Digesting today’s big news; Quinn, MacLean, Bright young stars interested in GM job
Posted on April 16th, 2009 – 8:27 PMBy Michael Russo
(updated)
OK, I’m back from a long walk along the Mississippi in an attempt to decompress.
It’s amazing how in two words (not that it went like this), “You’re fired!” changes everything.
Think about it.
Suddenly the frontrunners for the coach may change. Suddenly the Wild’s style may change. Suddenly the players who feel like they’re teflon may change. Suddenly the Wild’s philosophy’s may change, especially when it comes to drafting, trading and free agency.
The direction of the Wild changes forever just by two words.
Look, I like Doug Risebrough personally. I don’t want to stomp on somebody that just got this type of news. And the fact of the matter is, a lot of futures, and those of people I like and respect, are suddenly up in the air inside the front office and elsewhere.
But this needed to happen.
I didn’t think it would, mostly because of Craig Leipold’s history of being patient and also by witnessing the way the two co-existed as recent as the second-to-last road game of the season in Detroit.
But clearly he had the stomach for it.
And again, this needed to happen. Everybody who reads me regularly knows that I have been a giant critic of the way Risebrough has operated the past year. If you read my last three or four columns, you know my opinions well, and I’ll tell ya, it’s not easy when you’re on an island by yourself.
But where I really turned was Monday. At the news conference, Risebrough opened up with these words: “One of the things I regret as a manager not doing is managing the expectation a little bit.”
It was one of the most arrogant, insulting things I’ve ever heard from a GM that didn’t make the playoffs. It took every ounce of energy in me not to get the carving knives out yet again.
Want some contrast? Watch Edmonton’s Steve Tambellini at the Craig MacTavish press conference. He was angry, he raised expectations, he said everything needed to change, including evaluating the way things are done in the front office.
Risebrough? Expectations were too high. The fans need to be more patient. The media, especially that idiot at the Strib, doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
It is unacceptable to miss the playoffs. It is unacceptable to continue a philosophy where you don’t mind losing quality assets for nothing. It is unacceptable to not come to the rescue at the trade deadline when there are deals to be made.
People are paying real money to watch this team, and teams around the Wild are getting better. Somebody needed to stand up and say, “This isn’t good enough,” as I wrote two Sundays ago, and amazingly, Leipold did.
The Wild needed to change philosophy here, and to do that, the man in charge needed to go. That’s unfortunate, because like I said, Doug is a good person. But that’s the way it works in the cruel world of pro sports.
Simply, what Risebrough accomplished here — and yes, he made an expansion team competitive — didn’t warrant a job for life.
Leipold couldn’t take the risk that disillusioned season-ticket holders would disappear if he stuck with the same man at the helm. And he couldn’t take the risk that Risebrough would hire a coach he could control rather than the best man available and he couldn’t take the risk that the Draft would be messed up or that nothing would change as far as free agency goes.
This was a chance to get somebody in here who could hire his own man as coach and who would look at everything with new eyes. No previous opinions. No allegiances to certain players or people. No hatred toward the agent of the best player in franchise history.
A new direction, and that is a good thing.
What’s amazing to me here is how nobody knew. Even Tom Lynn and Chris Snow and the majority of employees found out today, and this happened Tuesday.
It’s interesting, but my radar went up yesterday because a bunch of players had their meetings with Risebrough cancelled, but I just figured he was interviewing MacTavish or something. Yeah, right.
I hear Risebrough got on his Harley and drove.
Now, to move forward here, I talked to a lot of people today — some on the record, some off — who want this job. Many people have already solicited Leipold.
Here is the story with some candidates.
If it were me, I’d be on the next plane to Chuck Fletcher, the Pittsburgh assistant GM. I know him well, and the guy is one smart dude. I know Jay Feaster’s called already. I talked to Pat Quinn and Doug MacLean, who are very interested. I believe Neil Smith would like it. I think Rick Dudley would be a great candidate. I believe Pierre McGuire would be an interesting choice (he’s long been interested in getting into management), as would Nashville Director of Hockey Ops Mike Santos and assistant GM Paul Fenton.
You can see the list I’ve compiled. You can bet they’d be interested in Dave Nonis, but I can’t see Brian Burke letting him go from Toronto. Jim Nill in Detroit has been coveted by many, but he never leaves. Lots of people will line up.
Normally I’d think Tom Lynn would be a candidate, but Leipold made clear today he’s looking for “new eyes.”
Said Leipold, “If I’m someone out in the NHL, and this job is available, with the kind of players we have coming back next year and the kind of fan base, I would jump all over this.”
Had to trim this out of the sidebar, but I asked Quinn what he’d want more — coach or GM. He said, “I’ve enjoyed both jobs, am capable of doing both and have had success at both. I know the top job is the manager, but the one with more action as far as being in the heat of battle is the coach’s job. I’m certainly drawn to that. I’d be interested about either position.”
I’m sure I’ll be back on Friday.
230 Responses to "Digesting today’s big news; Quinn, MacLean, Bright young stars interested in GM job"
I guess all we can do now is wait and see what happens
I would be interested to know the folks that want this job - it’s at least good to hear it sounds like there would be interest. My worst fear would be that our cupboard looks so bare, no one would want the hassle of having to re-stock.
Good move on Leipold’s part. Perfect timing. Now hopefully you can snag another two people who are fresh and will be working together from the get go. Also glad to see Russo with the big breaking story before anyone else. Considering ESPN beat him with the Backstom contract by like 5 minutes this is a big improvement!!:)
Rooster, this is like a Flynn page turner… keeping us on the edge of our seats, you’re the man!
This is an exciting day/night for us Wild Fans. It’s sad that it comes at a time when season is over for our beloved team, but honestly, now, we finally have a hope of bulding up an exciting team that we see it forecheck, score, and make the fans love the team more than ever before.
Dont forget that about 7 players have to go too. skoula,veipoo,belanger,shep,johnnson,bouchard and gillies.
Is Neil Smith on the list?
Mike–
What verbal NTCs just went out the window today? Which are contractual? Do you think gaining that flexibility played a role in Leipold’s decision?
fitz take butch out of that 7!!!!
I agree with everything Russo has to say. How long could we stick with mediocrity? I am tired of the Wild just competing for the playoffs instead of competing for Stanley Cups - the fans deserve better.
Regier and Ruff…done in Buffalo, saviors in Minnesota
Can’t you update during your dinner, Michael. Inquiring minds need to know…
You have heard it repeatedly. JL mentioned it in his closing presser. Minnesota has great fans and a strong franchise. So, what in the heck are we doing trying to calibrate expectations? We deserve better and we demand it.
Oh, I’ll be back…
This is more exciting to me than if this mediocre team made the playoffs.
Yeah, I like Butch leave him alone…
Sometimes Change is good. If Gaborik was healthy along with Burns and Bouchard they would have been in the playoffs and maybe won a round or two.
Too bad the injury occurred as now we are going to be reorganized… If they can resign Gaborik they will have a good team if not they will be in trouble.
Michael - you are the best. Thank you for the wealth of information, quality and presentation of the updates.
We need a hockey media version of TMZ to verify the dinner companion. DR? Angelina Jolie? Sid Hartman?
One of the big rumors since Leipold bought the team is that he wanted to bring in a more open and offensive style of play. We’ll see if it happens.
Thank you Mr. Leipold. You have the fans ,you have the building! Change was needed. Get rid of Tom Lynn while you’re at it!
The. greatest. owner. ever.
Proactive.
Sure, we were wondering why he didn’t do it last year, but he needed time to evaluate.
It was the businessman in him that ultimately made the decision, however, I guarantee that the FAN in him made the decision easier. He paid attention and saw what we all saw even though publicly he drank the Rock-a-dile Red.
This will be an extremely interesting offseason. Probably the most important offseason since the team’s inception.
The one thing that Leipold has done for me is give me hope again. Things may not change for the better, but things will change. And that’s what some of us have been clamoring for.
Wow! Gutsy move by CL! I guess he truly is a fan first.
I don’t know who we get, but I will say my faith in the franchise just rose a notch!
Hope the radio station posts up the extra segment of Russo Radio as soon as they are able. Michael and crew were terrific.
