Two summers ago, the Islanders’ critics had a field day when owner Charles Wang first hired coach Ted Nolan, then hired general manager Neil Smith, then fired Smith after about six weeks on the job and replaced him with backup goaltender Garth Snow as GM. Wang’s plan was to run the Islanders by a committee that included former GM Mike Milbury.
The whole thing was panned as a circus of epic proportions until the Islanders surprised everyone in the NHL by making the playoffs thanks to some bold moves by Snow and a good coaching job by Nolan. When hostilities between Snow and Nolan flared last season, it provided another opportunity to knock the hockey-by-committee approach.
As much fun as that might have been for anyone with access to a computer keyboard, all the arguments about Wang’s outside-the-box approach have been rendered moot. The so-called committee quietly dissolved in the middle of last season as Snow assumed the leadership position for the franchise and formulated a long-term rebuilding plan. Snow then parted company with Nolan before finally naming his own man, Scott Gordon, as coach of the Islanders today.
In terms of organizational structure, the Islanders once again are NHL conformists, operating in the traditional way. Having learned first-hand about the difficulty of trying to build a championship contender through free agency, Snow now has a plan in place to develop young prospects, and in Gordon, he has a partner committed to the same approach.
Some might find fault with Snow for choosing a coach who is unproven at the NHL level when he had so many veteran coaches from which to choose. Without knowing much about Gordon beyond his resume as the AHL coach of the year last season in Providence, I was leaning toward former Toronto coach Paul Maurice because he succeeded in similar circumstances previously with Hartford/Carolina.
But Gordon fits the bill as a teacher and communicator who has spent the past eight seasons working with prospects at Providence, including the first three as an assistant. He also was a head coach for six seasons in the ECHL and the old IHL. Most importantly, Gordon is Snow’s guy. They hit it off in a way that convinced Snow they can be an effective team with the same objective.
Progress may be slow at first with a team that lacks scoring punch. Young players will have to produce in major roles, and veterans will have to show they still have enough left in the tank to lead effectively. But Snow is convinced the Isles have a goaltender in Rick DiPietro and a solid veteran defense that will allow them to compete beyond the low expectations for the coming season.
If it doesn’t work out two or three years from now, there won’t be any committee to spread the blame. The Islanders are Snow’s show now. He orchestrated this whole process from soup to nuts, possibly to the surprise of those who underestimated him when he ascended straight from the locker room to the GM’s post. From now on, the buck stops with Snow.
Comments (52)
LOVE THE MOVE!!!! I think its safe to say this is the Beginning of a great STORY with a CINDERELLA ending!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!
This is a move in the right direction, since this is a youth movement. Hopefully it's not deja vu all over again, don't want to wait 3 years for a playoff beth either.
Here is the immediate impact>>
If Tambellinni doesn't start to progress then he's a write off. The intangible will really be his (Gordon's)assessment of our current younger guys ( not to step on Ryan J and Garth's feet) Whether we put up wins or not the kids should react to Gordon immediately.
Wonder how he felt about Kessell? Sure hes been in the bigs the whole time bet he must have some opinion. Maybe the trade winds will start to whirly.
On another note, isn't anyone kind of sick of this Mass connection that started way back with MM? Hopefully this isn't the same...
Let's Go Islanders!
This was who I expected. He fits all that Snow laid out. Good with the kids but also willing to follow Snow's plan. I think it's a good choice. While I don't agree with the draft actions, I am hopeful that this is the turning point for the franchise. Too many years without a direction.
Let's go Islanders!
Yeah, I have to say I feel pretty good about this. The question I have is about "the assistants." Does Garth really think that the only reason the Isles had a crappy PP/PK was Nolan? I know the Isles started off hot on the power play, but I find it odd that the new head coach wouldn't have something to say about his assistants.
Either way, here's to the new season! LET'S GO ISLES!!!
Love the move ...makes sense ...although I'm sure Captain Complain will find some fault with it ...
Above was me ...
