[News] Oilers Press Conference at 10:30am. Tambellini Fired

[pylon]

If I am Boston right now, I am dangling Lucic for two huge pieces after McTavish's stupid comment. Basically showed the table his hand. Oiler Fans have a right to be livid. At least we have pretty much cleaned house here now. With Smyth, Horcoff, Hemsky, and their entire front office, they are basically clinging to the past, and it isn't changing any time soon.

Good.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by GGG

For a team that just got about 500 million in total susidies for an arena Lowes comments about caring more about the paying customer should get him fired.

Amazed that someone could look that unprofrssional in a press conference.

Agreed, Alienate the fans and look like a complete fool doing so. His very poor attempt to make a joke at that time was ridiculous as well(actually had to tell people it was a joke). I bet he went home, looked in the mirror and asked...where did I leave my Ego?


Once a tool always a tool I guess.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by trackercowe

No one is really talking about them bringing Howson back so quickly. As bad as Lowe and MacTavish have been, they are bringing over someone who made maybe one good move in his entire 3-4 year period in Columbus (trading for Bobrovsky). Aside from that he was probably the worst GM in hockey for the past few years.

I honestly can't believe the guy got back on his feet so quickly; I guess he's lucky that the Oilers run an "old boys club" operation. What other position in hockey was this guy going to find? I wouldn't let him oversee running concessions for the Flames.

Actually, Howson has been vindicated somewhat of late for the way Columbus has played this season. I won't go so far as to say Howson deserves to be a GM ever again, but considering the mess he inherited and having to deal with a meddling President *cough*, Howson seem to have turned the corner and made solid moves in his last years as GM of the BlueJackets.

Originally Posted by pylon

If I am Boston right now, I am dangling Lucic for two huge pieces after McTavish's stupid comment. Basically showed the table his hand.

Umm... who exactly would you trade Lucic for? Ya he's having a disappointing season thus far but at his best Lucic can impact a game in ways that nobody in the NHL can. Not sure why some people think MacTavish made a stupid comment about the team needed more Lucic-type players.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by liamenator

Considering how enjoyable the dog and pony show up north has been, this is a bit of a bummer. I think MacT will make a pretty good GM, and is certainly a more viable long-term option than either Tortellini or Lowe.

Based on his performance in this press conference, I have serious doubts about how effectively MacTavish will be able to translate his hockey acumen into tangible results in his new role. I would think that someone who has even an adequate handle on NHL team management would not have handled this in such an amateurish fashion:

· Does MacTavish honestly believe that the current predicament in Edmonton is still a product of their success in the eighties?
· After the past three years, with RFA status for their star players diminishing with each passing season and without any tangible results to show for it; with the lingering stigma that Edmonton has developed and done little to quell for their handling of players; does MacTavish actually have a plan for attracting new supplemental talent? Because it sounded much like he seems to expect players to start lining up merely for the chance to play.

Originally Posted by liamenator

MacT has always struck me as a really sharp thinker of the game--as much as we are loathe to admit it, he was a very good coach for the majority of his time behind the Oilers bench. He's got the contacts and the reputation to transition fairly seamlessly into the NHL GM club; I suspect he's far more respected than Tambellini and has far better bedside manner than Lowe.

Tambellini's credibility suffered for his attachment to the Oilers organisation. Prior to his hiring, he was widely considered an aspiring future administrative talent. Unlike MacTavish, he had actually had years of managerial experience on his resume, and was the heir apparent in Vancouver for a long time. MacTavish was a good coach, but what tangible proof does anyone possess that he can actually construct a hockey team?

Originally Posted by liamenator

So I expect he'll be a fairly quick study as a GM and will outlast Lowe, which will be unfortunate as far as observing perpetual trainwrecks goes.

I think the Oilers are in serious trouble. I do not believe that MacTavish possesses the requisite experience to be an effective manager. His demeanour and his responses to questions during the press conference have only further solidified my convictions.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by FAN

Umm... who exactly would you trade Lucic for? Ya he's having a disappointing season thus far but at his best Lucic can impact a game in ways that nobody in the NHL can. Not sure why some people think MacTavish made a stupid comment about the team needed more Lucic-type players.

Even Klowen made a jab about that comment. Now every GM in the league, knows what he is after, and if they have that piece they can negotiate from a position of strength, and demand more.