Rooster is dining with Frank Mahovolich, I seen them at Vescio’s…
So, do you think the season ticket holders that didn’t renew callere their reps today???
Simply put: an outstanding article, Russo.
You clearly articulated the feelings of this fan, at least.
It would be totally myopic to ignore what DR did do to help this franchise get started. Mikko, Burns, Schultz, Harding, Backstrom, Gaborik…they’re all DR “wins.” And we will need all of those guys (we’ll see about Hards, I still hope he gets a chance to go be a starter somewhere.) Getting JL to come here by itself is massive. Pairing him with guys like Walz was also a “win.”
As glad as I am for what seems like this great, fresh start, we would be remiss to gloss the things that Doug did to help the team as well over the last 9 years.
Yes, he has his faults and has had his share of misses. But if we think his replacement will be perfect we’re likely to be disappointed.
So, I thank you, Mr. Risebrough.
And I am excited to find out who your replacement is.
Also, bravo, Mr. Leipold, for putting courage behind your convictions. Now don’t F this up.
Last, I repeat: outstanding job, Russo.
oh, so it isn’t Sid…
MR “this is a hockey puck”
SH “what”
MR “a hockey puck”
SH “what’s hockey”
okay NOW the moderation gurus will banish me
Oh don’t worry, Tom Lynn, Tommy Thompson and Chris Snow will all be gone before the draft. I hope they take dumb and dumber with them.
A(f-ing)men Russo!
Helluva post, Russo. Right on.
I wonder what Leipold has set for himself for hiring the new GM. You would think this takes some time to interview and think over but it will also take time for the new GM to set up his staff. Lots of work to do before draft day and free agency.
It Starts here people…
RUSSO FOR GM!
yeah that should say “what TIME FRAME”
Dan: I’ll second that.
You Can’t Spell ‘General Manager’ Without Russo
??
“When opportunity comes, you gotta knock” - Sid “the kid” Hartmann
This will be an extremely interesting offseason. Probably the most important offseason since the team’s inception.
This is easily the most important ever, IMO.
NiNY - I echo your sentiments exactly. DR certainly did his share of good here, too.
Yes, prior to the lockout, DR seemed engaged. Most of his good work took place then. It was JL that caused them to gel in 03 and it raised expectations.
Refusing to participate in the 1st year of free agency post lockout is a mistake the Wild are still paying for.
The foundation was laid by DR and JL. But, a remodel was needed.
I have bashed DR once or twice in my time on this blog, but he did point the franchise in a good direction.
Although, if he would have been crappier back then, we might have been in position to draft NBC, Geno or Ovie… 
You Can’t Spell ‘Resuscitation’ Without ‘Russo’
??
Dammit…that just doesn’t have the right ring to it…
I am pumped for this..The Team of 18,000 is ready to get behind our NEW GM and Coach Nanne and Sid are crying like little babies. Two thirds of this roster better be on alert because their days are numbered. Maybe now we can scout the WCHA and get a difference maker to sign here, start rebuilding this team into the bigger gritty team that can play into the fishing season.
AWESOME JOB MR.LEIPOLD
i swapped the hurricanes for bordeaux during dinner at August. i think this is good move. i dont think DR is the devil but has taken the team as far as he can.
I’ll say this, though - here’s the one thing I will regret about all this. I fancied us a little like the Devils and how that franchise has continued to prosper long after JL left but basically playing the same style as he instilled, i.e. the foundation laid by JL. The only constant was the Devils GM. I had always hoped that the Wild would turn into another Devils. Unfortunately, we got stuck in the mud.
So, then, is this irrefutable proof that Lou Lamoriello is, in fact, the Devil, Hockeydad? 
So we get a new coach and GM, who get’s jettisoned and who stays, we don’t want ground zero again do we?
So, then, is this irrefutable proof that Lou Lamoriello is, in fact, the Devil, Hockeydad?
LOL. Can’t help but have David Puddy pop in my head. DEVILS!!!
Refusing to participate in the 1st year of free agency post lockout is a mistake the Wild are still paying for.
Never agreed with that. I still cut DR slack for that - the lockout came at the worst time in the franchise’s development.
Agreed. DR did his share to build up the franchise in the early years. He then rested on his laurels, and the franchise then began to decline. So it was time that ownership changed the direction. Thank you for what you did for hockey in Minnesota, DR.
We finally have a pro sports owner in this market who reacts before the bottom falls out, rather than after everything goes completely to hell in a hand basket.
Now, finding the replacement will not be easy. But, it will make for an interesting summer, to say the least.
I bet you never thought your first week after the season ended would be so eventful, did you, Michael? You spoke for many of us ’stakeholders’ who were beginning to think the only ’stake’ we held was not our season tickets, but the stake thru our hearts, after being crushed again and again (Gaborik saga, Rolston follies, Hossa debacle, etc., etc.) over the last three seasons especially.
Thank you for being the ’spearhead’ for change, the leader for the beginning of the new Wild era in Minnesota.
I just hope we are as excited after a year or so. It is all euphoric now and I agree that DR’s “expectations” comment was beyond belief. But who knows what we get.
… who knows what we get - AND, there’s no JL to bandage whatever we have together….
in a way, the incoming GM has a much simpler job, taking over from where we are right now: sell me on his vision.
If he can do that, then I’ll be likely to accept that it might take a season or two to renovate the team to match that vision.
I really can’t see a scenario where I’ll go into next season expecting a trip to the SCF, for example.
Maybe now we can scout the WCHA and get a difference maker to sign here,
Because the WDHA is the only place you can get a “difference maker” *rolls eyes*
Regardless of all the changes going on, one thing remains the same…. More Minnesota born players IS NOT the answer. Give it a rest Home State Homers.
If someone better is avaiable and they are from South Africa, I would take them before a MN kid. Geographical location has no bearing on if someone should get drafted to the Wild.
I am having trouble forming coherent thoughts… I hope you catch my meaning with tose comments.
From Dreger at TSN.ca:
The Minnesota Wild are building a list of candidates to replace fired general manager Doug Risebrough.
Sources tell TSN the Wild have contacted the Toronto Maple Leafs seeking permission to speak with Dave Nonis, the Leafs senior vice president of hockey operations.
Toronto has flatly declined.
Under the terms of Nonis’s contract with the Leafs an out clause doesn’t kick in until the summer of 2010.
Former Tampa Bay Lightning general manager, Jay Feaster is eager to get back into the NHL and has already approached the Wild, as well as the Colorado Avalanche to express his interest in both management vacancies.
So we get a new coach and GM, who get’s jettisoned and who stays, we don’t want ground zero again do we?
We’re at ground zero on Defense, only Burns and Scott should stay, The rest are road kill when the big forwards get rolling for keeps in the playoffs. How many series have we won again?
I’m not going to be able to sleep Russo!
Bob Hartley may be on the way as well.
Wild were after the Leafs Dave Nonis? They were turned away as he’s under contract through 2010. That’s the case according to TSN
I may be ignorant of what actually transpired, but wasn’t Feaster the GM that totally front-loaded the Bolts with three massive contracts from which they still haven’t been able to extract themselves?
Now some may say: yes, but people learn from their mistakes, and that’s fine.
But haven’t we just seen evidence that DR learned from his biggest mistake by becoming reticent (to a fault) to trade assets?
The point is, what if Feaster swings too far to the other side of the pendulum and never signs anyone of value to any kind of contract at all?
I don’t know. It’s all so new!
And this tidbit from Mckenzie at tsn.ca:
Well, it was a nice thought while it lasted.
Nashville GM David Poile has ruled out any chance he could somehow end up as the new general manager of the Minnesota Wild, who let go Doug Risebrough on Thursday.
”I’m flattered if anyone thought I might be (a candidate for Minnesota), but that’s not going to happen,” Poile told TSN. ”I am very happy in Nashville and I’m not going anywhere. I really like the direction of our team and where we are headed.”
I am on board with a rebuild. It’s time for the Wild to stop taking the cast-offs of this sport and go after some of the top players. That’s what the salary cap is all about, supposedly. I also don’t think a SCF run is in the Wild’s future immediately. But, there’s always hope, and hope sells tickets, people…
ATx: You are indeed correct. I don’t care where the best players are from.
