Confirmed with Link: Devils Name Tom Fitzgerald Assistant GM

[Devils1029]

I think Shero might look to the US development program for a possible scout..just makes sense and he has a lot of ties there as does Hynes - and lets all be honest here, Pittsburgh's drafting wasn't so good and something that Shero gets knocked for constantly.

Just wonder if they dump Claude Carrier who has been with NJ almost as long as Lou was or long time NJ scouts Bob Hoffmeyer and Jan Ludvig. Think Labraaten, the Swedish scout is going to get cut loose...

 

[Wingman77]

Pretty normal IMO. In any line of work.

and it's really no different than when Lou brought in players from the same country to make other younger players feel more comfortable and fit in better. Obviously there was more to bringing some of those guys in than just the background similarity, but the point is still the same that people pretty frequently tend to thrive and do better when they are around people they are familiar with and have worked well with.

It was done right in front of our faces when Lou brought in a bunch of former Canadians that were a part of their championship teams to help build and mold his philosophies here (Lemaire, Robinson, Lemieux, Richer, etc)

It was also done right in front of all of our faces with Lou regarding off ice personnel such as coaches both in the NHL, AHL, special instructors, etc. Look at how many former Devils did he brought back to work in such roles because he had a good working relationship with these guys and combined working together, good things came of it.

Now it's all of a sudden a problem even though the new guy is doing the same things Lou has been doing his entire career

No judgement can be fairly passed for quite a few years before there is a big enough sample size. We haven't even played a single pre-season game or had a single day of training camp under these guys.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

No compensation for assistant GM's as per T.G.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Asking questions and raising concerns isn't the same as saying something is a bad hire--just pointing out that it could potentially be for whatever reasons. I haven't passed judgement on this hire; just pointed out some questions and concerns I have about it. How those questions and concerns are ultimately answered in action will provide the final basis for any judgment about whether the hire was good or bad.

For the record, though, I much prefer poaching from a dynasty team like the 1970's Canadiens than from a dynasty that never quite got off the ground like the recent Pittsburg Penguins. The organizations one chooses to emulate reveal a lot about a person's ambitions and ideas about success, in my opinion. I am not sure that the Penguins are an ideal organization to emulate. Other fans have similar reservations, apparently, so I'm not alone in that regard, either.

 

[Rhodes 81]

How many of you have gotten jobs because someone you knew or had worked with previously was at the company? Or how many of you have vouched ofr or hired someone you know or had worked with before? It happens all the time, why would hockey be any different?

I will admit I was hoping for Rick Dudley, though I have no idea if he has any desire to leave Montreal. I would guess not. Still, maybe he would leave to become director of scouting here. If only we could be so lucky. Hell, I was hoping he would be a GM candidate whenever Lou stepped down before it happened.

 

[Bleedred]

I actually remember this guy more as a player than any of his post playing career jobs.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Seems like Pens fans liked that guy.

He was their future hope when the fool Rutherford gets fired. We took their best GM and best potential future coach in one off season.

 

[Emperoreddy]

You don't think it could be a former Devil?

Could be a former predator. I've never really heard of a GM not looking to guys he has worked with unless he is extremely green or ownership forces guys on him. They always gravitate to guys they worked with.

 

[NJDevs26]

This is a thread about Fitzgerald, not one to complain about the owners, let's stay on topic

 

[MadDevil]

Never mind.

 

[Pizza Rules]

Was one of Tom's sons in our development camp?

Nice catch...remember reading that last name now.

 

[Devils Dominion]

This is a thread about Fitzgerald, not one to complain about the owners, let's stay on topic

Thank you.

The complaining and tin foil theories are boring.

 

[Devil X]

I found this, Im not sure this was fully broken down in TGs story.

But Fitzgerald is more then just some guy who was in Pitt. with Shero In the article below it explains their relationship since 1987.

http://blogs.post-gazette.com/sports/2013-06-20-18-51-15/empty-netters/44603-fitzgerald-it-s-the-best-thing-for-my-family-and-i-07-24-15

Describe the history of your relationship with Shero. You were each part of the Predators as an expansion franchise in the late 1990s.
"Ray and I go back a lot earlier than that. We go back to my days at Providence College back in [1986-87] when he was an agent and was hanging around the rink. Then I turned pro and he had some clients I played with in the American Hockey League. Ray was living in Boston at the time. Then my career got going. He went into the hockey [operations] department in Ottawa. You'd always see him. We got a good connection. Then in Nashville, the first year there, he became the [assistant general manager] for me for four years. We've just had a long-standing relationship. A lot of respect for one another. The loyalty factor has helped our relationship.

When it came to asking [about the New Jersey job], Pittsburgh didn't have to give me permission because I was under contract. But they saw this as an opportunity to grow personally. It's something I thought I needed to explore. The relationship has always been there and that's there first and foremost. Ray is a friend because of that relationship. But Ray doesn't just hire friends. He wants people who will do the job and make him better. And that's my job."

 

[billybudd]

He was their future hope when the fool Rutherford gets fired. We took their best GM.

