Don Cherry Calls Mike Gillis "Gutless", defends AV

[BureisBest]

On Coach's Corner earlier tonight, Don Cherry ripped Mike Gillis, calling him "gutless" and defended AV in regards to the goalie situation. Comments start at 4:30.

[Tearloch7]

Don Cherry defends every Coach and he knows nothing about running a Hockey Operation .. as exhibited by his great success with his Junior franchise .. major embarrassment, just like senile old Don himself .. I am sure MG could give a rats azz what he thinks ..

[Merci]

He refuses to even talk about the Bieksa and Henrik penalities because the league would fine him.

[hudson bay rules]

Didn't bother watching but the goalie situation is all GMMG and not AV.

[Twilight Sparkle]

i agreed with most of what don said. vigs is a good coach, no question, but it's probably time for change here. a team this good doesn't just get swept in the first round whilst putting up no real fight at all

[TheRussianRocket.]

A little common sense:

- MG's fault for not solving the goalie situation sooner than later, you know, as manager of the team..

(Could've got Jeff Carter at trade deadline last year for Schneids for crying out loud, and that would've solved our teams inability to score....he's a pure sniper capable of 40+ goals....[!!!!@*&&%^^@]...)

- AV's fault for not being able to get his message across to the team, you know, as coach of the team..

& responding to Cherry's comments, agree with everything except that AV has to go too. MG for not trading Schneider and getting a hefty return to lead us to a strong post-season run, and AV for not getting the job done since the Finals loss. IMO, I want both gone. Both are stubborn and ignorant, case in point: AV plays Schneider game 4 after a horrible, horrible game 3, doesn't play youngsters, plays favourites, etc. MG always wants it his way and doesn't listen to the other party - Luongo/Schneider situation, always asked for a price to his liking and didn't budge when numerous teams offered something else. Torres, he was content with 1.75 mill but wanted 3 years while MG said 1 year or nothing, a take it or leave it option and he gets burned, going back to Torres's doorstep this deadline trying to acquire him, and again, doesn't get him cause the price was too steep, aka, he's ignorant and can't do something without having it his way and etc.

Not saying they failed miserably here, not at all. MG created a Stanley Cup team and AV coached the team to game 7 of the SCF - can't ask for much more honestly - but just saying ever since then, things have been declining for AV and MG and its time for them to both go.

And btw, just put this in the spoiler cause its a previous post I wrote on what to do moving forward but honestly, this should have been done a long time ago like how Cherry said, and it fits in with this topic.

It's become transparent that the Canucks have not found their mojo come playoff time ever since the 2011 Cup Run. Maybe because it's a mental thing, maybe the team isn't motivated, maybe it's managements fault, maybe the team sucks, or maybe things have been the same for too long. I don't know what it is, I don't think anyone does, but anywho, it's clear that changes are going to have to be made. For crying out loud, ever since game 6 of the SCF, the teams playoff record is 1-10; something has to change.

Anyways, there's 2 very simple paths I see the organization will take moving forward. 1 - they keep Lu. 2 - they keep Schneids.

Yes I just stated the obvious, but expanding a bit more on that, I see it as if management believes the team can be motivated by a new coach and still aim for the Cup, then by all means you keep Luongo and trade Schneider for a legitamit forward or whatever to bring in goal scoring (teams main problem). Make some other moves in the offseason to upgrade the team more and go for another postseason run. Luongo is the proven goaltender, so if you believe the team/players still have enough heart left in the tank to play hard playoff hockey, let go of the unproven goalie who will also get you a better return for a better playoff push. However, now if the organization sees this team as one that has been put down by the Cup loss and one that won't be able to get back to that level of hockey, then there's no point of putting pressure on the team to execute and win if you know they won't be able to do it. If this is the case, then you trade Luongo to start a new chapter in Vancouver and get rid of some of the core group of players knowing that keeping them for 2 years after the Finals loss has clearly failed and is yet to work.

