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| Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars http://www.sabresjunkie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7471 |
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| Author: | HipKat [ Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
Darcy Regier has his flaws, but one thing I admire about him is his ability to disregard public sentiment. Right or wrong, he has a habit of making decisions without external influence or worries about popularity. To his credit, Regier refused to make excuses for the Sabres' failures during an interview last week on WGR 550. Admitting failure doesn't absolve one from failure, however. Despite his newfound financial freedom, he has done almost nothing to prove he's capable of moving the Sabres forward let alone win a Stanley Cup. If Quinnipiac University took a poll, his approval rating in Buffalo, taking into account the usual 3.5 percent margin of error, would be – what? – about 25 percent? OK, that's an exaggeration. It would be close to zero. Terry Pegula owns the only vote that matters, of course, but it has become increasingly evident that he's not sure how to proceed, either. It's no crime. He wouldn't assign a third-line forward to oversee his gas wells, so nobody should expect him to be qualified to run a hockey franchise just because he bought one. Pegula has good intentions and could become a very good owner, but he needs a reliable advisor. Whatever homework he claimed to have completed on Regier and Lindy Ruff has since been returned for corrections. The guy needs a tutor, preferably one who doesn't view Regier as a hockey genius the way Ken Sawyer does. What to do? Hire a team of them. Pegula could stay true to his affinity for ex-Sabres, upgrade his hockey department and breathe some fresh air through his organization and the community. There are enough former Sabres, if placed in the right positions, who could improve personnel, boost confidence, generate momentum and maybe even win a championship. President Ted Black has been running daily business operations, but he's not a hockey guy. Pegula needs hockey minds making hockey decisions. It starts with picking up the telephone and finding out who would join him. I would imagine several former Sabres would be interested in changing the culture and turning around the franchise. Need help? Let's examine the possibilities. Pegula would find he doesn't have enough jobs for all the former Sabres who could help him. • Pat LaFontaine, president of hockey. The former captain is an easy sell, but don't let his infectious personality fool you. He's cold-blooded when it comes to hockey. He's bright, knows what it takes to build a winner, works well with others and is a natural leader. Hiring him alone would improve the organization. Former Bruins great Cam Neely has worked wonders in the same capacity in Boston. • Rick Dudley, general manager. How many times has this suggestion been made, a dozen? Look at the results. He played a major role in building the Lightning and Blackhawks into Cup winners. He started the Jets' rebuild. He contributed to the Leafs' improvement. He helped the Canadiens last summer. Check the standings, stop resisting and hire the guy. His expertise is personnel, not public relations. LaFontaine can handle PR. • Larry Carriere, assistant GM. He's qualified to be the GM, too. Dudley has an edge in experience. Carriere knows talent. Last year, he took over as coach in Montreal to gain a better understanding of his players, then helped Marc Bergevin with his summer weeding project. He spent much of his professional life with the Sabres before being pushed out during Regier's regime. It was one of his many mistakes. • Jason Botterill, assistant GM. He played only 35 games for the Sabres before pursuing a career in management. As an assistant GM in Pittsburgh under Ray Shero, he's been learning from one of the best. Botterill, who earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, is widely considered a top up-and-comer. He could learn under Dudley and eventually replace him. • Don Luce and Terry Martin, vice presidents of pro scouting. They could run the department together and contribute to personnel decisions. Both could be a GM, but somebody needs to evaluate players on other teams and manage scouts sprinkled across the league. Scouts would report to them, and they would report to Dudley. • Michael Peca, player development. It depends on where LaFontaine and Dudley would want him, but he also belongs in the organization in some capacity. The same goes for Chris Drury and Mike Grier. Make them scouts, consultants, coaches, leadership teachers, ice scrapers, bartenders, whatever. Find them a gig. They know how to win. • Jim Schoenfeld, consultant. He's currently serving as assistant GM of player personnel for the Rangers while running operations in AHL Connecticut. He can do anything, but it doesn't mean he needs to do everything. He can serve as a roaming advisor and help where he's needed between Buffalo and Rochester. • Craig Ramsay, head coach. The longtime assistant won the Cup in Tampa Bay under John Tortorella. He had a 16-8-1 record in Philadelphia and took the Flyers to the 2000 conference finals. Bobby Clarke fired him the