[News] Sportsnet interview with Maloney (2-parter)

[ComixZone]

Part 1 Link here

Digesting it.

I have no faith in Maloney led organization - and I think he’s earned that lack of faith throughout his career.

DM: Again, in a fantasy world, it's very enticing. You have to deal with the real world, too. First of all, we're very early in this season. Let's see how it plays out the rest of the year for those teams. No disrespect, those teams are really good, but on that side, look at some of the other teams that have been in this. I don't want to say the teams, but they've been down and missed playoffs for years and years and years. And then you lose your fans, you lose your interest and nobody wants that.

It feels like this organization is bafflingly unaware of its own failures, and stunning lack of success.

He talks about years and years, so he’s opening the door for “years and years” of review, and when you look at “years and years” the Flames have been pretty much the least successful organization in the league dating back “years and years”.

This organization, from their own words, just seems completely clueless.

I’m also now really beginning to question why Maloney is out there talking like this. Where is Conroy? Locked in the basement next to Dr. Dre?

The Flames are acting every bit as embarrassing as the Oilers did back their Lowe days. Instead of outright saying their or two tiers of fans, they’re just saying “fans just don’t understand”.

Part 2 Link here

“I think we need more Kadris, not less,” said Maloney of the 35-year-old centre he deems crucial to the culture and leadership of his team.

“We need more of that winning.”

Sportsnet: How would you assess the job Craig Conroy has done?

Don Maloney: I think Craig has been excellent at creating an environment, a culture here of being proud to play in Calgary. I think his biggest strength is his relationship with the players, which is excellent. He cares, and they know he cares. I think the first year was very difficult with the number of good players we had at the end of their contracts. A couple of those guys would probably help us right about now, but we got through that. I think Year 2 was very strong. But again, you want to keep the pressure on each other and why we say we want to be a playoff team. We don't want to go into the season saying, ‘We want to draft in the top five.’ I don't want to, in any way, shape or form, be associated with that, because then, why are we doing this? Just to fantasize we're going to get a star player?

SN: Conroy is in the final year of his contract. Why hasn't he been extended?

DM: We keep that internal. We're not discussing that. We have a certain process we go through here.

[BigT112]

I said it in the Barn Burner thread but I'll say it here too. This franchise is cooked.

Everything Boomer said the other say is right. This franchises brain trust is treating it's fanbase as idiotic children. That's an insult. We understand that a rebuild might result in a few years of bottom feeder teams. The results are often worth the pain. It's a risk worth taking.

It might be time to re-evaluate my level of interest/engagement in your team going forward Murray. If you're going to treat me like this, I can spend my hard earned money elsewhere. We get effed over in every other aspect of life, I don't need the Flames bending me over too. It's obvious (if it wasn't already) that this franchise cares very little for it's fans. It's just so frustrating to be so GD mid all the time. And the worst part, THEY ARE PROUD OF IT! Eff saakes.

Also inteesting this drops late in the day on a Friday, when you generally drop news you know will not go over well.

[The EBUG's EBUG]

"There’s not even agreement anymore McKenna is going first. There’s very few franchise players in every draft. Regardless of where we pick — one, five, 10, our hope is that we get a top-level player, and that's not our focus at all"

Taking a random swipe at McKenna seems like an absolutely insane choice.

[PepsiFree]

Another thing for people to completely overreact to but in context I didn’t really mind any of his responses, and literally none of it is new information and the same stuff they’ve been saying for 2 years.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Another thing for people to completely overreact to but in context I didn’t really mind any of his responses, and literally none of it is new information and the same stuff they’ve been saying for 2 years.

I’m not overreacting. I’m simply judging this perennially unsuccessful professional hockey team manager for being unsuccessful.

[Jiggy_12]

Man, as a loyal and paying fan - I feel attacked

[Two Fivenagame]

And where is Craig Conroy in all of this? Why is Foney Maloney being the spokes person here and not Conroy?
And he still doesn't have a contact.

What is going on with the head office of this franchise!?

[Cole436]

People are wildly overreacting to this.

Maloney has several stakeholders to think about in an interview: ownership, sponsors, STH’s, the coaches, and the players. He cannot publicly say the team is giving up 20 games into the season. If he did, the players will check out, the coaching staff will stop taking the job seriously, and ownership would be furious, especially with a new arena coming and ticket prices likely increasing for a team that may miss the playoffs.

Everything we’ve heard from people around the team suggests the Flames are comfortable with this being a step-back year aimed at getting a high draft pick and building for the future.

Anyone who is upset about Maloney’s comments doesn’t understand how to manage the media, particularly this early in the season.

[Jiggy_12]

Originally Posted by Cole436

People are wildly overreacting to this.

Maloney has several stakeholders to think about in an interview: ownership, sponsors, STH’s, the coaches, and the players. He cannot publicly say the team is giving up 20 games into the season. If he did, the players will check out, the coaching staff will stop taking the job seriously, and ownership would be furious, especially with a new arena coming and ticket prices likely increasing for a team that may miss the playoffs.

