The Players' Tribune: "The Box" by Jim Rutherford

[mban]

The Box by Jim Rutherford (Or; What You Don't Know About Being A GM)

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[capebretoncanadien]

That was an excellent read thanks for posting.

 

[Carlzner]

The Players’ Tribune asked me to explain my job, which is kind of an interesting challenge. If you talked to my eight-year-old son, being a general manager is all about signing free agents and making trades.

shoutout hfboards

 

[SLAPSHOT723]

Really good read. Interesting perspective on why Daley struggled with the Blackhawks.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

As the Cup was handed down the line, it was raised by guys who had been deemed too small

Sheary

guys who had been described as “over the hill,â€

Kunitz

guys who had been traded,

Hagelin

guys whose leadership had been questioned in the media, and even by guys who had dealt with things that went way beyond hockey — cancer scares,

Kessel

strokes,

Letang

 

[Apocalypse Dude]

​

shoutout hfboards

gold!

It was a great read though. Shows you why GMs don't give up on the older grittier guys (Brown, Callaghan, etc.) it's not as easy as people here think it is.

 

[irunthepeg]

Another great read.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

A nice piece to show that there is more to the GM role than just transactions.

I'm really glad that Rutherford has been able to turn around his reputation with this past season...I mean, obviously I am as a fan of the team that he just so happens to be running, but because the guy has spent his lifetime playing and working within the league and has always been one of the best people in the business. Rutherford is the kind of guy you want to see succeed...maybe not if you're a Hurricanes fan right now, but still.

That said...so help me God if Kunitz is still on this team this time next year.

 

[zytz]

A nice piece to show that there is more to the GM role than just transactions.

QFT

Seems this fact is forgotten quite a lot around these parts. What a fantastic read, and from a Hawks fan perspective some additional interesting insight on why Daley wasn't a great fit in Chicago

 

[Son Goku]

Great read, glad to have him as our general manager

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The stats-only folks on Twitter probably just had their heads explode at the amount of times he mentioned heart and character.

Fantastic read though, and really hits on the human element of the business. Always like Rutherford anyway.

 

[Esq]

He has an eight-year old son?

 

[CornKicker]

He has an eight-year old son?

ya man, his wife wasnt looking for looks or youth she was looking for heart and character.

 

[PuckG]

Wow. That's an awesome read.

 

[Dr Awesome]

Really enjoyed Jims shared thoughts in article.

 

[MrLouniverse]

Not much to add at the moment, just echoing the sentiments that this is more insightful than I would have imagined and well worth the time to read.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Good read. I enjoyed it.

I didn't know about Daley's mom. Even just reading that made me a little misty eyed.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

The stats-only folks on Twitter probably just had their heads explode at the amount of times he mentioned heart and character.

Fantastic read though, and really hits on the human element of the business. Always like Rutherford anyway.

He made a big push for analytics, which the Pens now utilize heavily as well (which I believe was mentioned in the article). Just goes to show, there's no one-way to look at things most effectively. You need a little bit of everything and need to be willing to adapt.

 

[Weast]

I love these articles, really puts things into perspective.

 

[NYR94]

Good reminder that the game is played, coached and managed by human beings and that the season is full of all types of adversity.

 

[Zippy316]

When the Penguins added Kessel, I wasn't concerned they were going to be a threat.

I knew the second they made that Hagelin/Perron swap that it was going to be the team-changing move that gave them that edge that they lacked.

Without Hagelin, I don't think the Penguins come close to the cup last year.

 

[Aestivalis]

You mean that the Hawks could have played Daley on the right side instead of Roszival or TVR last year? Grr....

 

[Call me betty*]

When the Penguins added Kessel, I wasn't concerned they were going to be a threat.

I knew the second they made that Hagelin/Perron swap that it was going to be the team-changing move that gave them that edge that they lacked.

Without Hagelin, I don't think the Penguins come close to the cup last year.

Yep, you are correct. Well atleast Half correct. It was Hagelin and also Daley. While Hagelin solidified our 3rd line and jump started Kessel and Bonino, Daley was just as instrumental as he gave us another threat on the Defense. He was fast, skilled and fit the system like a glove. Basically completely opposite of Scuderi...

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

The league always moves in cycles. And there’s not just one way to win. When I came to Pittsburgh in 2014, the trends had been flip-flopping back and forth. L.A. won with size and physicality. Chicago won with skill and discipline. (Personally, the Blackhawks are my favorite team to watch and learn from.) Then the Kings won again … size again. Then Chicago won again … skill again. Once a team wins with a certain philosophy, the rest of the league moves to either copy or counter it.

Pretty much confirms what i had been suspecting, he modeled this iteration of Pittsburgh after Chicago.

 

[mpp9]

Pretty much confirms what i had been suspecting, he modeled this iteration of Pittsburgh after Chicago.

In so much as he wanted 4 lines that could score. Sullivan helped push the speed aspect. Pushing Perron/Hagelin and getting the youth movement started that was long overdue here.