Minnesota-born players are no better (or, no worse) as a group than players from anywhere else. You take the best player for your future in the draft, be it for a specific position or the proverbial ‘best available’ if you are that well-stocked (which the Wild are definitely not). If the player is from Edina, great. If he is from Estonia, fine. If he is from Edmonton, that’s OK, too. As long as he has the desire and the skill to play here.
The other news from Russo today that has gotten lost in the shuffle (understandably) is Backstrom might need hip surgery? Yikes.
Though if he can put up goals like Gaby did when he came back from his hip surgery I guess that’s okay…
Martin Havlat just scores, Blackhawks defeat Calgary 3-2 :12 into the OT.
WRT, you put it much more eloquently than I did But yeah, that’s what I was trying to say.
And wooo Hawks!
Bulldog, I agree with your D analogy but I still think Schultz is serviceable…Hockeydad I like your insights…call me stupid but I always missed having Richard Park around, I always thought he was a hard nosed kid.
Marc Crawford is getting the head coaching job. First to report it. Watch and see!
I may be ignorant of what actually transpired, but wasn’t Feaster the GM that totally front-loaded the Bolts with three massive contracts from which they still haven’t been able to extract themselves?
It’s funny you that’s what comes to mind. I know nothing about the guy - could be a lunatic for all I know. But didn’t the Bolts also win a Cup on his watch?
still think Schultz is serviceable
Schultz is better than “serviceable”. I think some of you have gone off the deep end with this rebuilding thing we got going on here. Kimmy, Schultz, Burns, Scott, and even Skoula are all just fine defensive players. You won’t ever have a team full of Burns-type, Lidstrom-type, Chara-type, etc…. so you gotta keep a few of the lower end guys too. I say MAB and Zids were the weakest defensive links this year. Say goodbye to them.
Now saying that… I would not hesitate to trade any of those guys for an upgrade at a forward position.
I just heard from a semi-credible source that Russo was seen having dinner with Leipold. This source confirmed that Craig was offering the GM position to Mike as long as he hired either Pierre Page or Barry Melrose as the head coach. Stay tuned for further details.
It is unacceptable to miss the playoffs. It is unacceptable to continue a philosophy where you don’t mind losing quality assets for nothing. It is unacceptable to not come to the rescue at the trade deadline when there are deals to be made.
People are paying real money to watch this team, and teams around the Wild are getting better.
thank you, russo! i believe most of these words came out of my mouth on sunday at the family easter dinner. oh, wait…i’ve been saying these things almost all year!
i’d like to think mr. leipold is a regular visitor to russoville and that all of us had a hand in this new beginning! thank you mr. leipold!
Props to CL. He and Jacques sensed it was time, DR missed it. DR is a great guy and did some nice things through first six years, but he’s been missing a lot the last few years hasn’t he? Really, it’s been abysmal lately (although I like Cuma a ton). Thanks Russo for calling him out on the things on which you have called him out. Maybe all this excitement will keep you from leaving us for ESPN or something :).
I have to think CL really wants to find a way to keep Gabby, and this might have had something to do with this. A player like Gabs doesn’t come along often. Really, we’d almost have to have a horrendous season to get a very, very high pick or get really super-lucky to get one like him again (I don’t buy into getting one via free agency–at least one team would overpay, so you have to either overpay or draft one). Like I’ve said before, Gabby is so electric it would be s shame to see him go just when it seems his health issues are finally benind him. Get ‘er done CL!
This is my two cents:
I would love to see CL act quick and get an offensive minded coach and GM. I truly believe that Gaby and Hossa, with a great presentation from our new GM, Coach, and Owner, could be swayed to play for us. If we got both of them with our current roster and an offensive coach it would be so fun to watch and everyone would love to play for them. Who wouldn’t want to play in front of 18k+ every night with an offensive minded coach?
And we can back up a brinks load of money for them!
Sources also say Russo has already picked the head of scouting, Maggie the TSN playoff prediction monkey. She uses a similar method of the current Wild scouting department which is just spinning a wheel and picking a random name.
I defended JL’s system to many other team’s fans, but now that everything has changed I’ll be disappointed if our team isn’t more offensive in the future.
I just read the Pio’s Tom Powers column. I had to laugh because essentially what he said was that Gaborik and his injury resulted in DR, Lemaire, Ramsey, and Tremblay to be gone.
Maybe, WRT, I should not have dismissed your remark about Gaby causing Lemaire to resign. I didn’t think Gaborik had the power to cause the dominoes to fall like this and you did.
and I’ll tell ya, it’s not easy when you’re on an island by yourself.
Dude, I was here every day
The only thing lamer than the now infamous managing expectations quote is Sid’s column. I still think Reusse shouldn’t write about hockey but I did like that he stood up for the fans in his effective takedown of DR. Anyway, say “aloha” to Denny Green on The High Road Smug, your one way ticket is tucked behind your commutative Excuse Grabbing™ plack.
I’m never alone on Thunder Island. We fall down laughing in the wet grass.
So I saw a link on Nick’s blog to Kuklas Korner which had an article saying Sid Hartman called Risebrough one of the “best hockey executives in the game” and also “one of the most popular sports executives” in his media career.
Would anyone care to respond to that? Russo? Anyone?
Sid Hartman = Grandpa Sports. Pay no attention to him. We don’t.
Sid loves DR. He kisses up to DR all the time. You should hear them on the radio on Sunday morning. Last Sunday, “Let’s have dinner with you (DR) and your wife soon.” Gag me!
This is a sports talk show — be objective here.
I think DR had did set up a good foundation but at the same time, he has made some major mistakes. He’s not the worst GM but he’s certainly no Kenny Holland either.
WOW…..the Don put the hammer down…..quinn should be one of the two….(can’t belive I am in the same camp as the supposed guru…..)
just not both…..’
As a fan….I want an aggressive hockey team…..not defensivly irresposible…..just more aggressive….defensiveman jumping in (forwards going back…)
It should be a fluid fast motion….
as we have said…..everyone wants this job……now CL needs to find the one who will take us to the top…
So Hartman is the one who should be fired next? Bet that’d save the Trib some dime.
Isn’t MacLean the same GM that completely ran the Blue Jackets in to the ground or am I thinking of someone else?
There are a lot of big name people waiting in the wings to jump in front of flash bulbs but we don’t need that here in Minnesota. Let’s hope they look behind the successful teams in the present and past and get a winner. Rick Dudley is a guy that just is ripe for the job. He helped build the foundation in Ottawa and a Stanley Cup winner in Tampa Bay. He has now been in Chicago for the past 5 years as an assistant GM behind the scenes helping rebuild that team to what they are today. We all know Scotty Bowman is going to be there all through the playoffs claiming his guidance helped Dale Tallon since they hired him before this season. We do not need a media darling like that we need a blue collar guy that is going to produce results. I strongly believe he may be our man or someone like him. Keep up the good work Russo.
KJ (@9:08):
I couldn’t have said it better myself using as few words.
Great work as usual Mr. Russo.
Lucky: yep, that’s him.
feels just like christmas…and CL is santa!
wow brian……good work with that guy…..so I know rick dudley is a solid choice….
just read the hartman peice….he is senile…..plain and simple….
all in all….it has been a good day here in russoville……
heres to today being even better!
I’m sending my resume to Russo. Perhaps I can land a spot in the new regime? Do hockey teams need technical writers?
Nick this made me LOL: I don’t know. It’s all so new!
Sharks are looking very human.
Also, re: Backy… when I was reading those articles a while back about how b-fly goalies are wrecking their hips I thought, “How has Backstrom survived without these problems?” Guess he hasn’t.
Thanks sunshine.
Yeah… Let’s look at some more applications…
Mclean not as bad as Milbury but should be avoided at all costs.
I am intrigued by Nill from Detroit. If he is as good as they say, this should be the one market, the one team, the one opportunity that may unseat him from Detroit.
I would prefer Detroit’s record over any other and if Nill can bring the best of Detroit with him for drafting, negotiating, etc…then sign me up.
Now…the only thing that could make this better, would be if Bettmen was fired.
If he is as good as they say, this should be the one market, the one team, the one opportunity that may unseat him from Detroit.
Why? Is he from Minnesota?