I had a feeling it was going to be Gordon .... In the begining I really didn't have an idea who should be coach ... but Gordon was my last choice .... mostly because of my lack of knowledge of Gordon ... then as I researched .... and even worked with a former AHL coach a few weeks ago helping with his hockey clinic who also happens to knows Gordon I changed my opinion... It was made clear to me that he knows the Isles' kids better than any of the candidates from being on the opposite bench as they have been the last few seasons... and the fact that he makes NHL players and has been doing that for several seasons.
That is exactly what the Isles need. He also wins ... now he has to prove that he can do it at the NHL level. He gets a clean slate ... but my vote of confidence.
Good job Garth ... Others may second guess you .. or accuse you of setting the interviews up for Hartey ... but you proved them wrong. You are making this team yours ... and I believe you've come a long way. Congrats.
Enjoy the rest of your summer Greg ... I'm sure when you return there will be lots of NEW faces at the Isles camp for you to get to know when you get back to work. Thanks for taking the time during your vacation to keep us informed when there was breaking news.
I'm a big fan of this. I like that they've taken the boldest step of all in this youth movement - hire a young coach and let him develop with the team. That means the young guys are sticking around, and we actually have a plan in place. How about that?
More of my take...
http://www.nyhockeyrivalry.com/2008/08/they-didnt-screw-it-up.html
this is a no lose move. a damn good one. noone expects anything from this team, and the young coach has a chance to settle in and grow, with the players. after this year a lot of age will be gone from the roster and then - barring some debacle - will be the real test for this coach. this year is free.
Whatever. Let's see how they play.
In other news ... Isles make another move ....
See below ...
“The Odessa Jackalopes are a top-rate organization and we’re proud to have them as an affiliate,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.
What in Sam Hill is a Jackalope? Besides a CHL minor-pro team that is.
, and the young coach has a chance to settle in and grow, ...
he is 45. rookie is more accurate than 'young'.
What in Sam Hill is a Jackalope? Besides a CHL minor-pro team that is.
you serious?
several are regulars here.
heres the jackapoles link
http://www.jackalopes.org/
21:45 nor 21:46 were me. Just got back to505 and I am catching up on some reading here.
The JACKALOPES????
Damn.....why not the Scorpions here in 505land??
The Jacks play here in the in the CHL (the old WPHL).
It is the "minorest" of minor leagues. (A lot of good "Slap Shot" type hockey).
I used to be a season ticket holder to the Scorps. (Until they moved out of midtown ABQ to the equivalent of Eastern Utah).
Truth be told, I have seen MUCH better college hockey....but hey....I am glad to see some of these teams out here in the hockey boonies get affiliated with pro teams. It's good for hockey and it can only strengthen the overall Islander minor league organization.
The Jackalopes have been one of the stablest organizations out here since the inception of the WPHL about 12 years ago.
Good move for all involved.
Well, I have to say Snow fooled me by not going with Hartley. I guess that Gordon is the logical move here because Snow got a guy who is beholden to him for his job. I am undecided if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
In any case, I'm not thrilled with this move. In my opinion, none of the three remaining choices were worthwhile no matter what one AHL coach at a hockey camp says.
It is interesting that on the day the Isles pick their new coach, people are posting about the Jackalopes, rather than the coach.
That must mean something...........Sir William
C'mon Sir William......forgive me for a little regionalism.
Now I can bore you guys next year with 1st hand reports on Islander "prospects" way way down in the minors....from 2 time zones away.
I am neutral on the selection of Gordon simply because all I know about him comes from press clippings.
So I can't get excited about it one way or the other.
Like the draft picks, time will tell on Snow's selection of the coach.
I am ECSTATIC that this selection process is over though.
Let's get on with next season.
Wow - maybe we will now make a cup run!!
All joking aside, this team won't be an exciting team to watch - all of the fans better get ready for the Modern Day Trap - they will probably lead the league in 1 goal games. At least They didn't go with a retread coach. The only thing that is a little mind boggling is they didn't let him bring in any of his own assistant coaches - The Islanders retained the entire coaching staff (??), including Snow's buddy Mike Dunham- they should let Gordon at least bring in one of his assistants that can help in the teaching of his System. Also it would have been good to get a new coach for the Power Play, since this team was ranking toward the bottom last season. In the end it didn't really matter who they got to coach this team b/c they will not be a good team for the next 2 seasons.
