Great Jack Todd article
Nov 13, 2002 17:29:40 GMT -5
Post by MPLABBE on Nov 13, 2002 17:29:40 GMT -5
Classic. His best column in years.
GMs talk turkey
JACK TODD
The Gazette
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
The big guy in the pin-striped blue suit looked absolutely svelte standing there at the red line, absorbing the applause. Serge A. Savard - who left this club under duress not so long ago when Ronald Corey made the biggest blunder in the history of the CH - was back to take his bows as part of a season-long attempt on the part of the current management to honour the stars of the 1970s dynasty, while still refusing to hoist their numbers to the rafters.
Once the festivities were over, Savard's successor, André Savard, should have invited the Senator up to his private box, where their tête-à-tête for the duration of last night's game would have gone something like this:
André: Serge, I just don't get it. We thought we were getting somewhere last spring. We added Mariusz Czerkawski and Randy McKay. We were supposed to get better this year. We haven't been this healthy since you were running things. But we look like, like ...
Serge: Like horsespit?
André: That's it. I mean, when a good team like Dallas comes to town and they get the first goal, we get back on our heels and it's like, like ...
Serge: Like you don't even belong on the ice with these guys?
André: That's it. I mean, is Dallas really that good, or are we that bad? I know they're big and fast and talented, but this is getting, I mean, it's getting ...
Serge: Disgusting?
André: That's it. I can't put my finger on it. You look at the way we came back in the third period, you think maybe it wasn't so bad, 4-2 with an empty-net goal. But this was a 6-2 game, not 4-2. We always start so slow. Three, four, five shots in the first period. Like maybe we should start the games at 8 o'clock. Night after night. And we're giving up so many shots, game after game, you look down and it's like, it's like ...
Serge: A shooting gallery?
André: That's it. A shooting gallery. We can't go on giving up 36 shots a game, letting teams get 24 shots on us in a period and expecting to win. I don't care who the goaltender is. Like you take those three goals in the first period. It wasn't José Theodore's finest hour, I'll admit that. But on the third goal, well, if you're going to let Jason Arnott just walk in and fire away at your goalie, it's like, it's like ....
Serge: You deserve to lose?
André: That's it. But what we really needed tonight was a big, fast forward who can get out there and bang with these guys; you know, somebody like, somebody like ...
Serge: Chad Kilger?
André: Yeah, Chad Kilger. But Kilger, well, he was a healthy scratch so Donald Audette was playing against ...
Serge: A big, strong team like Dallas?
André: Yeah, a big strong team like Dallas. But Serge, not all the Stars are that big. There are some guys out there we could really use, you know, like, like ...
Serge: Pierre Turgeon? Stéphane Robidas? Kirk Muller?
André: Hey, you traded Muller ...
Serge: To get Turgeon. Because we had to get better. Look at the guys in green. What do you see?
André: You mean, like Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Jason Arnott, Turgeon, Ulf Dahlen, Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov, Scott Young playing on the fourth line ...
Serge: Horses, André. You gotta have the horses. When you came here you said we had to have players and we have players. Dallas, St. Louis, Philadelphia - they have horses. We had Turgeon, Mark Recchi, Vincent Damphousse. All gone.
André: Yeah, but we can't blame Reggie Houle forever. This is my team now. I thought we were going to be very fast, take advantage of the new rules, really come after teams like, like ...
Serge: The way Dallas is doing tonight?
André: That's it. But to do that, you need big, fast forwards who can score. Guys like, like ...
Serge: Vincent Damphousse? Scotty Thornton? Mark Recchi? Martin Rucinsky?
André: Groan ... You know, this job was fun when I started out. Geez, why does he have Traverse out there against Bill Guerin? And how come we have our fourth line out there against there second line? Don't we have the last change?
Serge: Don't tell me you're losing faith in your coach?
André: Never. This team is my responsibility. But when you keep getting your butt beat at home, it's, it's ...
Serge: Embarrassing? Hey, let me tell you about our team in the lockout season back in '95. Jacques Demers was coaching. We went 3-18-3 on the road. Now that's embarrassing, but at least we were awful on the road. This team is awful at home.
André: I know. Any suggestions, Serge?
Serge: Me? I run hotels now. This team? It's your problem now, big fella. But y'know, No. 18 would look good up there in the rafters with No. 19, No. 23, No. 29 ...
© Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette
GMs talk turkey
JACK TODD
The Gazette
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
The big guy in the pin-striped blue suit looked absolutely svelte standing there at the red line, absorbing the applause. Serge A. Savard - who left this club under duress not so long ago when Ronald Corey made the biggest blunder in the history of the CH - was back to take his bows as part of a season-long attempt on the part of the current management to honour the stars of the 1970s dynasty, while still refusing to hoist their numbers to the rafters.
Once the festivities were over, Savard's successor, André Savard, should have invited the Senator up to his private box, where their tête-à-tête for the duration of last night's game would have gone something like this:
André: Serge, I just don't get it. We thought we were getting somewhere last spring. We added Mariusz Czerkawski and Randy McKay. We were supposed to get better this year. We haven't been this healthy since you were running things. But we look like, like ...
Serge: Like horsespit?
André: That's it. I mean, when a good team like Dallas comes to town and they get the first goal, we get back on our heels and it's like, like ...
Serge: Like you don't even belong on the ice with these guys?
André: That's it. I mean, is Dallas really that good, or are we that bad? I know they're big and fast and talented, but this is getting, I mean, it's getting ...
Serge: Disgusting?
André: That's it. I can't put my finger on it. You look at the way we came back in the third period, you think maybe it wasn't so bad, 4-2 with an empty-net goal. But this was a 6-2 game, not 4-2. We always start so slow. Three, four, five shots in the first period. Like maybe we should start the games at 8 o'clock. Night after night. And we're giving up so many shots, game after game, you look down and it's like, it's like ...
Serge: A shooting gallery?
André: That's it. A shooting gallery. We can't go on giving up 36 shots a game, letting teams get 24 shots on us in a period and expecting to win. I don't care who the goaltender is. Like you take those three goals in the first period. It wasn't José Theodore's finest hour, I'll admit that. But on the third goal, well, if you're going to let Jason Arnott just walk in and fire away at your goalie, it's like, it's like ....
Serge: You deserve to lose?
André: That's it. But what we really needed tonight was a big, fast forward who can get out there and bang with these guys; you know, somebody like, somebody like ...
Serge: Chad Kilger?
André: Yeah, Chad Kilger. But Kilger, well, he was a healthy scratch so Donald Audette was playing against ...
Serge: A big, strong team like Dallas?
André: Yeah, a big strong team like Dallas. But Serge, not all the Stars are that big. There are some guys out there we could really use, you know, like, like ...
Serge: Pierre Turgeon? Stéphane Robidas? Kirk Muller?
André: Hey, you traded Muller ...
Serge: To get Turgeon. Because we had to get better. Look at the guys in green. What do you see?
André: You mean, like Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Jason Arnott, Turgeon, Ulf Dahlen, Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov, Scott Young playing on the fourth line ...
Serge: Horses, André. You gotta have the horses. When you came here you said we had to have players and we have players. Dallas, St. Louis, Philadelphia - they have horses. We had Turgeon, Mark Recchi, Vincent Damphousse. All gone.
André: Yeah, but we can't blame Reggie Houle forever. This is my team now. I thought we were going to be very fast, take advantage of the new rules, really come after teams like, like ...
Serge: The way Dallas is doing tonight?
André: That's it. But to do that, you need big, fast forwards who can score. Guys like, like ...
Serge: Vincent Damphousse? Scotty Thornton? Mark Recchi? Martin Rucinsky?
André: Groan ... You know, this job was fun when I started out. Geez, why does he have Traverse out there against Bill Guerin? And how come we have our fourth line out there against there second line? Don't we have the last change?
Serge: Don't tell me you're losing faith in your coach?
André: Never. This team is my responsibility. But when you keep getting your butt beat at home, it's, it's ...
Serge: Embarrassing? Hey, let me tell you about our team in the lockout season back in '95. Jacques Demers was coaching. We went 3-18-3 on the road. Now that's embarrassing, but at least we were awful on the road. This team is awful at home.
André: I know. Any suggestions, Serge?
Serge: Me? I run hotels now. This team? It's your problem now, big fella. But y'know, No. 18 would look good up there in the rafters with No. 19, No. 23, No. 29 ...
© Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette