Confirmed with Link: Trevor Linden steps down

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I 'm going to laugh my ass off when Benning/Wiesbrod get fired and Aquaman looks for a new G.M. and nobody in the NHL wants anything to do with him and this disaster of a franchise.

Oh,there will always be somebody..probably next time though,ownership will get a group they manipulate a little easier...I'm sure they don't want to go through this again.

 

[Jay Cee]

Hmm I'm imagining a future where no established GM would touch a radioactive canucks GM position, and the owner is forced to hire an outsider or young up-and-comer

I'll take it!!!

We need Mike Futanari. I heard he likes corsi.

 

[TruGr1t]

this is where the weaseling comes in.

if nobody put the idea of an offer to tavares on the table for discussion and to see what that might look like then they were not doing their jobs.

but it's a big leap from there to say that this was being pushed, which is the kind of leap botchford is glad to take.

I don't mean to get in the way of your willful denial, or anything, but there's enough smoke here you should give it a think.

Ben Kuzma, who's a blatant moderate and tow-the-line fellow when it comes to the Canucks, has corroborated a lot of what Botchford (and many others) have reported.

Kuzma: All we've heard about the Linden - Aquilini relationship is true

But please go ahead and continue to not see the forest for the trees, or whatever is causing you to blatantly ignore a lot of innate details around the situation.

 

[brokenhole]

Oh,there will always be somebody..probably next time though,ownership will get a group they manipulate a little easier...I'm sure they don't want to go through this again.

So just a lackie who obeys with no imput into decisions on direction. Until this owner stays out of the way and let competent people take over this team has no future.

 

[Hollywood Burrows]

So just a lackie who obeys with no imput into decisions on direction. Until this owner stays out of the way and let competent people take over this team has no future.

Aquilini is 49 now, so we're looking at maybe another 20 years of meddling, at most. We can make it.

Maybe a long-promised government audit into the BC real estate industry might shorten that time period?? one can hope

 

[Melvin]

I don't mean to get in the way of your willful denial, or anything, but there's enough smoke here you should give it a think.

Ben Kuzma, who's a blatant moderate and tow-the-line fellow when it comes to the Canucks, has corroborated a lot of what Botchford (and many others) have reported.

Kuzma: All we've heard about the Linden - Aquilini relationship is true

But please go ahead and continue to not see the forest for the trees, or whatever is causing you to blatantly ignore a lot of innate details around the situation.

I hate audio.

Anything of substance or just more vague nonsense?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

There many sides to this story...and the media needs to manufacture a good villain to make it a good story..There seems to be a lot of jostling to find the bad guys..Aqualini,Benning,Weisbrod,and even Linden himself.

The ownership seems to be taking a hit,but for all we know maybe Lindens time as President had reached the finish line..It was time for both to move on...Simple as that.

Despite their flaws,I've liked this ownership the best...They are prepared to pay (something Arthur Griffiths could not do),they are local, and fans (unlike John McCaw who couldn't give a shit)..Tripled the value of the team...A lot of other cities would like an owner like that ..you would think?

 

[valkynax]

There many sides to this story...and the media needs to manufacture a good villain to make it a good story..There seems to be a lot of jostling to find the bad guys..Aqualini,Benning,Weisbrod,and even Linden himself.

The ownership seems to be taking a hit,but for all we know maybe Lindens time as President had reached the finish line..It was time for both to move on...Simple as that.

Despite their flaws,I've liked this ownership the best...They are prepared to pay (something Arthur Griffiths could not do),they are local, and fans (unlike John McCaw who couldn't give a ****)..Tripled the value of the team...A lot of other cities would like an owner like that ..you would think?

Very hard to definitively say who's at fault and who's not, I think based on all the information we have right now the best guess would be: no one is clean.

Whatever happens, it's the team that will precipitate result. Looking at our roster right now it's difficult to say this team will be anywhere near the cup for the next ten years.

 

[mathonwy]

The owner publicly conveyed that Linden would have full autonomy on Hockey Ops decisions.

My understanding is pulled directly from the chain of command laid out by Linden when Benning was hired.

Benning does not get to decide the direction. Neither does the owner for that matter. Linden was the one tasked with setting the direction of the franchise. That’s his official role. When that changes to the owner, and the owner uses the GM to facilitate this new structure, Linden loses his autonomy. This is why a betrayal and directional change can co-exist. Linden lost the ability to change direction because Benning helped facilitate the loss of his autonomy, and that’s the betrayal.

Can it actually be considered a betrayal if it means you get to keep your job?

The whole betrayal angle reeks of 'woe is me woe is me'. You don't want your hirees losing confidence in you? Don't be a f*** up.

 

[LuckyDay]

The close source the media is calling on is Linden himself. He's been the source the player friendly press have always turned to the moment he got to Van when Quinn and Burke began making enemies of them for not being Canucks shills. Linden finally admitted this himself long after the fact when the Keenan/Messier debacle was going down. In this case, he can't be happy to lose his job. No one is, no matter the circumstances.

