News Article: The Players' Tribune; "Not Done" By Scott Gomez

[wingmanpei]

Good read and a good player's perspective. Alot to be impressed about after reading that but for me the most impressive thing and alot of respect for is that he didn't bad mouth or throw anyone or organization under the bus.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I was at msg when Gomer scored a hat trick.
I think we tied that day.

 

[NJD Kula]

If this was not done by Scott Gomez then who done did it?

 

[Classic Devil]

If this was not done by Scott Gomez then who done did it?

I made the same mistake, the name of the article is "Not Done", and it's by Scott Gomez.

 

[Wingman77]

I hope Lou stays here forever. And players around the league know what it's like to play here and it's just like the song "New York, New York" - if you can't make it here, you can't make it anywhere

cough Ryder, cough Havlat.

"I They want to be a part of it [ba-dum]"

A lot tends to get forgotten about Lou as we get caught up in each season and some tend to foolishly give him the short end of the stick.

After Ponikarovsky signed with the Jets after the cup run and was asked about his time with the Devils and described what Lou has built to a T - "Teams I've played for in the past would hold the bus for certain stars if they were running late, here the bus doesn't wait for anybody which is never an issue because everybody is on the bus 10 minutes prior to when it is scheduled to leave"

Lou's influence on NY Giants GM Jerry Reese and Yankees GM Brian Cashman
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2012/06/politi_lou_lamoriellos_influen.html

“There is a philosophy within this organization that runs from the top through the bottom,” reads one Lamoriello quote from the New York Post article. “It’s a philosophy that everyone accepts or they don’t remain a part of the Devils.”

That philosophy, according to the Book of Lou, is that the team always comes before any individual. Reese wants his Giants to have the same attitude and has tried to build his teams with that in mind. The sport might be different, but the culture is the same.

That was the theme of a letter Lamoriello, 69, sent to Reese after the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI. Few GMs had taken as many shots as Reese did after a quiet summer, but after the team won a second championship under his watch, Lamoriello congratulated him for having the courage to stick to his guns.

The Dean Lombardi influence
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/30/devils-lou-lamoriello-like-a-godfather-to-kings-dean-lombardi/

I guess there’s critical moments in people’s lives, and you say, name the top five people who influenced you or helped your career, and he’s clearly one of them. But I think he’s on a lot of people’s list, quite frankly.

“Three hours,” Lombardi continued, with a grateful note of wonder in his voice. “He talked about infrastructure. He did not talk about players. [He talked about] his organizational chart, his system, the values you have to put in place. Not one iota about the team; it was all about infrastructure, and establishing a culture.

“And the guy came in to get him, said the bus was leaving, it was after a game. And he said no, I’ll stay here, I’ll drive down. And he stayed another hour and a half. And he [gave me something]; he said when people are on you, and you think you’re starting to doubt yourself here, you take these out, and you read these quotes. And they were quotes about conviction, and standing by ’em. And I still got it.”

Lombardi didn’t want to talk about the meeting at first; partly because Lou gets mad at him for talking about stuff like that, and partly because all of a sudden, his suburban Boston accent thickened, and he blinked back tears behind his glasses. “I don’t think I want to go down that emotional thing right now,” he said, but he did anyway. It was like listening to someone talk, with feeling, about his father. He’s still not sure why Lou agreed to talk at all.

Just a general overview with a bunch of Lou stories (this is a great read)
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/tag/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/26/leafs-gm-brian-burke-on-lou-lamoriello-and-buttered-toast&pubdate=2015-03-04&t=lou-lamoriello

How were they to know their empty bellies and incessant barking also infringed upon the peace and serenity that Lou Lamoriello, then coach of the Providence College hockey team, expected his players to have the night before a game? Lamoriello’s steadfast curfew was already in place for his Friars, in town to face the University of Vermont the next day, and his one hockey team wasn’t about to sleep if the two teams of championship sled dogs kept wailing louder than a mid-winter’s gale off Lake Champlain.

“I called Lou’s room,’’ said Brian Burke, then a pugnacious, 185-pound Friar forward, recalling a memory of more than 30 years ago. “And I said, ‘Coach, you’re not going to believe this, but some guy’s got a bunch of dogs outside here . . . they’re making a real racket, and there’s no way we’ll get to sleep.’ Lou screams, ‘What?!’ then says, ‘I’ll be right there!’ and hangs up.’’

Burke and his fellow Friars then turned their attention back outside, watching gleefully from their hotel rooms as the diminutive coach from the Dominican Friars college located in Rhode Island’s capital - dedicated to a “spirituality that embraces the whole person’’ as its stated mission - transformed into a ferocious bulldog.

