"When Mathew Barzal called his absence from Thursday's lineup against Carolina an "alarm clock issue," the explanation was simple - and honest. He missed the morning team bus, a clear violation of Mathieu Darche's punctuality rule. But the punishment - a healthy scratch for one of the franchise's cornerstone players - felt more severe than the situation demanded. Yes, culture matters. Both Darche and Patrick Roy have emphasized accountability since taking over, and consistency in discipline is key to credibility."
"Without Barzal, the Islanders fell flat in a 6-2 loss to the Hurricanes, forced to ice 11 forwards and seven defensemen after travel issues prevented top prospect Cal Ritchie from joining the team. The absence of their playmaker was felt immediately. "It's funny, when I was younger, when I was 8-10 years old, if I did something wrong, my dad wouldn't take away my Xbox or PS4," recalled Barzal. "He wouldn't let me shoot pucks in the garage.""
Mathew Barzal missed the morning team bus before a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, calling his absence an "alarm clock issue." The missed bus violated Mathieu Darche's punctuality rule and resulted in Barzal being made a healthy scratch. Team leadership emphasized accountability and consistency in discipline under Darche and Patrick Roy, but many viewed the benching as overly harsh for a first-time offense from a long-time punctual leader. Without Barzal, the Islanders lost 6-2 and had to dress only 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Barzal accepted the punishment, calling it "super tough" while expressing no hard feelings.
Read at Eyes On Isles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]