GDT: Travis Green Press Conference | 11:00 am | tsn 1040 | canucks.com

racerjoe

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Jun 3, 2012
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Thanks for your responses, interested to hear all of them.

I don't think he is as bad as Mess, and as a player alone will always hold a special spot in my heart.

Having said that I think at some point he could. I mean if he traded Bo for an equivalent of Mess?

so to me it depends how much longer he continues to run this team poorly, and to what extent.

But he is not there yet.
 

Intoewsables

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If only he could teach benning how to play poker with other gms rather than showing everyone his cards.

R4KzYms.jpg
 

VanJack

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how about never.

trevor has 88 to 94 as years of greatness. that was the first time this team was ever good and he sparked and led the team through every moment of that transition. he then played the greatest game any canuck ever played and took us closer than we have ever been to the cup.

comparing him to messier is a ridiculous insult and shows how little you know about the history of this club or the game.

I've slowly coming around on Linden....and there's no chance he ever plumbs the depths of unpopularity like Messier or that 'reign of error' tandem of Lowe and McTavish who presided over that dismal decade in Edmonton.

You can hardly blame the Olier faithful for their fury at those ex-Oiler icons running the franchise into the ground. I try to imagine if it had been the Canucks who had three first overall picks in a row between 2010-2012, followed by drafting sixth and third overall after that, and still sucked.

But that's probably what it would probably take for Linden to hit those depths of unpopularity....and not going to happen, since the Canucks haven't drafted first overall in their entire 46-year history.
 

F A N

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I've slowly coming around on Linden....and there's no chance he ever plumbs the depths of unpopularity like Messier or that 'reign of error' tandem of Lowe and McTavish who presided over that dismal decade in Edmonton.

You can hardly blame the Olier faithful for their fury at those ex-Oiler icons running the franchise into the ground. I try to imagine if it had been the Canucks who had three first overall picks in a row between 2010-2012, followed by drafting sixth and third overall after that, and still sucked.

But that's probably what it would probably take for Linden to hit those depths of unpopularity....and not going to happen, since the Canucks haven't drafted first overall in their entire 46-year history.

I think those Oilers guy got the hate due mostly to ownership. Lowe was basically in charge for 14 years, spent like 8 years as a GM and got to hire 2 other ones. If Linden got that many years and got to hire a 3 GMs including himself and the team sucked most of those years I think Linden would hit those depths of unpopularity.
 

MS

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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

A big part of being a manager is identifying top people in all aspects of your business and making positive connections with those people, even if you can't bring them in right now.

The average NHL coach lasts less than 3 years. We'll be doing this again before too long. You never know if a positive interview now will lead to a positive hiring in the future, not necessarily even in a coaching position.

Plus we're trying to fill a coaching position in Utica. You might be interviewing an AHL head coach who ends up just raving about one of his assistants who would be a perfect fit in Utica. Or might be surprised when an NHL assistant wants to drop down levels for more head coaching experience.

You don't just snap your fingers and find quality people. Or if you do, you probably got lucky. And to not put the time/effort in to a proper search process is just bad management. The only time it's ok to interview one guy is if an obvious top guy in the sport like Babcock or Quenneville becomes available. Not when you're hiring a guy who just missed the playoffs in the minors.
 

tantalum

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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

Thanks. That basically what I have been trying to say but you did so in a much more concise manner.

These opportunities give you chance to ask permission to talk to leading minds in the game that outside of a coach/GM hunt you might not ever get. It is absolutely foolish not to do so when you have nothing but time. You might not learn anything new. Or, you might just learn something that ends up being critical to the future success of the club. They failed to take a golden opportunity to LEARN. And to me that is 100% pure incompetence. Especially when your choices have resulted in two straight bottom 3 finishes while being tight to the cap.

Mid-season coaching change I can see a quick process and only looking internally. I can. This isn't that. And I say the same thing for any manager, at any level, in any industry. Unless you have one lone qualified applicant for a job you need to talk to multiple people in order to make the best hire and to simply learn from other viewpoints. And if one lone qualified applicant...well I suggest you wait a little longer or broaden your search.
 
Last edited:

BROCK HUGHES

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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

A big part of being a manager is identifying top people in all aspects of your business and making positive connections with those people, even if you can't bring them in right now.

The average NHL coach lasts less than 3 years. We'll be doing this again before too long. You never know if a positive interview now will lead to a positive hiring in the future, not necessarily even in a coaching position.

Plus we're trying to fill a coaching position in Utica. You might be interviewing an AHL head coach who ends up just raving about one of his assistants who would be a perfect fit in Utica. Or might be surprised when an NHL assistant wants to drop down levels for more head coaching experience.

