News Article: Granato Exclusive with Matthew Fairburn

[old kummelweck]

Thought this should have it's own thread. Currently no paywall.

Don Granato exclusive: On getting fired by Sabres, his gratitude and what's next

Don Granato pushed back on the narrative that he didn't hold players accountable.

theathletic.com

Click to read more...

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

I can't read the article, but I can only imagine how imposing his fiery will would make his guys shudder away and go crying, after being told they have to skip cuddle time after practice.

 

[paulmm3]

Good article. Makes me dislike the roster even that much more for what we saw, especially early in the season. It sounds like Granato tried to impress the right things on them, it just didn't take. These players deserve the meanest next head coach that has ever existed.

 

[Willgamesh]

any excerpts?

 

[Ehran]

any excerpts?

In the 48 hours after Granato got fired, players talked about the need for more “accountability and structure.” Thompson said the team was “too casual” and “too comfortable.” Granato understands that narratives are always going to happen after a coach gets fired because there needs to be justification for it. This narrative is a frustrating one because it was a constant point of conversation between him and the players.

 

[paulmm3]

Maybe the team's reputation as a bunch of first round prima donnas is the right one. They deserve Bane from the Batman movies as their next coach.

 

[toddkaz]

Conversations with your kids is not discipline nor accountability. Granato seems unable to understand the difference between explaining and discipline.

Its sad he can't even hold himself accountable. Krueger 2.0.

He should be saying if the players feel that way then I am sorry I failed them.

Granato calling it a narrative is him unwilling to accept responsibility for his failures.

Granato can't accept responsibility for what he did wrong then how does he expect the players to.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

Good article. Makes me dislike the roster even that much more for what we saw, especially early in the season. It sounds like Granato tried to impress the right things on them, it just didn't take. These players deserve the meanest next head coach that has ever existed.

Eh, that’s some passive-ass “I tried everything within my personality, it’s their fault they didn’t listen” thinking.

If you said it and they didn’t do it, bench the worst offender. Blast ‘em in the media, staple ‘em to the bench, f***ing do something. You can’t say “oh ya, I was on that all the time and nothing ever changed, not my fault.” No, you don’t just say the message, you make sure it happens. Nice guy, but as tough as a wet paper bag as a coach.

 

[Samsonite23]

Man, I get the downside of the job he took over, but there’s a coaching scared look with how he framed stuff there. You can’t be thinking about embarrassing the entire organization and its fans. Literally said he was scared of the job. Need a positive mindset. Do what you think is best for the team no matter what.

That being said, great, honest interview. Gotta love Donny.

 

[Caroline Says ll]

So in December when Granato was talking about how showing video or stressing tactics makes players overthink too much and he just wants them to play naturally - how is that accountability? When a player makes an egregious error over and over again and there was no benchings or discipline, where is the accountability? You can talk about it night and day with your team but unless there were substantive steps towards it than talk is just useless.

 

[Ace]

He loses me right away when his first takeaway is that maybe he could have done things slightly different. You want to talk about who doesn’t take accountability? We can relist the number of things that he failed to figure out this season. Tactically, player usage, simple game management a child learns playing video games…. Slightly different? Good luck on future job interviews with that.

It’s not hard to see where the accountability problem comes from

 

[old kummelweck]

My takeaway from the article regarding things not already discussed. Perhaps it did not make it into the article, but I wish Fairburn would have pressed him a little more on:

“Nothing surprises you,” Granato told The Athletic by phone Friday. “The situation and the expectations rose to a level that something had to give. The media, the fan base, the pressure that is on that locker room, the team, the organization, something’s got to give. This is what happens. Obviously, there’s frustration, but I don’t have anything to complain about. I really don’t. I could have done things slightly different. You can change some things and can’t change others.”
"There are always dynamics at work in situations and you cannot fight them all at once, let alone think you can win them all.”

What things could you not change, what dynamics? They just fired you and you are frustrated with the narrative.

Granato understands that narratives are always going to happen after a coach gets fired because there needs to be justification for it. This narrative is a frustrating one because it was a constant point of conversation between him and the players.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Yeah, like others said...you can't just talk about what it means to be accountable and expect young guys to understand and change. You have to impose discipline at various levels and if none of those efforts succeed, you start talking about how a guy or guys are actually NOT accountable. It can be in private and maybe even publicly, first stating there is a problem among the roster and then even naming guys. You go to the GM and tell him somebody might need to be traded even at a loss, if it means sending the right message. Or in our case, KA can trade one of the hardest working players for a dude-bro pal of some of the slackers.

