Reefer2 wrote:I recently attended an event where a couple senior people from the Canucks organization (no players) attended and purely from the point that things were said off the record and I am not one to kiss and tell I will summarize as follows:
• Yes they (the team) are aware of who did not play well, no player was mentioned specifically, and they do not see this happening again Friday.
• The coaching staff is very active in meeting with players when they may not have played as well as expected. What you see on TV is nothing like what happens behind closed doors (me paraphrasing again)
• Players are harder on themselves more than fans realize.
• Interesting but each player can get a copy of a video that shows their entire game shift by shift so they can work on areas that need improvement.
• Expect to see some changes that will occur for the next game
• Sedin is expected to play this series but ONLY if he is 100% healthy, the Canucks as an organization will always put the players health in front of the team.
• There was a meeting with all GM, AGM and coaches before the playoffs about what is not acceptable and there was a lot of references to a certain Pitts/Philly game
• After very game they do speak with the NHL official who has been assigned to their series about the refs and the game, expect adjustments for the next game
• The management was totally surprised about the riots when it occurred
• They feel the Canucks is one of the best organizations in pro sports in NA that is active in the community such as Canuck Place and other things they do.
• Nothing new/different on the Luongo/CS front
• CS should get a start (not just because Luongo plays bad but they could play 28 games in the playoffs and they need both goalies going), they also admitted maybe they could have done things differently last season in the finals.
• They do feel that Luongo gets too much unfair criticism
• The “hate” the Nucks get has many reasons and some if it may be based upon jealousy from eastern media as the Canucks have had some very successful years in the past decade. Same as what we heard before, i.e. everyone loves a loser, winners are never really liked (me paraphrasing again)
• I like this one, Canucks are not Canada’s team, no problem, they never asked to be Canada’s team.
• Loose lips sinks ships, remember that saying from WWII, I am paraphrasing again but you will never hear a lot from the Canucks regardless of what the media wants because the opposing team will use it to their advantage as well (do you ever listen to the 1040 crew go on and on about how NHL teams should be upfront with injury reports)
Overall nothing really different than we have heard before but it was interesting to hear them speak, I will say based upon these 2 gentlemen you can see that they are very business savvy and I do feel more confident that with the Aquilinies as the owners and MG as the GM, this team will continue to be competitive for years to come. They do look long term and do understand what it takes to be successful in the NHL both on and off the ice. I have felt that in last few years ownership/management has significantly improved and even though this was only 1 meeting they did nothing to dispel that notion.
I'm sure things are very different behind closed doors than what is seen publicly. That's the way it should be. I don't see why fans and media seem to think everything has to be laid out for all to see. This is still a workplace and no one would want their own performance or management's view of it blurted out to the world. Privacy should be respected no matter the "entertainment" business. There are always boundaries.
Thank God no one is pushing Daniel. I think Gillis went through enough as a player to not want to see those playing for him screwed. Agree on the criticism of Luongo too. Things Schneider does that fans react too with an "ooh, aah" gets Luo roasted for days (i.e. stick-handling giveaways). I think a rotation would do the team good these playoffs.
Only surprise from what you wrote was the organization being surprised by the riots. Obviously few of them were here in '94 and probably never walked through the downtown core like I did during last year's finals. I told lots of people that it was a mess down there, not Olympic crowds at all, and that we were one incident away from a complete breakdown. I know plenty of others saw it too. The surprise from the police - who had officers down there dealing with the numbnuts throughout - was astounding.
Oh yes, players being harder on themselves than people think. Believe that 100%. You only have to know anyone who plays competitively to understand that. My bantam-aged son is awful. Couldn't imagine him dealing with the pressures of the pro game.
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