You don't just snap your fingers and find quality people. Or if you do, you probably got lucky. And to not put the time/effort in to a proper search process is just bad management. The only time it's ok to interview one guy is if an obvious top guy in the sport like Babcock or Quenneville becomes available. Not when you're hiring a guy who just missed the playoffs in the minors.
im just going to say this.Green was hired because he was the only one dumb enough to want to work for this mess of a team.Every one else was like,,no thank you we are not interested.
 

Hit the post

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I think those Oilers guy got the hate due mostly to ownership. Lowe was basically in charge for 14 years, spent like 8 years as a GM and got to hire 2 other ones. If Linden got that many years and got to hire a 3 GMs including himself and the team sucked most of those years I think Linden would hit those depths of unpopularity.

I never cared for the Oilers but I'd hazard to guess Lowe never generated the same kind of "awe, love & respect" Canuckfans had towards Linden. To me, Lowe was just one of the cogs (and important one to be sure but hardly on the same level of Gretzky, "he who shall not be name here", Kurri, Fuhr or even Tikanen [sp?]).
 

tantalum

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I never cared for the Oilers but I'd hazard to guess Lowe never generated the same kind of "awe, love & respect" Canuckfans had towards Linden. To me, Lowe was just one of the cogs (and important one to be sure but hardly on the same level of Gretzky, "he who shall not be name here", Kurri, Fuhr or even Tikanen [sp?]).

I grew up in the area between Calgary and Edmonton during the strong Oiler and then Flame years.

Oiler fans put EVERY player on a pedestal. Not just the superstars. People would wax poetic over Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy and Kevin Lowe as much as they would Paul Coffey. It was....weird.

Flames fans weren't so extreme and it was the usual suspects Lanny, Pepper, Gilmour, MacInnis and Suter.

edit: looking at that flames roster holy cow were they stacked up front in 88-89. Not in the 5 names above...Loob, Mullen, Fleury, Otto, Nieuwendyk, and Roberts
 

krutovsdonut

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Sep 25, 2016
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I never cared for the Oilers but I'd hazard to guess Lowe never generated the same kind of "awe, love & respect" Canuckfans had towards Linden. To me, Lowe was just one of the cogs (and important one to be sure but hardly on the same level of Gretzky, "he who shall not be name here", Kurri, Fuhr or even Tikanen [sp?]).

not an oilers fan, but i'd say lowe had a huge amount of respect as a player in that fan base and still does among older fans. i think most fans of any team can separate the player career from the executive career and will respect the former regardless of the latter unless the person does something bad enough to the team as an executive to overshadow their playing career. i can't really think of any examples out there of a guy who's jersey is retired being so despised by fans as an executive that they would not still be well respected as a player. maybe in the heat of the moment just before they get fired as an executive. but not for long.
 

Hit the post

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I grew up in the area between Calgary and Edmonton during the strong Oiler and then Flame years.

Oiler fans put EVERY player on a pedestal. Not just the superstars. People would wax poetic over Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy and Kevin Lowe as much as they would Paul Coffey. It was....weird.
ahhh...thanks for the clarification. Didn't know that.

not an oilers fan, but i'd say lowe had a huge amount of respect as a player in that fan base and still does among older fans. i think most fans of any team can separate the player career from the executive career and will respect the former regardless of the latter unless the person does something bad enough to the team as an executive to overshadow their playing career. i can't really think of any examples out there of a guy who's jersey is retired being so despised by fans as an executive that they would not still be well respected as a player. maybe in the heat of the moment just before they get fired as an executive. but not for long.


Yeah... look at all the derision on these boards about Ron Delorme. I'm not sure many were around when he was a player for the team. He was a guy that gave it all on the ice (as untalented a player he was). Took on all heavyweights (and there were some pretty mean hombres in those days LOL) even if it meant being overmatched in a fight. I will always have respect for him for that (on his scouting abilities.....well......heh....)
 

krutovsdonut

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I grew up in the area between Calgary and Edmonton during the strong Oiler and then Flame years.

Oiler fans put EVERY player on a pedestal. Not just the superstars. People would wax poetic over Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy and Kevin Lowe as much as they would Paul Coffey. It was....weird.

Flames fans weren't so extreme and it was the usual suspects Lanny, Pepper, Gilmour, MacInnis and Suter.

edit: looking at that flames roster holy cow were they stacked up front in 88-89. Not in the 5 names above...Loob, Mullen, Fleury, Otto, Nieuwendyk, and Roberts

yep. and amazing we took them to a game 7 overtime with a bunch of plumbers.

that calgary core had no franchise player but had so many who were just below that category. i don't think we've seen a team like it since.
 