Maybe I am a bit pessimistic because it seems to me that I have been down this road before. And I really feel that Snow took the safe route not because Gordon is the best man for the job, but because Gordon was the least likely to threaten Snow.
I feel that Snow could have picked a guy who he may have banged heads with, but was the better coach. And he didn't because he was more interested in his own control of the team rather than the teams future.
Who knows? Gordon may work out. He certainly seems to have paid his dues. But so did Stirling and Bowness and Terry Simpson
and on and on.
In any case, Snow drops down a few pegs here. After a great draft and two good signings I guess he gets a pass for now.
So welcome Mr. Gordon and good luck. Even if you were not my choice I'll be rooting for you. .........Sir William
Good move
SW, just shut up and go away. Just because you didn't want Gordon doesn't mean he is the wrong pick. Most people realize that you're a tool so the fact you don't like Gordon shows why he is a good pick! Why would Snow hire someone that would challenge his authority? You're a moron - just because you type often doesn't mean what you're writing is correct ...
Brian G - you're another fool. So, you'd rather see some "exciting" Islander losses with a score of 5-1 with the Isles playing no "D" and not have the ability to score with their opponents yet than see the Isles play 1 goal games with the chance to win and save DP some wear and tear?
Why are their so many fools that post here?
SW said ~ "In any case, I'm not thrilled with this move. In my opinion, none of the three remaining choices were worthwhile no matter what one AHL coach at a hockey camp says."
I said he was a former AHL coach ... he's not a current AHL coach ... because like Gordon ... he's working in the NHL level now ... he told me about Gordon in confidence ... because he doesn't want what he says off the record in casual conversation to be published ... he said as silly as it seems .... you have to be concerned about job security by not saying things that can bite you in the future ... there are only so many limited jobs in the NHL ... I respect his feelings about that and valued his opinion about Gordon .... there is never a guarantee ... but he convinced me that Gordon was a GREAT coach ... and as long as you can teach, communicate and coach ... you can do it at any level.
BTW ... this coach that I worked with to assist the coaches of his hockey clinic ... I bet one day will be an NHL head coach. He taught this old dog lots of new tricks .... wish I knew 20 years ago what I know now. Can't wait to get my own season going now.
Also SW~ Talking about the Jackalopes is no knock on Gordon to us ... it's a side bar that was worth brining up ... if not for the comic relief of the name ... but an endorsement of the Isles' commitement to developing their players in their own system without having to send players to other teams' affiliates to develop.
Besides ... I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time by discussing multiple topics.
Again ... I'm pretty durned happy about Gordon being the choice ... the more I learned through the process the more I was convinced he was the man for the job ... also shows that Snow is using sound judgement and his due dilegence should pay dividends.
anonymous at 6:58 was me
I was waiting to post until the Islanders hired their new coach and I am sorry, got a little riled up.
I am CAPTAIN COMPLAIN!
As any of the regs here know, Paul Maurice was my first choice, but the reality is that I am completely OK with Gordon, so long as it wasn't Hartley or Tortorella. Others will have said more by now, so I won't belabour the point.
Sir William, Sir William, Sir William ......
OK Garth. It's a nighttime Carrier landing and you have the ball. A firey crackup is not what we're looking for here.
From today's Hockey news: "the expectations can't get much lower for a team that has been bland & unexciting for far too long. Mike Comrie & Doug Weight as the top 2 centers is scary if yiu're an Islander fan, but not anybody else. 25 years after winning 4 straight Cups, the Isles have been reduced to aglorified expansion team that few people care about."
To get a realistic assessment of the Islanders (& every other team's) prospects, get a hold the Hockey News' "Future Watch" issue which comes out in mid-season.
This is my first post in quite awhile....You regs no when it is me.
THE ORACLE LIVES ...... Told you all the pattern of hiring people they can control and people that are not use to their position would continue. Sad but true facts folks.
The bobbleheads live. Simple facts.
Gordon may be a good coach. He also maybe yet another North East boy that Garth is hooking up before the lights go out. He also maybe yet another puppet for the insecure Wanger to control.
