canuckslife Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I have not posted in quite a long time, but have continued to read the boards and am an avid fan much like most of you. Now seems about time for a return however. So much has occurred with this core group of players making up the Canucks that its just at a point where its coming to an end. So I would just like to put a few thoughts out there: Media Our media in this city is an absolute joke. They p!ss and complain on the radio, in articles, any moment they get some television time, yet they do absolutely nothing for this city. Everyone is a coach, or a GM starting from the Team1040 to The Province and more. As journalists, they should be asking questions with the access they have been granted but all of them are absolutely $h!t scared of Canuck management and ownership. Time after time, you hear on the radio about how we have horribly mismanaged assets in regards to prospects, have any of this city's journalists dared ask the Canucks about that? How about asking our GM in regards to signing the Sedin twins to those contracts, and them disappearing immediately after the ink set on the paper. You have our coaching staff, that stresses accountability like its the new trend yet when will we see some balls and a benching of a high profile player, say.. Burrows? Hansen? Sedin? I am in no way saying trade this player, fire that guy, but come on.. the media is supposed to be our voice, and they are too busy kissing up and afraid to lose accessibility or whatever it may be. Weekly segments with GM, coach, players, and not a peep. Then as soon as the guest is off the air, boom, we got rants about what they are doing wrong or how to improve or a million theories and questions that just never get asked when the opportunity arises. Its rambling, but its a complete joke. Speaking of jokes, team radio comes to mind. Every single one of those pricks has an opinion that is the sole correct opinion, and anyone else that does not agree with them and differs in the slightest.. oops "got to run boards are full" and on to the next, and its followed with a complete bashing of the caller when the hosts are called out on some BS that they had just spewed without any facts or whatever it may be. End Rant. The Canucks This team is clearly passed its prime. We have two options the way I see it. 1. Follow the SJ, Chicago route. Great teams make tough decisions, they make intellectual decisions, they follow a strong business model, one that we supposedly endorse but have an inability to follow. With a successful business, you buy low, sell high. You forecast, you make informed decisions of exhaustive research and study. Versteeg, Buff, Ladd, Campbell, Clowe, etc. All these players were unloaded when they had arguably peak value to the organization. They maximized the potential of that player through the assets obtained by selling. In doing so, they remained extremely competitive, keeping key pieces, interchanging second tier core pieces and injecting youth (which was possibly due to obtaining such assets) which allowed the aging members to continue to play with exuberance and enthusiasm. It keeps competition internally strong, and its great for the psyche. We seem to be failing in regards to this with pieces such as Burrows (Fan fav, clutch, love the guy), Edler, Hansen, all the while letting key pieces to our success walk or traded. It however is not too late to salvage the remaining core but all attachment that we as fans and the city have with players must be put into context of the business aspect of our team to continue being yearly contenders. or 2. We turn into the Flames/Oilers. We make a run to the finals, we lose. We believe that the core is still capable of producing at a high level and keep them together, only to see them lose all value and become dead weight. Seems eerily similar and close to that already, Torts post game comments at least show he can see whats taking shape. Hopefully this "re-tool" as hinted at in the media is more like point 1, and they finally realize what must be done. This team is a big part of our city's culture, and I hate to see it stink. I am not saying fire Gillis, I think he is one of the better General Managers we have had, and made some savvy moves. I like our coaching staff (besides Gully). However, its up to management to provide them with the necessary personell to run with the rest of the league, and at this point, its time to open our eyes and see its time for change. Its going to be rough, but hopefully after its through, our team is better for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj vic Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Paragraphs are your friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawndy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 With all the NTC's this team is screwed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Mostly agree w/original post. Good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aladeen Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam13371337 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 your dead on with the oilers/flames reference..