Joe Sakic Enters the Avalanche Illuminati

by J Scott Moore

So the salary floor hugging Colorado Avalanche has recently added another executive to the top heavy management structure already in place. Yes, I know who that man is and the implications of his employment with this team. But the fact remains that the players are the ones that play the game and if the Avs are on a budget, shouldn’t they spend a little more on the ice instead of behind the desk?

The Avs landed a decent goalie in Craig Anderson only to lose him with ten year old negotiating tactics that are as dead as the days of sell-outs at the Pepsi Center. One contract offer: take it or leave it. That was all fine and dandy in the old glory days. Players wanted badly to be a part of this wining, star-studded team. But when the circumstances change around this team, and boy-howdy have they changed, the management needed to respond. They didn’t, they haven’t. I hate to say it but Pierre Lacroix doesn’t know how to do the rebuilding that this team needs. He was handed a team that was already full of future stars in a time before salary caps. He made the Roy trade that sealed the deal and made him a genius for the next decade. That team conveniently went on to win a cup and win the hearts of this city. It was a gravy job to manage this team after that.

But free agents no longer hanker for our cow-town. Premier players no longer add Denver to the short list when ask to waive a no trade clause. And long ago the so-called home town discount has disappeared into the Denver thin air. Players won’t come here just to play with Sakic, Roy, Forsberg and Foote anymore. Because they aren’t here! It seems ridiculous to state the obvious and just as ridiculous that it needs to be stated.

It needs to be stated and understood in the offices and secret places inside the Pepsi Center where apparently the Avs illuminati think Ryan O’Reilly and TJ Galiardi are the Emperor’s New Clothes. And I’m afraid it’s up to Joe to set things straight.

The symbiotic relationship between Joe Sakic and the Illuminati has been renewed. There is a lot of synchronicity in a relationship between the two. Quoteless Joe they called him in the locker room. Well that sounds like the perfect match for the organization that likes to keep their fans in the dark about everything. Parade Joe up there to do a lot of chit-chat to the media every now and again and when it’s all over you realize he didn’t tell you a darn thing. He’s a natural.

Ok, so I’m being pretty cynical about it, right? Well, I don’t know about that. But let’s look at it another way. The popular line of thinking is that Sakic offers the experience of a player that has won it all, was well known to be a committed and dedicated guy as well as being highly respected in the community. From the management’s point of view he’s also the guy that always said the right thing in any situation and never said too much. He could handle the pressure of the media, didn’t get flustered and had the company line down pat. Put the two together and viola! The perfect former player turned executive in charge of turning around his former team. And I’m sure he is 100% sincere in his efforts. Let’s just hope that the guys that hired him are on the same page as Super Joe.

   

The Surprising Avalanche

For Immediate Release

April 7th, 2010

 

From the office of I. Stanley Honky:


I am pleased to announce that this organization has decided to change our name to the down-right appropriate…”Surprising Avalanche.” This decision will integrate well with the media’s current mood and in fact their season long astonishment that the Avalanche are a competitive team.


We believe that the “Colorado” moniker is too limiting in scope. Now people far and wide can embrace the Avalanche, anyone that IS surprised can feel like a part of this family.


While it is heretofore an unprecedented event for a team to change names in the midst of a season, we feel that integrating this transformation as the team heads into the post-season is the perfect time and place for such a surprising maneuver.


Said Pierre LaObster, “This is an organ-eye-zation that has surprised everyone.”


General Sherman reiterated LaObster’s surprise, “If I had known this team was going to actually compete I never would have given away a guy like Ryan Smyth.”


Special note to the press: Please refrain from using any synonyms to “surprising” when describing the “Surprising Avalanche” for the immediate future as this will cause bafflement and general bewilderment amongst our fans, new and old.


The following are some examples:
Astonishing
Astounding
Amazing
Shocking
Startling
Unexpected
Unanticipated
Unforeseen


Thank you.



I have some inside sources that tell me that the name “Colorado Surprising Avalanche” was tossed around the room quite a bit but that the illuminati did not want to become associated with the only other NHL team (Anaheim Mighty Ducks) with such a silly name.

