Confirmed with Link: John McDonough Fired

[LavalPhantom]

I can’t wrap my head around McD being behind the Boqvist call up. It just doesn’t make sense. Vetoing a big trade is one thing. But ordering the call up of a mildly known (outside of hardcore fans) prospect? That’s micro-managing. I don’t doubt Zawaski’s source. But I don’t understand.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

I can’t wrap my head around McD being behind the Boqvist call up. It just doesn’t make sense. Vetoing a big trade is one thing. But ordering the call up of a mildly known (outside of hardcore fans) prospect? That’s micro-managing. I don’t doubt Zawaski’s source. But I don’t understand.

Sounds like Bowman and co. wanted Boqvist in the minors for the year.

When the injuries hit, Bowman likely wanted to just plug some losers instead of wasting a year of Boqvist’s ELC, but McD thought the callup would somehow help the hawks make the playoffs, because that’s all he cared about.

At the end of the day, I don’t think the callup will hurt Boqvist, but it was done for the wrong reasons like someone said earlier.

 

[Kevin Musto]

I can’t wrap my head around McD being behind the Boqvist call up. It just doesn’t make sense. Vetoing a big trade is one thing. But ordering the call up of a mildly known (outside of hardcore fans) prospect? That’s micro-managing. I don’t doubt Zawaski’s source. But I don’t understand.

It makes perfect sense for McD to want Boqvist up.

Top 10 pick, exciting and marketable, sell lots of Boqvist jerseys.

Obviously Boqvist was able to hang, but I'm in Stan's boat. I thought he needed more seasoning in the AHL. I think Boqvist suprised just about everyone when he ended up looking as good as he did.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

It makes perfect sense for McD to want Boqvist up.

Top 10 pick, exciting and marketable, sell lots of Boqvist jerseys.

Obviously Boqvist was able to hang, but I'm in Stan's boat. I thought he needed more seasoning in the AHL. I think Boqvist suprised just about everyone when he ended up looking as good as he did.

I'm starting to think that McCub was behind Dach not going back to Saskatoon as well.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Ya, but does he want the TV broadcast? Some guys like radio better than tv, and Forslund has done tv for a long time.

if weideman wants it, I’d be more than happy to see him get it

I plead ignorance on the details, but I gotta believe the tv gig pays better. It would seem to me to be the far more attractive option. If Foley is ready to retire, I’d love to see Weideman promoted to TV and Judd Sirott offered his radio spot.

 

[Styles]

All mcubs fault. Stan was innocent. Blah blah. JC is our guy. Let that sink in.....oh no. About to hear how he’s the greatest coach ever. Please no

 

[Styles]

JC is our f***ing coach next year. Fire Stan yesterday.

 

[Kevin Musto]

JC is our f***ing coach next year. Fire Stan yesterday.

Stan is one of the best GMs in the league.

The jury is still out on JC. If he's legit, he's legit. If not he'll be out by Christmas.

 

[Styles]

Stan is one of the best GMs in the league.

The jury is still out on JC. If he's legit, he's legit. If not he'll be out by Christmas.

Stan is great if you want to trade our young talent. Best GM EVER

 

[Kevin Musto]

Stan is great if you want to trade our young talent. Best GM EVER

Any young talent that has been traded in recent years was due to cap or because we got something better in return.

 

[clydesdale line]

Styles is drunk... if it wasn't already obvious.

 

[KWP]

If we're poaching from other teams I want Cangi from Jersey. That dude cracks me up.

Agreed. The NJD duo if not tops in the league, right up there. I tune in Devils games just to hear.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

Stan is one of the best GMs in the league.

The jury is still out on JC. If he's legit, he's legit. If not he'll be out by Christmas.

And Q was one of the best and most successful coaches of all time and even he had an expiry date. Give Bowman a standing ovation for past accomplishments, have a Stan Bowman night at the UC, but still send him packing. With 3 years no playoffs and no real end in sight its time for a new direction, especially now with McDonut out.

I have never seen such an attraction for a front office person in my life by some in here. I guess all the bad moves now were McD’s fault, the good ones Bowman. How many more years would it take of missing the playoffs. 4 straight, 5, 6? Enough already. One big change is made, Rocky needs to finish it off with a new GM and coach. Fresh ideas, fresh direction.

 

[Mrfenn92]

Styles is drunk... if it wasn't already obvious.

He took the mcdounagh news hard.

 

[Styles]

Styles is drunk... if it wasn't already obvious.

 

[ChiHawks10]

View attachment 344187

Watching you drunk is about as entertaining as watching paint dry. It's more just feelings of sadness and shame for you.

Kidding, obviously.

 

[Styles]

Any young talent that has been traded in recent years was due to cap or because we got something better in return.

Yeah that’s what all the Stan white knights tell themselves when he gets fleeced left and right. Then they all trip over themselves trying to justify the trades like they are actually happy about it. Then they shit on the guys who were traded like they weren’t pumping them up as the next best thing a month beforehand or saying they were “untouchable”. It’s a vicious cycle. I’d imagine you’d have some way to justify Mitchell for Puljujarvi because your love for Stan knows no bounds....

 

[Styles]

Watching you drunk is about as entertaining as watching paint dry. It's more just feelings of sadness and shame for you.

Kidding, obviously.