Follow the money. Trevor is an eternal optimist with a huge personality so ownership brought him to ride the wave of bad seasons. Its finally dawned on someone in the Canucks organization that they need to take to get competitive again but ownership cannot help themselves: but ownership is greedy for the playoff money. They don't necessarily have to have a championship - the important thing is to win now at all costs in order to get paid. That's how you run a business. Griffiths never cared about making champions out of this team as long as they made they playoffs and as long as he didn't have to spend extra money on Neilsen, Krutov, Skriko, etc.

Benning is clearly on board with Aquilani on this, much more than Trevor is. And even though Aquilani changed his mind about not tanking, he's cleared changed it back. Trevor just gets to be the scapegoat for now. Benning will be gone next year. Sacrifices continue in every bad team until they find a way to win again and then you only stick around a couple of extra years in sports in these days.

 

[CanaFan]

There many sides to this story...and the media needs to manufacture a good villain to make it a good story..There seems to be a lot of jostling to find the bad guys..Aqualini,Benning,Weisbrod,and even Linden himself.

The ownership seems to be taking a hit,but for all we know maybe Lindens time as President had reached the finish line..It was time for both to move on...Simple as that.

Despite their flaws,I've liked this ownership the best...They are prepared to pay (something Arthur Griffiths could not do),they are local, and fans (unlike John McCaw who couldn't give a ****)..Tripled the value of the team...A lot of other cities would like an owner like that ..you would think?

Very odd to “reach the finish line” with a year left on his contract. How often do GM’s step away because they have “done all they can do” with an unfinished contract?

You’re trying hard to make it seem like nothing when the very fact that Linden left with a year to go is highly unusual in itself. Not to mention this management group certainly hasn’t achieved anything resembling a finish line yet, and even has the WJC and Entey draft coming up as part of a very significant season.

But hey, you work your usual angle.

 

[I in the Eye]

Can it actually be considered a betrayal if it means you get to keep your job?

The whole betrayal angle reeks of 'woe is me woe is me'. You don't want your hirees losing confidence in you? Don't be a **** up.

If it's a betrayal, or a weaseling, or fair game and smart is probably relative depending on if you're talking to Linden or Weisbrod / Benning. If Aquilini is on their side, I'd think he'd argue "fair game", himself... but I'm not convinced that Benning / Weisbrod aren't on the chopping block, themselves... with Aquilini putting things in motion quietly beneath the surface, to put a new regime on the Throne. The important thing, IMO, is the alleged disconnect between Linden and Benning / Weisbrod. Doesn't sound like a healthy work environment or a winning culture that yields success, to me. It sounds like a mess... not to be used as a model for productive collaboration.

I don't have a problem with the Linden firing. Linden deserved to be fired, IMO. Benning and Weisbrod deserve to be fired, too. They're all butchers. Maybe Linden had an epiphany (sledgehammer in hand, staring at the poor, disfigured little pig with wings that can't fly), but too late. He's been swinging the sledgehammer on the heads of poor little pigs with wings, as a religious sacrifice, for years. Aquilini hired butchers to do the work of surgeons. Aquilini should also fire himself for this. Given he won't, he should admit his error through the action of cleaning house, and starting again. Aquilini is clearly the Man Behind the Curtain... He has the power to pick up and place the team on the right path.

But if Aquilini doesn't replace the Wizard of Oz, that's okay, too. The universe will betray (or fairly judge, depending on perspective) Aquilini by delivering shitty results and dwindling revenue. Eventually, Aquilini either adapts... or sells. It can't stay as it's been, indefinitely. Eventually, the curtain becomes thread.

It'll all work out in the end. The goal is progress. When the results aren't there, the Canucks will eventually fold, relocate... or adapt, until progress is made and success is reached. In this regard, Linden was right... patience is needed. Time is needed for those devilish progress bandits to be systematically crushed... some diplomatically, and some with sledgehammers.

 

[krutovsdonut]

some days it's like reading the bell jar over and over in here.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Very odd to “reach the finish line” with a year left on his contract. How often do GM’s step away because they have “done all they can do” with an unfinished contract?

You’re trying hard to make it seem like nothing when the very fact that Linden left with a year to go is highly unusual in itself. Not to mention this management group certainly hasn’t achieved anything resembling a finish line yet, and even has the WJC and Entey draft coming up as part of a very significant season.

But hey, you work your usual angle.

Did he need the money?..Did he need the the aggravation and constant scrutiny being the President? (especially with a new family).. What was his job description as President ?.(looked to me like he was getting marginalized more and more)..

I'm not saying that the allegations about 'meddling' or being' overruled 'are completely untrue,what I am saying is that its very plausible that he felt that he'd done 'his part' and it was time to move on...He doesn't need to jump through any hoops anymore.

The WJC and draft are in the capable hands of Judd Brackett and Co.....Why do we need Linden for that..?

 

[mathonwy]

Serious question. What 'part' do you think he's accomplished?

The part of ostracizing and jading of every single member of the 2011 core leaving this team with absolutely jack squat of good veteran players?

Garbage in and garbage out. Sorry #16 but you're not a good dude and this team is better now that you're not on it.

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

some days it's like reading the bell jar over and over in here.