next season, a mistake. He was a head coach in Atlanta under Dudley, which was poor timing for both. • Don Lever, assistant head coach. The Sabres missed the playoffs twice between 1992-93 and 2001-02, when he was an assistant coach and associate coach. He was on Ruff's staff when Buffalo reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1999. He had one losing season in six years as an AHL head coach. He deserves a chance as head coach in the NHL. • Mike Ramsey, assistant coach. He was an assistant for three years in Buffalo and another 10 years in Minnesota before leaving the game while his kids were in high school. His son, the youngest, graduates this year. Any chance you'll come back, Rammer? If not, try Doug Houda. • James Patrick, assistant coach. Patrick has had a rough ride with his defensemen this season in Buffalo, but Brian Campbell, Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman are among many who praised him for his work. Having good players helps. • Scott Arniel, specials teams coach. The Sabres were third on the power play and second on the penalty kill in 2005-06, his last year under Ruff. They won the Presidents' Trophy without him the following year but dropped to 17th on the PP and 20th on the PK. • Dwayne Roloson, goaltending coach. Roloson played for six different teams and learned from every coach along the way. He's now a consultant for the Ducks. He'll eventually be an NHL goaltending coach. Why not here and now? • Randy Cunneyworth, Americans head coach. He did a very good job between 1999-2008 before jumping to the NHL as an assistant. Last season, he was thrust into a difficult situation after taking over as head coach in Montreal. Remember, the aforementioned are ex-Sabres. Imagine what Pegula could find if he opened the doors to everyone. Gonchar comes through |
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| Author: | HipKat [ Sun Mar 24, 2013 8:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
This is a great story and a nice idea but very flawed..... First, Roloson isn't coming back to Buffalo. Even with Ruff gone, he got the shaft here. I was at the Peoria Riverman game vs the Chicago Wolves last night. Arneil is the coach of the Wolves and that team looked like crap vs a bad Rivermen team. Peoria dominated and won, 3-0. Both teams are fighting for a playoff spot. Chicago is a big market, well funded team, too. Didn't Craig Ramsey get fired here?? Didn't Dudley get fired from here? Luce as player personnel director would work. He's got a rep as a great scout. The rest I like, for the most part. A few nmes in his list are meaningless to me. La Fontaine would be great! Peca's doing a great job with the Jr. Sabres |
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| Author: | Jammerz04 [ Sun Mar 24, 2013 10:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
just one name I don't agree with and thats James Patrick. he's done good job for us in the past but honestly his tape has just run out. |
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| Author: | HipKat [ Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:42 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
Yeah, I was kind've torn on that one. Hard to give him props when our Defense sucks so bad |
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| Author: | Los9090 [ Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
Figure LaFontaine will keep coaching his son's club team |
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| Author: | Nuthatch [ Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
He might have a change of heart if the offer was good. |
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| Author: | Displaced Fan [ Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
Los9090 wrote: Figure LaFontaine will keep coaching his son's club team Yup.....but man would it be sweet if he came here. |
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| Author: | Vanek_Fanatic_26 [ Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
I'm sorry, but isn't this the same guy that shits on Pegula for being too much of a fan? I can imagine this going well. "LET'S HIRE ALL MY FAVORITES FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS." Yeah. This is a great idea. The media would have a field day with it. |
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| Author: | Skyline_BNR34 [ Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
Most of the best players in the world don't amount to much in a management role or coaching role anyways. Most of the most successful coaches in the game right now or previously, never had great careers. They were the guys who never had the talent but knew more about the game then the stars of the teams they were on. |
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| Author: | HipKat [ Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:27 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bucky Gleason: Sabres need expertise of former stars |
True, but most of the players listed do have good coaching/management resumes. Don Luce has been a good scout for years. Craig Ramsey was a good coach. Dudley has turned into a real good GM and I think the La Fontaine position would be a good one. |
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