Somebody needs to tell Sid that just because someone is your “close personal friend”, it does’nt make them good at their job. My old best friend was a pothead and made the worst BigMacs.
Sid also likes the spread that the Wild puts out for the media guys. He always talks about the food whenever he gets to a game and DR is on the show the following Sunday.
its late, and probably wont be read, but if you think Pierre McGuire would be an interesting choice, I see your Pierre and raise you Phil Esposito.
Sid is likely just torqued because CL won’t snuggle up to him the way Smug did. This is the kind of stuff that makes one look dense. Having Sid as his buddy/mouthpiece while keeping a distance from the others in town.
It must be tough to be a beat writer. You see and hear all that is going on, but if you start getting too negative, you lose access. Especially with a guy like Smug.
The more I hear, the more my thoughts are confirmed that being a part of the current Wild organization under his leadership wasn’t all that it could or should be. Winning will cure that but even in its absence, hope will be restored.
Man! There are some interesting candidates out there, eh.
Don’t feel bad for the guy. If he hasn’t put enough money away for the next 3 generations of his family by now, he deserves to be unemployed.
–Why? Is he from Minnesota?–
Don’t think so but moving from “Hockeytown” to the “State of Hockey” has got to be an opp too great to pass on don’t you think? And that’s overlooking the fact that SI, I think it was, anointed St. Paul as the new “Hockeytown” a couple of years ago. Caused quite a dust-up as I recall. We’re just letting Detroit hold on to the title in a sort of emeritus fashion until the last fans leave Michigan and they turn out the lights at the Joe.
Seriously though, if you own the Wings or any pro sports franchise in Detroit, do you not think about other places to move to.
Pardon me if I’m rambling, but do you think Jacques Lemaire knew Risebrough was getting the can? JL has stated that he only feels comfortable working with a GM that he knows, and I think he’s been around the block a time or two to know when someone’s getting the axe. Purely conjecture, but I don’t think the double departure is coincidental.
Brainfreeze says:
April 17th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Somebody needs to tell Sid that just because someone is your “close personal friend”, it does’nt make them good at their job. My old best friend was a pothead and made the worst BigMacs.
I call shenanigans on this, I refuse to believe a pothead could mess up a Big Mac. 14-year-olds can’t mess up a Big Mac.
I call shenanigans on this, I refuse to believe a pothead could mess up a Big Mac. 14-year-olds can’t mess up a Big Mac.
You’ve obviously never eaten at the one on Prosperity Ave…. lol
Sid’s on dope…he’s pissed because the Rooster scooped him!
July 1, 2006: this is why doug should have been fired a long time ago-signing defenseman Kim Johnsson to a four-year contract, Minnesota native Mark Parrish to a five-year deal and veteran defenseman Keith Carney to a two-year deal. Their contracts combine for nearly $37 million-plus signing skoula and bouchard was to be traded,but he was resigned to produce nothing. Bouchard is only good for making holes for ice fisherman.Spin o rama
Great read Russo, I share your opinion on the firing.
?sdrawkcab gnipyt retupmoc ym si yhw …gnitseretni si siht ,lleW
Well, that added a bit of humor to my Friday morning. For some reason Firefox decided to type in reverse order.
Nick and Ms C,
Backstrom - worrying. How does this affect the Harding situation?
I’m thinking the new GM would probably look to trade him if Backstrom was healthy.
Do we still trade him and hope Backstrom is back by the beginning of the season?
Can someone do me a favor and tell the star tribby brass to leave the hockey writing to Russo and the occasional Stensas entry. Its clear Reusse, Sid and Souhan have no clue about hockey or the wild…
Sid is p!ssed because his “Home City” team, the Mutts, can’t give tickets away to watch that disgusting product. Now the Wild let go with “one of Minensota’s own”, which in Sid’s world is taboo becuase we all know that if you’re not from Minnesota you cannot be successful. Hey Sid, stick to what you know, which is trying to make it to the bathroom on time.
Ouch Darkknight…I grew up on those Prosperity Macs.
Goody…get a mirror.
Grandpa Sports has once again proved what a moron he is. He didn’t get hockey when the North Stars were here and still doesn’t get it. Why doesn’t he go and enjoy the ‘early bird’ with Naegle in Florida?
CL, you are a man of your word. I doubted it as this season went on but you proved to us that you really are a fan. This fan pleaded for a change for 2+ years, and you made it happen. I think your decision to keep the reasons why to yourself is also very classy. There’s no need to beat up on Risebrough. His body of work over the past few years is justification enough.
When you invest the kind of dough CL did, you don’t want to hear the words ‘mediocre’ and ’stagnant’ and ‘middling’ attached to your franchise.
Pierre McQuire is an intriguing choice as GM, but it carries risk. I still like him as a choice. He’s well respected in the NHL. Dudley and Nill would seem to be the Russoville faves. SGD hearts Patty Quinn so he cannot be hired.
I hoped CL would give Smug the Heisman and he did. I think he will make the right choice on a GM.
Hey Sid, stick to what you know, which is trying to make it to the bathroom on time.
I’d say that Depends DB…
kj:
+1 for Depends
Doesn’t worry me all that much Goody. Guys seem to come back from this pretty smoothly, though he needs to get on it ASAP. And they fix one, they’ll need to fix both, which is more what I’m worried about. When’s the other one going to bug him, or is it already? I’m assuming you can’t do both at once. Need a solid backup for sure, though I’m not sure it has to be Harding.
+2 for Depends…that was seriously funny.
What’s seriously funny is when Sid/Reusse/Souhan tries to compile a column on the sport of hockey.
kj, but then the letters would be backwards.
McQuire - one benefit of him as GM might be to get rid of D&D. Given that he has broadcast experience, one would hope he’d immediately realize how horrible those two are.
“jay ferguson says:
April 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I’m never alone on Thunder Island. We fall down laughing in the wet grass.”
Can someone fill me in on the Thunder Island reference. What is the connection to the Wild?
Steve Miller song right?
Deep…it is extremely funny…and sad.
I was just going to say that Deep has an odd sense of humor…
Folks, don’t waste too much time worrying about what Sid thinks. The only ones that listen to him anymore are 70 years+.
Over in the PP, Shipley had a piece that hit on a topic I have been thinking about the last couple of weeks - the Wild’s medical staff and/or its approach to injuries. Take it with some grain of salt, but Salcer’s not happy with the way the Wild handled Burns, who suffered his concussion in JANUARY, but played for 6 weeks! I have wondered why it took so long for Gaby’s latest surgery to be the call - if it was structurally bad on one side, why not think of that for the other hip?
I really liked the way DR resisted the urge to make blockbuster deadline trades and similar transactions that come with a premium. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to back it up with success in cultivating new players. Hopefully the next guy keeps the cool, calculated head, but has more skill in finding the diamonds of the minors.
Funny thing is Beantown, that while DR avoided the blockbusters, he tended to pay steep prices (with draft picks) for modest acquisitions, as the Don outlines above. Sort of the worst of both worlds. He might have been better off not making any trades at all.
Yeah, those blockbuster trading deadline deals rarely win a Cup. However, when the eventual Cup winner is stacked with talent, you MUST do something to try and improve your chances - when it is time for a team to win.
Like the ‘07-’08 Wild for instance…
…. and I didn’t exactly blame DR for not making those deals at the ‘08 deadline, because the prices did seem high and we didn’t seem to have enough assets to use. On the other hand, it was probably his fault we didn’t have enough assets to use.
Hockeydad: Agreed.
I hope the next guy will take advantage of the unique position the Wild is in: the fans will come regardless of the names of the guys on the ice. In other words, I want somebody who focuses on, and has a talent for picking, up and coming players rather than older veterans with established names.
“It’s hard at the trade deadline when you’re so close to the playoffs, especially last year, and teams are making moves all around you that you’re competing with,” Schultz said. “That’s hard as a player. You’re hoping management’s trying to make you better.”
Coming from Schultz (who has not exactly been a DR critic), that pretty sums it up.
Oh, and I did exactly blame DR.
Does anyone know if we would be able to hire a GM that is currently working for a team that’s in the playoffs? I’m thinking the guy from Detroit sounds great, but do we have to wait until they are done to talk to him?
