Management Ownership: Jeremy Jacobs & Family

[Therick67]

Ya, totally spoiled rotten. We're like oh my god, what a crisis, we didn't win the cup this year, while so many other teams just dream of simply making the playoffs. That my friend, is spoiled.

Ridiculous

 

[JAD]

I'm indifferent when it comes to Jeremy Jacobs I can see both the good and the bad in his ownership of the team. This all may be over simplified but perhaps the reason Jeremy Jacobs is such a villain around here is a result of a few things agrivating the fan base (I'm sure others will point out more) that have really little with how the franchise itself has been structured. Fair or unfair it is a reputation that was earned over the years and still perceived today by many of the team's fanbase. (It's not my intent to go into specific details, this is just a generalization.)

1. Jacobs lack of publicly displayed emotional attachment to the team.
It doesn't appear to be his personality, he seems to a bit of an introvert. He is not a Robert Kraft who is more outgoing and whose public perception was enhanced by the good fortune of his team winning multiple super bowls.

2. Jacobs frugalness with specific team players PRIOR to the cap.
Jacobs is a business man first. This frugalness at the time may have been caused by an internal team salary 'cap' at a time when there were no spending limits. This speculated internal team salary cap along with how it was implemented created the appearance that Jacobs was cheap. It was said he wanted operating cost assurance and player salaries at the time were an unknown. He wanted to be able to budget and allocate resources appropriately. This 'cheap' label was amplified through player salary negotiations resulting in holdouts, arbitration, sometimes creating hard feelings leading to trades causing both media and fan backlash. Additionally, a reluctant to out bid other teams for players services and never being willing to add that one extra player. Granted, Sinden was GM at the time and took most of the heat for negotiations going poorly through the years, but it was when Bourque was taken to arbitration that public perception plummeted as rumors leaked that it was Jacobs who was the one penny pinching and didn't want to pay the escalation player salaries. Thus Jacobs gained the reputation as being a bad owner because he only cared about money, not the team's players, and not the fans. This perception was galvanized during the CBA negotiations leading into #3 below.

3. Jacobs being the driving force behind the league establishing a salary cap. This resulted in a lockout and cancelation of the 2004-05 season. He acquired the reputation as being cheap by helping establish a limit each team could spend on player salaries and establishing one aspect of a teams operating cost certainty across the league. This also placed a restraint on players salaries. No longer could those salaries escalate out of control. (As people here have stated once player salary cost certainty was established the Bruins team management has been allowed to spend to the cap. How spending applies to other areas of the franchise is another discussion).

Jacobs is first a business man and runs the team as a business with the intent of staying solvent and making a profit. His reputation comes from a time when there were no rules governing team player salaries and certain owners who, well let's just say, abused that privilege. People can hate Jacobs based on history, but they also need to be aware that he may be one of many people with foresight and resolve responsible with helping keep the league we love operating.

So the question is: is the reputation of Jacobs being a bad owner and cheap still relevant today?
Jacobs is a business man.
The franchise is solvent.
Management is allowed to spend to the cap.
The league is on a level playing field.
Jacobs is in this first to make a profit each year, any championship is icing on the cake.
Jacobs is a hands off owner.
A lack of contendership status, salary cap issues, player evaluation, player acquisition, drafting, player development, player contacts and negotiations, forecasting, planning, and execution - all responsibility falls on the management team.
Jacobs doesn't get involved as long as the team makes a profit.
If the team craps the bed - who is responsible? Answer - the management team ... so these days direct anger there.

 

[GordonHowe]

I kind of think now that the whole cheap reputation wasn't Jacobs but actually Harry Sinden, who never left 1965 in his dealings with players (taking Bourque to arbitration lmao). Jacobs' fault over that period was sticking with Harry for 30 years - but business was good and up until 1994 they were perpetually in the conversation every spring. After Neely retired the chickens came to roost and it still took 2 DNQs in 4 years for Sinden to step down, and even then his crony MoC was put in his chair until he made the most boneheaded trade in history and had to be removed - which may have been a blessing in disguise in the end.

The only time Jacobs ever injected himself into the on-ice product was the Martin Lapointe fiasco (and I don't even know if that's true or some urban legend that Kevin Dupont heard third hand and reported). Mike Illitch supposedly called Jacobs a cheapskate at a BoG meeting and he took it personal and ordered MOC to sign one of Detroit's free agents no matter the cost. Even then, it worked out since without Lapointe Bergeron doesn't have a francophone mentor in his rookie season.

I think you're right about this.

Jacobs didn't meddle. He did the opposite, which was to allow Sinden to impersonate Jack Adams. Sinden derived a kind of perverse pleasure in running roughshod over his coaches and players.

