Its the Owner - Smyl Edition

[Provost]

Ownership is taking more heat now, and that seems definitely warranted.  They are well known to be pretty sleazy in their other businesses, using the Trump type of business to make money... exploiting people, not paying bills, cutting corners on safety, being sued repeatedly including for the deaths of kids, tax cheating, etc.  You can Google all the stories pretty easily.

They interfered with Gillis and didn't let him rebuild and imposed a coach in Tortorella that was a disaster.
They hired the classiest guy with the best reputation in the Vancouver hockey world in Linden, and then submarined him when he didn't say what they wanted and helped Benning and Weisbrod submarine him.  It speaks volumes that Linden who lives in town and has long been a main face of the franchise for decades is not longer publicly associating himself with the team.  He is too classy to come out and speak publicly, but reading between the lines it was pretty clear he was screwed over.

There is this one piece of extra evidence that bypassed many people and I mentioned at the time where they screwed over Smyl.  They announced Smyl (another main classy face of the franchise) as interim GM top be publicly trotted out to restore public faith.  Listen to this interview really closely, and look up the other interviews.  Smyl was clearly 100% under the impression he was going to be in the role for a while and had the authority to change the course of the organization.  He was hired December 5th.  Rutherford was brought in four days later as President AND GM, sending Smyl to the curb not even letting him keep the interim GM role until a new guy was found.  Unlike Linden, Smyl didn't quit, but I presume still wants to help the organization from the inside and was able to put the ego blow from being screwed over aside.

We have since heard that Rutherford was effectively already offered the job and JR had OKed the Boudreau hiring before this press conference and before Smyl was even appointed but was getting over being sick before finally committing publicly.  Listen to Aquilini talk about his search for new leadership and keep in mind he had already offered the job to JR and was just using Smyl to deflect criticism.  It would be fine if Smyl knew his tenure was going to be just a few days or weeks... no way that was what he was told based on the interviews he did.

Repeatedly the classy character guys are brought in to deflect criticism (now the Sedins), but the sleazy guys rise to the top in the internal front office politics.  When people leave the organization they regularly praise the guys like Linden and Smyl... and by omission don't mention guys like Rutherford, Benning, Weisbrod, or the owners.
 

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Provost

[Warhippy]

Smyl, the undefeated.

[awalk]

Canucks fans deserve a hell of a lot better than this owner. 

[Nucker 67]

Force the owners to sell. Stop going to games and buying merch. Watch the games at home and cheer on the team.

 

Mr. Aqualini...no money for you!

 

 

[Coconuts]

[RU SERIOUS]

Besides the extremely long list of questionable Aqua-Lini behaviors and business scandals in our community (many of which are outlined in the other post on here titled "Serious' allegations of child abuse levelled against Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini"),  

 

 He is "THE" Cancer of this franchise and we all know that after over a decade of B.S. propoganda, misleading statements, several G.M.s, numerous Coaches, Asst Coaches and a complete tunover of players!   

 

Francesco Aqua-Lini has FAILED everyone! 

Edited November 17, 2022 by RU SERIOUS

[Warhippy]

12 minutes ago, RU SERIOUS said:

Besides the extremely long list of questionable Aqua-Lini behaviors and business scandals in our community, I think the last straw for this guy was what we heard a couple of weeks ago regarding the (alleged) Wife Abuse & Beatings of his Children

Stick to hockey related stuff.  Let the courts decide that.  There's enough ammo against him without diving in to he said she said abuses.

[lmm]

5 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Stick to hockey related stuff.  Let the courts decide that.  There's enough ammo against him without diving in to he said she said abuses.

there is a large area outside of hockey and he said she said that is documented poor behavior

 

[Warhippy]

5 minutes ago, lmm said:

there is a large area outside of hockey and he said she said that is documented poor behavior

 

It is in the forum rules, and is very clear about that.  I don't wanna be a mini mod or that kind of D bag, but there's plenty of hockey related discussion about Aqualini that we can jump in to without bringing in his behaviour outside of the organization.  That is something for the courts to decide on, not us.

[tas]

while I don't disagree with your fundamental premise and I also think steamer got shafted a bit there, especially with how clear it became at the time just how much he cares, but I put the chain of events more on rutherford than francesco. 

 

rutherford was offered the job, hemmed and hawed and demurred and seemed luke warm to the idea at best, effectively turned the job down, and francesco had to do something in the interim.

 

stan definitely got the short end of the stick, but I don't think there was malice or deviousness involved. francesco just isn't very smart and is a terrible businessman.  

[Dazzle]

9 minutes ago, tas said:

while I don't disagree with your fundamental premise and I also think steamer got shafted a bit there, especially with how clear it became at the time just how much he cares, but I put the chain of events more on rutherford than francesco. 

 

rutherford was offered the job, hemmed and hawed and demurred and seemed luke warm to the idea at best, effectively turned the job down, and francesco had to do something in the interim.

 

stan definitely got the short end of the stick, but I don't think there was malice or deviousness involved. francesco just isn't very smart and is a terrible businessman.  

