Mike Gillis Team 1040 Interview

[CanucksJay]

If ownership sells this team, I will be disgusted with them but happy they are gone.

It would just re-affirm that they are sleazebags coming in as a guise of being fans but really only in it for the money.

When times are good and they are gouging fans with outrageous ticket prices, of course its not hard to spend to the cap.

Now that we might be approaching tough times where the ticket prices are way above equilibrium (which they did themselves), if they bail, it just reflects how greedy those pigs are.

[Henrik Kesler]

If MG wants to play a puck possession, attacking game, then it's pretty clear to me that he didn't get the final call on his coaching selection. By the same token, asking Torts to completely change his systems is a bit like asking a tiger to change it's stripes, not gonna happen.

As for the comments about how Boston plays. I watch them play fairly often, and they don't just goon it up. Boston dominates puck possession, forces the opponent into mistakes by good transition play, and plays solid defense. In other words, ignoring their ability to get chippy, they play EXACTLY the style of game that is needed to compete in the west, they just happen to play in the east.

[L. Stanley]

firing coaches all th etime is destabilizing,UFAs dont want to be on a team going through all this turmoil. fire or keep torts i dont care but if they bring in a new coach, this coach is gonna have to be here for years. I say keep gillis as president, bring Jason Botterril in as GM, guy has been groomed in PIT and some team needs to snatch him up.

[Ghostsof1915]

If MG wants to play a puck possession, attacking game, then it's pretty clear to me that he didn't get the final call on his coaching selection. By the same token, asking Torts to completely change his systems is a bit like asking a tiger to change it's stripes, not gonna happen.

As for the comments about how Boston plays. I watch them play fairly often, and they don't just goon it up. Boston dominates puck possession, forces the opponent into mistakes by good transition play, and plays solid defense. In other words, ignoring their ability to get chippy, they play EXACTLY the style of game that is needed to compete in the west, they just happen to play in the east.

Gillis said in the interview on Team 1040, everyone thought AV was a defensive only coach. Yet he had one of the highest scoring teams in the league. I think this is Gillis saying fire me, or keep me but but don't interfere with what I'm doing.

If Gillis was more candid like this interview and more emotional and less "I'm a lawyer" talk, I think he'd have more support. I know my opinion of him improved by this interview.

Now yes, it could be just him trying to save his job. But, he sounded like a guy that was a bit more humble, and realized he has mistakes to fix.

Guess we'll see what happens in the offseason.

[tas]

he sounded like a man with nothing left to lose.

[DIBdaQUIB]

um he put a good amount of blame on himself, he also said Torts was a good coach and that he believes that the players have the ability to play a high transition puck-control type of game.

If he was truly taking blame, I don't think he would have mentioned so many other factors. Gillis is clever and guarded in what he says publicly. This wasn't an epiphany he had but a well crafted and strategic message sent as much to FA and the team as to the fans.

[oldnews]

I tried at the time to explain that even as I said the Hodgson trade was the turning point it was that he started to look for a different type of player, one with more girt, the deal was the point that he openly said he was willing to trade skill for girt. Kass is starting to show he has some skill and and I'm not pinning the scoring problems on him. It was just the point that gillis came out and said he's going in a different direction.

You also paraphrased him as claiming that Kassian was an "immediate impact player" which was not remotely close to what he actually said.

Again, Gillis said he felt the team needed to get younger and bigger.

Your paraphrase here about 'trading skill for grit', is once again, you taking liberties and rewriting contexts in a way that makes them meaningless imo.

If you have a quote of Gillis saying he was changing his plan, look to trade skill for grit, I'd be interested to see you post it.

[Nino]

You also paraphrased him as claiming that Kassian was an "immediate impact player" which was not remotely close to what he actually said.

Again, Gillis said he felt the team needed to get younger and bigger.

Your paraphrase here about 'trading skill for grit', is once again, you taking liberties and rewriting contexts in a way that makes them meaningless imo.

If you have a quote of Gillis saying he was changing his plan, look to trade skill for grit, I'd be interested to see you post it.

I already said I was wrong about gillis saying that kass was an immediate unpack player, not sure how many times you want me to say I was mistaken? It's what I had remembered him saying but it was wrong.

The skill for grit I'm not taking back sorry, I already posted the interview where he talked about getting pushed around and needing to add sandpaper... That may have been the term he used. It was without a departure for the way the nucks were built and he made a point of pointing that out. It was also the start of our scoring decline.... Call it what you want.

Go back listen to the interview he is clear in his direction.

[Tearloch7]

he sounded like a man with nothing left to lose.

that is exactly what we need right about now.

[Henrik Kesler]

Gillis said in the interview on Team 1040, everyone thought AV was a defensive only coach. Yet he had one of the highest scoring teams in the league. I think this is Gillis saying fire me, or keep me but but don't interfere with what I'm doing.

If Gillis was more candid like this interview and more emotional and less "I'm a lawyer" talk, I think he'd have more support. I know my opinion of him improved by this interview.

Now yes, it could be just him trying to save his job. But, he sounded like a guy that was a bit more humble, and realized he has mistakes to fix.

Guess we'll see what happens in the offseason.

I understand what you're saying, I'm just skeptical on Torts. Torts is going to have to take a much more measured approach to his coaching next year. Less collapsing in the d-zone, more emphasis on transition, more emphasis on gaining the offensive zone with puck possession instead of dumping it in, more emphasis on the PP. Those are some monumental changes for a guy who seems pretty locked into playing a systemless 'mentality' game.