I'm the boss. And don't you forget it. What a f***.

So, I blame Jacobs for being greedy and cheap, but mostly I blame him for letting Sinden behave as he did, not least relative to icing teams that a] played well but perpetually over their heads; b] were very good but never elite, always at least two players away from Cup contention and actually having a chance at winning it all; and c] treating his coaches, players and Bruins fans with complete contempt. Some media types thought that was cute. "Our Harry." Yeah. Right.

Again, I think you have it right. Thanks for posting.

 

[GordonHowe]

I may vomit.

Go ahead.

 

[everett rats]

If the rest of us also got handed a businesses late in our 20s from our father I am sure a few of us would also see similar success.

The senior Jacobs wasn't handing anything

Aside from the ice plant, how have they cheaped out (specifically) on things like facilities, scouts, support staff (analytics), etc?

These posters have no idea what they're talking about they have no idea how much money he's put into this team they don't know what multimillion dollar businesses are like how they ran etc

 

[GordonHowe]

Wow.

The Past Haunts Brothers Who Own Convicted Sports Empire (Published 1977)

www.nytimes.com

None of that surprises me, and probably explains a lot as to JJ's character and demeanor.

 

[everett rats]

Aside from the ice plant, how have they cheaped out (specifically) on things like facilities, scouts, support staff (analytics), etc?

These posters have no idea what they're talking about they have no idea how much money he's put into this team they don't know what multimillion dollar businesses are like how they ran etc

I think there was a report last year that the Bruins are one of if not the leading team in assets spent on their analytical department. The training facility at warrior seems pretty top notch as well.

Yeah I guess in 2011 2013 2019 he spent a lot on the ice since they made it to the finals people have no clue what's going on he actually is a very smart owner

 

[GordonHowe]

Fix the f***ing Ice at TD garden you cheap f***s!

Now *that* is not Sinden's fault.

Or maybe it is. "Our Harry."

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

The senior Jacobs wasn't handing anything

What?

 

[GordonHowe]

I think there was a report last year that the Bruins are one of if not the leading team in assets spent on their analytical department. The training facility at warrior seems pretty top notch as well.

I don't know about the analytics dept. but Warrior seems top tier.

However, something is very wrong when your prospect pool is rated dead last, or close to dead last, for years on end.

Yes, drafting appears to be better of late, but it seems to me the scouting staff is *still* in dire need of an overhaul.

 

[Therick67]

Warrior is very nice, you can't say the same about the last two facilities they had..

 

[GordonHowe]

Ya, totally spoiled rotten. We're like oh my god, what a crisis, we didn't win the cup this year, while so many other teams just dream of simply making the playoffs. That my friend, is spoiled.

There is truth in this, because, among other things, many latter day fans weren't around when it was exceedingly difficult to be a Bruins fan. Were B's fans spoiled in the 80s? The 90s? The early aughts?

I don't think so.

Back then -- and I'm not kidding when speaking of the 1990s through 2006 -- meeting (and comiserating with) other Bruins fans around town was like knowing a secret hand shake. Not many Boston sports fans were part of that club, or wanted to be.

 

[Therick67]

There is truth in this, because, among other things, many latter day fans weren't around when it was exceedingly difficult to be a Bruins fan. Were B's fans spoiled in the 80s? The 90s? The early aughts?

I don't think so.

Back then -- and I'm not kidding when speaking of the 1990s through 2006 -- meeting (and comiserating with) other Bruins fans around town was like knowing a secret hand shake. Not many Boston sports fans were part of that club, or wanted to be.

It seems someone might be a fan in the last 10-12 years. Yes, things have been much better obviously but Bruins fans are spoiled under JJ's ownership?

As you mentioned, it was hard being a Bruins fan for some long stretches..

 

[Maine Fan]

Thanks for writing what I would have. Currently battling Covid and don't have the energy to rip Monty Burns for his years of terrible ownership.

Back to bed but never forget the ONLY thing Monty cares about is money not winning.

I hope you feel better soon. That assumes you got vaxed and boostered if you are of that age. If you didn't get vaxed, then I still hope you feel better, but only because you are a Bruins fan.

 

[Maine Fan]

Keeping the team just good enough to get in the playoffs is a lot less risky and a lot easier than making the team good enough to win the whole thing. In the modern NHL teams for the most part have had to suffer through some lean years in order to become good enough to win. Jacobs is not willing to do that although you'd think he would be after seeing how much $$$ the team generated from winning the Cup.

Jacobs wants a steady stream of cash flowing into his bank account. He doesn't want a boom/bust cycle.

Thank you BMC. The winning post.

