Alex Galchenyuk's Former Head Coach just Revealed the Real Reason Behind his Performance Drop

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Elliot Ben Jacob
July 22, 2023 (5:04 PM)

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More than a week ago, the Arizona Coyotes terminated Alex Galchenyuk's contract, less than 12 days after signing it. It didn't take more for fans to question the motives behind this sudden change of heart from the NHL team.

Then we learned that the main person involved was arrested on July 9 for a number of charges, including hit and run on private property, disorderly conduct, refusal to obey, resisting arrest, threat or intimidation.

Hockey fans' judgments did not take long to flood social networks. Fans, who only know him for his antics since he joined the NHL, immediately thought he was a lost cause and that he was in no way taking his job seriously.

In a recent interview on 98.5 Sports, the Coyotes' head coach, André Tourigny, wanted to put some facts about the hockey player into perspective. He strongly contradicted the show's host, Jérémie Rainville, when the latter asked if Galchenyuk's attitude was bothersome in the locker room.

"Galchenyuk doesn't say a word in a hockey locker room [...] he's a very good employee! He shows up, he works, he's passionate, he smiles and he's in a good mood. He's a guy who doesn't talk much, he's not a guy who's going to be the clown of the room. I've never had anything to say about his attitude!" - André Tourigny

However, the coach does not absolve the player of all his blames. He knows very well that his former forward had addictive problems. The one nicknamed the Bear, however, put things into perspective with an interesting comparison.

"It's the same on the radio! Are there guys who started with you and aren't doing radio today? Why? They were talented, but the work ethic wasn't there. There are others who have lost their motivation. It's the same for a hockey player. Sometimes there are motivated guys who lose that motivation, over time. Sometimes you do something for 15 years and suddenly, you'd like to do something else! All this can change a player's potential... Try to draft future radio hosts in high school who will be solid in 6 or 7 years, you'll see that your success rate won't be great!" - André Tourigny

A very interesting revelation.

In recent days, Galchenyuk has sort of confessed his problem, by officially entering the NHL and NHLPA player assistance program. He also published a letter to everyone, apologizing for his attitude and showing his desire to get back on track.

Credit: HF