Interesting article here by Scott Burnside from Wellwood's days as a Maple Leaf:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/s ... id=2823486He comes -- or really, his father comes -- from some difficult beginnings, and really doesn't fit the mental mold of a pro athlete, let alone the physical (the picture alone accompanying the article makes him look like a Tkachuk and a half).
A lot of people noticed Wellwood's stoic philosophy both when he was waived by Toronto and then by the Canucks -- he didn't spout the usual clichés and actually speculated that it was "95%" likely that his NHL career was over. I'm sure his family history has played a lot into his sense of perspective. It also sounds like he's a bit of a Rain Man character in that he's highly intelligent yet sort of on his own wavelength -- often to his advantage -- about hockey.
Very good read. Here are some excerpts:
Quote:
The images of a smiling Kyle in various hockey jerseys don't, for instance, hint at the strong belief the immensely talented 23-year-old might well be the smartest member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not the smartest player, but perhaps the smartest person in the organization.
The albums do not hint at Rick's battles with mental illness, battles that have tested the family's mettle and helped define the paths each family member has and will follow.
Quote:
That Rick Wellwood has suffered from a bipolar condition for years means the path followed by the entire family has been no less rocky or emotional, no less pivotal to Kyle's development, but has also been shrouded in whisper and rumor. At least, from the outside.
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Kyle's mother finds it amusing that her middle child has become something of a hockey savant.
"We all laugh at that. He would never come and read a book [as a child]. You couldn't get him to read for anything," she told ESPN.com. "He was a late talker."
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It's difficult to separate the hockey player Kyle Wellwood has become from the circumstances from which he emerged; he is a thoughtful, different, definitely outside-the-box kind of guy, on and off the ice.
"Kyle is a very interesting guy. His skill level is incredible," offered former AHL coach and veteran NHLer Doug Shedden, who coached Wellwood for two years with the Leafs' farm team in St. John's, Newfoundland, and now coaches in Finland. "He's got more moves than a box of Ex-Lax. This guy is a very unique person. I think he's a genius."
One person close to the Leafs recalled a meeting between coach Paul Maurice and Wellwood in which Maurice described the game as being about a series of starts and stops. Wellwood quickly disagreed. No, it's a game of time and space, he reportedly shot back.
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