ATX & WRT: +1. Birth country does not really matter. The Ireland born person has worked well this year.
Michael Russo - wow thank you for your terrific effort; fabulous, well-article in the paper and updates on the blog. Kudos.
Anything Sid says, about hockey anyway, can be ignored.
The difference between Sid and Ruesse/Souhan is he never rips the home guys where Ruesse/Souhan rip them with no foundation for their remarks.
But, it is hard to rip on an 85 year old cranky, opinionated sports writer that could be our great-grandfather. I can appreciate that it is unusual for a guy that old to still be working.
That he still makes his living giving Silver Butterknife Steaks away to his “Close Personal Friends” is because he never rips into anyone. So, he gets interviews no one else can get.
It bothers me lots more that the Tribune and other sports departments seldom employ guys with any passion for hockey. For instance, I wonder if WCCO’s Rosen knows the difference between a hockey stick and a pogo stick.
anyone else in russoville feel like skipping everywhere they go today? or should we wait and do that once people start filling in the job positions? All this offseason wild news is better than any news they made all season! THANK YOU Craig!!!
Hey Mike, just curious if your under contract with the strib? if so when does it expire? you cant go anywhere ever ok? If the strib ever lets you go we can start an underground wild “zine” and your the guy in charge ok? You may need to move to the west bank and tattoo your face is all but that would get subscribers so what do you think?
The special edition of Russo Radio is posted. Russo live - fabulous.
http://www.am1500.com/ondemand/od_mattthomas.shtml
I must say though, Ruesse’s remarks this morning seem to be pretty accurate and support what Russo has said.
I wasn’t aware that Quinn has ties to the SoH already.
Pierre McGuire would be my choice. Every time you hear him covering the World Junior Chamionships and even the games on NBC, he seems so knowledgeable about seemingly every young player. I know that many people constantly complain about him, but I think a knowledgeable guy like him would be a good thing. Did he not used to coach the Whalers?
Can I just say, if the Wild’s Official Historian needs a hand I’m available starting July 1…. just sayin’, if they’re doing some hireing maybe he could sneek in a fulltime assistant. I could watch all the games and take notes (I could even sit next to Russo in the press box) that way if they ever right a book on the history of the Wild there would be comprehensive notes to go from. Just a suggestion.
Thank you Michael for the encouraging news and helpful insights during this crisis. Is it true that the Carlson brothers and Dave Hanson were seen leaving CL’s office putting the foil on?
Russo,
You constantly harp on the Wild for losing players for nothing. You need to be specific and back it up with facts. Should the Wild have traded Rolston and Demitra while on their way to winning a division title last year? Should they have traded their crop of free agents this year while trying to earn a playoff spot? They would have been crucified for doing either. You also claim that other teams trade players heading for free agency. What other playoff bound teams trade away players during a playoff race? I would say it is a lot more common that these teams make trades for players that are about to hit free agency.
Not trading Gaborik last summer is a valid gripe, but then again we have no idea what other teams were offering.
That he still makes his living giving Silver Butterknife Steaks away to his “Close Personal Friends” is because he never rips into anyone. So, he gets interviews no one else can get.
Well he certainly ripped CL today. If it is possible for me to respect CL even more it would be to ignore this old basketball and Mpls first coot going forward. However, CL probably has too much class.
For instance, I wonder if WCCO’s Rosen knows the difference between a hockey stick and a pogo stick.
I doubt he does Ice. In the larger context, the dump of the dumper yesterday could signal MN’s emergence as the major hockey market we all want it to be. If we get a GM that acts more this way, it would be icing on the cake for the Twin Cities sports punditocracy to follow. On a related note, MN transplant Matt Thomas seems to get it and my listenership has followed.
Dave Reed - Russo has been specirfic with regard to Rolston. The criticsm is that DR waited way too late to talk extension. By the time he started, it was too close to UFA and that Rolston would have re-signed here had it been taken care of earlier.
Spot on, Russo. Summed up everything we’ve been feeling in an excellent post.
Reusse was pretty close, which is weird because he was writing about hockey. And Sid…just being Sid. He’s like the guys I see at Union Station in DC, talking to no one in particular and having nothing much to say.
Dream GM/coach situation I see right now. Lure Jim Nill out of Detroit and Pat Quinn as the coach. That would make me very happy.
Please, please, please no MacLean. Check out this beauty he said about the current CBJ team:
“When I see 14 of my guys playing so well in Columbus, it excites me to get back in,” said MacLean.
Excuse me…aren’t there 23 people on the bench? Hey Doug, a third of your guys are gone. You shouldn’t be allowed to take that much credit when they had to roll over a good chunk of your team to make the playoffs.
Anybody ever look at other teams suffering serious head injuries at the same rate that we have?
Cam Steward, Jeff Nielsen, Kim Yohnsson plus Burns, PMB, Schultz have all suffered serious concussions.
Probably others I have forgotten.
Now, I have not heard about Stewart for a long time, but the last information I recall reading was that he was not really functioning well and did not stay as a coach in Houston.
Concussions are serious problems. Are they NHL wide? Or, is lightening just hitting the Wild? Is it related to something the Wild is doing, or the equipment brands they use?
Speaking of morons with regard to hockey in the local sports media … Anyone catch the conversation between Matt Thomas and Slove.. er, I mean Souhan yesterday afternoon before Russo joined them? Painful to listen to.
You didn’t really want to start the golf season early with the wild players did ya Mike? Now it looks like you will have more work to do than if the Wild made the playoffs. We appreciate your hard work. Keep digging and reporting what you can.
Pewterschmidt says:
April 17th, 2009 at 8:21 am
“jay ferguson says:
April 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
I’m never alone on Thunder Island. We fall down laughing in the wet grass.”
Can someone fill me in on the Thunder Island reference. What is the connection to the Wild?
Steve Miller song right?
Uhhh… no. The song is by none other than a person bearing the same name as the poster - Jay Ferguson. As to why it keeps coming up, I couldn’t say.
@ Dave Reed:
Russo has been very specific on where DR has gone wrong in terms of the UFAs. We gave up Patrick O’Sullivan and a pick (maybe more, my memory is hazy) to get Demetra. DR let him walk. We could have had Rolston for a reasonable price, his 25-30 goals and locker room leadership because Rolston liked living in Minny. DR waited to long to talk extension. Might have gotten Backstrom for less if we had talked to him earlier.
It’s not a huge thing to let UFAs walk as it happens all the time, but when you get them for other resources like picks and players, it’s just cleaning the cupboard without ever refilling. AND he had a tendency to overpay for them, ie: Chris Simon. The guy was an NHL pariah and we gave up a third rounder for him.
Have not read him today SGS, maybe I spoke prematurely.
We are out of radio range of Matt Thomas, actually WCCO is the only Twin City channel on our MediaCom.
Hope you can get that historian job Bandgeek.
On a related note, MN transplant Matt Thomas seems to get it and my listenership has followed.
Have to differ. Except for hosting the Don on a weekly basis, I don’t think Thomas offers any more sophistication or insight on hockey or any other sport than Souhan. On hockey specifically, he’s dreadful (though to be fair, he admits he’s new to the sport).
A little birdie says Thursday’s firing of Doug Risebrough as president-general manager of the Wild was in part because of Risebrough’s inability to sign Marian Gaborik …. At the end of the day, this was a deal about Gaborik and retaining the Wild’s season-ticket base with more entertaining hockey …. Money isn’t expected to be a factor in signing Gaborik, a new GM and a coach …. It’s a good bet, by the way, that more Americans and more Minnesotans will find their way onto the Wild roster.
Hey Niveous,
Not to split hairs or anything, but it was a 6th rounder for simon….
Still though, Datsyuk or Zetterberg (or maybe both) were 6th round picks IIRC
I think I could be a darn good towel girl for our boys. Or what about taking over color in the broadcast booth? I couldn’t be any worse than Dumber. I could try play by play but I don’t know… I could certainly try. But yes Ice, that man (the team historian) has my dream job, and really, he could use a bit of help right?
HD - What I ment to say is that Thomas has made hockey a significant part of his show rather than an obligation such as with Barreiro (although the segments with Lou are solid). I always got the impression from Chad Hartman and Barreiro that they believe hockey fans were slack jawed yokels, Thomas - from my sampling at least - seems to have more respect for hockey fans.
