And So The Axe Falls

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Vader
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Vader »

Good article on Gillis' firing
...
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Jovocop
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Jovocop »

Gillis made it plain that first day he was inheriting a mess and that the Canucks had a long way to go until they became a competitive team. That mess, by the way, included all the key pieces that got the Canucks to consecutive Presidents’ Trophy victories and one win away from the 2011 Stanley Cup final. The Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Alex Edler, Roberto Luongo, even the young up-and-coming goaltending talent, Cory Schneider, were all already in the Canucks organization, when Gillis took over from Dave Nonis, who had previously replaced Brian Burke.

The Canucks had missed the playoffs that year after tantalizing fans with a 105-point season the year before – and the mood then was the same as now: How to keep a disenchanted fan base happy. The Aquilini family can’t be happy to see all those empty seats in the lower bowl for the last couple of games and if that’s a sign that season-ticket renewals aren’t as robust as in previous years, then that’s worrisome.

But most worrisome of all has to be the reality of Gillis’s moves as a general manager. He failed repeatedly to fill in the necessary supporting pieces, when the primary tools were already in place. What exactly will be his legacy? Signing Pavol Demitra, one of his former clients, as a free agent back in 2008? Signing Mats Sundin? His signature moment has to be one of two transactions – getting Dan Hamhuis to leave Nashville and sign with the Canucks as a free agent in 2010, or acquiring Christian Ehrhoff in a San Jose Sharks’ salary dump in 2009. But Hamhuis wanted to come home, so that transaction needs an asterisk. It’s the same as Zach Parise and Ryan Suter wanting to go to Minnesota for family reasons or Scott Niedermayer joining the Ducks in 2005 so he could play with his brother Rob. That’s an accident of geography, not astute planning. In Ehrhoff’s case, they got two good seasons out of him before the Canucks let him go for salary-cap reasons of their own.

And that really was it.

On the other side of the ledger, he managed to take a position of strength, goaltending, and turn it into a position of weakness. The moves to acquire, among others, the likes of David Booth, Derek Roy, Max Lapierre and others or sign Jason Garrison to a big-money contract blew up in his face. And the net effect of the passing of the years without a championship is that the Sedins got older, Burrows and Kesler became more brittle, Edler seems to have lost his confidence and Luongo and Schneider are playing for the Florida Panthers and the New Jersey Devils respectively. And the only player they’ve drafted in the past six years playing regularly in the NHL is Cody Hodgson, who they traded away to the Buffalo Sabres for Zach Kassian, still a work in progress.
I am not defending Gillis because he did make some mistakes as the GM of the Canucks. However, this article was kind of cherry picking. I have a feeling that Dutatschek is a big Burke & Nonis supporter.

1. Is missing playoffs twice in three years not considered a mess??

2. Samuelsson, 30 goals in 09/10?? Malhotra? Tanev?? Higgins?? Lapierre?? These were solid signings and trades.

3. Lapierre centred the third line during the 2011 run and scored an important goal in Game 5 vs. Boston. How could that be a bad trade??

4. Should a GM be responsible for a player losing his confidence??

5. Did Luongo not ask for a trade to the Panthers???

6. Is Cody Hodgson not a work in progress??? Kassian might not outscore Hodgson. However, I would still take Kassian over Hodgson any day any time.
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Hockey Widow
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Hockey Widow »

A friend told me that there was a group of GMs, Nonis and BB included, that absolutely hated Gillis going back to his player agent days. He was a prick to deal with and this particular group detested him. When he took over the Canucks, and how he took over the Canucks, this group of GMs were determined to see him fail. So much so that there were deliberate attempts to try and run interference on trades he was trying to work out with other GMs. They would use disinformation, call up and make trade talk for the same players he was after, leak trade talks, and even tried to bully a few of the younger GMs.

There was a hate on for the guy and a prediction that he would be out of the league within 5 years. One bold GM said he would make his mission to see the SOB fail.

I don't have any specific details, just the above. But he found it almost impossible in the last two years to get any trades done. This interference was played out in front of the hockey world surrounding the whole Luongo fiasco.

I think he gets a bad rap in all of this. For sure he made some bad moves. For sure he waited too long to move Luongo. But he did make some good moves, good pick ups and got our FAs to take hometown discounts, NTC notwithstanding. He was far from perfect but he was not as terrible as some want us to believe.
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Blob Mckenzie
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Blob Mckenzie »

Only the clowns like Dogsemen , Pauser and the other dude sock puppets like Bersnoozi slam Eye Bags . He was a decent to middling GM . Anyone who says otherwise is a retard or someone with an agenda .
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Arachnid »

Hockey Widow wrote:A friend told me that there was a group of GMs, Nonis and BB included, that absolutely hated Gillis going back to his player agent days. He was a prick to deal with and this particular group detested him. When he took over the Canucks, and how he took over the Canucks, this group of GMs were determined to see him fail. So much so that there were deliberate attempts to try and run interference on trades he was trying to work out with other GMs. They would use disinformation, call up and make trade talk for the same players he was after, leak trade talks, and even tried to bully a few of the younger GMs.

There was a hate on for the guy and a prediction that he would be out of the league within 5 years. One bold GM said he would make his mission to see the SOB fail.

I don't have any specific details, just the above. But he found it almost impossible in the last two years to get any trades done. This interference was played out in front of the hockey world surrounding the whole Luongo fiasco.

I think he gets a bad rap in all of this. For sure he made some bad moves. For sure he waited too long to move Luongo. But he did make some good moves, good pick ups and got our FAs to take hometown discounts, NTC notwithstanding. He was far from perfect but he was not as terrible as some want us to believe.
I gots no respects for those that would waste valuable life energy on the misery of others...karma baby, she's a bitch and will come back in spades even when you think you got away with something' 8-)
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dangler
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by dangler »

I assume offer sheeting Backes didn't help his popularity amongst other Gm's either
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BladesofSteel
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by BladesofSteel »

Bullying tactics?