I called a few people around the league to get reaction to the news.

Doc Emerick: “Oh my! That IS surprising!”

Barry Melrose: “I’ll be surprised if they make it out of the first round.”

Patrick Roy: “I’m surprised at how much longer I’ll be staying here in Quebec.”

-From the Point

Pierre Lacroix the Despot

At the risk of being declared a Pierre Lacroix apologist, these comparisons to infamous and evil despots, is foolish. In the course of two days he has been compared to Vladimir Putin by Allan Muir of SI and the Chinese government by Dave Krieger at the Denver Post.

Hyperbole is common ground for many journalists, in fact Denver's Woody Paige loves to do this kind of garbage. Do you really think Pierre Lacroix is analogous to the Chinese government? To a country that has innumerable human rights issues? It’s a big, big world. Surely there are better analogies. While this is bound to get the comments going, it’s hard to take the articles seriously.

I have my issues with Lacroix. I thought offering Foote and Forsberg teensy-weensy contracts after the salary cap was implemented was a HUGE mistake. He should have just angled for one or the other.

Theo Fluery was a mistake. Robyn Regehr would be a cornerstone defensive guy in Colorado if that trade hadn't happened. On the plus side Chris Dingman was included in that trade and he and Scott Parker had one of the best (and shortest) training camp fights I've ever seen!

And Drury, well never mind. Those are just a few off the top of my head, but lets lay off the comparisons to political dictators.

Posted by: From the Point

Avs Fire Everyone in Sight

A day after the carnage at the Pepsi Center, I’m still a little surprised that Michel Goulet was fired, probably a situation where he was looking for a new role as GM and Pierre Lacroix wasn’t going to give it to him. That or Goulet was complicit in this entire fiasco of the last season, telling Lacroix that everything was fine and he had to pay for that with his job. Some think Goulet was tired of being the Dwight Schrute of hockey! I think he was the assistant to the general manager for a very long time. Kudos to the guys over at MHH for the Dwight Schrute references, funny stuff. I think that Goulet was tired of 10+ years of being Dwight and was pushing for a bigger role. Instead he got pushed out the door. All “Office” references are funny, period. And this one is already getting plenty of work.

I think the new “management structure” isn’t structurally very different from the old. But an accountant as the GM and a hockey guy as the asst. GM is actually ok with me. Let’s face it, with a salary cap and all its complexities, an accountant and some lawyers are essential.

It should not be a surprise that Eric Lacroix is back in the organ-i-zation. Nepotism: I guess it is what it is, as Bertuzzi would say. One thing for sure, you can’t blame Eric for bailing on the Coyotes! I know a lot of people are disappointed in the continuation of internal hires. I can’t disagree; we will just have to see how it all pans out.

Now that Greg Sherman is “in charge” here is what I expect from General Sherman:
-No sleep for the next month, work, work, work!! Your first day off is July 4th, until then I expect you to down a case of Red Bull a day!
-We need three coaches hired – Ok, Joe Sacco and Sylvain Lefebvre…no complaints so far. The talk of Crawford was probably just that, but I would have had trouble with that hire.
The General also needs to get working on free agents:
-Call Martin Biron and that Swedish goalie
-Make nice with Lappy and get him signed, this team will need that leadership
-Find a way to sign Sakic w/out bludgeoning what little cap room we have
Now, just a warning, you are bound to start getting a little sleep deprived and your judgment may be slightly impaired, so on about July 3rd or 4th, beware of a phone call from an agent wanting you to sign Skyler Erinnson, or Byler Aaronnsen or some such player. There will be mention of a temptingly low contract. It’s a trick. Don’t do it. Calmly hang up the phone.

On the goalie front, the Flyers are reportedly going to sign Ray Emery. I can't see Biron sticking around, as I mentioned before, the Avs should take a serious look at this guy.

Now, about the head coach. While the Sacco hiring is a bit anti-climactic after the Roy saga I'm willing to give the guy a chance. As I predicted, PL did not recycle an NHL guy and I am happy about that. Many people brought up names like Laviolette, Crawford and even Hartley. Sacco is well aware that he was second choice, at best. In his favor, the expectations are low. Ouch.