Agreed. Enough of this in this heat. What we need now is a good Louis L'Amour duster

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Hmm I'm imagining a future where no established GM would touch a radioactive canucks GM position, and the owner is forced to hire an outsider or young up-and-comer

I'll take it!!!

come on man, you know the monkey paw’s going to give us aqua hiring brent seabrook after chicago LTIRs him

and seabrook’s first act will be to trade pettersson or boeser to his old boss bowman for some random kid whose jib he always liked the cut of. (think: riser trading gilmour to fletcher/the leafs for human garbage)

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

come on man, you know the monkey paw’s going to give us aqua hiring brent seabrook after chicago LTIRs him

and seabrook’s first act will be to trade pettersson or boeser to his old boss bowman for some random kid whose jib he always liked the cut of. (think: riser trading gilmour to fletcher/the leafs for human garbage)

I'm thinking Mr Aquilini might take up puppeteering and hire an actual puppet next time instead of another underqualified human. The plan wouldn't change at all and it'd been funny as all get out.

Just imagine Aquilini doing a Senor Wences act as the next regime

 

[CanaFan]

Did he need the money?..Did he need the the aggravation and constant scrutiny being the President? (especially with a new family).. What was his job description as President ?.(looked to me like he was getting marginalized more and more)..

I have no idea if he “needed” those things but he took the job and signed a 5 year contract. It’s not typical to leave in Year 4 of 5 because you’ve “done all you can do”. C’mon Pastor, even by your standards that’s a pretty lazy narrative.

I'm not saying that the allegations about 'meddling' or being' overruled 'are completely untrue,what I am saying is that its very plausible that he felt that he'd done 'his part' and it was time to move on...He doesn't need to jump through any hoops anymore.

Why is it plausible? Just because you say so? No, it’s not plausible. History shows Presidents and GMs rarely walk away a year before a contract ends without a strong reason. Your attempt to fabricate a Management-friendly alternative is both weak and transparent.

The WJC and draft are in the capable hands of Judd Brackett and Co.....Why do we need Linden for that..?

Maybe he’d enjoy being part of 2 of the most exciting sideshows in hockey? I mean, those are generally considered the top showcases for young talent - something this team has been selling for the past 4 years - and you don’t think Linden would enjoy being part of it?

So bloody transparent.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Can it actually be considered a betrayal if it means you get to keep your job?

The whole betrayal angle reeks of 'woe is me woe is me'. You don't want your hirees losing confidence in you? Don't be a **** up.

Answer to your first question: Yes, it can be.

To your second question: Losing confidence in a superior and actively bypassing a superior are separate acts.

 

[Melvin]

Can it actually be considered a betrayal if it means you get to keep your job?

The whole betrayal angle reeks of 'woe is me woe is me'. You don't want your hirees losing confidence in you? Don't be a **** up.

Concur.

Until we hear anything resembling details regarding this purported "betrayal" it sounds like nonsense being fed by linden to paint himself as a victim. Pathetic.

 

[Melvin]

Answer to your first question: Yes, it can be.

To your second question: Losing confidence in a superior and actively bypassing a superior are separate acts.

And in what way did he "bypass a superior?" ownership extended his contract and decided to have him report directly to them. Is that a "betrayal?" was Benning supposed to say no, I want to stay lower on the totem pole please.

I have nothing against my manager but if my next contract has me reporting to someone higher up the chain then so be it. Betrayal, give me a break.

And at that point of course, linden was no longer a superior.

 

[Bleach Clean]

And in what way did he "bypass a superior?" ownership extended his contract and decided to have him report directly to them. Is that a "betrayal?" was Benning supposed to say no, I want to stay lower on the totem pole please.

I have nothing against my manager but if my next contract has me reporting to someone higher up the chain then so be it. Betrayal, give me a break.

The NHL management structure is supposed to be static at the top. Yes/no? The few times where a GM has bypassed his superior, only to have his superior fired, has resulted in the ascending GM being vilified for doing so. An example of this is what happened in BUF with Tim Murray and Pat Lafontaine.

It's a business, yes. Does it represent every business out there in its structure? IMO, no.

 

[member 290103]

I hate audio.

Anything of substance or just more vague nonsense?

He's just guessing. I listened to a bit of it and he clearly stated that it was his "opinion" that Linden wanted to slow the progression of the team and that it was Benning that was pushing to make the playoffs now.....and that Benning's objectives were aligned with ownership's vision.......Dumbo and the Bore tried to play up like they had heard differently but Kuzma would not have any of it. He's clearly guessing though. It's not worth listening to.

 

[Melvin]

The NHL management structure is supposed to be static at the top. Yes/no? The few times where a GM has bypassed his superior, only to have his superior fired, has resulted in the ascending GM being vilified for doing so. An example of this is what happened in BUF with Tim Murray and Pat Lafontaine.

It's a business, yes. Does it represent every business out there in its structure? IMO, no.

This is specious reasoning. Because Tim Murray was vilified (supposedly) therefore we are correct to admonish Benning?

I don't really understand your premise that it should be "static at the top." why do you think this?