Need a lot more time to digest and read....Yes I am still on vactaion. No I do not drink wine coolers. :) ..... Yes I will be at opening night....No I will not give the troll my seats as I will be with family.....Yes I will e mail many of you on the side to meet for beers.....No I did not post any of the BS that the troll has been saying.
When is enough ~ enough for this organization ???
1) Hey, the guy may turn out to be a great coach, but is anyone really surprised by this decision? From the outset we have said that its unlikely that the Isles will hire a big name guy. For many reasons.
a) Most of those coaches probably dont want to take over a team that is destined to be a lottery team this season
b) The Isles(Wang) probably doesnt want to spend huge dollars on a coach especially when he already has to pay Nolan another year for sitting
c) Most importantly, by hiring a guy with even less NHL management experience than their GM they dont have to worry about the coach having more clout(can be manipulated) than the GM
2) A cynical assessment well admit, but can a realistic Isles fan who has watched this franchise the past 15 years, but more specifically Wang & co the past 3 years, really say with conviction that they are confident with the currrent regime/manner in which their team has been run?
3) We wish Gordon well, and hope he has as much success as another Providence AHL-turned NHL coach Peter Laviolette. Hopefully, for you good Isles fans who have put up with too much crap to list, this time the success will occur in NY
Wait, now I'm confused. Steady, YOU told Coral that YOU would bring the ice and oranges for him on opening night because he called you a female. YOU said that. Then, Coral tells you he will be at opening night and asks where you are sitting so you two could meet. Those are the facts and they are indisputable.
Now, all of a sudden, you are going with your family? Too funny. You weren't going with your family when you told him he would need ice and oranges? Very confusing.
Please clear this up. You wouldn't just be a keyboard tough guy, would you????
For those who believe or dont really like this move by SNOW to hire GORDON, take a step back and look at the whole picture... We are trying to REBUILD, we are finally (i hope) trying to become a STEADY contender...we finally (i hope again) have a plan that we are finally ( i hope for one more time) sticking too...WHY would you want a VETERAN coach like TORTS, MAURICE, HARTLEY, CRAWFORD to coach this team??????? Think about it logically....Do you REALLy believe that any VETERAN coach, who has a stanley cup under his belt, or who has cup contender under his belt wants to be the HEAD coach of a REBUILDING TEAM????? Once you have that taste of blood(winning/stanleycup) You want to keep winning, you dont want to take 25 steps backwards.... Listen Guys, we all think we are smarter then SNOW, WANG, and every other GM in the League or Owner, but the truth is, if we were, we would be in there shoes......GORDON is 110% the best decision for head coach for this team, there is no DOUBT in my mind... I give SNOW a very long loud round of applause for not choosing a VETERAN,head coach....Like i said earlier, this is the beggining of a CINDERELLA STORY, i feel it....I wont take STEADYS ORACLEness, but the pieces are finally fitting the puzzle for this TEAM!!!!!
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!
Too many conspiracy theories out there, in particular Sir William. Your voice of reason has changed it's tone and you have been a bit of a sore loser since Tortorella was eliminated from consideration. The idea that Snow would take 4 weeks and interview 8 guys to cover up his intention of hiring his buddy was as far fetched as you can get.
This team will certainly not scare anyone, but I think they may surprise a few along the way. I'm so used to playing the underdog role that I wouldn't want it any other way.
Troll or NO Troll, the winecooler knock on Steady was pretty funny. See you at opening night. I'll be the guy with the DP jersey and the out of place October tan. My girlfriend will be by my side, you can't miss her. She has the biggest rack in the rink and she will be wearing a tight white shirt thin enough to see the tatoo's of the Islander logo on her you know what's.
"The Islanders are trying to rebuild". How are they rebuilding with 9 starters, 4 on defense over 30? Weight & Guerin are/will be 38, Sillinger 37, Witt & Sutton 34. The only players on the roster who will be under 25 when the seaon ends are Okposo & Comeau. In the Atlantic Div, only the Devils with 12, have more players over 30 than the Isles. Pseud-youth movement would be more accurate. I guess the Rangers with only 5 starters over 30, are a veteran team.
So true Bronx Bomber....It's only phase one. Next year, more youth will hopefully be added
This blog is getting sillier every year.