“Lou’s out there screaming at the guy, ‘What’s this! Pack these dogs up . . . get ’em outta here!’ ’’ said Burke. “The poor slob . . . didn’t know what hit him . . . and he gives Lou some lip. That really set Lou off. ‘Look,’ Lou screams, ‘you’ve got five minutes to get these bleepin’ dogs back in their boxes, get ’em outta here. Five minutes! And if you don’t, I’m telling you, I’ll start strangling them, one by one, with my bare hands!’ The guy had to think Lou was nuts. No question. But you know what? He got outta there, dogs ’n all.’’

Even though this fan was being a bit over the top and unreasonable, Lou stepped in and made sure this fan was treated well
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/01/devils_try_to_easy_labor_pains.html

Vinicombe said he told Lamoriello that he felt that the NHL and the Devils should be more flexible and give season ticket holders the ability to opt out of the shortened season.

That’s when Lamoriello invited the Vinicombes to stop by and visit his executive box at the sold-out Jan. 22 season home opener, Vinicombe said.

“Although I didn’t ultimately get what I was originally looking for, which was the ability to opt out of this season, I am satisfied with the result, which was to have a meaningful conversation and forum to express my concerns to the organization,” Vinicombe said. “I can’t think of any other sports executives that would care enough to directly reach out to fans who had expressed some dissatisfaction over the situation.”

This story is from a poster on our boards: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=58560887&postcount=761

When they had the season ticket holder preview day before the rock opened, my son asked our ticket rep if he could see the locker room (apparently his mother had put it in his head that he would be able to). He was 6 at the time and when he was told that he couldn't he started crying (his heart was set on going in). Lou and Jeff Vanderbeek were walking by and spotted my son and they both stopped and talked with him and calmed him down even to the point where Lou said it was his rule so it was his fault, I was very impressed. I wrote a letter thanking them and saying how classy it was for them to do that. A few weeks later a box arrived from the Devils with hats a media guide a couple pucks and some other things with a letter to my son from Lou.

Something I will never forget.

I can even add in one of my own; a good family friend has worked for the team dentist for 2 decades and every year Lou personally sends hand written Christmas cards to each of the employees at the office.

Sure there can be some questions regarding some decisions that have been made, however one thing is for certain though and it is that what Lou has built on and off the ice in his tenure here is something that is not going to be replicated in sports for a long time. Teams can sustain consistent success, but to have a solid organization both on and off the field that is as highly regarded and respected? Not many teams in all of sports are able to put together a solid product on both sides of the fence.

You don't realize how good you had it until it's gone.

 

[Hisch13r]

"I They want to be a part of it [ba-dum]"

A lot tends to get forgotten about Lou as we get caught up in each season and some tend to foolishly give him the short end of the stick.

After Ponikarovsky signed with the Jets after the cup run and was asked about his time with the Devils and described what Lou has built to a T - "Teams I've played for in the past would hold the bus for certain stars if they were running late, here the bus doesn't wait for anybody which is never an issue because everybody is on the bus 10 minutes prior to when it is scheduled to leave"

Lou's influence on NY Giants GM Jerry Reese and Yankees GM Brian Cashman
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2012/06/politi_lou_lamoriellos_influen.html


The Dean Lombardi influence
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/30/devils-lou-lamoriello-like-a-godfather-to-kings-dean-lombardi/


Just a general overview with a bunch of Lou stories (this is a great read)
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/tag/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/26/leafs-gm-brian-burke-on-lou-lamoriello-and-buttered-toast&pubdate=2015-03-04&t=lou-lamoriello


Even though this fan was being a bit over the top and unreasonable, Lou stepped in and made sure this fan was treated well
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/01/devils_try_to_easy_labor_pains.html


This story is from a poster on our boards: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=58560887&postcount=761


I can even add in one of my own; a good family friend has worked for the team dentist for 2 decades and every year Lou personally sends hand written Christmas cards to each of the employees at the office.

Sure there can be some questions regarding some decisions that have been made, however one thing is for certain though and it is that what Lou has built on and off the ice in his tenure here is something that is not going to be replicated in sports for a long time. Teams can sustain consistent success, but to have a solid organization both on and off the field that is as highly regarded and respected? Not many teams in all of sports are able to put together a solid product on both sides of the fence.

You don't realize how good you had it until it's gone.

That story about the dogs is hilarious

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

"I They want to be a part of it [ba-dum]"

A lot tends to get forgotten about Lou as we get caught up in each season and some tend to foolishly give him the short end of the stick.

