GM candidates

[DKH]

I wouldnt MIND Sweeney, but if it means hiring him keeps Claude? I dont want him.

Sweeney will be very good, Gorton would have been very good

I'm sorry but when I formulated my ideal Dan plan I overlooked Claude going and focused my attention on Cassidy. He's the one that must go and will. Claude I can live with. I'd rather have Dineen or Laviolette, or me as co coaches with Glorydaze but I'll be patient like Cam and see how the uptempo system works.

remember though in 2008 the lines for a time were

Lucic-Savard-Kessel (very young)

Wheeler-Krejci-Ryder (very young)

Sturmface-Bergeron-Kobasew (young)

where he lost me was burying Sobtoka for Yelle and going with Jeremy Reich in game 1 in Montreal over Phil the Thrill

I got one plank I'm having Cassidy walk it and in the end this is all about me so 'hasta la vista, Butch'....we can always revisit Claude

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Who's your guy?

Gorton.

 

[DKH]

Gorton.

very good choice, and if not for Sweeney I'd be right there with you but he's Jack Eichel in this race

I still say if Charlie Jacobs drops the Ace on the table its Jeff Gorton but I dont think he does

 

[Mione134]

I just think its Claudes time to go. His system doesn't fit us anymore and quite frankly I've gotten sick of his face and his excuses.

Him and Cassidy AND Sacco can go.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

very good choice, and if not for Sweeney I'd be right there with you but he's Jack Eichel in this race

I still say if Charlie Jacobs drops the Ace on the table its Jeff Gorton but I dont think he does

The major problem with this team is the coaching staff both in the NHL and the AHL, so if Sweeney cleans house I'm ready to give him a chance.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

the Bruins have done probably 90% of their due diligence on Gorton. There are other ways to communicate other than directly face to face. That is why we live in a world with agents. The Bruins are 100% interested in Gorton. Gorton knows it. Sather knows it. The B's have repeatedly requested permission to interview him and have been denied. Behind the scenes Gorton is telling the B's he is interested and his agent is pushing it as well. The Bruins are concerned that he is leveraging them to get a longer extension from Sather. Those in the know say Gorton is very happy in NY and is more or less running the day to day operations with some oversight form Sather. The one part I am unsure of is how much longer Sather is going to stay. Everybody has a different story on that, is that is the one big factor in the Bruins favor. My guess at the end of this is that Sweeney gets the job and Gorton gets an extension and GM in waiting in NY.

For the record Sweeney will do a good job in my estimation. One of his faults though is that he is not a peoples person. Stand offish. Some will tell you arrogant, some will tell you shy.

Thanks for the update/insight!!

 

[Deedot]

here's another Sweeney story- I ran into him with my kid and he was not with Boston yet as assistant GM; I told him she was in learn to skate and very good but didn't want to play hockey. She was about 3 feet tall so he knelt down and explained what a great game hockey was, how much fun, the kids you will meet, on and on

my kid started playing for a youth hockey team that week, was on several league, state championship teams and was captain of her HS team

I tried my ass of to get her to play and he did it in 10 minutes- she still laughs at this today

Great story DKH. I have a great Sweeney story too.

I live in NY so I don't get up to Boston as much as I would like. That said, back in the day when Sweeney still played with Boston and when the Bruins used to hold their Wives Carnival my family and I would take an annual trek up north for a weekend to catch the Saturday game followed by the Sunday carnival event. Well one year, my eldest was only about 4 at the time and went to one of the carnival stations that Sweeney was stationed at. It was one that was on the Garden floor where they had a goal with a wooden shooter tooter in front of it and the kids would line up and try and shoot a few balls and try to score a goal. Well my kid just loved to take a slapshot all the time especially when he was 2 feet away from the goal. Well on the first shot he winds up, shoots the ball as hard as he can, it bounces off the wooden shooter tooter which rocked it backed & forth and then it promptly fell forward---right on top of my son. Well suffice to say, he starts crying hysterically and before I could even get to him, Don Sweeney was out of his chair right beside my son helping him up and trying to comfort him. At the time Sweens had an injured his wrist that was wrapped up so he was trying to distract my son by showing him how he was injured too and which seemed to do the trick as my son stopped crying soon after. He then brought us both over to the table where he sat and proceeded to spend time talking with my son and I for about 5 minutes while other kids took their turns at his station. He'd be signing autographs for the other kids but always returning his attention to my son, making sure he was no longer upset. I've gotta say, he was one of the nicest guys that you would ever want to meet, very personable and friendly. That said, does that necessarily make him a good GM??? Don't know but he's certainly someone I admire a great deal and would absolutely love to see get a shot to run with the ball (er... puck) here in Boston. I think he would do a great job.