Yeah, this is not accurate at all. I think you're mistaking people hating Guerin with them loving Fitzgerald. Nobody has any idea what Fitzgerald does for the Penguins these last seven years. His role has never been clearly defined. A murky role makes it nearly impossible to identify if he executes it well or poorly.

If there's an "heir apparent" among the staff currently in Pittsburgh (and there might not be), it's Botterill, and has been for 3 or 4 years now

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...=htI4SKGKeBY_-jPW_VsLKQ&bvm=bv.98717601,d.eXY

 

[MichaelJ]

Getting a scouting director with ties to Nashville would be great.

 

[Marshal Rochambeau]

This Pittsburgh poaching job by Shero better pay off.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Getting a scouting director with ties to Nashville would be great.

It seems a lot of people he worked with have Nashville ties along with Pitt. Tom does at least.

It makes sense since he was GM of just one team that his guys would have connections with that one team.

 

[Devil X]

It seems a lot of people he worked with have Nashville ties along with Pitt. Tom does at least.

It makes sense since he was GM of just one team that his guys would have connections with that one team.

Interesting you say that. TG mentioned Dan MacKinnon as a possible target for Director of Scouting.

Again it appears he worked with Shero not only in Nashville.

DAN MACKINNON
Director of Player Personnel

In his 6th season as director of player personnel
Oversees Penguins’ professional and amateur scouting operations in North America and Europe.
Works closely with Penguins’ directors of professional and amateur scouting to ensure that the organization maintains its strategic and comprehensive focus in player scouting, evaluation and acquistion at all levels
Prior to current role, served 2 seasons as director of professional scouting for Penguins (2007-09)
Was a Penguins professional scout for 1 season (2006-07)
Worked 6 seasons with Nashville, 4 as a professional scout and 2 as scouting coordinator, from 2000-06
Worked briefly for the American Hockey League Office and Mississauga Ice Dogs of the OHL
Received a master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Ohio University
Served as assistant coach for Ohio University’s hockey team while receiving master’s degree
Graduated from University of Waterloo in 1998
Published senior thesis on the development of international Hockey in Canada in the Sport History Review

 

[Emperoreddy]

Interesting you say that. TG mentioned Dan MacKinnon as a possible target for Director of Scouting.

Again it appears he worked with Shero not only in Nashville.

Seems like that is how it will go. Shero got to know his guys from Nashville, brought them to Pitt and will try and bring who he can here. Pretty standard stuff.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't think this is so much Shero poaching Pittsburgh guys, as it is him trying to bring in the guys he hired there in the first place. He never had a chance to finish his work with them. He was the one who hired Hynes and Nesreddine for their jobs in the organization. He also hired Fitzgerald in Pittsburgh, or so I think that was the case.

It's not like he's just bringing in random Pittsburgh guys, these were his hires in the first place when they all began their time in Pittsburgh.

I don't think Pittsburgh was such a poorly run franchise in Shero's days there, though I'm not fond of their drafting at the forward position either. That's my only gripe with his time there.

 

[Marshal Rochambeau]

I don't think this is so much Shero poaching Pittsburgh guys, as it is him trying to bring in the guys he hired there in the first place. He never had a chance to finish his work with them. He was the one who hired Hynes and Nesreddine for their jobs in the organization. He also hired Fitzgerald in Pittsburgh, or so I think that was the case.

It's not like he's just bringing in random Pittsburgh guys, these were his hires in the first place when they all began their time in Pittsburgh.

I don't think Pittsburgh was such a poorly run franchise in Shero's days there, though I'm not fond of their drafting at the forward position either. That's my only gripe with his time there.

Since this is the case I no longer mind as they do have a Cup in the salary cap era and are only 1 of 7 teams to accomplish the feat since '06.

 

[Bleedred]

Since this is the case I no longer mind as they do have a Cup in the salary cap era and are only 1 of 7 teams to accomplish the feat since '06.

Coincidence or not, that team did become successful when Shero took over. That first year.

Yeah that was the also the first year after Malkin came over to North American, they did have a sophomore Crosby, Fleury also started to become pretty solid around that time too. But they did change for the better and got off the ground, and 2 cup finals appearances in his first 3 years there.

Also credit Shero for his Lou-esque type move, firing Therrien mid season in 08-09. Just coming off a cup finals appearance less than a season earlier. They won the cup with Bylsma and maybe they don't if he wasn't brought in. Seemed they were on a death spiral with Therrien (one of the more overrated and not very good coaches in the league) that was significantly worse than ours under Ftorek that season from what I remember.

He did make pretty good moves to the team. Always seemed they lacked defense, Martin was good when they signed him though. His first couple years there weren't the greatest though.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I've expressed my concerns about this hire, but I do hope that it works out along with every other one that Shero has made this off-season. I'll see along with everyone else in the fullness of time how this all pans out even though I have my reservations right now, I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Interesting you say that. TG mentioned Dan MacKinnon as a possible target for Director of Scouting.

Again it appears he worked with Shero not only in Nashville.

I mentioned MacKinnon earlier, def a possibility.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Hockey is hockey. Don't understand the concerns when nobody had heard of him until it was announced. Not like we're hiring their version of a washed up David Conte like the Leafs are.