FauxRumors summed it up pretty well. The only thing I'd do is replace "rebuilding team" with "outright circus".
I have to admit I would have prefered Quenneville, but of the short list contenders I expected Gordon.
It's another New England guy. He's had success with Ben Walter, whose stock just went up considerably. Nielsen might want to update his resume... or hide Doug Weight's geritol.
He's also had Sean Bentivoglio, who the Isles seem to be high on and should be one of the key players in Bridgeport at the beginning of the season.
Things are becoming a little clearer about what happened to Laviollette. At the time it was said that the Isles were split and I, for one thought that it meant there was a Yashin camp, and a Peca camp... Now I really think there was a Milbury/DiPietro camp, and everybody else.
I have never seen a single Providence game, but I think we can expect to go back to the full blown nuetral zone trap, with Ricky Brodeur QBing defensive zone breakouts. We all saw how successful that was under Stirling.
It might have more success if this guy has a little more passion. Who can forget the "wait 'til your father gets home" stares Stirling would give Asham and Niinimaa. It's gotta be an improvement over that.
Here's what I expect:
1. The islanders will be surprisingly competetive. They will have a lot of OT and SO losses giving the false sense that they are very close to being contenders.
2. At the trade deadline we will see guys like Weight and Guerin turn into 2nd and 3rd round draft picks.
3. I really like what Mike Sillinger has brought to the team, but... if he can play 12-15 effective minutes in exhibition games they need to trade or waive him. I'll root for the guy, as I'm sure most Isle fans will. They need to make room for guys like Walter and Nielsen and Mikedeserves better at the end of his career.
4. The second half of the season should be interesting in that we'll be seeing guys like Figren, Bentivoglio, Kohn and Hillen. If they are playing somewhat important games in February this season will have been a success. If Gordan can do as well as Shaw did with his AHL roster then it will be a TREMENDOUS success.
Here's what scares me:
1. History. If Gordon is ineffective at the NHL level they'll have to live with it, or promote Trotts or an assistant to the head coaching job (and retain him). If Gordon is successful he'll be gone in his walk year.. No insecure GM wants to deal with a coach that has brought success with a fiasco roster that he created. (see Laviollette and Nolan).
2. What is this about "retaining all of the assistants". How weak could a coach be that he wouldn't INSIST that he have a hand in selecting his assistants. Gordon, like any coach, owes a great deal of his AHL success to his assistants. And the Islanders owe a great deal of their woeful special teams performance to their assistants. Gallant, especially. If they are trying to overhaul the "D" and the PP why would you retain the guy responsible for those things. It takes a huge set of juevos by Snow to say that the only reason the Islanders weren't succesful was because NOLAN refused to go to a full blown trapping style, AND he wouldn't put that sniper Jeff Tambellini on the PP.
3. INJURIES. I almost expect 3 of the top six forwards and 4 defensemen to miss >10 games due to one injury or another. But the biggest concern I have is this being DiPietro's... yes.. I'm going to say it... LAST season as an Islander starter. DP is an aggressive guy, and with the style he plays it's going to be tough to keep the reigns on him. One more incident like in Montreal, or the all-star game and he could be done as a 60-65 game goaltender. that hasnothing todo with who is coaching the team, but I am bringing home my original thought. The final act of the circus is that the clown who has stolen the ringmasters hat is exposed... and the only thing left is cleaning up the elephant dung!
Bronx Bomber:
As I've said earlier, when Snow talks about rebuilding with youth he is talking about throughout the entire system, not just the parent club. Most of the older veterans are short-termers that allow youngsters to develop at their appropriate level without being rushed to the bigs too soon. Guerin, Weight and Sillinger will allow the team to be somewhat competative in the short-term and serve as mentors for the less experienced players. Within a year or two they will be gone and, if the program works, will be replaced with home-grown talent.
For those of you bashing the Gordon hire take some time and look at some of the out of town articles on this hire and that of The Hockey News and Sporting News. Most folks, outside of this blog, are almost universally hailing this as a very good hire. Time will tell but both intuitively and logically it seems like the right choice.