P.S: A bit off topic but somewhat related to the story above...I really do really miss those Wives Carnival events. They were a great way (especially for someone like me that lives out of market) to meet the players in a fun & friendly atmosphere. I remember having some very intense bubble hockey games with Brian Rolston and with P.J. Axelsson playing ping pong. We loved it so much that my family and I had been going up to Boston for 9 straight years...right up until the point that they started charging $15-20 to play ping pong with an AHL call up and $30+ to get a photo or autograph with Neely, Bourque, etc. I know the money all went to a good cause but it felt a little like gouging to me especially with the high admission fees (we always went for the 1st session limited attendance event and having to pay for each activity station, raffle, etc. It got to the point where we were spending $400 or so at each event. That was pretty much it for us but on our way out of our last carnival my wife decides to enter one last raffle. Now she's the type that admittedly says she has no luck and always gets into the 'wrong' lane at the tollbooth or grocery store. When she entered, she fully expected to love. She ended up winning a corporate suite for a Boston Celtics game complete with food & beverage (no beer though) service . Not bad for someone with no luck, right?!?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I think he may be to intense and manage it. Neely will probably take losses better than Sweeney. He hates to lose more than most and if he is top dog he's got to realize you aren't going 82-0.

I could write a bunch of blurbs on him that show great side and super personal which is why I want him. I ran into him - we live in neighboring towns and I see him around as my kid played youth hockey where he is from and involved. After the Bruins traded Kalus I ran into him and started *****ing about what a horrible deal and they should have given Krejci instead.

Sweeney took the time to explain to me how good Krejci was going to be and pretty much relax you will see we kept the right guy. He was as right as he was nice. Still pissed me off I was wrong but I remind myself other than that and hating the Bergeron pick I been pretty good

What? You were wrong?

I've been taking your views as gospel. Now I find out Knight could be Kalus!

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Starting to sound like lots of Sweeney backers have met him.

Hmmm.....

 

[DKH]

What? You were wrong?

I've been taking your views as gospel. Now I find out Knight could be Kalus!

Bergeron, Krejci.....going to lunch and eating with a couple of HF members, if they saw your post ahead of me, they'll point out some of the other insane stuff I said

 

[ODAAT]

Bergeron, Krejci.....going to lunch and eating with a couple of HF members, if they saw your post ahead of me, they'll point out some of the other insane stuff I said

I have to get in on one of those lunches

 

[bp13]

I just think its Claudes time to go. His system doesn't fit us anymore and quite frankly I've gotten sick of his face and his excuses.

Him and Cassidy AND Sacco can go.

Please explain to me how a system predicated on defense first and offense off the cycle doesn't suit this roster. The strength of this team is two-way centers, a very good goalie, and solid stay-at home defensemen (before PC stripped them of the latter and Seidenberg got injured/old). Please explain to me what system suits a roster with those strengths.

Again, it is all well and good for people to talk about playing up-tempo like so many other teams, and finding a coach willing to do it, but that's the easy part of this. The hard part is building a roster that can play it, because this roster doesn't have a prayer. Top 2 centers are average or slow in speed, only a few wingers have above average speed and the defensemen who can skate (Hamilton aside) aren't worthy of top 4 minutes.

The system fits this roster better than any. The problem is the roster doesn't fit what everyone now thinks is the ideal NHL roster. And again, that is on the General Manager.