He's a very smart businessman with regards to real estate, but he doesn't know what he's doing with regards to hockey.  He hasn't learned his lessons, unfortunately.

 

While I am interested in Provost's take on the Smyl thing, which I think has legs, I think Smyl is/was an awkward choice for a GM. He doesn't have any GM experience, and while Allvin doesn't either, Rutherford came in with a resume that outshone Smyl.

 

I've been very, very vocal about the bad decisions made by new management, but Rutherford did claim that when he came in, he was said to have the freedom to make the decisions needed for the team. Well, at least that was the impression he gave off during interviews.

 

Sam Chang agrees with my assessment, although I had been making noise BEFORE October. New management essentially talked, but didn't actually walk.

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canucks-rebuilt-front-office-then-140056804.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFKZMxAP60jJWwje6XmGn5lw0XUnW_1-BiPmf-TTrLT9cxmJpCVOrTSVbkdvNNqykCZMHydDL5Ai-qDGs3D0XX9Gj5eT2JYbCtUx5TAGQejZykx66PphNUERsatvAZZ0_F4OMlzY-7PY8kFZwFFrfZfiNKbpRlDx020V1sCw1Smg

 

 

 

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, awalk said:

Canucks fans deserve a hell of a lot better than this owner. 

I think our owner spends to the max in hopes of recreating what Gillis did.  But he's got to learn that we need to fully and properly rebuild.  That Gillis team had a key core of picks that were top three in the draft.  

[tas]

5 minutes ago, Dazzle said:

He's a very smart businessman with regards to real estate, but he doesn't know what he's doing with regards to hockey.  He hasn't learned his lessons, unfortunately.

 

While I am interested in Provost's take on the Smyl thing, which I think has legs, I think Smyl is/was an awkward choice for a GM. He doesn't have any GM experience, and while Allvin doesn't either, Rutherford came in with a resume that outshone Smyl.

 

I've been very, very vocal about the bad decisions made by new management, but Rutherford did claim that when he came in, he was said to have the freedom to make the decisions needed for the team. Well, at least that was the impression he gave off during interviews.

 

Sam Chang agrees with my assessment, although I had been making noise BEFORE October. New management essentially talked, but didn't actually walk.

 

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/canucks-rebuilt-front-office-then-140056804.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFKZMxAP60jJWwje6XmGn5lw0XUnW_1-BiPmf-TTrLT9cxmJpCVOrTSVbkdvNNqykCZMHydDL5Ai-qDGs3D0XX9Gj5eT2JYbCtUx5TAGQejZykx66PphNUERsatvAZZ0_F4OMlzY-7PY8kFZwFFrfZfiNKbpRlDx020V1sCw1Smg

 

 

 

I think his brothers and father have far more to do with the success of the family businesses than francesco does. 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

1 hour ago, Coconuts said:

Frank would respond:. Buy me out?  Nah, I buy you out.  You're on the run from Boston & the Jacobs family & try to muscle me out?  I made my bones while you were playing with your ninja turtles toys.

[CoquitlamDave]

Steamer has always been my fav... Thought he was getting promoted in 2004 when they brought in Randy Carlyle to replace him in  Manitoba.  Steamer fan for life.  Brings the heart (intagibles) hockey needs.  

[DSVII]

1 hour ago, Coconuts said:

[MaxVerstappen33]

Good point about Smyl. He really thought he was gonna be GM for a few weeks. Then some totally foreign regime , with zero sentiment for this city or team , just moves in and sets up shop in his space. What an absolute joke. 

 

Aquilini needs to hire a chairman for the company. He can still own. Just step TF down.

[DS4quality]

Smyl may not have been a gm in the past, but when I worked at Roger's arena I saw him almost everyday. He was always working and was super friendly. He clearly knew the ins and outs of the industry. 

I'm sure now is probably tough for him dealing with his wife's recent passing. I just wish the best for Steamer, because he is truly Canuck at heart.

[Gurn]

[Provost]

2 hours ago, tas said:

while I don't disagree with your fundamental premise and I also think steamer got shafted a bit there, especially with how clear it became at the time just how much he cares, but I put the chain of events more on rutherford than francesco. 

 

rutherford was offered the job, hemmed and hawed and demurred and seemed luke warm to the idea at best, effectively turned the job down, and francesco had to do something in the interim.

 

stan definitely got the short end of the stick, but I don't think there was malice or deviousness involved. francesco just isn't very smart and is a terrible businessman.  

That would be a reasonable take EXCEPT if you listen to Smyl’s interviews when he was made interim GM.  He clearly had no idea at all they weee close to hiring a permanent guy…. Never mind they had already put an offer out there.

 

Aquilini clearly gave him the impression he probably had the season at the helm and/or a President might come in during the season and start looking for a new GM but keep him as interim while that happened.

 

Steamer was literally talking about his vision for the team identity and how he was talking with other GMs.  No idea he had no authority to do so as his tenure was going to be extremely short.