Good because he's young and has something to prove. Far better than an recycled coach using the team to get back in the league.
Maybe not so good because he probably won't be able to assert himself and will have to answer to Snow on everything.
Read Logan's headline. Snow got his yes man (which he wanted all along. The interview process was a sham). Snow consolidated his power which was what this was all about.
That's what I object to. Instead of picking the best coach available,
Snow picked someone he could keep under his thumb. And word for word Snow uttered the same bullspit I said he would last week about "exhaustive interviews" and "being on the same page." Blah, blah, blah.......He should have just told the truth and said "I hired a guy who will kiss my ass and not make waves."
Is Gordon a good coach? I don't know. I guess I'll wait till Feb. to make up my mind. He has to have a chance to succeed or fail as the case may be.
I just get the feeling that Snow did what was good for Snow rather than what was good for the organization as a whole.
Just my personal opinion. You can agree or disagree as you wish......Sir William
SW,
You have a point. But this is almost the exact situation that was created when lavy was hired... then fired. In Febuary Milbury could have run for president of Nassau County. He dug Lavy out of the NHL and gave him a chance... and Lavy made the parts work. So what do they do... FIRE HIM
The same could be said for Snow and Nolan. I don't care if the relationship works, I want to see THE PLAN... and then we can better assess if it WORKED three years from now.
Just as a sidebar, we really don't have a kid in the organization that projects to a first line scorer. I am just going by what Hockey Futures says. That's not a great basis for a YOUTH MOVEMENT.
Garth Snow is like the Barrack Obama of hockey. His plan is CHANGE, but not really sure what or how to change.
If his plan was TRULY YOUTH this team would look a whole lot different up the middle.
Bronx Bomber ... I like you .. Love the Yankees .... but ... your comments show that you know nothing about hockey my friend ... or maybe you are just misunderstood.
Spinner 9 nailed it right on the head ... Sillinger (under contract already), Guerin (under contract already), Martinek (under contract already), Witt (under contract already, Weight and Streit (newly signed) are the ballast to keep the team somewhat competitive during the rebuilding phase ... they are the mentors and teachers ... the only above players under contract for more than one more year is Witt and Streit ... and you need a veteran core of d-men for a young team ...and those are two solid guys.
The Isles also have Park and Sim for 2 more years up front.. only in their early 30s ... again ... a stop gap.
The expansion Islanders also had some elder role players back in the early 70s that provided mentoring and a stable foundation from which to build those future championship teams that dominated from the mid 70s through the mid 80s ... but of course you wouldn't understand that.
There is never any guarantees in sports .... but Snow is using a tried and true proven method to re-build a hockey team.
Maybe you should worry about your own team... let us worry about ours.
Spinner, JP and Tonysac ... great points guys .... none of us are fooled into thinking the Isles will be a Stanely Cup Power House in the next couple of years ... but I feel we are finally pointed in the right direction to get to that point in 3-4 years ... and stay there with a solid foundation.
Sir W .... said ~ "Read Logan's headline. Snow got his yes man (which he wanted all along. The interview process was a sham). Snow consolidated his power which was what this was all about."
Sir William ... looking for that headline ... Where is it? Link here please ... I'd love to read about that.
Besides ... I thought it was a sham that Snow was hiring Hartley... can you please identify which sham it is.
Sir Will, here's a quote from you on August 9:
Hartley will be the next Islander coach because that's what Snow had planned all along. The search was a farce played out to make Snow look like a real NHL GM. He would have done better just to hire Hartley and say that "this is the guy I wanted from the beginning , so I hired him. He's my choice and I'm the GM."
And from today:
That's what I object to. Instead of picking the best coach available,
Snow picked someone he could keep under his thumb. And word for word Snow uttered the same bullspit I said he would last week about "exhaustive interviews" and "being on the same page." Blah, blah, blah.......He should have just told the truth and said "I hired a guy who will kiss my ass and not make waves."
So if they hired Maurice, would you have said the same thing? Oh, the whole interview process was a sham, Maurice had photos of Snow with DP's mom, and he was just going through the motions to make it lok like he's a real NHL GM.