@ jimlove.
Ah, that’s right. Got my rounds mixed up. Still, too much to pay for him as a rental player…or at all.
Got it Six. I’ll definitely give Thomas that - he does seem to try to cover the Wild.
The problem with DR was an inability to provide a vision for Wild Hockey. The only vision that he has was how to come in under budget and to not let the fans know what is really going on. I want a new GM who will lay out a specific vision for what Wild hockey will look like and then assemble the coaches, scouts and staff to put that vision into reality.
The prices to really improve the roster at the 2008 deadline were unreal.
On Simon, it might have been too insignificant a pickup so it appeared to be insulting.
But, in the context of Ohlund axing Mikko’s leg, and Yohnny getting cold cocked by a Duck the previous year, there was motivation to acquire toughness for basically nothing.
If the Wild had matched up against the Ducks, Flames, Canucks, Sharks, for instance it might have been a more useful pickup.
Probably, Colorado / Detroit were the only teams they would have played in the SCPO’s without needing a tough guy.
(add Weller to my concussion list.)
So, President and GM. CL has said the new GM won’t be president as well? What’s the difference? What are the president’s responsibilities vs. the GM’s?
I was always under the impression that the ‘president’ part was just a title and something that was done to give DR a warm fuzzy.
Letting UFAs walk away with nothing coming back in return…check
Not being able to lure any high-end UFAs onto the roster…check
Trading away draft picks like you were giving away skittles at a daycare center…check
Not getting any offensive “diamonds” in the rough past the 2nd round of the draft…check
That my friends, is how you keep an organization from progessing in an upward motion and how you keep the cupboards, for lack of a better term, bare.
That is also what I like to refer to as a “Ballgame Hat Trick” (even though it was 4 checks)
Ice, can’t you add Demitra to the concussion list as well?
Not a huge fan of DR either, but I didn’t mind the Simon pickup for a 6th. Obviously, he was not the key missing piece to a SCP team. But, if I remember right, Boogie was hurt at the time.
You would think that CL would have had some conversations with favored GM candidates and targets prior to pulling the pin on DR.
But, in an industry, where high level conversations seldom happen without leaks it perhaps is not the case. Or, maybe it would be tampering if there had been “unofficial” conversations.
One of the very valid concerns against DR was his lack of interest in lower draft choices. It appeared he felt that the lower half of the draft was just a throwaway pick. I think that is the part of the draft you take a chance on late bloomers that are still developing.
This Jim Nill sounds like an interesting choice to me, as mentioned in Russo’s bit. One would think that our deep hockey market might be enough to lure him out of there. Plus the thing this franchise needs is a guy that knows how to get value out of every draft pick, we could use a huge overhaul of prospects.
HD: re: Gaborik’s other hip. This is coming from DR but at his teleconference announcing Gaborik’s last hip surgery, he did say that last May, the surgeon looked at both sides of the hip and found only one to be deficient and so they only operated on that one side.
But, if I remember right, Boogie was hurt at the time.
Yep - back issues were flaring up all season so the Simon move made some sense, not adding a center so Demo could play wing made about made no sense. Thankfully, all of these classic DR rips are soon to filled in the Russoville archives by Bandgeek. If only we could make that a paying job
I think Leipold handled it properly and I have faith that he’ll find a solid replacement.
“One of the very valid concerns against DR was his lack of interest in lower draft choices. It appeared he felt that the lower half of the draft was just a throwaway pick”
+1 on that Ice.
Have you ever looked at how many goons we drafted in the late rounds?
Lucky: Look a little closer at the Wild draft history and you’ll note that only 4 players drafted after the 2ND ROUND (Sushinsky, SRV, Boogie and Cluttercheeks) have played substantial minutes with the team. That is horrible. Not saying you need to find a Zetterberg every year, but to have nobody that can contribute offensively, or defensively for that matter, picked after the second round is pathetic.
The Hockey News has a story on dealing with Avery in the playoffs: http://thehockeynews.com/articles/25340-Jay-Feasters-Blog-What-a-GM-can-do-to-limit-Sean-Averys-impact.html
In my opinion, The Wild has been on the receiving end of more than our share of non-calls and bad calls. And, times where I felt a similar call should have been made on the other team and was not.
Perhaps, it has been our GM’s responsibility to lobby more than he has?
- In the salary cap/free agency era, a gm who turns each contract negotiation into combat + a coach who plays the trap = noone wanting to come here regardless of our opinions of Minny. We are free from that now.
- Beware of TV know-it-alls like Pierre McGuire (see Matt Millen, Barry Melrose)
- Maybe CL thought Poile and Trotz were doing a great job with what they had in Nashville so they lasted there. He thought he bought into a plum situation here, but wasn’t liking the direction DR had things going. IF SO -GOOD THINKIN’ CL.
A response to grape white owl @2:15.
You’re right, 14-year-olds can’t mess up a BigMac, but a 22 year old pothead can downright butcher one
Hey Farva, what’s the name of you’re favorite restaurant.
Oh I agree Deep. I had just brought that up a few months back that we have not pulled a top 6 forward or top 4 defensement past the first round since Patty ‘O in 2003. That is just sad.
HD: re: Gaborik’s other hip. This is coming from DR but at his teleconference announcing Gaborik’s last hip surgery, he did say that last May, the surgeon looked at both sides of the hip and found only one to be deficient and so they only operated on that one side.
thanks, sunshine. But it’s not clear to me that after Gaby pulled up lame in October why it took 3+ months to decide surgery was required, especially when Gaby must not have been healing for only a groiner.
Deep Breath -
While I agree we have not had many good picks after the 2nd round, how does our number compare to the League as a whole? Just curious to see if other teams pull a lot of great players out of the lower rounds.
Bingo, MPS15 - that’s really the question. I’m not saying the drafting has been good (it sure seems the opposite is true), but someone needs to compare it to the other teams.
Awaiting moederation for what?
Goody, the title maybe depends upon the organization.
A President often has more corporate or business responsibilities. He might have a legal or business background.
A GM basically operates the hockey portion of the business. Also, the Wild had other entities that DR seemed to be responsible for.
Also Goody, I don’t recall Demitra’s concussion but there must be others too.
It just seems like way more than a team should have. If it is league-wide, then they better start looking at equipment or the hits that cause them.
If it is club wise, then the Wild better start looking at why and how to prevent them.
If they had made the playoffs, the concussions would have doomed the team early I think.
Hockey Tim, Vison–what sort of vision do you need, The vision is to get a winning team that makes the playoffs and contends for the Cup. That’s the vision. How you get there I don’t care. Just get there.
“jaromir blogger says:
April 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
- In the salary cap/free agency era, a gm who turns each contract negotiation into combat + a coach who plays the trap = noone wanting to come here regardless of our opinions of Minny. We are free from that now.”
Can we stop with the whole “trap system” fallacy? Nearly every team in the league plays some version of the trap. To think we’re going to completely switch into a wide-open style of hockey is just deceiving yourself.
HD:
I don’t think the Wild doctors ever suspected it was his other hip. Last week, the Pio had a short piece on Gaborik and they said that in December when he came back, he still wasn’t feeling great — remember that he said that he still felt discomfort. Well, it was reported that when he went to Colorado over Christmas, he actually went to get injections of his own blood red cells to help him heal faster. While there, I guess his surgeon took a look at his hip and told him that he needed immediate surgery.
I guess that’s kinda my point, sunshine. I’m no doctor, so I might not be giving enough credit for the diffciulty in the diagnosis, but it just seems to me that the hip should have been suspected earlier than it was given his history on the other side. Maybe it’s not that simple, I don’t know, but there seem to have been other mis-diagnoses or delayed diagnoses over the years that I start to wonder.
Great blog on this one Micheal. Right on with your stuff. Well said.
Iceman @ 8:53… Also well said, and 100% correct IMHO. I will though go a little deeper in my assessment / opinion of Sid though. He’s an out-of-touch old sportswriter who just needs to GO AWAY. He defines “arse-kissing homer” when it comes to sportswriters. Personally, I find him quite sickening to read.