Keep in mind that much of the delay of getting this all done was due to Roy's protracted decision making process, probably Lacroix's health issues and the Nuggets run deep into the playoffs. Everyone is assuming the Avs didn't interview anyone else, but we don't really know that.


Posted by: From the Point

Colorado Avalanche "Management Structure" Revealed

Ok people, listen up! All you whiners out there that think Pierre Lacroix has to hire a GM before hiring a Coach...please see the organ-i-zational chart below. Do you see how the GM and the coach are on the same level?

Ok. Pop quiz: Who do the Head Coach and the GM answer to?
If you said Pierre Lacroix, congratulations! You get a Gold Star!
Now, does the head coach report to the GM? Not anymore. That was a kinda tricky question because he used to.
Ok, let us review with the following organ-i-zation chart. This is a simplified chart just in case you are still a bit confused about who is running this team.

Posted by: From the Point

Roy an American Idol?

Roy wants to be sure that when his son hits the stage on American Idol, he is there for every moment of it. St. Patrick's son has dumped hockey for a singing career. I bet if he pummels Simon Cowell's head to a pulp people will forget all about that ugly incident on the rink.

While I was a huge supporter of hiring Roy for any job he wanted with the Avs, I'm not really disappointed that he is now out of the running. I felt all along that the hype was at least as great as the risk. So it would have been an interesting ride, but it could have been like watching a train derail in slow motion. And we have seen enough of that this last season.

So where do the Avs go from here? Pierre Lacroix doesn't really have a pattern of hiring recycled coaches, Granato being the arguable exception (because I think Giguere made that call). Quenneville's stint with the Avs was only his second head coaching job.

Is it time for another no-name from a windshield factory to take over this team? Is it still Granato's? It seems clear that it is not. If Granato wants to continue to garner the sympathy of the blogging and media world he should continue to sit at home, confused. Or he can be a man and demand an end to this. Problem is, he has no power, I'm sure if he resigns, he forfeits the balance of the contract. So if you think he is being treated so poorly, just remember he will probably come out of this with a reassignment or two years of golfing, gratis.

It really is hard to say if Granato is a doormat or the loyal soldier. He certainly raised a few eyebrows when he gladly stepped aside for coach Goalie-Go-Round. I think Granato knows what is going on, and I suspect he is a willing participant. Call it the Cult of Lacroix-ality.

Random Ramblings

Due to my pesky job I had to wait all day to post my pithy thoughts about the current state of the organ-i-zation.

I make GREAT BBQ sauce.

Kane: Too little too late. But what a great player that kid is! I had hoped that the Hawks could at least hang around to wear down the Wings...

Helm OWNED the Hawks for 25 seconds on that penalty kill.

Detoilet fan stands up to get on camera more than any other fan.

Franzen: First he gets creamed at the blue line and then Huet robs him with the right pad, flung into the air in the last seconds of the 3rd. School the Mule, gotta take what you can get, I guess.

Crosby touched the conference trophy! Holy crap! I love it! This is also one of the few times of the year that players will discuss superstitions a little. Osgood admitted that they were not going to touch their trophy.

The Kult of Kroenke-ality: I'm actually watching the Nuggets.

I think I know why people like to watch basketball, it SO colorful! Bright blue and yellow! Beautiful wood floor! Almost makes you forget all that annoying squeaking.

Bird Watching: Chris Andersen is the bomb.

Mini Dater-Watch
Adrian Dater apparently spoke to Roy and "Roy confirmed he had an offer to coach the team, but whether there was an offer to have the vacant general manager's job as well was not addressed."

WHAT?

Dater has Roy on the phone and doesn't bother to ask about the combo deal?? After complaining loudly about his calls being ignored, and he doesn't ask THAT question?? C'mon man!

"...was not addressed"?? Well ADDRESS it Dater!