 

[Maine Fan]

Keeping the team just good enough to get in the playoffs is a lot less risky and a lot easier than making the team good enough to win the whole thing. In the modern NHL teams for the most part have had to suffer through some lean years in order to become good enough to win. Jacobs is not willing to do that although you'd think he would be after seeing how much $$$ the team generated from winning the Cup.

Jacobs wants a steady stream of cash flowing into his bank account. He doesn't want a boom/bust cycle.

Thank you BMC. The winning post.

f*** Jeremy
f*** Charlie
f*** the whole Jacobs clan

Does that include Neely and Sweeney their business family? I hope so, if yes, it would add
f*** Neely
f*** Sweeney.

 

[PB37]

I don't know about the analytics dept. but Warrior seems top tier.

However, something is very wrong when your prospect pool is rated dead last, or close to dead last, for years on end.

Yes, drafting appears to be better of late, but it seems to me the scouting staff is *still* in dire need of an overhaul.

A large part of that is what happens when you contend for as long as the Bruins have. Picks get moved out for upgrades and the remaining ones are in the bottom portions of the rounds. Bruins have had their share of draft blunders but have also some good players via the draft. Pasta, McAvoy, DeBrusk, Carlo, Swayman are players they drafted who have impacted the roster in important positions. Guys like Frederic, Zboril, Steen and Studnicka have a chance at being on the roster full time this year in their roles. Another wave of prospect hopefuls is starting to form with Lohrei, Lysell, Beecher, Merkulov. Is it superstar ladden? No... but that's understandable. When was the last time the Bruins had a top 10 pick? A lottery pick?

 

[Therick67]

Seguin and Hamilton were pretty high picks.

 

[PB37]

Seguin and Hamilton were pretty high picks.

Both were over 10 years ago and via a trade that became a Garden meme. Thankfully we didn't have to tank to get them.

 

[GordonHowe]

A large part of that is what happens when you contend for as long as the Bruins have. Picks get moved out for upgrades and the remaining ones are in the bottom portions of the rounds. Bruins have had their share of draft blunders but have also some good players via the draft. Pasta, McAvoy, DeBrusk, Carlo, Swayman are players they drafted who have impacted the roster in important positions. Guys like Frederic, Zboril, Steen and Studnicka have a chance at being on the roster full time this year in their roles. Another wave of prospect hopefuls is starting to form with Lohrei, Lysell, Beecher, Merkulov. Is it superstar ladden? No... but that's understandable. When was the last time the Bruins had a top 10 pick? A lottery pick?

Understood. All those years under Sinden, they were good to very good (not elite).

So, they always drafted middle or even late in the pack. A kind of purgatory.

The last "top 10 pick" was Joe Thornton. And we all know what happened. I believe Samsonov was #8 overall that year (1997).

Seguin and Hamilton were pretty high picks.

Holy heck.

I totally forgot about Seguin (#2), and Hamilton (#9).

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Understood. All those years under Sinden, they were good to very good (not elite).

So, they always drafted middle or even late in the pack. A kind of purgatory.

The last "top 10 pick" was Joe Thornton. And we all know what happened. I believe Samsonov was #8 overall that year (1997).


Holy heck.

I totally forgot about Seguin (#2), and Hamilton (#9).

Kessel?

 

[GordonHowe]

Kessel?

Not an expert, and I am using voice to text, apologies.

I believe the Bruins received the Kessel selection, and Tuukka, from Toronto in exchange for Andrew raycroft. I'll look it up.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I don't think spending to the cap in a market like Boston when you are the driving force for the cap deserves any real adulation.

Given Sweeney 8+ year after blowing 3 straight picks in a generational draft should not be commended either. Only having 1 Cup to show for being a top team for so long is disappointing.

We would have won a lot more if someone else got the franchise close to 50 years ago. The Bruins are like the Lakers in the NBA and a franchise guys want to play for likely more so than any other of the 32 NHL teams.

 

[McGarnagle]

Not an expert, and I am using voice to text, apologies.

I believe the Bruins received the Kessel selection, and Tuukka, from Toronto in exchange for Andrew raycroft. I'll look it up.

No, it was their own selection at #5 overall after bottoming out in the 2005-06 season.

Tuukka for Raycroft was a straight up trade during the draft but didn't involve picks

 

[Therick67]

I don't think spending to the cap in a market like Boston when you are the driving force for the cap deserves any real adulation.
Given Sweeney 8+ year after blowing 3 straight picks in a generational draft should not be commended either. Only having 1 Cup to show for being a top team for so long is disappointing.
We would have won a lot more if someone else got the franchise close to 50 years ago. The Bruins are like the Lakers in the NBA and a franchise guys want to play for likely more so than any other of the 32 NHL teams.