On the concussion issue… This REALLY concerns me, with Burnsie especially. Many careers have been cut short or ended because of serious head knocks. And as has been said, the more serious they are, the easier they are to reoccur.
RE: “The figure skating midget”… I LOVE THAT!! Good stuff!!
Lastly…. To Russo’s Evil Twin: Lots of time on your hands yesterday, eh? Fantasizing about dating models again, eh? Tisk, tisk, tisk….. (insert head shake and exasperated look here) I think Miss M has told you one-too-many times that she loves you. It’s going to your head. See ya after the Buzz tomorrow night?
Niveous, jaromir just can’t get off his “trap” mentality. He and I do agree on one thing tho–NO MacLean
woodcock, I think we’re all in agreement about no MacLean.
HD:
I cannot agree more with you. I am no doctor either but Gaborik having another groin injury, I would have looked at the other hip right away.
Look at Burns — 6 weeks to discover that he had a concussion. I know they might be hard to diagnose but stilll — 6 weeks?! I don’t know if Salcer is blowing smoke but in the Pio, h said that he knew within 3 minutes of seeing Burns before the LA game that he had a concussion. Salcer said that he had to talk Burns out of playing the game that night.
I am glad for Backstrom that they are able to pinpoint to his hip.
MPS15: the problem, however, is that apparently the Wild’s higher-up, or former higher-ups, consider anything past the 2nd round as a “late round” pick. Can’t do that, espcially the way some of the recent #1s have bombed (Thelen, PooBah),
CL in Feb: Smug. Any developments on the Gaby front?
Smug: Lemme see. Oh yeah, Salcer called in November and wanted to talk.
CL: That’s cause for optimism.
Smug: Couldn’t tell you for sure. I just had TooL tell Gaby we aren’t interested in talking until he is healthy again.
Interesting comments from Salcer that he couldn’t even get a return call from Smug. Also his comments that after talking with Burnsie on the Wild road trip to LA, it took him about 3 minutes to figure out the kid was concussed and shouldn’t be playing. To top it off, Gaby was downright scared to tell the Wild he needed surgery. And there was no medical question that he needed the surgery.
Do you really want a pres/GM who will intimidate kids into playing at the risk of their careers? No wonder FA’s wouldn’t come here.
Can anybody blame Salcer for looking out for his client’s best interests?
If you are CL and you get wind of these developments, do you not wonder? Heck, he probably picked up the phone and called Salcer directly or had a third party confidante dig into it.
I don’t think we the public, had any idea things were as bad as they were.
What a week. The IRS gives me back some money and Smug hits the road. It’s all good.
Here’s to good health to the boys on the mend.
MPS15:
Not scientific, but here is a brief list of some of the players taken in rounds 3-9 by teams in the NW over the past decade. These are not superstars, for the most part, but players you can fill rosters with and use as potential trade bait if the time comes.
Colorado:
Radim Vrbata 7th rd 1999
Jeff Finger 8th 1999
Kurt Sauer 3rd 2000
John Michael Liles 5th 2000
Cody McCormick 5th 2000
Marek Svatos 7th 2001
Tom Gilbert 4th 2002
Brad Richardson 5th 2003
Edmonton:
Mike Comrie 3rd 1999
Matthew Lombardi 7th 2000
Zack Stortini 3rd 2003
Kyle Brodziak 7th 2003
Calgary:
David Moss 7th 2001
Matthew Lombardi 3rd 2002
Vancover:
Kevin Bieksa 5th 2001
As a reference, here are some of the Dead Wings’ picks over the years. Take note of the 1989 drafting the Wings did.
Franzen 3rd 2004
Filppula 3rd 2002
Zetterberg 7th 1999
Datsuyk 6th 1998
Sykora 3rd 1997
Holmstrom 10th 1994
Osgood 3rd 1991
Lidstrom 3rd 1989
Federov 4th 1989
Drake 6th 1989
Konstantinov 11th 1989
I will give CL credit. He sure knows how to quickly put a bad season to rest.
Franzen 3rd 2004
Filppula 3rd 2002
Zetterberg 7th 1999
Datsuyk 6th 1998
Sykora 3rd 1997
Holmstrom 10th 1994
I have no idea how long the guy in Detroit has had his job, but if he had a hand in even 3 of these, sign me up!
Deep Breath @12:08 great stuff.
To add one more to Colorado’s list, even though it was more than ten years ago, would be Milan Hejduk. I believe he was a mid to late round pick. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on that.
Jim Nill joined the Winged Wheel in the summer of 1994.
3 years of scouting for Ottawa prior to that.
If he’d just leave Detroit…
So, a couple of observations from these lists of late round picks. First, it doesn’t seem like any team in the NW has done well in recent years. Most of the more noteables were drafted pre-02. Also, Detroit has obviously rung the bell big time, but again, it’s been 5 years since Franzen.
Obviously, it’s hard to rip the Wild for not finding guys drafted pre-2000. Maybe these teams have some guys in their systems drafted after 2004 that will turn into the next Franzen, Datsyuk, etc.?
Deep Breath says:
April 17th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Edmonton:
Matthew Lombardi 7th 2000
Calgary:
Matthew Lombardi 3rd 2002
Lombardi was drafted twice?
I’ve wondered before, how many overall late round picks the teams which find late round gems use to find those gems.
Given 1 late round pick, you’re unlikely to pick a Zetterberg. Given 8-10 and you’re a little more likely to find 1 Zetterberg and 9 ‘whos?’. But nobody remembers the 9 ‘whos’, just the 1 Zetterberg. Of course DET’s record blows that theory out of the water unless they trade all their 1 through 6 picks and only pick late rounders.
Answer to my own question/comment
Hejduk was drafted by Quebec in the fourth round back in 94. I did’nt realize he was that old.
I’m sure that if you look at New Jersey’s drafts in the Early 90’s they, probably had some late round steals also.
In regards to the draft, I also have a tough time faulting them for the pick of Pouliot. If you look back, he was the second rank NA skater in the draft that year, had played in the WJC and had done well in Juniors. Now the fact that he seems to be lazy and just doesn’t have the drive to want to be a star certainly makes it stink that we picked him, but it wasn’t as if they reached at that pick and it flopped.
San Jose has two… Ryan Clowe a 5th I think, and Joe Pavelski was a 7th.
Kris Versteeg with Chicago was a 5th.
Brad Richards was a 3rd rounder… in ‘98 but still.
Steve Mason a 3rd rounder… goalie but still.
Those are just a few off the top of my head.
The problem with the Pouliot pick is that one of his primary negatives was his lack of effort. He always got by on his talent. And, even now, he has a great deal of talent.
Pouliot had tremendous upside, but the flag was always on his ability to drive himself to maturing that talent into NHL impact. What makes matters worse is all the guys that got drafted just after him that ARE making big impacts.
Jake-That does suck if he had the label prior to the draft. It is awful to see that the guys around him have all made impacts. You would think that would drive him as well.
It one that kills me is the year before when we picked Thielen 12th and then a defenseman named Mike Green was picked 29th. SOB. Now a lot of other teams passed on Green, but hindsight really sucks when you look at draft missteps.
Lombardi was drafted by the Grease in 2000; could not come to terms; re-entered the draft and was taken by the Flickers in 2002.
‘johnny-come-lately owner’
Is Sid aware of the fact that Norm Green left and Bobby Smith doesn’t work for Kemps anymore?
I’d really rather not see us take someone from Nashville or Columbus. Can we please use a team that has repeated success over time as our benchmark? I don’t consider either of those two teams “top eschelon”. If you want to be in the top you have to start thinking like the teams in the top and then try to model their behaviors.
As far as Burns is concerned. He is sick all the time after his concussion. It’s not getting better and I’m worried he might be done from a career standpoint. he used to bike all the time with the guys at Penn Cycle off of Lake Road in Woodbury but hasn’t been up for it at all. NOT GOOD!
KJ, It does not matter what Reusse and Sid say. They both have an agenda that cant be overlooked when reading the stuff they have said. Sid tips his hat a little bit by comparing the Wolves to the Wild. Sid and Reusse prefer Basketball. If the Wild were in downtown mpls they would go softer on this subject
Simply put the Minneapolis paper is trying to savage the Wild becasue they are kicking the Wolves ass for the fan dollar. When is the last time any writer has writen something positive about the Wild ? That is my point ! They are guilty as charged by Mister Know it all
The thing about critiquing any GM for draft choices is they do not make the pick in a vacuum. The GM may not even see any of the #1 choices in person. So, bad draft choices might be only indirectly on his shoulders.