Guess what, SW, he is a real NHL GM, like it or not, and professional NHL writers seem to agree with the course he's plotted for this team. I for one am looking forward to the start of the season, not so I can bitch and moan about how all Snow's choices went wrong, but to (hopefully) be pleasantly surprised by the determination of an unproven group of hockey men.
And Greg, let's hear Gordon say how happy he is to have his assistants all picked out for him already!
Let's Go Isles.
19 ISLES...Headline is "IT'S SNOW'S SHOW." Right at the top of this article. Read all about it. It's all about Snow consolidating his power.
The sham was the interview process. I was wrong about which guy he would pick (Hartley) but I still feel that Snow knew all along that he wanted a yes man. And Gordon has so much say that he got to pick all his assistants. Oh, wait. No, he didn't. He got to keep the same bunch that did so well last year. A wonderful start for the new coach. Very refreshing.
To my mind, Snow picked a serf rather than a coach. And that' s
where I think it's a sham. If you can't see that point, well I cant make it any clearer for you.
BRIAN.......I never siad Snow was not a real GM. In fact I have praised him in the past for two good signings and a great draft.
Go back and read that quote.
My objection here is that Snow hired a pawn rather than someone who may challenge him about the direction of the team.
I do see the need of the Coach and the GM to pull together and to be on the same page. But there is a big difference between being on the same page and having a master/slave relationship. Healthy disagreement is sometimes a good thing. With Gordon forced to keep Nolan's staff, I don't see that happening, here.
STEADY, If your brother knew what you were writing here he would smack you one. The very last thing any cop or det wants anyone to know at a social function is that he is a cop. More than likely, if any dustup started you brother and his friends would get suspended, transferred and probably lose vacation days. The NYPD is not forgiving about off duty incidents.
How do I know? 19 of my 22 years in the Det. Bureau at a rank well up the ladder from Detective. In fact, I may have been your brothers boss at one time.........Sir William
I hear yah SW....He is a yr away from retirement and running charters out of MTK in his retirement.......I just like to laugh at the trolls...He would kill me though :) :) Would nit be the first jam he got me out of !!! .....20 yrs and a pension is some gig...Happy for him !!!
SW .... yes ... it does say Snow's Show ... and that is what it should be ... The GM shouldn't be sharing decisions with his coach ... but he should be open minded to a coaches decision and get some input from the coach ...
Other than your conspiracy theory ... you have no basis for the insinuation that Snow will impose his authority in a one-way.. "I'm your boss do as I say ... not as I do" relationship.
Snow is looking for a partner in building ... and yeah ... he wants someone to buy into his plan .... that is what a coach of THIS team needs to do.
When you have experienced coaches like the other candidates that have won a cup ... you also have to credit the talent given to them. The fact you defended Torts for having a "bad" team ... means that when he has a "good" team he's able to win .. and a bad team he has no chance? So basically ... coaching doesn't really have that much of a bearing based on that criteria? A coach that wins is a great coach? A coach that loses has bad players?
I think it's a little of everything ... and Torts and the others didn't convince Snow that they could handle the deck of cards the Islanders would deal them.
I think you are being unfair to catagorize the interview process as a sham / farce ... everyone I spoke with about this coaching decision applauds Snow for a great choice for a building team like the Isles ... Hartely was flawed, Maurice really didn't do much better than Nolan last year ... well .. actually .. he did a bit better ... Torts ... I've spoke of him at length before and you know how I feel about him ... and the others just didn't fit all the intangibles a coach needs for this team.
Gordon ... well ... I'll say this ... I've heard only great things about him .. but obviously nobody is perfect .. so I'm sure he's got some flaws ... but he's also stated that he's learned from losing at times ... coaching is coaching (that is dead on) ... he knows what works with players and what doesn't ... he said he had to accept some loses before he could win by taking some chances ... and that rings true to me ... I've seen that in lots of winners prior to winning it all ... so he's bold enough to not be afraid to lose to take leaps forward. Look ... the Isles lost before they won ... Edmonton ... Detroit .... the Devils ...
Sir W ... as always ... I respect your opinion .... you may even be correct in your assumption ... but the fact that we'll never know if you are right or not really makes it a mute arguement ... I just happen to give Snow a bit more credit than him pulling off a masqarade of that magnitude ... he could of done that in one week with maybe 3 candidates if that was the case.
