Pat Lafontaine resigns position with team
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WGR has Bulldog, Jeremy White, and Paul Hamilton on from 9 AM to 11 AM this morning to discuss the LaFontaine resignation matter.
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flyingpig
Pay the Troll Toll
Whatever happened, the timing is horrific. At the very least, keep quiet and dont be seen for five days!! Let the deadline pass and move on.
I do not recall one post on here from the time the Miller trade went down to the time this was leaked by McKenzie that said.."Where is Pat in all of this?" We didn't even think about it.
Steve: "Man, these St.Louis ribs are pretty good."
Ryan: "Yeah, I like them better than chicken wings."
Steve: "No doubt. Pass me a couple more napkins."
Ryan: "Well, it looks like we got out of Buffalo in the nick of time. What a ****show"
Steve: "To think I was considering re-upping there when free agency started."
TJ: "Hey Ryan, told you the BBQ was the best. Wanna practice shootouts?"
I do not recall one post on here from the time the Miller trade went down to the time this was leaked by McKenzie that said.."Where is Pat in all of this?" We didn't even think about it.
Steve: "Man, these St.Louis ribs are pretty good."
Ryan: "Yeah, I like them better than chicken wings."
Steve: "No doubt. Pass me a couple more napkins."
Ryan: "Well, it looks like we got out of Buffalo in the nick of time. What a ****show"
Steve: "To think I was considering re-upping there when free agency started."
TJ: "Hey Ryan, told you the BBQ was the best. Wanna practice shootouts?"
GameMisconduct
Registered User
- Jul 20, 2006
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This pretty much sums it up for me too. I'll always love Pat for what he did as a player and for the community, but other than the people he brought in (which he should get credit for) he has not exactly demonstrated sterling judgment here.
1) Miller did not want to re-sign. Unless he indicated in private something that completely runs counter to everything he said publicly (which seems really unlikely), you can't take a risk trying to force this despite how much you might wish it to be so.
2) Undermining your GM, the one you just hired, on this issue is incredibly short sighted on a number of levels.
3) The timing seems to indicate a stunning lack of awareness of the likely perception of this action, an inability to deal with organizational conflict (a necessity), or that this is about ego.
4) There is a pattern here when his decisions are challeged. The Islanders experience, though clearly different and worse, is relevant. He made what looked then and now to be potentially apt choices in who to bring aboard, but if you can't stick it out for awhile and fight for your beliefs working from within in this dynamic where even if the organizational consensus goes against you on something you clearly still have influence and the respect of the ownership, you are probably just not cut out for your position.
There is nothing so untenable about this situation in anything that has been revealed or even insinuated that he couldn't demonstrate real leadership and fall on the Sabre he talked about inheriting as a leader for a few weeks or a couple months for the greater good. It's unfortunate because he would come out looking far better and not have inflicted the damage to the team he obviously does care about.
Freezerburn
Registered User
- Mar 20, 2003
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Thanks Patty. Hopefully whatever principles you quit for were worth the black eye on the franchise just as we were climbing out.
i don't think he quit. at least, that's not what the other side of the table is saying...
Any-who... this can only mean one thing....... TANK ON!!!
Any-who... this can only mean one thing....... TANK ON!!!
MacOfNiagara
Registered User
I would agree with you if it wasnt for Pat himself saying that Tim Murray would be 'wearing the hat' when it came to hockey decisions. Clear implication that TM would be final arbitrator.
Mit Yarrum
HoF Turd Shiner
- Apr 1, 2010
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Takeo
Registered User
Well at least they aren't force covering the Sabres like usual. Plenty of material to work with this morning.
Bucky Gleason article this morning is great.
This is the part that bothers me. If Lafontaine's preference was to re-sign Miller, and Murray's was to trade him, why would he even hire Tim Murray? But the timing of this makes it seem like it had to be about the trade.
I suspect that all of us, at some point, have thought, "this job isn't what I signed up for. I should tell the boss what I think, and that I don't need this job.". And then we realize that we like living in a house and being able to send our kids to college, take a deep breath, and go back to work. The difference with Pat is the second part is probably not a consideration.
struckbyaparkedcar
Guilty of Being Right
The only way keep Miller is to compensate him for playing on a terrible, apparently dysfunctional team. At that price, the only reason to support keeping him are marketing reasond or an outdated sense of teambuilding (from the net out). If that's the hill you die on, peace out General Custer.
jamers
bleep bop bloop
- Sep 17, 2011
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That's very true. It seems like LaFontaine didn't like how his position was evolving after he hired Murray, and decided he didn't want to spend his time doing something he didn't enjoy. I don't fault him a lick for that... I do wish he and the Sabres could have waited until after the deadline or even until the end of the season.