If you believe the team can win it all, keep Lu, trade Schneider, stack up, and actually go 'all in'. If you believe the team can't win and doesn't have the motivation to get back to the 2011 level of hockey, keep Schneids, trade Luongo, trade some core guys (keeping the same core hasn't worked so why would it work going forward?), and start a new chapter.

I personally want Schneids gone just because we still have potential to win it, so keeping Lu the proven guy is the logical move and we have Eddie Lack to come up in a few years anyway. Although I want this, I think the team will do the opposite just because and it'll suck to see. This core group of guys has become a family for 4-6 years and knowing that some of them won't be here moving forward sucks. I know it's for the better of the team, but it's going to really suck. This era of the team truly became family and seeing a family seperate is always hurtful.

I don't know which move management will make, but it's going to have to be one or the other. Up to this point, ever since the Finals loss, the blame is on management for not realizing this and fixing it sooner than later. Keeping AV was plain stupid, and although MG has done great stuff here, there's a lot of people pointing at him for keeping both goalies causing this ongoing dilemma. Keeping them both was a good thing because we had the best tandem, but it was bad because the distraction it created and also, not being sure which goalie to go with when it matter...in this time, Lu was uncomfortable and so was Schneids - Schneider couldn't develop/see the ice as much as he should have and Luongo couldn't call it his team. The biggest mistake ever in MG and AV's reign in Vancouver.

[Wonder__Bread]

You know you have to fire a coach when he's being praised by Don Cherry. On a side note anyone hear Don try and say Cizikas's name?

[Blueberries]

How can you take a man seriously when he is wearing a Mickey Mouse tie.

[Lui's Knob]

The Canucks need to be Likeable top down... Gillis made the team a depised team from shanahan refs gms and even players....

[CB007]

While he is right in saying that Schneider would've yielded a greater return, you have to take into account who wants out more between Luongo and Schneider. The answer has to be Luongo. There are things behind the scene that Cherry is not privy to and Cherry had no rights to insult MG by calling him 'gutless' without all the information.

Besides, we STILL don't know how much we will get back for Luongo. Maybe we do get something good in return. We don't know that, Cherry doesn't know that.

[Gross-Misconduct]

Don calls it likes he sees it. MG messed up big time.

[RyanKeslord17]

Most of you fail to realize that what he is saying is EXACLTY correct. No guts is right. Why Luongo and Schneider are both still here is beyond me, and quite frankly, our situation is turning into a complete joke. I don't agree that AV should be kept, but Cherry is right about MG. No guts at all, and that is why we are a MEDIOCRE team

[hudson bay rules]

With the cap reduction and compliance buy outs coming up I don't see how we can get more for Luongo this summer than what we could've received if GMMG had acted sooner and moved him.

[DeNiro]

Hard to argue with him.

Could have had Jeff Carter for Schneider at the deadline last year.

Our goaltending would have been just as good, and we would have had a 40 goal sniper on the team.

[D :]

I wonder what kind of diapers old grapes wears. Irrelevant, but an honest question.

[tas]

double post

[tas]

A little common sense:

- MG's fault for not solving the goalie situation sooner than later, you know, as manager of the team..

- AV's fault for not being able to get his message across to the team, you know, as coach of the team..

& responding to Cherry's comments, agree with everything except that AV has to go too. MG for not trading Schneider and getting a hefty return to lead us to a strong post-season run, and AV for not getting the job done since the Finals loss. IMO, I want both gone. Both are stubborn and ignorant, case in point: AV plays Schneider game 4 after a horrible, horrible game 3, doesn't play youngsters, plays favourites, etc. MG always wants it his way and doesn't listen to the other party - Luongo/Schneider situation, always asked for a price to his liking and didn't budge when numerous teams offered something else. Torres, he was content with 1.75 mill but wanted 3 years while MG said 1 year or nothing, a take it or leave it option and he gets burned, going back to Torres's doorstep this deadline trying to acquire him, and again, doesn't get him cause the price was too steep, aka, he's ignorant and can't do something without having it his way and etc.