Posted by: From the Point

In Defense of Pierre Lacroix

Pierre Lacroix has been taking a lot of heat lately about the state of the Colorado Avalanche. He has been accused of blaming Francois Giguere for the Avs dismal season. He has been accused of living in the past. The secrecy of his inner circle rivals that of the Illuminati. He is widely portrayed as a puppet master.

Pierre Lacroix disseminates information when and where he pleases and not before. For the rabid Avalanche fan living in the instant-information age, it’s infuriating. For those employed in the media, well let’s just say their jobs are difficult enough without Pierre Lacroix adding the n-th degree of difficulty. Maybe someone needs to call in Robert Langdon to decipher what Lacroix meant by “management structure”.

I hold no ill will toward the man. I am satisfied to wait. I am not anxious about the new “structure” the Avalanche will employ. Am I anxious to know what it is? Sure, but I am not fretting like some fans and media personnel. I believe Lacroix knows better than most the state of our team. He has the most to gain and the most to lose, so I expect him to be deliberate and precise in his actions. Nothing less will do.

Perhaps Lacroix is an old fashioned business man. He believes that keeping the rumors to a minimum keeps the deal on track. Loose lips sink ships. And the accusations of puppet master are unfair. If you have ever been in a position to hire people you know how important it is to find people that share your philosophies and values about the project, job or goal that you are trying to accomplish. You don’t go out looking for a rebel soul unless you are trying to sink your own ship. So of course Lacroix is going to hire someone that is going to resemble his style. That doesn’t mean they can’t think for themselves.

That’s where I think Patrick Roy fits in well. Lacroix and Roy share one very important trait. The desire to win. But at the same time I don’t think anyone would ever mistake Patrick Roy as anyone other than his own man. Roy is no puppet. I highly support Lacroix hiring Roy as the next head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. And I think he should do it regardless of the status of the GM situation. Will Roy hold both positions or are the rumors just getting a little out of hand as time passes without any solid information?

It isn’t necessarily backwards to hire one before the other. I think Lacroix should hire who he thinks is the best man for the general manager job. Then the GM and the coach must work together to restore this team to its winning ways. This methodology is not unheard of, many sports organizations work this way. Granted, many create a great deal of friction in the process, sometimes resulting in the needed ouster of one or the other. However, we have seen this hockey team fail with the following progression: Lacroix hires GM, GM hires coach, team plummets to last place. There is nothing wrong with shaking up the process. And if that takes a little time, so be it.


Posted by: From the Point

Sweetening the Pot - All In!

Dater is reporting that Pierre Lacroix has offered Patrick Roy the whole enchilada!!

Report: Roy has combo offer by Adrian Dater

Offering Roy the head coaching job along with the GM position. And Roy already has his coaching staff picked out. Well, be sure you fire Jeff Hackett while you are at it, Roy! This is not really too surprising.

Will it work?

I say: make that combo a Super Size!

Posted by: From the Point

Will Patrick Roy Coach the Avalanche?

Nearly two weeks ago Patrick Roy arrived in Denver for a visit. That’s something that doesn’t happen very often. Peter Forsberg is in Denver on a regular basis, but not St. Patrick. So what is going on? Surely it has something to do with Pierre Lacroix’s efforts to implement a new management structure within the Colorado Avalanche organization. But Roy has said he isn’t a paper pusher. He wants to coach. The Avs have a general manager opening, not a coaching vacancy. Or do they?

So far the general manager search has proceeded slowly, at least as far as we know. Many people seem to be troubled by the slow progress, apparently forgetting how upset they were last season when the Avs moved swiftly to let Joel Quenneville go and hire Tony Granato. Well, you can’t please all the people all the time.

Assuming Roy came to town to talk about a coaching job: I have to disagree with a good many people that the process is being run backwards. People think you should hire the GM and then the coach. I would be pleased to see Lacroix hiring the coach and the GM, in any order and forcing the two to work together under his direction. He should hire the two men he thinks are best for the job; tell them to work together with the common goal of bringing this team up to the level of competition we have come to expect.

Hiring Roy to coach the Colorado Avalanche is a gamble worth taking.