Butt Ox
Registered User
Why delve into the arena of character assassination? So far we've had people bagging on both upper management and LaFontaine when none of us are privy to the details. Could be as simple as GMTiMu wanted to proceed in one direction, while PLF saw things different. We've all been in situations where a decision being made put us in an uncomfortable place- one we couldn't pursue.
Murray was hired to be a businessman. If someone tried to get in his way and impede his vision of what this club needs then more power to him for steamrolling over them. He's paid to make the tough decisions and trust has been placed in him to run the Sabres how he sees fit.
LaFontaine has quit a job before over issues that impugned his integrity. It's his right to do what he deems fitting regarding his sense of ethics and boundaries. If it was a power struggle and he walked or was let go, kudos to him for sticking to his guns.
Just like trades don't have to have clearly defined winners and losers, neither do business dealings. Personally I don't see a bad guy here. Just a poor fit and a club looking to move forward.
Murray was hired to be a businessman. If someone tried to get in his way and impede his vision of what this club needs then more power to him for steamrolling over them. He's paid to make the tough decisions and trust has been placed in him to run the Sabres how he sees fit.
LaFontaine has quit a job before over issues that impugned his integrity. It's his right to do what he deems fitting regarding his sense of ethics and boundaries. If it was a power struggle and he walked or was let go, kudos to him for sticking to his guns.
Just like trades don't have to have clearly defined winners and losers, neither do business dealings. Personally I don't see a bad guy here. Just a poor fit and a club looking to move forward.
I wonder if Nolan and Lafontaine's relationship became strained also? It's odd that we thought Nolan would be shown the door and now he is being offered an extension. Is this another piece of the soap opera or damage control?
Robert
Foligno family
When PL was hired I had thoughts about him quitting the Islanders so soon but ignored it, now that he’s quit Buffalo so soon too I have to wonder if PL was the problem.. I doubt he gets hired to run another NHL team any time soon, if ever…
The worst thing in this whole mess is the negative publicity for the organization.. The Sabres truly appear dysfunctional and frankly spinning out of control… If Nolan is let go next as some are saying one might wonder why any changes were made in the first place late last year…
The worst thing in this whole mess is the negative publicity for the organization.. The Sabres truly appear dysfunctional and frankly spinning out of control… If Nolan is let go next as some are saying one might wonder why any changes were made in the first place late last year…
JLewyB
Registered User
If it was this rational, then the timing of it would be much better. I have a feeling that his position was never really established in terms of what power he would hold. They seemed to dance around this question a lot during the Tim Murray presser. The "office of the GM" seems like a great idea but everybody coming together on a consensus to make a decision rarely happens. My guess is Pegula thought everybody could work together but then egos got in the way.
ZZamboni
Puttin' on the Foil
And it was stated somewhere that things were "brewing" for a few days. So the Miller trade seems less likely of a reason PL resigned.
Clash of personalities, vision of the team, level of power PL had. All better possibilities it seems.
Beerz
Registered User
- Jun 28, 2011
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Yup...this is what its all about.
As for Bucky ..what a tool.... How can you have a huge headline shouting "Dysfunction" and then show pictures and talk about Vanek and Pominville trades as a sign of dysfunction? Axe grinding at its best.
That said..I hope TBN gets to the bottom of this and doesn't go for the "cover story" of Pat just wanting to go back to NYC.
ZZamboni
Puttin' on the Foil
Yea, that Bucky article was a great read....
For axe grinding, drama queens who like spin.
Stay classy Bucky
For axe grinding, drama queens who like spin.
Stay classy Bucky
OhreallyOrielly
good 2b a tankster
http://www.wgrz.com/videos/news/2014/03/01/3498599/
Nolan is about to address the media. It's streaming live.
Nolan is about to address the media. It's streaming live.
Beerz
Registered User
- Jun 28, 2011
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aceface33
Registered User
That's all great but in this case Lafontaine's ethics and integrity have done real damage to the image of the organization that gave him a huge opportunity. Even just waiting until after the trade deadline would have been better. The timing of it makes me think that he may have been pretty angry and vindictive but I don't think so- LaFontaine just strikes me as a guy who is true to his conscience to a fault. The problem is he can easily go back to his cushy job with the NHL while the Sabres become a laughingstock. Either he doesn't realize this or doesn't care.
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