 

[5 Minute Major]

Let’s face it. There was a whole lot of not wanting to be accountable from the owner on down to the 13th forward. Pegula, Adams, Granato, the players. All of them seem to be in deflect mode right now. Let’s see if that now changes moving forward. I have my doubts.

 

[buffalowing88]

This article just makes me realize we have some passive-aggressive, bitchy players and a passive-aggressive, bitchy ex-coach.

I cannot wait for the new HC to just cut this crap right off the bat and change the culture. If players wanna be held accountable, they need to start getting publicly named and lose their minutes.

We'll see if Tage and Tuch and the rest of them carry the same tune once accountability becomes a reality and not just a fun word to throw around.

 

[Ace]

My mind keeps returning to that season ticket holder event Adams and Granato did late in the season. Granato was asked how he’d change things schematically/structurally next year…and he said not much. And that they hadn’t changed much this year either. It was about the worst answer you could hear imo. I already didn’t think you could bring him back and expect to succeed…but that was like…come on. We know you didn’t change much Don…because other teams adjusted to what you do well and you couldn’t do it anymore. The bigger issue was that you never adjusted to that. And you sat next to your boss as it failed miserably and said next year expect the same? I wonder if that’s the day Adams started to think about it seriously.

 

[HaNotsri]

If I would rate Granato's seasons on results and the material he had to work with it's 5/5, 5/5 and 2/5.

I think his overperformance cost him. Losing a positive trend is the hardest thing in management, it's way easier when you have improving results even if they are objectively worse than trending downward from a higher place. It's hard to get the buy in you need to turn things around if you don't get quick wins along the way.

I hope he gets a chance as an assistant somewhere and another head coach gig down the line.

It's the right move to change coach but the blame should really be on Adams and the players for this season.

 

[toddkaz]

My mind keeps returning to that season ticket holder event Adams and Granato did late in the season. Granato was asked how he’d change things schematically/structurally next year…and he said not much. And that they hadn’t changed much this year either. It was about the worst answer you could hear imo. I already didn’t think you could bring him back and expect to succeed…but that was like…come on. We know you didn’t change much Don…because other teams adjusted to what you do well and you couldn’t do it anymore. The bigger issue was that you never adjusted to that. And you sat next to your boss as it failed miserably and said next year expect the same? I wonder if that’s the day Adams started to think about it seriously.

You know in the game day threads a lot of times we complained about how low IQ the players are.

When you read what Granato said you can start to understand why the players played so dumb.

Granato is a low IQ coach.

 

[Sabre the Win]

I think both the players and the coach are at fault for the accountability aspect.

There is clearly no leader in the locker room, a good captain will hold other players accountable more so then the coach as he's not the one playing so it's harder to harp on mistakes when he's not on the ice with them.

FInd that leader and watch this team hold each other accountable.

The coaches accountability comes in the form of players not playing to the system. The captain's accountability holds the players being lazy or sloppy.

 

[dugman]

Does it seem to anyone else that he seemed to be enjoying coaching in the previous seasons, and this year, he seemed miserable and tense? I used to enjoy his postgame comments, but found this year’s to be almost unwatchable.

 

[Chainshot]

Does it seem to anyone else that he seemed to be enjoying coaching in the previous seasons, and this year, he seemed miserable and tense? I used to enjoy his postgame comments, but found this year’s to be almost unwatchable.

Early on it seemed like he didn't like that he didn't get any help from his boss. That and whatever he was saying he was asking of the team wasn't showing up on the ice. I've been in relationships where it doesn't matter what you say, it makes no difference -- and that's taxing.

 

[Matt Ress]

What's the excuse for being perpetually unprepared? Conversations.

 

[dortt]

bring in a marine DI as the game manager. There would be instant accountability via dot drills and bag skates. Would make the players wish Herb Brooks were their coach

 

[Tatanka]

What's the excuse for being perpetually unprepared? Conversations.

I don’t know but every team I have been on they gave me a schedule and a start time. The players know when the game starts. A lot is on their shoulders.

 

[Matt Ress]

I don’t know but every team I have been on they gave me a schedule and a start time. The players know when the game starts. A lot is on their shoulders.

I agree. If they're not responding to the coach's conversations, which I believe is a very valuable tool, it is on the coach to elevate the situation ie. Bench someone, run them down in practice...