Hit the post

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yep. and amazing we took them to a game 7 overtime with a bunch of plumbers.

that calgary core had no franchise player but had so many who were just below that category. i don't think we've seen a team like it since.

A bunch of plumbers and one guy named Paul Reinhart (sp?). Yeah he was on his last legs - but man, what a talent. That Flames "favor trade" almost came to bite them on the azz - and actually it should've dammit....Otto kicked it in!
 

Alan Jackson

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Nov 3, 2005
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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

A big part of being a manager is identifying top people in all aspects of your business and making positive connections with those people, even if you can't bring them in right now.

The average NHL coach lasts less than 3 years. We'll be doing this again before too long. You never know if a positive interview now will lead to a positive hiring in the future, not necessarily even in a coaching position.

Plus we're trying to fill a coaching position in Utica. You might be interviewing an AHL head coach who ends up just raving about one of his assistants who would be a perfect fit in Utica. Or might be surprised when an NHL assistant wants to drop down levels for more head coaching experience.

You don't just snap your fingers and find quality people. Or if you do, you probably got lucky. And to not put the time/effort in to a proper search process is just bad management. The only time it's ok to interview one guy is if an obvious top guy in the sport like Babcock or Quenneville becomes available. Not when you're hiring a guy who just missed the playoffs in the minors.

You're right, of course.

If there's an opportunity to get input on your organization from multiple sources, you should do that.

In this particular case, there was probably a bit of urgency in that Green was being courted by other teams. It may have been a bad look to not give Green permission to speak to other teams, and then hire a different candidate a couple of weeks later when those other vacancies are filled.

Hopefully, they do more due diligence to find Green's replacement in Utica.
 

tantalum

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A bunch of plumbers and one guy named Paul Reinhart (sp?). Yeah he was on his last legs - but man, what a talent. That Flames "favor trade" almost came to bite them on the azz - and actually it should've dammit....Otto kicked it in!

An aside....

I think I've told this one before and quite recently but here is goes again. Our ball league (adult co-ed) was doing a fundraiser where we helped park cars for a LPGA event in/near Calgary. You know directing cars to which line to park in. I'm wearing a canucks jersey on a dreary day. The guy in the next car rolls down his window and I see it's Peplinski and I instinctively say "Hi Pepper". I direct him to his spot. He graciously thanks me and hands me a tip and shakes my hand. As he's shaking my hand he says "Joel kicked it in" and starts laughing.

I had to laugh as well. Hard not to. Peplinski is genuinely a good guy from everything I've heard.
 

Pastor Of Muppets

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im just going to say this.Green was hired because he was the only one dumb enough to want to work for this mess of a team.Every one else was like,,no thank you we are not interested.

Nonsense....The bar on the Canucks is set pretty low this next couple of years..It would be a pretty easy gig for any coach....There's only 31 of these jobs on the planet,you're either in the show,or you are not.
 

Jyrki21

2021-12-05
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An aside....

I think I've told this one before and quite recently but here is goes again. Our ball league (adult co-ed) was doing a fundraiser where we helped park cars for a LPGA event in/near Calgary. You know directing cars to which line to park in. I'm wearing a canucks jersey on a dreary day. The guy in the next car rolls down his window and I see it's Peplinski and I instinctively say "Hi Pepper". I direct him to his spot. He graciously thanks me and hands me a tip and shakes my hand. As he's shaking my hand he says "Joel kicked it in" and starts laughing.

I had to laugh as well. Hard not to. Peplinski is genuinely a good guy from everything I've heard.
I know you did post this in the "When did you become a fan?" thread because I was laughing about it the other day when I re-read it. :laugh:
 

VanJack

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Jul 11, 2014
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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

A big part of being a manager is identifying top people in all aspects of your business and making positive connections with those people, even if you can't bring them in right now.

The average NHL coach lasts less than 3 years. We'll be doing this again before too long. You never know if a positive interview now will lead to a positive hiring in the future, not necessarily even in a coaching position.

Plus we're trying to fill a coaching position in Utica. You might be interviewing an AHL head coach who ends up just raving about one of his assistants who would be a perfect fit in Utica. Or might be surprised when an NHL assistant wants to drop down levels for more head coaching experience.

You don't just snap your fingers and find quality people. Or if you do, you probably got lucky. And to not put the time/effort in to a proper search process is just bad management. The only time it's ok to interview one guy is if an obvious top guy in the sport like Babcock or Quenneville becomes available. Not when you're hiring a guy who just missed the playoffs in the minors.