You cut me deep.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

If the Boqvist stuff is true then it shows Mcd has greater grasp of hockey then our GM

Bowman eliminating his rivals thru palace coups is disheartening

First Q was victim and now Mcd

Now Bowman has complete control and as shown by his many mistakes the Hawks future seems bleak

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I don't see Bo as a huge marketing boost for us when he got called up, so I will admit that I'm going to have to doubt that.

The rumor of Hossa being part of the Hammer trade might make sense, as that's a massive marketing hurdle to overcome, so troublesome if that got in the way of a deal (though the potential for recapture penalties if he retired early would've terrorized the hell out of me had the trade gone through).

 

[Brightwing]

If the Boqvist stuff is true then it shows Mcd has greater grasp of hockey then our GM

Bowman eliminating his rivals thru palace coups is disheartening

First Q was victim and now Mcd

Now Bowman has complete control and as shown by his many mistakes the Hawks future seems bleak

I don't know. It's going to be hard to justify keeping Bowman if McDonough's gone. How do you have a changing of the guard if you keep your GM of a decade?

But, here's a couple of reasons he might stick around for a bit:

1) Who knows when the draft is and it's important that the draft apparatus be in place so I think they keep him until then with a tight oversight on trades.
2) Danny Wirtz's appointment as interim means either a) there's going to be a decently through search for a new president or b) he's going to slide into the job. I think it's A and I don't think they'll fire Stan before they have a new president in place to pick his successor and a search may take a few months.
3) There is a chance that Stan either gets promoted to president of hockey ops (like the Vegas situation) or he impresses the new leadership enough to stay. His hiring of Colliton already tells me he's looking for new and younger modes of thought and that might line up with Danny Wirtz's thinking.
4) Stan Bowman, as much as people around here dislike him, is a winner and proven to be a good drafter. If he leaves he will get a new job in no time and I guarantee he will take some of his scouting staff (maybe even coaching staff ie the goalie coaches) with him so if that's the case so be careful what you wish for.

 

[hockeydoug]

I can’t wrap my head around McD being behind the Boqvist call up. It just doesn’t make sense. Vetoing a big trade is one thing. But ordering the call up of a mildly known (outside of hardcore fans) prospect? That’s micro-managing. I don’t doubt Zawaski’s source. But I don’t understand.

I can't say if McD (or anybody) was right or wrong with prospect development, I'm just trying to make sense of why he would contradict the gm who was probably listening to the hockey people. Here it goes:

MCD was there with watching early returns on arguably an early call up with several players including but not limited to Bolland, Hjalmarsson, Buff, etc. Keith and Seabs wouldn't have had the minutes they had early in their career if Tallon wasn't building such a mess coming out of the lockout. There were lots of questions about Toews being able to jump to the NHL in year 1 successfully too.
Kruger, Leddy, Saad, Shaw,...

Most of those players had bigger responsibility than they probably should have under normal circumstances. If McD pushed to plug young guys in, it may have been because he was applying the flukish results of the past to the current prospects. Lots of people were screaming to bring up more talent and let them get minutes for years. Plenty of other examples.

Anyway, not hard to see why an egomaniac, with a philosophy of "win now" would overrule staff for call ups of high end type prospects. McD makes the calls and then Bowman would deal with the lost year later.

 

[Brightwing]

I don't see Bo as a huge marketing boost for us when he got called up, so I will admit that I'm going to have to doubt that.

The rumor of Hossa being part of the Hammer trade might make sense, as that's a massive marketing hurdle to overcome, so troublesome if that got in the way of a deal (though the potential for recapture penalties if he retired early would've terrorized the hell out of me had the trade gone through).

I see the Boqvist call up as more of a Hail Mary on McDonough's part than a marketing boost.

Also remember all that intrigue about how the Hawks were trying to play defensively and the reports that Colliton got called to the carpet over it? And I remember Zawaski saying it wasn't necessarily Stan who did that, so if it wasn't Stan then who was telling the coach how to coach?

And ultimately it was an exercise in futility because no, the team wasn't capable of playing more defensively but also they couldn't play run and gun and outscore their problems. I'm telling you, there was a war in the fall about coaching, the Seabrook situation etc.

If the team's blue line was just a little bit better they would have made the playoffs. I think that's what McDonough was hoping for, that Boqvist would come in an pull a Makar. I honestly think Boqvist handled himself fine but probably should have had the full year in the AHL.

 

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I honestly don't think this is that big of a deal. When things get stale in sports, changes need to be made.

Seems like Stan and JC are well liked by Rocky. I think he trusts their direction and ideology.

Maybe McD's voice just went stale. One goal has been here since, what, 2008? 2009? Perhaps he has a methodology that isn't as forward thinking as Rocky perceives Stan and JC to have? Maybe he wants fans to think that there's s new direction for this team while keeping waves made to a minimum? Maybe Rocky had given him too long if a leash and didn't have a way to reel him in.

I dunno, I have a hard time believing that McDonough was as influential on roster management and team direction as folks are making it out to be.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Couple interesting stories shared about McD on the score on the way into work. Apparently whenever players encountered McD at the rink/training facility/wherever it was expected that you refer to him as Mr. McDonough, make eye contact and shake his hand. Not doing so would have “repercussions”.

Another story involved a player’s exit interview at the end of the season immediately after working out and the player showed up in sandals. Apparently McDonough lost his mind.