Not saying they failed miserably here, not at all. MG created a Stanley Cup team and AV coached the team to game 7 of the SCF - can't ask for much more honestly - but just saying ever since then, things have been declining for AV and MG and its time for them to both go.

And btw, just put this in the spoiler cause its a previous post I wrote on what to do moving forward but honestly, this should have been done a long time ago like how Cherry said, and it fits in with this topic.

It's become transparent that the Canucks have not found their mojo come playoff time ever since the 2011 Cup Run. Maybe because it's a mental thing, maybe the team isn't motivated, maybe it's managements fault, maybe the team sucks, or maybe things have been the same for too long. I don't know what it is, I don't think anyone does, but anywho, it's clear that changes are going to have to be made. For crying out loud, ever since game 6 of the SCF, the teams playoff record is 1-10; something has to change.

Anyways, there's 2 very simple paths I see the organization will take moving forward. 1 - they keep Lu. 2 - they keep Schneids.

Yes I just stated the obvious, but expanding a bit more on that, I see it as if management believes the team can be motivated by a new coach and still aim for the Cup, then by all means you keep Luongo and trade Schneider for a legitamit forward or whatever to bring in goal scoring (teams main problem). Make some other moves in the offseason to upgrade the team more and go for another postseason run. Luongo is the proven goaltender, so if you believe the team/players still have enough heart left in the tank to play hard playoff hockey, let go of the unproven goalie who will also get you a better return for a better playoff push. However, now if the organization sees this team as one that has been put down by the Cup loss and one that won't be able to get back to that level of hockey, then there's no point of putting pressure on the team to execute and win if you know they won't be able to do it. If this is the case, then you trade Luongo to start a new chapter in Vancouver and get rid of some of the core group of players knowing that keeping them for 2 years after the Finals loss has clearly failed and is yet to work.

If you believe the team can win it all, keep Lu, trade Schneider, stack up, and actually go 'all in'. If you believe the team can't win and doesn't have the motivation to get back to the 2011 level of hockey, keep Schneids, trade Luongo, trade some core guys (keeping the same core hasn't worked so why would it work going forward?), and start a new chapter.

I personally want Schneids gone just because we still have potential to win it, so keeping Lu the proven guy is the logical move and we have Eddie Lack to come up in a few years anyway. Although I want this, I think the team will do the opposite just because and it'll suck to see. This core group of guys has become a family for 4-6 years and knowing that some of them won't be here moving forward sucks. I know it's for the better of the team, but it's going to really suck. This era of the team truly became family and seeing a family seperate is always hurtful.

I don't know which move management will make, but it's going to have to be one or the other. Up to this point, ever since the Finals loss, the blame is on management for not realizing this and fixing it sooner than later. Keeping AV was plain stupid, and although MG has done great stuff here, there's a lot of people pointing at him for keeping both goalies causing this ongoing dilemma. Keeping them both was a good thing because we had the best tandem, but it was bad because the distraction it created and also, not being sure which goalie to go with when it matter...in this time, Lu was uncomfortable and so was Schneids - Schneider couldn't develop/see the ice as much as he should have and Luongo couldn't call it his team. The biggest mistake ever in MG and AV's reign in Vancouver.

[burrkesjuice]

I agree with Don; MG could've traded Schneider for a valuable player that we needed, but instead he chose to keep both Luongo and Schneider. We could've honestly gotten more for Schneider than Luongo.

TBH, Luongo still has a few years left in him, and we have Eddie Lack; with the right development, we could make him Luo's backup + Luo could be a great mentor to the young goaltender.

[nhlrefsuck]

Hard to argue with him.

Could have had Jeff Carter for Schneider at the deadline last year.

Our goaltending would have been just as good, and we would have had a 40 goal sniper on the team.

[aliboy]

Cherry is right except it didn't matter which goalie, just make the trade. MG was wrong to insist on such a high price for Lu, he should have just made the move.