Like how when Mike Gillis bullied Glen Sather into forking over $18.45 mil for an aging/idling Bobby Holik?

Moving on.
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Lancer »

Hockey Widow wrote:A friend told me that there was a group of GMs, Nonis and BB included, that absolutely hated Gillis going back to his player agent days. He was a prick to deal with and this particular group detested him. When he took over the Canucks, and how he took over the Canucks, this group of GMs were determined to see him fail. So much so that there were deliberate attempts to try and run interference on trades he was trying to work out with other GMs. They would use disinformation, call up and make trade talk for the same players he was after, leak trade talks, and even tried to bully a few of the younger GMs.

There was a hate on for the guy and a prediction that he would be out of the league within 5 years. One bold GM said he would make his mission to see the SOB fail.

I don't have any specific details, just the above. But he found it almost impossible in the last two years to get any trades done. This interference was played out in front of the hockey world surrounding the whole Luongo fiasco.

I think he gets a bad rap in all of this. For sure he made some bad moves. For sure he waited too long to move Luongo. But he did make some good moves, good pick ups and got our FAs to take hometown discounts, NTC notwithstanding. He was far from perfect but he was not as terrible as some want us to believe.
Whatever is said of what he did or didn't do during his GM tenure, this could have been one of the most damning problems he had and it was something over which he had little control. Not sure if he did much to change that anyway.

No doubt this factored into the search for a new GM - Benning has paid his dues in management, has connections and appears to enjoy general good standing among his peers.

Kind of sad as fans to have watched two seasons of futility, largely because of something that was beyond Gillis' control while he was GM. :(
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Hockey Widow
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Hockey Widow »

BladesofSteel wrote:Bullying tactics?

Like how when Mike Gillis bullied Glen Sather into forking over $18.45 mil for an aging/idling Bobby Holik?

Moving on.

Like I said, he was a prick to deal with as a player agent and made few friends in the GM fraternity. And Sather was one of that fraternity by the way, that detested him.

I think due diligence by an owner or president means you need to know the personality of the guy you hire and what impact his reputation and or relationships will have on his ability to perform his job. This one is on the water boy and I agree he didn't make the same mistake twice when he brought the prodigal son back.

For the most part I always supported MG but by the end I was glad he was gone.
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by griz »

Arachnid wrote:I gots no respects for those that would waste valuable life energy on the misery of others...karma baby, she's a bitch and will come back in spades even when you think you got away with something' 8-)
Well put Spidey.
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Strangelove
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Strangelove »

griz wrote:
Arachnid wrote:I gots no respects for those that would waste valuable life energy on the misery of others...karma baby, she's a bitch and will come back in spades even when you think you got away with something' 8-)
Well put Spidey.
"punt Spidey"??

PUNT SPIDEY??!! :shock:

You think the "axe falling" on Spidey would be... "karma"?

(or as the Bible calls it: "The Law of Sowing and Reaping") :mex:

As for Mike Gillis... Twas the Old Boys Club killed the beast.
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Chef Boi RD
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Chef Boi RD »

The moral of the story? Do not hire an arrogant/asshole players agent to be your GM who is universally hated by GMs. Gillis was one of the most despised Players agents in the game prior to his hiring.

I know the builder who built Pat Quinn's house and the builder who renovated Gillis house. Builder for Quinn "nicest client he's ever had". Builder for the Gillis house. "Fucking assholes".

I did a deck job for a guy in Shaunessay. He knew Gillis and didn't have to many nice things to say about him, like everyone else says - has no time for anyone, extremely unfriendly and arrogant.

You dont throw the previous GM under the bus at your press conference hiring. Linden scooping the job from him, whom is good friends with Quinn who is good friends with Burke who is good friends with Nonis is karma, baby

It's concerning that my good friend Blobby beer guts Mckenzies likes Ontario boy - Gillis like Tony Gallagher likes Gillis and hates BC boy - Nonis
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Jovocop
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Jovocop »

RoyalDude wrote:The moral of the story? Do not hire an arrogant/asshole players agent to be your GM who is universally hated by GMs. Gillis was one of the most despised Players agents in the game prior to his hiring.

I know the builder who built Pat Quinn's house and the builder who renovated Gillis house. Builder for Quinn "nicest client he's ever had". Builder for the Gillis house. "Fucking assholes".

I did a deck job for a guy in Shaunessay. He knew Gillis and didn't have to many nice things to say about him, like everyone else says - has no time for anyone, extremely unfriendly and arrogant.

You dont throw the previous GM under the bus at your press conference hiring. Linden scooping the job from him, whom is good friends with Quinn who is good friends with Burke who is good friends with Nonis is karma, baby

It's concerning that my good friend Blobby beer guts Mckenzies likes Ontario boy - Gillis like Tony Gallagher likes Gillis and hates BC boy - Nonis
As a fan, I don't care whether the GM of the Canucks is an asshole or not. If he could bring home a Stanley Cup, I wouldn't care he was an ex-con. However, I agree with HW that he could not get the job done in the last two seasons. IT was time for him to go.

I just find that some of the journalists try to brainwash people by cherry-picking a bit disgusting.
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Boston Canucker »

I was fine with Gillis for most of his term, but he lost me when he totally messed up the goalie situation, losing CS-RL in one calendar year for not near enough return was the height of incompetence. And the fact that Gillis blames it on outside factors didn't help in terms of my view of him. Gillis had a solid run, almost pulled in the big prize, but his time was up, no doubt about it.
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Re: And So The Axe Falls

Post by Canuck-One »

I think HW has explained why it probably was "outside influences."
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