After Ponikarovsky signed with the Jets after the cup run and was asked about his time with the Devils and described what Lou has built to a T - "Teams I've played for in the past would hold the bus for certain stars if they were running late, here the bus doesn't wait for anybody which is never an issue because everybody is on the bus 10 minutes prior to when it is scheduled to leave"

Lou's influence on NY Giants GM Jerry Reese and Yankees GM Brian Cashman
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2012/06/politi_lou_lamoriellos_influen.html


The Dean Lombardi influence
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/30/devils-lou-lamoriello-like-a-godfather-to-kings-dean-lombardi/


Just a general overview with a bunch of Lou stories (this is a great read)
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/tag/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/26/leafs-gm-brian-burke-on-lou-lamoriello-and-buttered-toast&pubdate=2015-03-04&t=lou-lamoriello


Even though this fan was being a bit over the top and unreasonable, Lou stepped in and made sure this fan was treated well
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2013/01/devils_try_to_easy_labor_pains.html


This story is from a poster on our boards: http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=58560887&postcount=761


I can even add in one of my own; a good family friend has worked for the team dentist for 2 decades and every year Lou personally sends hand written Christmas cards to each of the employees at the office.

Sure there can be some questions regarding some decisions that have been made, however one thing is for certain though and it is that what Lou has built on and off the ice in his tenure here is something that is not going to be replicated in sports for a long time. Teams can sustain consistent success, but to have a solid organization both on and off the field that is as highly regarded and respected? Not many teams in all of sports are able to put together a solid product on both sides of the fence.

You don't realize how good you had it until it's gone.

Excellent post! Thank you for putting together all those stories and articles like that

Makes me proud to be a Devils fan.

 

[Belizarius]

Great quotes, thanks a lot !

 

[billingtons ghost]

You don't realize how good you had it until it's gone.

Thanks for putting this together, wing. And for all your good work on the 95 celebration thread.

Hey, can some moderator with thread skills sticky these stories under a Lou archive thread?

There'll be a day when reading these stories will be fun.

I've got one as well:
My mom went to a 'dinner with the devils' and spent some time talking to Lou. She said to him offhand "it's time you trade Kirk muller." Rather than laugh or dismiss her, he said:"ok, who do you want for him?"

My mom didn't have a good answer and was shocked he even asked.

Next week, muller was in Montreal.

 

[dougiebrown]

"It is no wonder that athletes love the forum they are accorded by Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune, through which they present narratives without objective analysis to correct the record.
Which is to say that Scott Gomez, who has resurrected his career in New Jersey and good for him, seems to have misremembered much about his Devils’ exit in 2007-08 and his time in New York with the Rangers."

http://nypost.com/2015/03/14/nhls-best-spending-less-and-less-time-on-the-ice/

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

We have another player article looming. "I am done" by Michael Ryder.

I'll get my coat.

 

[Zippy316]

We have another player article looming. "I am done" by Michael Ryder.

I'll get my coat.

Don't you mean co-written by Martin Havlat and Michael Ryder?

 

[glenwo2]

"It is no wonder that athletes love the forum they are accorded by Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune, through which they present narratives without objective analysis to correct the record.
Which is to say that Scott Gomez, who has resurrected his career in New Jersey and good for him, seems to have misremembered much about his Devils’ exit in 2007-08 and his time in New York with the Rangers."

http://nypost.com/2015/03/14/nhls-best-spending-less-and-less-time-on-the-ice/

Memo to Larry Brooks :

Why write about the bad parts? He signed that big contract with NY and left it at that. I doubt Devils fans want to read about his experiences in the Big Rotten Apple.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

"It is no wonder that athletes love the forum they are accorded by Derek Jeter’s Players Tribune, through which they present narratives without objective analysis to correct the record.
Which is to say that Scott Gomez, who has resurrected his career in New Jersey and good for him, seems to have misremembered much about his Devils’ exit in 2007-08 and his time in New York with the Rangers."

http://nypost.com/2015/03/14/nhls-best-spending-less-and-less-time-on-the-ice/

Of course Larry Brooks would have a much better understanding of Gomez's career in NJ and NY than Gomez himself.

What a hack.

 

[JerryGigantic]

Despite having season tickets in the family since 1982, when I was 15, which I took over as an adult in the mid-1990's, I have missed most of the Devils team events through the years. Just never seem to get it together. Have given my seats to friends for dinners and BBQ's. Whatever.

But I took my daughter to the preseason BBQ this year, where they were showing off the new food. And players were set at stations along the concourse.

When I got to see Scott Gomez, who seemed delighted to be interacting with Devils fans (was great with my kid) and genuinely humble about the whole thing... He was months away from making the roster at that point... And Lou walked up. First I had ever met the man.