I hope Gillis gets one more year, and I sure as hell hope he has the balls to ax Torts if he is unwilling or unable to make the above mentioned changes.

[theminister]

If he was truly taking blame, I don't think he would have mentioned so many other factors. Gillis is clever and guarded in what he says publicly. This wasn't an epiphany he had but a well crafted and strategic message sent as much to FA and the team as to the fans.

What is the difference, in your mind, between providing explanations and not taking blame? Can MG be both contrite and forthcoming? It appears to me that you paint him into a corner whereby he can't win. Unless he says "I'm the worst GM in the league," then you cannot be satisfied.

I think he says as much, in a frank manner, as any GM would normally comment on with regards to delicate topics.

Of course his message was strategic. That's called being intelligent and calculated. Would prefer it was not those things?

[khay]

I agree. I believe Torts was hired because ownership wanted him. Do you not recall Torts being asked back to Vancouver by ownership after the initial coach interviews had been conducted. That being said, I do not agree this fiasco with the team is laid entirely at the

Coaches doorstep. Some of the players have to take the heat as well. The real question here is who are the players who have not bought into the system. Anyone who is being paid several million dollars a year should have no excuse for not buying into a system. Can we imagine if we as workers did not do what was expected of us on the job.

I can say with authority that we certainly would not be traded to another company.....

From the beginning, I felt like Gulutzan was Gillis' choice and Torts was the owners.

They compromised (obviously, Gillis bowed down) by accepting the owner's choice (Torts) but in return, they hired Gulutzan so that he can get familiar with the team and if Torts is fired, he can take over.

Of course, this is just my gut feeling and no evidence... but if after the "evaluation", if Torts is fired whilst Gillis is not and they decide to promote Gulutzan, then...

As repeated by many people on this board, I don't think Torts system can work given the personnel we have here. Torts need to adjust his system (keep some good parts whilst modifying the parts that don't work). It's his job to do the research and to figure it out. I like many things that Torts does but one thing I really don't like is his lack of attention to analytics. AV did this very well -- in that he gave the Sedins 18-19 minutes a game, which was found to be optimal through research and AV also gave them well-defined task to focus on: score goals and work the power play.

Torts came out one time and said he doesn't give a crap about these and that bothers me. I agree that stuffs like Fenwick are useless and hockey and analytics don't go as well as does baseball, but I think there are still somethings to be gained from paying attention to some of these "research." I mean, in pro sports, the margin between the teams is so narrow that it'd be stupid to disregard anything if it can boost your chance of winning by even 0.1%.

[DeNiro]

Wasn't Gulutzan in charge of the powerplay?

I honestly think he should be the first to go if he's responsible.

[oldnews]

I already said I was wrong about gillis saying that kass was an immediate unpack player, not sure how many times you want me to say I was mistaken? It's what I had remembered him saying but it was wrong.

The skill for grit I'm not taking back sorry, I already posted the interview where he talked about getting pushed around and needing to add sandpaper... That may have been the term he used. It was without a departure for the way the nucks were built and he made a point of pointing that out. It was also the start of our scoring decline.... Call it what you want.

Go back listen to the interview he is clear in his direction.

I'm not asking you to say you were mistaken, I'm saying you're doing the same thing again.

[Cold Hard Truth]

Wasn't Gulutzan in charge of the powerplay?

I honestly think he should be the first to go if he's responsible.

Naslund have any coaching aspirations ?

[khay]

Wasn't Gulutzan in charge of the powerplay?

I honestly think he should be the first to go if he's responsible.

Well, if the coach doesn't let the players practice the powerplay, then there is no point in blaming the PP coach for not getting it to work... Basically there is nothing he can do.

[D-Money]

How so, there was a total backlash on CDC that Ebbett was such a mainstay on the roster but yet there he was every game. Did AV really think he was good because he even played 3rd line and 2nd line center a fair number of times. Now he's not even in the league. I think that says something.

I was like a lot of CDC'ers that were peeved at AV until I realized he's got nothing to work with and did a fantastic job for what was given to him.

Or, perhaps you're just one of those "grass is always greener on the other side" guys.

[Western Red]

The last bit, about up-tempo... in your face style is spot on. We were right there in December. But then.... what? Altercation we don't know about? Santo going down? The mojo was lost and we've been reeling.

Gillis sounded very passionate and I have no problem with him being our GM. Kesler @ 5 is such a bargain, we need a guy to compliment him and have a youthful 3rd line.

I think JT is one step too arrogant and Gillis seems to be off setting that with his humility today, or in this interview.

Knowing the way the world seems to be trending... Ownership will make the wrong, heavy handed decision and we will never know what could've been, kinda like Gillis' NHL career.

[Neversummer]

Good news is that I like the fast, up tempo, puck possession style that Gillis envisions is best for the core roster of Canucks. However, if anyone wavered on the vision, I think Gillis did. After Boston won, it was the model of power, nastiness, mixed with skill. After Chicago won, it's back to speed and skill. Now it's back to up tempo, offensive approach hockey.

Bad news is that it seems he left a door way for Torts to come back if he is willing and capable of retooling himself to coaching that style of hockey. Can Torts do it? Is he willing to?

One statement that wasn't the most supportive of JT - "I believe any coach should be able to coach our team with the current roster and resources" (something to that extent).

[Dogbyte]

Either you trust him or you don't at this point.