Normally I'd agree with you, but the problem was a couple of other NHL teams were asking the Canucks for permission to talk to Green.....so they either had to give permission, or sign him....and as far as hiring a coach like Babcock if he ever became available?.....apparently he's costing MLSE $60m over the life of his contract.....can't ever see the Canucks or the Aquillinis shelling out that kind of money for a guy to run the bench.
 

vancityluongo

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The thing about interviewing more people is that it isn't just about finding a better guy. If you're sold on Green, great. But this is the one time in a multi-year period that you have an opportunity to openly talk to top people in other organizations and find out what they're all about. To waste that opportunity for knowledge gathering is just foolish. And lazy.

A big part of being a manager is identifying top people in all aspects of your business and making positive connections with those people, even if you can't bring them in right now.

The average NHL coach lasts less than 3 years. We'll be doing this again before too long. You never know if a positive interview now will lead to a positive hiring in the future, not necessarily even in a coaching position.

Plus we're trying to fill a coaching position in Utica. You might be interviewing an AHL head coach who ends up just raving about one of his assistants who would be a perfect fit in Utica. Or might be surprised when an NHL assistant wants to drop down levels for more head coaching experience.

You don't just snap your fingers and find quality people. Or if you do, you probably got lucky. And to not put the time/effort in to a proper search process is just bad management. The only time it's ok to interview one guy is if an obvious top guy in the sport like Babcock or Quenneville becomes available. Not when you're hiring a guy who just missed the playoffs in the minors.

In principle, agreed 100%. But as others have said, if Green truly was their guy from the start, there may have been a time constraint. Benning did say that he'd be focused on their AHL coach search now, so maybe he is doing a much better search for that. Of course, if they end up just hiring Troy Ward on the spot in a couple days then every word of what you wrote holds true.

At the same time, I'll argue that the NHL is a little different than the typical business/industry because it's such a small group of people in the pool of consideration. It's either nepotism or an old boys club of connections that drives 95% of hires. The formal process of seeking permission to talk to a person when there is an open position might actually serve as a barrier compared to just BS'ing amongst others around the league. There was the rumour that Benning chatted with Julien the moment he was fired - which is perfectly believable, given their prior connection. Sure, this would have been a good opportunity to chat with guys out of college/in the AHL, but I'm pretty sure that most GM's chat with their network of connections on a regular basis (ie. Benning probably spoke to Chiarelli multiple times after he was fired from Boston/before he was hired in Edmonton). There are still a couple assistant positions to be filled too where they can combine the connections Benning has with people Green knows as well. It could be important to also hire an AHL coach who is on the same page as the NHL coach to develop consistency for the prospects, etc.

Benning is a terrible manager in every facet and certainly doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. Despite that, I'll still hold out hope that he could possibly make a strong AHL hire and/or still learn something through this process.
 

WinterEmpire

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Mar 20, 2011
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A bunch of plumbers and one guy named Paul Reinhart (sp?). Yeah he was on his last legs - but man, what a talent. That Flames "favor trade" almost came to bite them on the azz - and actually it should've dammit....Otto kicked it in!

Speaking of Paul Reinhart its pretty amazing he still probably one of the best Canucks Dman in franchise history(top 5 atleast) given how he only played two seasons. Equal parts sad and amusing
 

ChilliBilly

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Linden said that they didn't talk to anyone else. It doesn't mean its true, they may have kicked a few tires, but it sounds better to Green if they say "he was our man from day 1".

And think Green might be just fine. Better that we get him than he signs with someone else.

Our problems are not greatly centered around coaching. We have a few bigger problems to deal with.
 

RandV

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Linden said that they didn't talk to anyone else. It doesn't mean its true, they may have kicked a few tires, but it sounds better to Green if they say "he was our man from day 1".

And think Green might be just fine. Better that we get him than he signs with someone else.

Our problems are not greatly centered around coaching. We have a few bigger problems to deal with.

Yeah this is a question I raised earlier on in the thread. We've seen with Linden just because he says something doesn't mean it's true, and this seems like the sort of thing he'd say if he thinks it will make him or their hire sound better.
 

Mr. Canucklehead

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A bunch of plumbers and one guy named Paul Reinhart (sp?). Yeah he was on his last legs - but man, what a talent. That Flames "favor trade" almost came to bite them on the azz - and actually it should've dammit....Otto kicked it in!

Speaking of Paul Reinhart its pretty amazing he still probably one of the best Canucks Dman in franchise history(top 5 atleast) given how he only played two seasons. Equal parts sad and amusing

Watching video from that series and that time (a lot of it is on YT), it's amazing how good Reinhart still was. Absolutely tragic that his career was cut short the way it was, because he really has a solid argument for being the best defenseman we've ever had, IMO - and that was him "on his last legs".
 

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