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Impersonator Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Gillis should go hang with John Schneider of the Seahawks and learn how to build a proper championship team. Have a clear vision and stick to it. Bold trades, key free agent signings, solid drafting and unloading players at the right time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorevat Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 gloom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongo4420 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 You almost got it right then you wimped out at the end. Gillis has to go and he has to go NOW. This team is imploding while he sits on the sidelines whining about how hard it is to do his job (ie make a move). His drafting is the worst in the league, his trades are the worst in the league and his signings are becoming the noose around the teams neck. It's over. He's had his chance and he's been an abject failure. It's clear he's scared to make a move, and clearly can't draft, so he's had to ride this core to their death and that is what we're seeing. The slow drawn out death of this core. I bet many of the loyal Canuck's players want out now. They won't say it but they can all see it coming and probably welcome it to a degree. "As journalists, they should be asking questions with the access they have been granted but all of them are absolutely $h!t scared of Canuck management and ownership." This is partially correct. There is also the other dynamic in play. Pride. Many journalists have always thought they're smarter and could do a better job than the career hockey men. Then came along Gillis. He was an "outside the box" guy with all these shiny new acedemic therioes, the "iintangibles", which many media memebers agreed with. Gillis now became validation for their hockey IQ. Now all of these academic theories have failed or are failing. However, since they have given Gillis nothing but the highest marks all along they can't just turn around and say he's a failure now. It means that they were wrong all along and It would prove that they truly have no idea what they're talking about. Criticizing is essentially admitting defeat. The most recent pickup and overwhelmingly positive reaction from the cheerleaders tell you everything you need to know. How many "puck movers" can you have on one team? The softest team in the league just got softer and it's met with glowing praise. Botch even dropped a line that this is Gillis's best year yet. I almost fell of my chair on that one. Sekeres has said something similar. You must be deep in the game if that's what you think. It's actually getting funny and one imagines embarrassing for some the better media in this town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongo4420 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Gillis should go hang with John Schneider of the Seahawks and learn how to build a proper championship team. Have a clear vision and stick to it. Bold trades, key free agent signings, solid drafting and unloading players at the right time. Gillis hired 2008 Schneider hired 2010 Look at were these teams started, where they're at now now and where they're going. Anyone who thinks Gillis is a competent GM and hasn't had enough time is delusional. Look what can be done when you hire the RIGHT people. I guess that's the difference between a visionary owner in Seattle and a slum lord in Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupisAll Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 what he said ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YEGCanuck Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I agree with your assessment. The Canucks will be well served by some significant moves within the next 8 months. If no action is taken I can just imagine 3 years from now when our team resembles the Oilers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMapleLaughs Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 My complaint about the media today is that NON-sports radio stations are chiming in with their yucks and views on the team, even though they couldn't name many players on it. Um, where were these people when the Canucks were winning? I must conclude that this towns' media just loves a loser. More to blabber on about I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollumpus Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The Canucks This team is clearly passed its prime. We have two options the way I see it. 1. Follow the SJ, Chicago route. Great teams make tough decisions, they make intellectual decisions, they follow a strong business model, one that we supposedly endorse but have an inability to follow. With a successful business, you buy low, sell high. You forecast, you make informed decisions of exhaustive research and study. Versteeg, Buff, Ladd, Campbell, Clowe, etc. All these players were unloaded when they had arguably peak value to the organization. They maximized the potential of that player through the assets obtained by selling. In doing so, they remained extremely competitive, keeping key pieces, interchanging second tier core pieces and injecting youth (which was possibly due to obtaining such assets) which allowed the aging members to continue to play with exuberance and enthusiasm. It keeps competition internally strong, and its great for the psyche. We seem to be failing in regards to this with pieces such as Burrows (Fan fav, clutch, love the guy), Edler, Hansen, all the while letting key pieces to our success walk or traded. It however is not too late to salvage the remaining core but all attachment that we as fans and the city have with players must be put into context of the business aspect of our team to continue being yearly contenders. So what your point comes down to (IMO) is that Chicago and SJ couldn't sign their guys to reasonable contracts (as Gillis has been able to do here). This has forced them to move out guys like "Versteeg, Buff, Ladd, Campbell, Clowe, etc" to make cap space for a few guys that they felt they had to keep. regards, G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absent Canuck Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am too lazy to read this. Can you tell us your point in one sentence? My interpretation of what the OP wrote is that he is a young fan who is noticing