SW,
You said yourself that the farce was played out to make Snow look like a real GM. That would lead me to assume you thought he was not a real GM. Snow in fact said, "this is the guy I see as the best fit for the team. I'm the GM, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it." Do I think GOrdon's the best man for the role? I honestly don't know, but I don't want to see anymore GM/coach pissing matches.
All I can say is, that the good Lord we don't have any Gordon's fish sticks jersey's around... okay, so it's gortons, but the similarity will rear it's ugly head this season, mark my words!
19 ISLES "Other than your conspiracy theory ... you have no basis for the insinuation that Snow will impose his authority in a one-way.. "I'm your boss do as I say ... not as I do" relationship.
Isles, a conspiricay by definition is between two or more persons. So to call any of this a conspiracy is incorrect (unless you beleive that Snow is a split personality).
It was interesting to me that Logan saw it the same way I did. Snow consolidating his power base. And that was my entire point.
BRIAN .....I consider Snow to be a GM in training. He has done some really good things and some not so good. I think his draft was incredible and I loved his signing of Weight and Streit.
I don't like this.
But you are not always going to agree with what a certain GM or coach does. Hiring Torts in my opinion would have been a home run. This hiring is a single and a bunt at that. I would have liked to see Snow go for the gold but he did not and took the safe way out.
I beleive in low risk....low reward.
On another note, I could care less what the so called hockey pundits say. I have seen them be wrong so many times that they are laughable. Many of the guys who post here know just as much about hockey as the so called experts and sometime more.
......Sir William
Al Arbour, though he had some NHL experience, took over the Isles when they were just awful, but he saw it through. I like this coaching choice. Look, it made sense in 2001 to sign free agents and make a splash and return ASAP to being a competitive team.
Now it makes sense to build from within and find a coach willing to see it through. If four years from now the Isles are a great team that seems to be underachieving, then we bring in the Veteran coach.
Yeah, it all sounds great, "it's Snow's show now." I am already preparing for ther next re-building, build throught the draft, rely on our young players, wait another two years, period. By my accounts that should happen around the summer of 2010, when we start all over again with a new coach and new players!! By then all our current young players will have moved on to greener pastures (because there is no $$$ on the Isle) via trade or by not working out.
What can I say I ma SOOOO very excited about the coming season, NOT!!
Original Islander fan since 1972
Detroit's Mike Ilitch bought the Red Wings off a horrid owner (like we have now and had before) and he worked and learned and demanded success and, according to Yzerman, was kept in check by the FANS who REFUSED to go to games if the product on ice didn't warrant a show of support.
I'm reading people defending the smell of feces in the air as not that bad and expecting us to get an acquired taste? If they do better, show up and show support since they warrant it......but if you LOVE this team as I do, the circus doesn't need my money to validate the idiocy this team doles out.
Dey is president, our backup is GM, an underling is coach (who I hope is Lavy II!!) and our players are a signal to not buy tickets in the 100's and 200's, nevermind Season tickets which would be insane.
That would be like getting beaten by an angry husband and buying him a car for his troubles the way Wang's circus has been orchestrated.
The team I love is barely alive. How long til it's dead for sure? Garth better be running things and fired if he doesn't start acting professional and respectably well. Dey can go get f'd for all I care, the meaningless little turd nepotism got us stuck with. Wang.......I hope he eats lotsa lotsa bacon and eggs and ice cream then takes up mountain climbing to lose weight. We need a new owner like the Red Wings got one one day back in 1982.
If fans gave Wang the "tough love" and stayed away, does he have a chance of getting the message? Right now, he has ALL YES MEN, and fans are behind this team if Wang parades recovering heroine addicts as players, nevermind the also rans we sign regularly now.
Ilitch demanded success and accountability and fans ensured it by going from 1500 season tickets when the Dead Wings were awful to near sellouts since the commitment to winning was proven.
Wang........well, Isles seats are a tax write off for the business community. Fans are still giddy over our mediocre at best prospect pool this latest rebuild, rebuild number 7 in Wang's tenure.