bit. I don't take it personally. I understand where he's coming from. I don't like it when NHL players are robots either. I like it when there's more personality in the game. It's just a way to show your personality. I think we have one of the best personalities in the league in Lombo (Ryan Lomberg) in this room, and he shows it great. And he's a leader at the same time. So I think it's just one of those for him.” things he can look back on and learn from.”
Instead of talking about his record-breaking performance, the talk surrounding him revolves around his comments.
However, any suggestion that his Flames teammates are furious would be a gross exaggeration.
“I think it should be taken with a grain of salt,” said Nazem Kadri, who was once a brash youth.
“Everyone is on top of their game at the World Juniors. Everyone is excited, excited. These are the best players for your age group, it can get you excited and over-stimulated. He's a confident kid. I like the swagger.”
“I wouldn't make a big deal about it. I mean, maybe he and I will chat, talk about it a little bit, but I don't think it'll be too distracting.”
Asked if he ever said anything out of line as a child, Kadri shrugged.
“I mean, there are always guys who take things out of context and try to interpret them a certain way,” Kadri said.
“But that's part of being a young player, realizing you have to be a little political in some way. But I don't think you realize that until you're a little older.”
In light of his apology, perhaps the comments should not be taken as seriously as originally intended.
“We're not going to let him off the hook that easily, there's going to be jokes flying around,” laughed Weegar, who's definitely not one for robots.
“He's a good guy. He has really good intentions and he had a great tournament.”
“The truth is, there are robot guys in the league. So there's some truth to that. And I think for the game to grow, you need personality.
“Obviously there's a lot of hype around this guy and he's in the spotlight a lot, so I think I kind of understand where he's coming from. I like that from him.”