 

[BruinDust]

Sweeney will be very good, Gorton would have been very good

I'm sorry but when I formulated my ideal Dan plan I overlooked Claude going and focused my attention on Cassidy. He's the one that must go and will. Claude I can live with. I'd rather have Dineen or Laviolette, or me as co coaches with Glorydaze but I'll be patient like Cam and see how the uptempo system works.

remember though in 2008 the lines for a time were

Lucic-Savard-Kessel (very young)

Wheeler-Krejci-Ryder (very young)

Sturmface-Bergeron-Kobasew (young)

where he lost me was burying Sobtoka for Yelle and going with Jeremy Reich in game 1 in Montreal over Phil the Thrill

I got one plank I'm having Cassidy walk it and in the end this is all about me so 'hasta la vista, Butch'....we can always revisit Claude

Proof that Claude can win with a younger roster. That 2009 team was fun to watch. They played gritty and hard, good defensively and still able to score very well.

I can live with Claude coming back, but only if the Reich and Yelle types are taken away from him, namely Kelly and Talbot. I want youth, youth, and more youth with forwards spots 10 through 13. Your right I never understood using Yelle when Sobotka was the 3rd line C in the playoffs the season before during the 7 game loss to the Habs and looked every bit the part of an NHL player.

 

[DKH]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-bruins/joe-haggerty-whats-holdup-on-boston-bruins-naming-gm

good stuff

logically it makes so much sense- why is it taking so long????

I'm very confident this is Charlie Jacobs for Jeff Gorton and Cam Neely for Don Sweeney

we win either way if we get one of them but this is really bizarre to me

bcbruin1 knows that sly dog and sure sounds like Jeff Gorton never shook the black and gold blood out of him when he left

if we are sitting here next week then this is certainly not a great confidence boster for Don Sweeney if he ends up the GM like I think he will

maybe this will be like a Belichick opting out of JETS to come home and Gorton will tell Sather this is what he wants and where his heart is

 

[ap3lovr]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-bruins/joe-haggerty-whats-holdup-on-boston-bruins-naming-gm

good stuff

logically it makes so much sense- why is it taking so long????

I'm very confident this is Charlie Jacobs for Jeff Gorton and Cam Neely for Don Sweeney

we win either way if we get one of them but this is really bizarre to me

bcbruin1 knows that sly dog and sure sounds like Jeff Gorton never shook the black and gold blood out of him when he left

if we are sitting here next week then this is certainly not a great confidence boster for Don Sweeney if he ends up the GM like I think he will

maybe this will be like a Belichick opting out of JETS to come home and Gorton will tell Sather this is what he wants and where his heart is

I don't think he cares about confidence at the point. I am very much not in the know, or even connected to the org. I will as this, is it possible that Jacobs and Neely are asking Sweeney to show them his long term plan? Is it also possible that Sweeney being the Harvard guy he is, isn't half-assing it?

This is my guess as to why this is taking so long. I think that Jacobs and Neely both want to see a hard plan, not just a bunch of crap thrown against a wall. "I want to get tougher and harder to play against" or "We need to find players that work hard and want to play here" or "I invision a team that s fast, skilled, and tough". I think they want something concrete, not just a vision, but a plan on how that will be executed through drafting, trades, and free agency.

I know if I was sitting there, I would be asking for a wholehearted breakdown of what Sweeney plans to do, who he wants where, and what his plan is now and 5 years from now. I want that from him every off-season. I also want to see contingency plans and how he intends to approach the deadline from each position (Contender, strong team, bubble team, seller). I wouldn't want these things simply talked about, I would want them written down so I could reference them when my GM comes to me and tells me he's trading away my prized pig for a couple pieces of cooked bacon and a summer ham.

How does this move fit with the directive outlined? Why are we doing this now? How does the return fit with the directive outlined? What is the contingency if this doesn't work?

I tend to think that this is more Jacobs, Neely, and Sweeney doing this the right way. I don't believe it has anything to do with Gorton or anyone else. I would also go as far to say that they will likely go back and forth on the plan a few times to ensure that the plan is in line with the organisational culture.

 

[DKH]

oldie but goodie- the day they showed Gorton the door

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=394195

 

[Mione134]

Please explain to me how a system predicated on defense first and offense off the cycle doesn't suit this roster. The strength of this team is two-way centers, a very good goalie, and solid stay-at home defensemen (before PC stripped them of the latter and Seidenberg got injured/old). Please explain to me what system suits a roster with those strengths.

