NY Times Gaudreau article. Update: response from Johnny

[TheKing]

I 'm going to say 99% chance that he signs here AND stays here.
Family is one thing, but when you're playing hockey you don't see them much, and when you're making millions you can go see them any time you want.
Secondly, this city is AWESOME. It's a great place to start a life and a great city to stay in, full of great people.
I'm sure he wants to start his own life. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the WORLD, except for I do spend 3 months of the year in Cali.

Thirdly, he's confident in his skills and would probably enjoy playing pro hockey and rolling in the dough instead of spending hours doing homework and not having tons of money and just dreaming about what it would be like.

Also training is easy, eating clean and enough grams of protein is the only challenge and that can be accomplished anywhere during the offseason.

[chummer]

^^Fourthly,it's the team that drafted him.....it's just the right thing to do.

[getbak]

Fifthly, his good buddy Billy will be here too.


It's funny that people are worried that he'll go back to College for one more year, pushing back his whole career by 15 months just to get some mythical one-time UFA status, but no one is worried about Arnold doing the same thing this year.

[jg13]

Originally Posted by getbak

Fifthly, his good buddy Billy will be here too.


It's funny that people are worried that he'll go back to College for one more year, pushing back his whole career by 15 months just to get some mythical one-time UFA status, but no one is worried about Arnold doing the same thing this year.

If i'm not mistaken Arnold publicly said he would sign with Calgary after this season.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

^ what he said. Almost no chance he doesn't sign this spring

So, you're telling me there's almost no chance...

[dammage79]

@noahlove definitely a debate within the household. Father told @davegisaac he's be more comfortable if Feaster, who drafted Johnny, was GM.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by dammage79

@noahlove definitely a debate within the household. Father told @davegisaac he's be more comfortable if Feaster, who drafted Johnny, was GM.

Well Burke does have a reputation of liking big and truculent, so I'd understand that position of dad's. Feaster was drafting more off hockey IQ and skill.

With that being said, both parents really need to watch themselves around media/social networking outlets when it comes to the big signing.

[sureLoss]

http://www.courierpostonline.com/sto...-four/7236109/

"My wife and I, we've argued about it quite a few times," Guy Gaudreau said. "As a father, and her as a mother, we'd love for him to go back for his senior year and get a degree. As a hockey person that knows the game, it would be better for him if he wanted to eventually make the NHL to go sign with Calgary."

"If the management they had there before was there, like (former general manager Jay) Feaster, the ones that drafted him, I'd be really comfortable letting him go," Guy Gaudreau said. "I know that (Calgary president of hockey operations) Brian Burke likes big boys, big hockey players. My son is not a big hockey player. He's made it clear that he likes him or whatever, but I don't think he's sold on him. That's been John all his life, wherever he tried out. It's always been, 'He's got to prove himself, prove himself, prove himself.' He's done that over and over and over."

[puckluck2]

That last paragraph sure is interesting.

[GreenLantern]

He has to prove himself? Welcome to the NHL buddy. Nobody is handed anything, everyone has to earn what they get. No team will let your son walk on to it.

That being said, Johnny shook my hand right after I said "We will see you in Calgary in April." Pretty sure that is a binding verbal contract that was shaken upon, lets get our CP lawyers to weigh in on this.

WE DID IT!! WE DID IT!! COME OUT OF YOUR BASEMENT AND ADMIT DEFEAT ASHASX!

[icarus]

Well if it is any consolation to Papa Gaudreau, Tod Button drafted Johnny Hockey and he's still here. He's always been here.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by icarus

Well if it is any consolation to Papa Gaudreau, Tod Button drafted Johnny Hockey and he's still here. He's always been here.

And he makes no decisions on who gets called up...

[nik-]

Honestly, if Gaudreau is the cost of canning Feaster, I'm still way more than OK with it.

[Gaskal]

He has nothing left to prove at the collegiate level of hockey, dad.

That's why the Flames will have someone to offer him a contract as soon as BC wins or gets eliminated.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

And he makes no decisions on who gets called up...

According to Burke, which players play/get called up is on Hartley.

[nik-]

And yeah, that's definitely looking like a lot more hesitation from their side and if that's what they're saying in public, who knows what the actual discussions are in private.

At this point sign or don't. He's a potential part of the solution, not the solution. We'll live.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by fotze

Or else what? Burke won't decide to sign him because his parents said something in the media? He has as thick of skin as he would expect from his players.

You have to look at this from a non fan perspective. The Flames have not given them one penny, he owes them nothing, yet. With his performance he has earned some negotiating power. If because of my university grades CNRL was awarded my negotiating rights. If I turned out to be an awesome engineering prospect and all I had to do was wait a bit and go to any company I wanted, I wouldn't just bend over for Murray Edwards because the CNRL fans wanted me to do so. My interests would come first, why would you put a billionaires interest over your own?

This is all conjecture, we don't even know if this is what they are doing. Sure a the dollars and term are set in the CBA but rest assured there are other things that are negotiated that may or may not actually be included in the contract.

I think he means from a media perspective. If they're going to be so candid, there going to open a circus for Johnny to deal with

[Southside]

Johnny is not Burke prototype but that doesn't mean he doesn't like him. Burke just knows that Johnny would have to have some truculant types around him to enjoy success in the NHL. Don't worry Dad we'll take care of Johnny.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by fotze

Or they are just some low to middle class family with no media training from Podunk, New Jersey who are polite and respond to media requests for interviews.

That's understandable from a family POV, but because of Johnny's status they're involved in a business that is insanely scrutinized and every word taken into account. Burke obviously won't do anything silly, but the fans who continuously have been pushing for him to be signed might get antsy.

Especially after mom's interview with all the mom guilt-trips. It's nice to know they're a tight-knit family and all, but she seriously kicked up a hornet's nest in CP with it. The April Fool's joke took that and one-upped itself too, look at how hostile to mom some posters immediately felt when they read that thread title.

[nik-]

Yeah, but why would she possibly care about what CP thinks? It's her son and he's the only one she's concerned about, and rightfully so.