r/WatchPeopleDieInside • u/DrDanthrax99 • 2d ago

Dylan Larkin Booed on Opening Night

Clip credit u/daKrut

Context: Dylan Larkin was the captain of the Detroit Red Wings and requested a trade, while having a no-trade clause, and originally limited the team to 3 options to where he would agree to be traded to. He has since been stripped of the captaincy and has largely turned the entire fanbase against him. Had he not made such an unreasonable request for a trade, he would likely have not faced such harsh backlash.

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37

u/ktjtkt 1d ago

Why did he want to trade? (I know nothing of this sport just genuinely want to understand)

33

u/Last-Classroom-5400 1d ago

He’s been a good player in the league for 11 seasons, and 10 of those have made up the second longest playoff drought of all time in the NHL. He got a taste of winning at the Olympics last year, and wants to be traded somewhere where he has a better shot to win.

3

u/LabRatsAteMyHomework 1d ago

I'm failing to understand why that's upsetting to people. Dude wants a new job with a new team and everyone in the fan base hates him for it? That's kinda fucked up. In any other profession that would be considered balanced self awareness and advocating for oneself

41

u/beatisagg 1d ago

There's more nuance to it. He doesn't take responsibility for things in some odd scenarios, like we will have lost the game and not go "we need to do better" he'll say something like, "we need other people to step up." He showed a bit of his political leanings by trying to be first in line to shake Trump's hand when the USA team was back from the Olympics, meanwhile other teams were declining to visit the white house. Then there's the abysmal performance in the months after the Olympics, which has been a running theme for the red wings in their closing months of the season for years. He throws out a trade request PUBLICLY and makes it known that he only wants to go to 1 of 3 teams, all of which are teams that red wings fans absolutely hate. They didn't make a deal with any of these teams. The GM also was catching a lot of flack for inaction and some people blame Dylan Larkin wanting out and having a shitty attitude and trade destination list for complete morale shutdown because basically the leader is giving up on the team/town. Then he goes out and makes a buffoon of himself all summer and comes back and pretends to be injured so as not to play or participate in training camp.

It's not just good guy wants a better job.

2

u/LabRatsAteMyHomework 14h ago

Ah sounds like shitty guy with talent feels entitled to selfishly cheat his way out of the (legal and social) contract and get a deal that fucks other people over just so he can step up. Sounds right in line with his political leanings if what you say is true. I've seen this conservative style of shoving forward while being completely dissociated from the social repercussions of their selfishness, and it's gone beyond prevalent, it is now so very cancerous. People just need to stop and ask themself "what if everyone did that?" It's so simple and will always guide you towards the greater good.

25

u/cA05GfJ2K6 1d ago

Solid summary. He’s handled himself probably the worst way imaginable.

He was also the one that invited Kash into the Olympic locker room.

-15

u/CaptainMagnets 1d ago

Some people are so obsessed with their sports teams that it's an unhealthy mental disorder.

That should explain why some people are getting so angry

22

u/mrdannyg21 1d ago

Not defending anything, but for some context, Larkin signed an 8-year extension in 2023. The team had already been crappy for a while, so if he had concerns about their direction, he could’ve opted for free agency instead and signed elsewhere.

It’s also typical that a captain in hockey sticks with the team through good and bad. He would’ve been cheered for question the direction of the team, but asking for a trade isn’t a great look. The real thing tbat sets his situation apart from most is that he was so restrictive with his trade request, only ‘allowing’ for three teams. Doing that really hurts the team’s leverage and ability to trade him for a decent return. If he really wanted to be traded, there’s no reason to be so picky about where he was willing to go - plenty of players with no-trade clauses aren’t willing to just go anywhere, but only allowing for three teams is very unusual, especially when you’re the one directing the request.

TLDR: requesting a trade is jot all that unusual in hockey and Larkin likely wouldn’t be boo’ed solely for that. But several circumstances make his situation unusual and arguably more boo’able.

-12

u/TheOliveYeti 1d ago

Because sports fans are weirdos

I understand being passionate about teams, but at the end of the day it's a job and fans are weirdly entitled about people having the audacity to want to switch teams even though teams show no loyalty to players 99% of the time.

"HOW DARE THIS PERSON WANT TO LEAVE MY FAVORITE MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR FRANCHISE?!!!"

12

u/ShuffledSilly 1d ago

He has a contract and should honour it, otherwise what is the point of signing it in the first place? Same with Helly.

-2

u/chardeemacdennisbird 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes because professional sports teams are famous for holding up their side of contracts and not trading or cutting players as they feel fit.

Edit: downvotes but no one wants to tell me why I'm wrong?

23

u/leftlanemine 1d ago

While your line of thinking is absolutely correct, this isn't any other job. He's a "hometown" guy who the team made Captain (a big deal in Detroit) and signed to a long term deal (8 years). Now three years into that contract he demanded a trade. His contact allows him trade protection so he gets final say on what team he goes to, basically. He gave management three teams he wanted to be traded to but those teams have nothing to offer us in value and can't afford him based on current salary cap situations anyway. It's rumored that he has added teams he would accept a trade to but it's the same deal with those teams.

All that to say that I'm just briefing you, there are even more layers to this story.

1

u/LabRatsAteMyHomework 14h ago

Thanks. Yeah sounds like he's taking the morally wrong but legally correct way of going forward, which is understandably disgusting in the eyes of the fans.

5

u/Last-Classroom-5400 1d ago

It’s not any other profession though, it’s a sport. Fans like their team and want to see it have success, but now the captain has given up on it. Kids have his jersey and don’t understand why their favourite player doesn’t want to play for the team anymore. Shit sucks.

Also 10 years of failure has built up a lot of resentment amongst fans, and Larkin has become an outlet for that resentment.

9

u/InfiniteRosie 1d ago

He had a no-trade clause in his contract and tried to strong-arm the owners into letting him go to avoid paying for breaking contract

2

u/LabRatsAteMyHomework 15h ago

Ah I see. He was positively being a dick. Got it.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

153

u/znraf1 1d ago

He won the gold medal with the US Olympic team, and decided he wanted to go play with his friends on a better team (the Wings own the currently longest playoff drought in the league at 10 years). He demanded a trade to one of Minnesota, Florida or Vegas. All 3 are very good teams contending for the Stanley Cup, and all 3 prominently feature players from that Olympic team. All 3 are also right up against the salary cap, and don't have any good assets that Detroit would want in return. So, he hasn't been traded, and he's completely alienated his fanbase by basically saying 'this team isn't good enough for me'. He's also from Detroit, so it's viewed as an even bigger level of betrayal by the fanbase,

9

u/jodihas2kids 1d ago

As a Jets fan, I can understand that sentiment....

42

u/boodabomb 1d ago

And the whole partying with Kash Patel thing after the Olympics has publicly repainted his political standing at the exact same time as all of this.

-3

u/frothyundergarments 1d ago

I will grant that it was weird and inappropriate for him to be there, but demonizing the players ain't it

7

u/boodabomb 1d ago

There’s a distinction though. It’s not that the players were demonized, it’s exclusively the players who appeared to be stoked about it and were dancing doing Tik Toks with him and shit.

18

u/BlueBomR 1d ago

That was so fucking weird...why the fuck is the FBI director in the locker room of the USA hockey team drinking beers!? Cause the optics weren't what they thought they would be

9

u/HotTubSexVirgin22 1d ago

Also used the tax-payer funded plane as his personal private jet to get there.

11

u/Daft00 1d ago

why the fuck is the FBI director in the locker room of the USA hockey team drinking beers!?

Cause the current FBI director is desperate for validation and wants nothing more than to be cool. He's also got a wayyyy bigger ego than he has any right to have.

6

u/I_AM_A_ZEBRA_AMA 1d ago

That, and the alcoholism.