I was in the middle of asking Gomer if it was weird to be back, and turned and asked Lou the same thing, and if there was any hard feelings, or weirdness with how he left the first time.

Lou beamed at Gomer, said not the slightest, and that Scotty knows how much I care about him. There was so much warmth, an almost fatherly vibe between them. And Gomez damn near teared up. There was legit love.

And I knew at that moment somehow Gomer would find a way onto this team.

Saw Lou a second time at the 1995 reunion event a few days ago, mentioned that he should bring Gomez back next season. He smiled and only said "He is doing well and has earned the success he's had." Very Lou.

Hope these good vibes can carry into next year. Sure sounds like that is what Gomer is hoping for, playing his heart out.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Despite having season tickets in the family since 1982, when I was 15, which I took over as an adult in the mid-1990's, I have missed most of the Devils team events through the years. Just never seem to get it together. Have given my seats to friends for dinners and BBQ's. Whatever.

But I took my daughter to the preseason BBQ this year, where they were showing off the new food. And players were set at stations along the concourse.

When I got to see Scott Gomez, who seemed delighted to be interacting with Devils fans (was great with my kid) and genuinely humble about the whole thing... He was months away from making the roster at that point... And Lou walked up. First I had ever met the man.

I was in the middle of asking Gomer if it was weird to be back, and turned and asked Lou the same thing, and if there was any hard feelings, or weirdness with how he left the first time.

Lou beamed at Gomer, said not the slightest, and that Scotty knows how much I care about him. There was so much warmth, an almost fatherly vibe between them. And Gomez damn near teared up. There was legit love.

And I knew at that moment somehow Gomer would find a way onto this team.

Saw Lou a second time at the 1995 reunion event a few days ago, mentioned that he should bring Gomez back next season. He smiled and only said "He is doing well and has earned the success he's had." Very Lou.

Hope these good vibes can carry into next year. Sure sounds like that is what Gomer is hoping for, playing his heart out.

That's a touching story about Lou and Gomez. Thank you so much for sharing it.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Despite having season tickets in the family since 1982, when I was 15, which I took over as an adult in the mid-1990's, I have missed most of the Devils team events through the years. Just never seem to get it together. Have given my seats to friends for dinners and BBQ's. Whatever.

But I took my daughter to the preseason BBQ this year, where they were showing off the new food. And players were set at stations along the concourse.

When I got to see Scott Gomez, who seemed delighted to be interacting with Devils fans (was great with my kid) and genuinely humble about the whole thing... He was months away from making the roster at that point... And Lou walked up. First I had ever met the man.

I was in the middle of asking Gomer if it was weird to be back, and turned and asked Lou the same thing, and if there was any hard feelings, or weirdness with how he left the first time.

Lou beamed at Gomer, said not the slightest, and that Scotty knows how much I care about him. There was so much warmth, an almost fatherly vibe between them. And Gomez damn near teared up. There was legit love.

And I knew at that moment somehow Gomer would find a way onto this team.

Saw Lou a second time at the 1995 reunion event a few days ago, mentioned that he should bring Gomez back next season. He smiled and only said "He is doing well and has earned the success he's had." Very Lou.

Hope these good vibes can carry into next year. Sure sounds like that is what Gomer is hoping for, playing his heart out.

meaning, "That's not going to be my call. Marty will have to decide what is best for the team."

 

[JerryGigantic]

Looks like Boucher really enjoys playing with Gomer, which makes a lot of sense.

Perhaps that can be a thing that continues into next season. Sniper/playmaker.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Looks like Boucher really enjoys playing with Gomer, which makes a lot of sense.

Perhaps that can be a thing that continues into next season. Sniper/playmaker.

I hope so. It would be nice if they could develop that sort of chemistry.

 

[Wingman77]

From TG;

Lamoriello on whether he was “flattered†when he read Scott Gomez's Players' Tribune article last month (which was very complimentary of him): “I don't know about flattered because I gave him hell the next minute.â€

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

From TG;

Vintage Lou. Probably angry that the secret room at Bell Center has been revealed.

 

[NJDevs26]

Oh Lou you troll

 

[DenisSamson3]

Gomez deserves a shot next year.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Not giving Gomez an offer isn't going to be the reason why we don't re-sign him. Only way he's not on the team next year is money.

 

[NJDevs26]

I think Gomez is past the whole money angle at this point...it's one thing to sign for tens of millions more in NY but I think he knows he has to pretty much stay here to prolong his career, especially after admitting he should have come back two years ago.