Everything we’ve heard from people around the team suggests the Flames are comfortable with this being a step-back year aimed at getting a high draft pick and building for the future.

Anyone who is upset about Maloney’s comments doesn’t understand how to manage the media, particularly this early in the season.

He actually didn’t have to say any of this

[BigT112]

Originally Posted by Cole436

People are wildly overreacting to this.

Maloney has several stakeholders to think about in an interview: ownership, sponsors, STH’s, the coaches, and the players. He cannot publicly say the team is giving up 20 games into the season. If he did, the players will check out, the coaching staff will stop taking the job seriously, and ownership would be furious, especially with a new arena coming and ticket prices likely increasing for a team that may miss the playoffs.

Everything we’ve heard from people around the team suggests the Flames are comfortable with this being a step-back year aimed at getting a high draft pick and building for the future.

Anyone who is upset about Maloney’s comments doesn’t understand how to manage the media, particularly this early in the season.

There are better ways of getting this message out. What Maloney did in this interview is Gaslight. That's an insult to the fans. Simple as that.

[Cole436]

I think that’s a very emotional response to all this

He cannot go up there 20 games in and basically admit they are heading toward selling. That kills the room, hurts the coaching staff, and destroys any trade leverage.

The clichés are annoying, but that is all he can say in public. Behind the scenes they clearly know what this team is. Public comments and the actual plan are not the same thing.

I just do not know what people expected him to say that would not make things even worse.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I’m not overreacting. I’m simply judging this perennially unsuccessful professional hockey team manager for being unsuccessful.

Maybe look around, man

[BigT112]

Originally Posted by Cole436

I think that’s a very emotional response to all this

He cannot go up there 20 games in and basically admit they are heading toward selling. That kills the room, hurts the coaching staff, and destroys any trade leverage.

The clichés are annoying, but that is all he can say in public. Behind the scenes they clearly know what this team is. Public comments and the actual plan are not the same thing.

I just do not know what people expected him to say that would not make things even worse.

Try saying nothing!! It's better than this tripe he's been spewing.

[Ashasx]

Again, in a fantasy world, it's very enticing. You have to deal with the real world, too. First of all, we're very early in this season. Let's see how it plays out the rest of the year for those teams. No disrespect, those teams are really good, but on that side, look at some of the other teams that have been in this. I don't want to say the teams, but they've been down and missed playoffs for years and years and years. And then you lose your fans, you lose your interest and nobody wants that.

What a crazy insulting quote.

It's fantasy? Fantasy to pick high? Fantasy for fans to get excited about adding a potential franchise player to an organization that lacks one?

The actual fantasy is that the Flames organization thinks they can somehow avoid the trials and tribulations that almost all Cup Champions go through. Why do the Flames think they can avoid this hardship and still achieve success? What has this organization demonstrated that would give fans this kind of confidence in them?

Truly an unbelievable and embarrassing interview. Simply insulting.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by The EBUG's EBUG

Taking a random swipe at McKenna seems like an absolutely insane choice.

Not sure pointing out a guy that I do not think will go first overall at the end of the day may not go first overall is quite the swipe some may think it is.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Maybe look around, man

Not sure what you mean by this?

[gvitaly]

No one has an appetite to just burn it to the studs, take it all down. There's examples out there right now where you're talking potentially decades it can take to rebuild. The draft is such an inexact thing.

Since the lockout the Sabers have twice as many playoff series wins(4) as the Flames, despite missing the playoffs for 14 straight seasons.

The Flames organization sure loves to point at the worst teams in the league, and forgets to look at the top teams and how how they became top teams.

You can't point to following the Dallas model and with the same breath you say the draft is such an inexact thing. That's some mental gymnastics right there.

[Cole436]

Originally Posted by BigT112

Try saying nothing!! It's better than this tripe he's been spewing.

I think it’s silly to expect Maloney to be shielded away in his office away from the media.

We can all read the writing on the wall that Conroy and hockey ops see this as a high draft pick year through their actions, but saying it (especially at this point of the season) is not appropriate or helpful to anyone but the most thick skulled members of the fan base.

[topfiverecords]

Nothing matters. Nobody cares. We’re all going to die.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

Since the lockout the Sabers have twice as many playoff series wins(4) as the Flames, despite missing the playoffs for 14 straight seasons.

The Flames organization sure loves to point at the worst teams in the league, and forgets to look at the top teams and how how they became top teams.

You can't point to following the Dallas model and with the same breath you say the draft is such an inexact thing. That's some mental gymnastics right there.

They are following the Dallas model somewhat but more the Carolina model. It pissed off team tank but their approach seems to be to accumulate a crazy number of picks and prospects and hope that a number of them hit. They also seem keen on trading almost all vets for picks and prospects. Will it work? Who knows, but that is their approach. Make almost no efforts to win, sell off most of their good players and accumulate picks and prospects.