It would seem that whatever the pick made, it falls on the shoulders of the scouts to deliver.
Unless the GM is ignoring what scouts are saying and being bull-headed about choosing people the scouts have questions about.
Otherwise the draft deficiencies are relating to scouting.
Then, either you need different scouts, or more scouts.
If a GM doesn’t correct that, then the problem is on his shoulders.
I agree with you MKIA. Every article I read the beat writers of the star and trib savage the Wild when they get the chance
What the what, did you see that either Russo or Shipley quoted Burns as saying: “in a perfect world the specialist would put him to sleep for six weeks, but otherwise no tv, no reading, etc).
Pretty serious stuff.
Sid tips his hat
I belive the phrase you were looking for was “tips his hand” MKIA.
WtW, did you see that either Russo or the other beat writer quoted Burns as saying: “in a perfect world the specialist would put him to sleep for six weeks, but otherwise no tv, no reading, etc).
Pretty serious stuff.
The Star and Tribune are not being objective when telling the story on DR.
Listen, maybe it is time for DR to be gone. None of us know the inside story of why he is gone. I dont think anyone can comment as a matter of fact about DR and his results with draft picks unless you had a spreadsheet and analyzed the data. What about Backstrom, Clutterbuck ? DR had a few of those type of guys.
8 years is a long time to be a GM and to build a franchise from the ground up. If DR slowed down and was beginning to bump heads with his boss, he likely just checked out and Leopold fired him.
I would speculate that stress got the best of him
We will see now how Leopold does becasue this is his first bout with a major decision
Give the subject to
I just saw Backs and Gabby having lunch. I bet they are having some great hip and groin chats!
Tips his hand is correct Six goalie
I was reading an article the other day about Sage Rosenfels playing for Gary Kubiak who was always on his case. He finally told him, “Coach. I am giving it all I’ve got. It’s hard enough out there without having to come over to the sideline and get screamed at by you. If you’d back off and show a little confidence in me, I might do better.”
I am just wondering if guys like Pouliot, Shep and Gaby to a point, are the type who don’t respond well to old school hard line coaches. They spend so much time looking over their shoulder trying to make sure they are doing what the coach wants that they forget how to play instinctively.
JL is free to say “It’s not my way or the highway. It’s my way.” I love the guy, but I can see where it could get frustrating playing for him.
Maybe those guys will blossom.
–I would speculate that stress got the best of him–
Let’s not forget that DR spent a year dealing with cancer.
It changes you. Everybody is different, but when you are a 55 year old ex-superjock, that could be more than just an emotional hiccup.
@ Greg:
Pouliot was drafted 4th
Carey Price 5
Devin Setoguchi 8
Anze Kopitar 11
Martin Hanzal 17
T.J. Oshie 24
2nd rounder that I’d love to have from that draft
Paul Stastny #44
That’s to name the most prominent, or have continually rising stock.
This news is great for the Wild, and I am happy that CL stepped up and proved he is really a “fan like me”… sick of boring hockey with a GM who simply did not get it done the last 4 years. It will take awhile to pay for DR mistakes, but hopefully someone who can build excitement and talent will arrive.
Jake the Wall, hard not to take Pouliot with the 4th overall. If you had eyes in the back of your head then you pick Kopitar
Stoned, those points are good points you raise about DR. DR was not always like this otherwise it would have been painfully obvious that he should be dumped in the past
Jefft, I dont think any clean up is neccessary for the new GM. I think DR is leaving them in good shape, no very good shape. I am not saying that it was not time for DR to be fired however.
My gut feeling is I am skeptical of how the Wild are going to do on a go forward basis. I think Leopold wants to get quick results and is willing to buy them…. ??
“In regards to the draft, I also have a tough time faulting them for the pick of Pouliot. If you look back, he was the second rank NA skater in the draft that year, had played in the WJC and had done well in Juniors. Now the fact that he seems to be lazy and just doesn’t have the drive to want to be a star certainly makes it stink that we picked him, but it wasn’t as if they reached at that pick and it flopped.”
Not trying to be a smart guy but Pouliot wasn’t exactly pegged as a sure thing even though he was ranked the 2nd North American skater. While we know all of the good reason he made it to the top (great speed, amazing hands, etc) every scout put up red flags (bad attitude, lazy, weren’t sure how he’d develop to NHL and he shot up out of nowhere in his draft year). There is a reason Anaheim and Carolina passed on him and took the next best players. Our scouts failed us miserably on that pick.
Although I have to admit I really thought Pouliot would make the team this year and contribute.
Anyone who plays hockey for a dozen years at any level is subjected to pressure situations confrontations Stoned. Do I not recall Russo writing last fall that Pouliot had gotten mouthy with JL?
Anyway, there is so much pressure to win at the highest levels that if someone’s personality cannot deal with it they are probably not going to be a reliable teammate. They might as well go play bandy.
Anyway, I am not in sympathy with players on this one, except in the extreme situation like playing for Iron Mike might be.
At the young levels, coaching, instructions do prevent guys from playing instinctively as they need to think out the plays before they react.
I think it would probably be true at every station to the NHL. JL probably would have provided his players more information than most. So, the transition would be greater.
If Pouliot blossoms, it will because he makes the sacrifice and realizes he is not the center of the universe.
MKIA… didn’t say that the Wild should have taken Kopitar. That pick seemed like a reach back then. I list his name as a person from that draft class that is making an impact for the top club… one heck of an impact.
I wasn’t a fan of Pouliot going into that draft. Talent but questionable work ethic never seems to work out for MN sports teams. I was higher on Setoguchi at the time.
kind ofn hoping pouliot grows up and fires on all cylinders next year…..but then again I’d also like to date Amy Lee…..
chances are very similar on those fronts unfortunatly
That’s old school crock Ice. As we evolve as a species, we learn, or should learn, that my way or the highway leaves a lot of very talented people by the wayside. The conformists all fall in lock step, but the folks who have any individuality to them get punched out because they won’t do what their told.
Admittedly it is an art and requires balance, skill and chemistry, but bringing out the best in someone is the ultimate accomplishment. It is much harder than my way or the highway, but much more rewarding in my opinion.
Der is no doubt that there are deadbeats, but the question remains, will another coach be able to inspire these guys.
s/b they’re
Iceman: can you utilize the online feature of Matt Thomas & Russo radio?
Michael Russo: what are you cooking up for the mass feeding frenzy waiting for you in Russoville? You rock.
Duhatschek’s latest is worth a look - http://sports.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090417.wsptduha0417/GSStory/GlobeSports/home
It included the following CL quote - the part I put in bold makes me think that CL understands that the ticket buying public and perhaps the TV audience had cast a vote of no confidence in DR long ago. If that is the case, I suspect the new GM will be the polar opposite of Smug. Perhaps along that line, Duhatschek also expects that the Wild will changes its style of play.
“There are some people with NHL general manager’s experience that are no longer GMs and I have another list of people who have never been a general manager before but are the bright stars of the National Hockey League or American Hockey League,” said Leipold. “So right now, I’ve got a pretty wide-open thought process. I just want to get the right person to make us successful in this market.”
SGS, I think all he is saying is that he wants a GM who will make this team a serious contender. Interestingly,Duhatschek and Leipold seem to think we have the pieces (players) for a good franchise and D likes Shep and Gillies.
FOOD
I know that CL has said that he agonized over the decision to fire DR, but I wonder if DR’s comments in Lemaire’s press conference made it easier.
DR: I did not know Jacques was going to quit.
When Russo asked CL if he had thought of firing Lemaire after the anouncement that DR was gone,said that he hadn’t thought about it because he always assumed that Lemaire was leaving.
Interesting that CL had the feeling Lemaire was leaving in his first year of owning the team but DR did not and has known Lemaire since their playing days.
[…] of course. And has the term "monster" ever been used in a salary arbitration hearing? [Star Tribune]• Brian Burke is not about to allow his right hand to take over the Minnesota Wild. [Sun […]