how the media uses the hockey team as a punching bag unless they win every game. There was a winger we used to have who couldnt hack it anymore and so he left . He said playing in Vancouver was like living in a fish bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongo4420 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 So what your point comes down to (IMO) is that Chicago and SJ couldn't sign their guys to reasonable contracts (as Gillis has been able to do here). This has forced them to move out guys like "Versteeg, Buff, Ladd, Campbell, Clowe, etc" to make cap space for a few guys that they felt they had to keep. regards, G. it's time to give up on the Gillis is a contract genius fallacy. Chicago and SJ are better teams now and better suited for the future. I'm not sure how it's even possible to spin their successful rebuild as proof that Gillis is a better GM. Honestly, it's ludicrous and laughable. If the only thing your GM can do is sign players to contracts he should be an assistant GM or return to being an agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollumpus Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 it's time to give up on the Gillis is a contract genius fallacy. Chicago and SJ are better teams now and better suited for the future. I'm not sure how it's even possible to spin their successful rebuild as proof that Gillis is a better GM. Honestly, it's ludicrous and laughable. If the only thing your GM can do is sign players to contracts he should be an assistant GM or return to being an agent. Not sure that I said anything which you are suggesting. My point is that if the Hawks or SJ had been able to sign guys like "Versteeg, Buff, Ladd, Campbell, Clowe, etc" to reasonable contracts then they would not have traded them away. The OP is suggesting that these moves were done with some kind of greater team-building philosophy in mind, rather than them being merely cap dumps of good players for which they got a good return. His argument perhaps holds more water for guys like Sopel or Eager. regards, G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalky Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 The media is the same crap everywhere you go. SJ has no cups just like us and Chicago was a bottom feeder for so many years that success was inevitable. Next up on the success train are the Florida Panthers and the Oil, barring a meltdown of epic proportions. If we failed for as many years as the Hawks and Pens, all those band wagoners that piss and moan won't even be here. We are in a soft market....Reality. We can't afford to tank for picks so we have to rely on our inexperienced GM and hope for some luck. It's not like our cupboards are bare and all hope is lost. I would prefer to see Gillis not get rental players and look for long term pieces to our team and fit the kids in as soon as they are ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Crossbar Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 As far as the media goes, the OP makes some great points. But it goes much deeper and has had a direct impact on the fan culture here in Vancouver. And to me, not a good impact either. When the OP says this .., "They p!ss and complain on the radio, in articles, any moment they get some television time, yet they do absolutely nothing for this city. Everyone is a coach, or a GM starting from the Team1040 to The Province and more." Does this not sound familiar to anyone who reads this board? Does this not sound like many threads on this board? Does this not sound like the fan culture in Vancouver? The media in this city has set the precedent - or standard - of constant complaining. And since so many people read or listen to the media, after a while many people/fans eventually take their lead from the media. If the media is always complaining, they actually send the message that it's okay to constantly complain when it comes to the Canucks. And after a while, you have that type of culture. This is where media influence plays a major role in shaping public sentiment. But the media also uses negative talk or controversy to get readers and listeners to react, which in turn creates loyalty, increases online traffic, and generates revenue. How many people always react to Tony Gallagher's negativity? A lot. How many people always react to the heated opinions on 1040? Just as many. Well, how much of what fans are reacting to is negative talk or heated topics? So, when the team loses or underachieves, the media often just plays up on the frustrations that fans are feeling ... because they know that very frustration will lead to more listeners, traffic, and revenue, and fans will feel validated. But when the team is winning, they often need to go against the grain to stir the pot. How many times have we taken issue with the media in Vancouver for being so negative when the team is actually winning? Tabloids do this type of thing all of the time. That's why we now live in such a tabloid driven culture. It's never ending because the media knows how to emotionally play people like instruments... and it works. When the OP says, "media is supposed to be our voice," those days are long gone. Today's media is simply being the voice you want to hear... there's a huge difference. Yes, the Canucks and team management need to build a winning culture. That plays a huge part in public sentiment... the main part in the end. But the media plays a huge role in this culture as well. Too bad it wasn't more positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVS19 Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 will be more like the flames last june.... burned up and under water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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