Again, it is all well and good for people to talk about playing up-tempo like so many other teams, and finding a coach willing to do it, but that's the easy part of this. The hard part is building a roster that can play it, because this roster doesn't have a prayer. Top 2 centers are average or slow in speed, only a few wingers have above average speed and the defensemen who can skate (Hamilton aside) aren't worthy of top 4 minutes.

The system fits this roster better than any. The problem is the roster doesn't fit what everyone now thinks is the ideal NHL roster. And again, that is on the General Manager.

The system no longer fits this team. They dont know who or what kind of team they are. Until they do, we will suffer. The other teams know what we do now. Its no surprise they've figured out how to be us. Its stale, boring hockey with a stubborn head coach who can't adapt his style to face certain teams. Hence, how we play against the Habs.


I'm done with him as coach its time. Its okay to admit it. Change is needed. And it wasnt just PC's fault. Claude deserves blame too.

 

[BB88]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-bruins/joe-haggerty-whats-holdup-on-boston-bruins-naming-gm

good stuff

logically it makes so much sense- why is it taking so long????

I'm very confident this is Charlie Jacobs for Jeff Gorton and Cam Neely for Don Sweeney

we win either way if we get one of them but this is really bizarre to me

bcbruin1 knows that sly dog and sure sounds like Jeff Gorton never shook the black and gold blood out of him when he left

if we are sitting here next week then this is certainly not a great confidence boster for Don Sweeney if he ends up the GM like I think he will

maybe this will be like a Belichick opting out of JETS to come home and Gorton will tell Sather this is what he wants and where his heart is

." It’s been consistently maintained by this humble hockey writer that Sweeney as GM would hold onto Julien as his coach for this season and that much of the remaining Bruins infrastructure would stay the same."

If that's the case we'd once again only hear/see words from our big boys.
Keep going like we have and expect different results.

 

[KillerBs77]

I just think its Claudes time to go. His system doesn't fit us anymore and quite frankly I've gotten sick of his face and his excuses.

Him and Cassidy AND Sacco can go.

100% agree with every word

 

[MattFromFranklin]

Am I the only one that doesn't really trust Cam?

 

[bruinmann77]

Am I the only one that doesn't really trust Cam?

I trust him but believe some are on your side. I would like to see this get done but think they want to look at Gorton but looking we have to wait for him.

 

[Gordoff]

I trust him but believe some are on your side. I would like to see this get done but think they want to look at Gorton but looking we have to wait for him.

Sather already said no, not now and maybe not after the playoffs are done either. I wouldn't be totally surprised if there's a dark horse, someone that everyone has overlooked that they want to talk to prior to promoting Sweeney?
There are dozens of intelligent, thoughtful, creative people in hockey and IMO there has to be someone everyone is overlooking. Someone who may be on the brink of being let go from another organization that the B's brass have an inkling may be becoming available fairly soon.

 

[Marchy63]

With Sweeney already being the assistant GM and now acting GM, the Bruins really don't have to rush to name him. He is already doing the job so if they are going to name him GM, they don't have to rush and make a press conference to announce it. This way as well, they can say that they took their time and interviewed everyone available and felt that Sweeney was the top guy to take over.

 

[Ratty]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-bruins/joe-haggerty-whats-holdup-on-boston-bruins-naming-gm

good stuff

logically it makes so much sense- why is it taking so long????

I'm very confident this is Charlie Jacobs for Jeff Gorton and Cam Neely for Don Sweeney

we win either way if we get one of them but this is really bizarre to me

bcbruin1 knows that sly dog and sure sounds like Jeff Gorton never shook the black and gold blood out of him when he left

if we are sitting here next week then this is certainly not a great confidence boster for Don Sweeney if he ends up the GM like I think he will

maybe this will be like a Belichick opting out of JETS to come home and Gorton will tell Sather this is what he wants and where his heart is

Haggis incorrectly called Sweeney a "native" of Massachusetts. While he went to college there, he's actually from the Maritimes.

 

[DKH]

Am I the only one that doesn't really trust Cam?

I believe him he's good- Gorton appears in a nice spot