Pat Lafontaine resigns position with team

[CrazyPsycho]

I had my hopes up for the future of this franchise for a couple months, I guess that's something.

Really interested to hear the whole story. It could really go either way.

If it really boils down to how much power Patty had, then I'll be very happy he's gone. He's not the guy we want running this rebuild.

 

[Beerz]

Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 5m

Conflicting information for sources on LaFotaine resignation... if you wanna call it that... @wgrz



Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 4m

talked to more than a half dozen sources... common theme = power struggle and subsequent rift... @wgrz



Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 3m

and that a good portion of this falls on LaFontaine how he tried to use power within organization... @wgrz


Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 1m

Told LaFontaine eventually felt cut out... and situation deteriorated... That's the consensus of what I've been told @wgrz

 

[enthusiast]

Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 1m

Told LaFontaine eventually felt cut out... and situation deteriorated... That's the consensus of what I've been told @wgrz

Benigni with the hard hitting bomb drop

 

[Jame]

Benigni with the hard hitting bomb drop

Yea Botta's one off was a lot juicier

 

[enthusiast]

Yea Botta's one off was a lot juicier

Lafontaine








was upset!













And left






come on now that was nothing

 

[B U F F A L O]

Adam Benigni ‏@AdamBenigni 3m

and that a good portion of this falls on LaFontaine how he tried to use power within organization... @wgrz

Benigni with the hard hitting bomb drop

Glad we came to an agreement!

 

[Beerz]

Read the rest.

 

[enthusiast]

You didn't have it in the post when I quoted it, but what that seems to suggest is that he wanted the power. Whether or not he was promised it is again the crux of the issue

 

[ZZamboni]

Good lord, this still isn't ironed out.



Yawn....


Check back tomorrow for more little crumbs

 

[Karate Johnson*]

I wonder if Pat felt left out in that he wasn't invited to the discussions

Or

Pat felt left out in that he was at the discussion but disagreed, so they did what they wanted anyway.

 

[enthusiast]

I wonder if Pat felt left out in that he wasn't invited to the discussions

Or

Pat felt left out in that he was at the discussion but disagreed, so they did what they wanted anyway.

He probably felt left out because he didn't understand that them laughing at his Miller idea wasn't an inside joke

 

[MagnumForce2]

Channel 4 and 7 said nothing really. Hopefully they will have Benigni on Channel 2 after the game.

 

[BloFan4Life]

This isn't the first time Pat has just quit on a team. He is known to be very bi-polar. He wasn't qualified enough to run a team anyways. It's good they brought in a real hockey mind.

 

[NotABadPeriod]

It's just curious that's all. Battista has no NHL experience, and yet he is in the war room for trades. Then again Pegula had no NHL experience and he used to talk to Darcy more than he talked to his wife.

Was he actually in the war room, or was he just used as a gopher because he wasn't required, and therefore was free to run down to Nolan? If Murray is busy on the phone with Armstrong and/or the NHL, it makes sense that he's not going to say "hold on guys I gotta go run and tell Teddy"...he's gonna send someone less vital to the task at hand.

 

[Karate Johnson*]

I'm just looking forward to TiMu making some trades... Talk about something that's a big deal.

 

[Cirris]

Why did they not just wait t out, then have a press conference next Friday where zlaFontaine says "enjoyed it here, job here is done, good hands with Murray, returning to NY to work fr the league"

Sure there would be speculation, but they would have been ahead of it instead of getting outed by reporters taking wild guesses.

Because almost every hockey writer was bombing the twittersphere over the issue. Which means too many people in the know were tweeting out info.

 

[BloFan4Life]

Hate to tot my own horn, but I called this a bad move when it happened....

Pegula is just a terrible owner, no other way around it. This guy is just clueless.

So it went from Lafontaine talking to Pegula about concussions, to Pegula wanting LaFontaine to be the GM. Patty goes on to inform Pegula something that everyone knows in that he has no qualifications to be a GM in this league. So then it goes to Pegula and Patty deciding on a President of Hockey Ops. What the heck experience does Patty have to be something like this?!?! I seriously bet I could sell Pegula a new snowblower for his mansion in Florida. The guy is so clueless on what it takes to build a winner.

There are tons of ex GMs and coaches out there that would make a lot better President of Hockey Ops. Guys that actually know the workings of the NHL and how to build winners. I wonder where I sign up to ask Pegula for a job?!?!

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?p=74334101&highlight=#post74334101

 

[Jacob582]

Was he actually in the war room, or was he just used as a gopher because he wasn't required, and therefore was free to run down to Nolan? If Murray is busy on the phone with Armstrong and/or the NHL, it makes sense that he's not going to say "hold on guys I gotta go run and tell Teddy"...he's gonna send someone less vital to the task at hand.

Battista is one of Pegula's top executives. He is not a gopher. He was involved in the GM search process.

 

[Puppa2Miller]

Battista is one of Pegula's top executives. He is not a gopher. He was involved in the GM search process.

He never said he was a gopher. He said "used as a gopher"

Again, who cares who relayed the message to Nolan? Do you want us to believe there was an argument over who got to run down some steps to tell Nolan that Miller couldn't play on Friday? It makes no sense.

Obviously, the issue was about something else.

 

[sabresfan129103]

How much power did Pat really expect to have? The job of the GM is to shape the roster and coaching staff to what he thinks will be a winning hockey team. Pat's job was to hire the GM. The ego on some of these guys is insane.

 

[Myllz]

Hate to tot my own horn, but I called this a bad move when it happened....

How does him leaving now make it a bad move? He hired a good GM which is primarily what he was brought on to do. Why you're trying to praise yourself for this is beyond me considering Patty accomplished what he was supposed to.

 

[wunderpanda]

How does him leaving now make it a bad move? He hired a good GM which is primarily what he was brought on to do. Why you're trying to praise yourself for this is beyond me considering Patty accomplished what he was supposed to.

We hope Murray will be a good GM, he hasn't yet become one

 

[Jacob582]

He never said he was a gopher. He said "used as a gopher"

Again, who cares who relayed the message to Nolan? Do you want us to believe there was an argument over who got to run down some steps to tell Nolan that Miller couldn't play on Friday? It makes no sense.

Obviously, the issue was about something else.

Of course the argument wasn't about who got to run down to tell Nolan.

But I thought it was interesting when I heard Battista's name. Just thought it was curious that he was involved at that level with day to day hockey operations.

 

[BloFan4Life]

How does him leaving now make it a bad move? He hired a good GM which is primarily what he was brought on to do. Why you're trying to praise yourself for this is beyond me considering Patty accomplished what he was supposed to.

Pat was not hired to work for three months and then just pick up and leave. Please use your brain.

Look at what a joke this organization looks like now. It was a bad move, your delusional if you think otherwise.

 

[slip]

I'm sure Pegs cuts Patty a nice check on his way out, if he hasn't already (might explain Lafaontaine's effusive praise for the Pegulas in his official presser). Power is one thing, tuition bills quite another (I heard Canisius College is expensive!).