Patrick Roy is a fiery competitor, no one disputes that. Roy does not accept losing. Look, I don’t think Granato accepts losing either, but some men have another level to their being. In this town I think we saw that with Dan Reeves. I would argue that he willed that team beyond its level of skill and even his own level of coaching. Pure will. You could see Reeves on the sideline, concentrating, motivating his players to succeed.

Granato seems to lack the coaching intangibles that will get players to elevate their play. Every team needs that from the coach. I think Roy has it.

Roy has that determination. It’s a purpose, a will to win. It’s otherworldly. In fact it isn’t unlike the “Force” that Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi possessed. And, as it is in the Star Wars universe, some people have it, but most do not.

Besides “will”, we should expect another distinctive trait from Roy, eccentricity. Roy fits the stereotype of the idiosyncratic goalie to a tee. I have always suspected the Avs policy of not showing opponents goals on the jumbo-tron originated from Roy. Shortly after Roy was gone the puzzling practice was abandoned. This brings up another point I want to make in favor of Roy. Can you imagine Roy dictating to Pierre Lacroix? Telling Lacroix, “Hey, it is disrespectful to show a goal against me, over and over to the home crowd. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t do that.” I think Roy may have, and Lacroix capitulated.

Roy is not a guy that will be a puppet. But once in the management end of the business will it be different? I think Roy knows that it will be, it may result in much more push and pull between two powerful men. As a player, that sort of power may have already been established. Roy was an elite player and Lacroix knew it and respected it. Roy has been successful at the Major Junior level but he is hardly what you would call an elite coach.

Is it a risk? Sure it is. But you finished last in the Western Conference this season, what have you got to lose? Do it Lacroix, roll the dice and go for broke. Because I sure would like to see Roy get the chance to become an elite coach!

Posted by: From the Point

The Dollar$ & Sense of an NHL GM

Colorado Avalanche GM, Francois Giguere was supposed to be a $ guy, an accountant, numbers were his game. And even with as long as he has been around the league, I don't recall anyone calling him a hockey guy. And maybe this team is what you get when you only look at the bottom line.
Brett Hull is a hockey guy, but they aren't going to leave him to cipher the complexities of the salary cap. Sean Avery made a mess of Dallas but made NY a better team. So there needs to be a balance.
Francois Giguere can't see that guys like Arny, and Tucker are bad and that guys like Bruno are good. Chances are FG didn't want to listen to people that told him about hockey sense, that's why his next job will be at an accounting firm. Though when you have guys like Tony Granato in Tucker's corner, it could mean you have the wrong people advising you.
I think the interview Adrian Dater did approaching the trade deadline was telling as well. FG said he wanted to make a trade and couldn't get it done. It's too hard in this day of salary caps. Pierre Lacroix doesn't really strike me as a guy that accepts "no-can-do" very well. You don't walk into PL's office and say, well, it's just too hard to trade anyone right now, so, oh well. That No-Can-Do attitude doesn't fly with team president, proud mastermind of two Cups. And though there are many legitimate slams on PL, he never sent this team to the bottom like we've seen this year.
It has been suggested that Eric Lacoix may be the next GM. And that this would be a bad choice because when he was an Avs player, he was hated. Several things wrong with that conclusion; of course he was hated, his daddy was the GM and anyone who has worked for their parents know they will not be treated the same. At least in this position EL would be the boss and who cares if the players and personnel don't like him? He's the boss, not there to be liked. At least this is a guy that has done just about everything there is to do in hockey. Player, scout, video coach, minor league owner. Seems better than an accountant to me.
Another thing people are saying is that PL is still running this team, well no kidding, he is the prez. So whether or not his son is the new GM, it will be a guy hand-picked by PL. Little difference.
Now why is Granato still here? Possibly PL will let the new GM decide what to do with the coaching situation. A lot of people thought PL was going to pull the strings on FG but it appears that he really did let him sink the ship and that includes picking the coach. So Granato may be at the mercy of the new GM.
Whoever is chosen as the new GM, I just hope this organization regains its hockey sense.
Posted by: From the Point