For a guy with an "MBA" (Executive MBA's have been given to high school drop outs BTW, and anyone with 'related' work experience can apply to a program if they have the cash), that wasn't a very savvy business move to make 9 minutes into the job. It is negotiating 101. Never show your proverbial hand.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Based on his performance in this press conference, I have serious doubts about how effectively MacTavish will be able to translate his hockey acumen into tangible results in his new role. I would think that someone who has even an adequate handle on NHL team management would not have handled this in such an amateurish fashion:

· Does MacTavish honestly believe that the current predicament in Edmonton is still a product of their success in the eighties?
· After the past three years, with RFA status for their star players diminishing with each passing season and without any tangible results to show for it; with the lingering stigma that Edmonton has developed and done little to quell for their handling of players; does MacTavish actually have a plan for attracting new supplemental talent? Because it sounded much like he seems to expect players to start lining up merely for the chance to play.


Tambellini's credibility suffered for his attachment to the Oilers organisation. Prior to his hiring, he was widely considered an aspiring future administrative talent. Unlike MacTavish, he had actually had years of managerial experience on his resume, and was the heir apparent in Vancouver for a long time. MacTavish was a good coach, but what tangible proof does anyone possess that he can actually construct a hockey team?


I think the Oilers are in serious trouble. I do not believe that MacTavish possesses the requisite experience to be an effective manager. His demeanour and his responses to questions during the press conference have only further solidified my convictions.

The minute MacTavish said he's not a patient man is the minute everyone knew he wont make a good GM...actually amazing that a guy with years of hockey experience would say this.

[FAN]

Originally Posted by pylon

Even Klowen made a jab about that comment. Now every GM in the league, knows what he is after, and if they have that piece they can negotiate from a position of strength, and demand more.

For a guy with an "MBA" (Executive MBA's have been given to high school drop outs BTW, and anyone with 'related' work experience can apply to a program if they have the cash), that wasn't a very savvy business move to make 9 minutes into the job. It is negotiating 101. Never show your proverbial hand.

Nah. This whole "don't show your hand" philosophy is generally irrelevant in professional sports. Sure you never want to show desperation, but there's nothing wrong with letting everyone know what you are looking for and that you're open for business. There's a difference between identifying a need and wanting a certain type of player and being desperate. MacT only suggested the former and not the latter. You can say that a team looking to move a powerforward and is interested in what the Oilers can offer will call up MacT. On the other hand a team looking to move a player should be making calls even though it "shows your hand".

Figuring out what another team is looking for really isn't rocket science. It's like the Penguins perpetually looking for someone to play with Crosby. Every competent GM in the league knows that the Penguins want to add a top 6 winger to play with Crosby. It doesn't mean that Shero somehow showed his hand and will therefore be taken advantage of. The Bruins were in a similar situation. Everyone knew what the Bruins were looking for. And then once the Pens made that Morrow, everyone figured the Bruins had to react. Team needs really aren't some big secret that needs to be held close to the vest.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by T@T

The minute MacTavish said he's not a patient man is the minute everyone knew he wont make a good GM...actually amazing that a guy with years of hockey experience would say this.

Lets not kid ourselves here. The man was not even a very good NHL coach. Take away Pronger, Pecca, and Roloson and he gets fired in after the 2005/2006 season where they just snuck in and all the top teams got eliminated. People that argue otherwise only have to look at the fact that he never got another sniff in the NHL with anyone despite several opportunities over the past few years. People think he was smart? I believed he was a thinker but it's debaeable if those thoughts weren't better off perishing in his sleep as he never was on the same page as his players. He handled his goaltenders like they were hand grenades, there wasn't a 4th line plugger he didn't love, and alienated a lot of his skilled players. All this tells me that the man has potential disaster written all over him as GM. His only saving grace is that he is going to get a lot of advice from Kevin Lowe. Oh wait.............. People may compare this to Darryl Sutter getting the GM job with the Flames but one difference is that Darryl Sutter was a really good NHL coach.

I will give some of the Oilers media some credit for not being drunk on Kool-aid. Good article below;

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/04/1...the-team-needs

[EldrickOnIce]

Transcript of the Mackinnon questions/response that led to two or three of Lowe's donkey responses:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sport...405/story.html

[bubbsy]

kevin lowe's reaction to the guy who throws in the "cup run was 7 years ago" is awesome. Pure hesitation, discomfort, and just dumb answers thru in thru (we have 2 customers one that we really care and another.. not so much, and that nobody knows more about winning than lowe).

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by pylon

Even Klowen made a jab about that comment. Now every GM in the league, knows what he is after, and if they have that piece they can negotiate from a position of strength, and demand more.

I think Lowe was telling him to shut up about Lucic because MacTavish was getting very close to tampering.

Lots of GMs describe the type of players they want to the media... but when you publicly mention a specific player by name that is under contract with another organization as someone you want to bring in onto your team that is tampering

[EldrickOnIce]

Another similar sounding reaction and good read by ESPN Scott Burnside

Tambellini's fault? Maybe. The results are the results.

