Dougie Hamilton's character questioned following trade, fans scream 'smear campaign'
The Boston sports media has a reputation for being tough, especially when stars leave town for other teams, and Bruins fans are claiming the media recently found a new target.
The Bruins traded up-and-coming defenseman Dougie Hamilton away for draft picks on Friday, and many fans and media members were flummoxed by the seemingly low return for a highly regarded player like Hamilton.
The move only got more mysterious Sunday when a Boston Herald story published reports that called Hamilton's character into question.
"It’s obvious there’s something going on that we don’t know about," an NHL assistant GM told the Herald. "From what I’ve heard behind the scenes, his teammates don’t like him. I heard he’s a loner and sort of an uppity kid, and that his teammates don’t like him and it was unanimous."
It is important to note that the source is allegedly an assistant GM in the NHL and might not necessarily be a Bruins assistant GM, but some Bruins fans are not falling for what they call a traditional Boston smear campaign.
Fan website Stanley Cup of Chowder laid out the schedule for the typical trade routine:
If a player or coach is shipped out of town in a move that is remotely controversial, you know how it goes:
- 1. Prior to the move, there are general rumblings from "sources" who "mention" that a player or coach might not be very well-liked.
- 2. Once those seeds are planted, opinions are floated by columnists and talking heads that confirm these rumblings.
- 3. The trade/firing/whatever is made. This is followed by strict reporting, nothing else.
- 4. A few days later, the "reports" from "team" and "league" sources begin to trickle in. These are then reported as fact.
- 5. The reporters then claim that they knew about these "reports" all along, but just didn't want to report it because it wasn't relevant, man.
As Stanley Cup of Chowder pointed out, there is precedence for this type of treatment from all of Boston's professional sports teams. The Bruins surrounded an underwhelming Tyler Seguin trade with complaints about his immaturity and partying ways. Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona was run out of town amidst reports of his private divorce and a possible pill-popping habit.
Last year, The Herald reported that Rajon Rondo skipped team travel to Sacramento and numerous outlets in Boston claimed scouts called Rondo "overrated" ahead of a trade to Dallas. When former Patriot Wes Welker signed with the Denver Broncos in 2013, the previously beloved receiver was painted by The Boston Globe as a money-hungry man who allegedly felt the Patriots organization did not respect him.
It is impossible for the average fan to tell how accurate these negative reports on players are, but regardless, Bruins fans don't seem to support the Hamilton trade or rumors, as they took over Twitter over the weekend with the hashtag "#HamiltonSmearCampaign".
(h/t Boston Herald)
Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