But before Tambellini it was MacTavish's fault (he "stepped down" as head coach exactly four years ago, in fact), then it was Pat Quinn's fault, then Tom Renney's and, well, funny how the blame always seems to fall away from Lowe, whose roots with this team date to 1979 when the Oilers selected the defenseman 21st overall and whose fingerprints continue to be found all over this aimless franchise.

Does anyone really think that any of those moves happened without Lowe's absolute blessing or, worse, at his prodding?

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/i...stem-promotion

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Lets not kid ourselves here. The man was not even a very good NHL coach. Take away Pronger, Pecca, and Roloson and he gets fired in after the 2005/2006 season where they just snuck in and all the top teams got eliminated. People that argue otherwise only have to look at the fact that he never got another sniff in the NHL with anyone despite several opportunities over the past few years. People think he was smart? I believed he was a thinker but it's debaeable if those thoughts weren't better off perishing in his sleep as he never was on the same page as his players. He handled his goaltenders like they were hand grenades, there wasn't a 4th line plugger he didn't love, and alienated a lot of his skilled players. All this tells me that the man has potential disaster written all over him as GM. His only saving grace is that he is going to get a lot of advice from Kevin Lowe. Oh wait.............. People may compare this to Darryl Sutter getting the GM job with the Flames but one difference is that Darryl Sutter was a really good NHL coach.

I will give some of the Oilers media some credit for not being drunk on Kool-aid. Good article below;

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/04/1...the-team-needs

I couldn't have said this better a lot of players tuned MacT out, "much like Sutter" he liked to micro manage little details was very, very defense oriented, liked to win low scoring games. If they won 5 to 4 he would complain that he didn't like they way they won and players often complained about squeezing sticks. I have a hunch that (just a hunch) Kevin Lowe didn't really want to hire MacT as GM. This may be why we are seeing the strong reactions from Klowe. He is not going to come right out and say it. The Fact that MacT was promoted so quickly tells me that there may be some internal power struggles that didn't allow for due process for a proper search for better more experienced GM. The demeanor during the interview was very telling that something just wasn't right.

[PeteMoss]

Lucic is ridiculously over-rated. OMG a guy who can fight and not be a complete plug. When you list the reasons Boston is a top team, Lucic is probably 5th or lower on the list (Chara, coaching, centre depth, goaltending, defensive depth, etc). He's got a whopping six goals this year and hasn't improved in the past couple years since his 30 goal year two years back.

**Cue massive backlash for stating this**

[dissentowner]

This is freakin hilarious. Of course Lowe would go with a buddy, he could never puppet master a guy like Burke. Everyone knows that Lowe is the guy making all the decisions there, glad he is still there and the Grease will continue to be horrid.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Another similar sounding reaction and good read by ESPN Scott Burnside

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/i...stem-promotion

Good read.

I couldn't stop snickering at this:

...but we still can't help but imagine that Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" plays in a nonstop loop around the Oiler offices, every day, all day.

That song must have been running full blast Monday...

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

I have a hunch that (just a hunch) Kevin Lowe didn't really want to hire MacT as GM.

I think your hunch is wrong. This is exactly who Lowe wanted, an old buddy that will be the face of the position while he continues to be the actual guy calling the shots. If Lowe was serious about bringing in an actual GM he would have waited and interviewed a bunch of different candidates. Lowe is an egomaniac, he has "won 5 cups" and he knows the business and nobody can run the Oilers better than him.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Lucic is ridiculously over-rated. OMG a guy who can fight and not be a complete plug. When you list the reasons Boston is a top team, Lucic is probably 5th or lower on the list (Chara, coaching, centre depth, goaltending, defensive depth, etc). He's got a whopping six goals this year and hasn't improved in the past couple years since his 30 goal year two years back.

**Cue massive backlash for stating this**

If the Flames got Lucic he would be the most important player on this team after the goalie.

He is EXACTLY the type of player we need from being the butlersoftest team in the league.

oh and clutterbuck!

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I think your hunch is wrong. This is exactly who Lowe wanted, an old buddy that will be the face of the position while he continues to be the actual guy calling the shots. If Lowe was serious about bringing in an actual GM he would have waited and interviewed a bunch of different candidates. Lowe is an egomaniac, he has "won 5 cups" and he knows the business and nobody can run the Oilers better than him.

Like I said it's just a hunch, I am not 100% convinced Klowe and MacT are actually buddy, buddy as some people think. We will have to agree to disagree and see how this plays out.

[dash_pinched]

If posted already, apologies, but according to Ryan Rishaug (TSN Edmonton bureau), there was no interview process, Lowe gave the job to MacT.

@TSNRyanRishaug 14h
1. Couple thoughts on today. Kevin didn’t interview any other candidates, just gave Craig the job. Tough optics in this situation……