[News] Ken Holland is the new GM and POHO of the Edmonton Oilers

[カナダ人です]

Holy cow Holland talks a lot.

[JackIsBack]

Originally Posted by crapshoot

I just thought it was fantastic how Ken Holland declared that he wants to keep Keith Gretzky around "in some capacity". If I were appointed GM for a truly terrible franchise, I believe that the first thing I'd do is to attempt an overhaul of the staff in the front office to hopefully fit in with my vision of where the team should be headed. Keeping Gretzky around certainly smells like the work of the obc, and if Holland submits to that as early as his own introduction, it could only lead to good things for us Flames fans.

Well... if Holland truly believes that Gretzky is good, then it could be genuine, we just don't know (yet). You must take a page out of Steve Job's handbook (back in 1997) here and get everyone to line up and justify their projects (work) and axe the ones that don't fit your vision and plan. You can't just fire everyone before evaluating them, are they good, are they in the proper position, can they help... then proceed to axe the bad apples. Steve kept 1 project out of every 10... I think the Oiler's would have a similar ratio - Jony Ive was among those Steve kept... a diamond among the rocks, you don't want to rid your organization of those.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JackIsBack

Well... if Holland truly believes that Gretzky is good, then it could be genuine, we just don't know (yet). You must take a page out of Steve Job's handbook (back in 1997) here and get everyone to line up and justify their projects (work) and axe the ones that don't fit your vision and plan. You can't just fire everyone before evaluating them, are they good, are they in the proper position, can they help... then proceed to axe the bad apples. Steve kept 1 project out of every 10... I think the Oiler's would have a similar ratio - Jony Ive was among those Steve kept... a diamond among the rocks, you don't want to rid your organization of those.

You are comparing a guy who took over a company of thousands of employees to which he wouldn't know most of them by name or what projects they were working on to a guy coming into an NHL team where everyone knows everyone by name and their career's work is well documented. How hard is it to look at the AHL roster and junior prospect base and come to a conclusion about how scouting and development has been handled? How hard is it to look at the NHL roster and evaluate pro scouting and salary cap management? It's really not that hard which is why you see a lot of incoming GM's in professional sports clean house.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by nik-

Why would you earnestly try to analyze what Stauffer says? It's pretty clear what he is, no?

i think text listens to more oiler radio than any of the oiler fans i know

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

i think text listens to more oiler radio than any of the oiler fans i know

I love it, and I can’t stop.


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[Textcritic]

Double post.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You are comparing a guy who took over a company of thousands of employees to which he wouldn't know most of them by name or what projects they were working on to a guy coming into an NHL team where everyone knows everyone by name and their career's work is well documented. How hard is it to look at the AHL roster and junior prospect base and come to a conclusion about how scouting and development has been handled? How hard is it to look at the NHL roster and evaluate pro scouting and salary cap management? It's really not that hard which is why you see a lot of incoming GM's in professional sports clean house.

These pressers are typically feel good affairs; everyone is polite and says the right things. It's bad form to light guys up in your introduction. Burke knew all about Feaster's blunders before he was hired here, but didn't fire him until mid December.

It's not that it's hard, but it does take time.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

These pressers are typically feel good affairs; everyone is polite and says the right things. It's bad form to light guys up in your introduction. Burke knew all about Feaster's blunders before he was hired here, but didn't fire him until mid December.

It's not that it's hard, but it does take time.

Burke has his own list of things to do. Cleaning house wasn't one of them. He said he liked to keep the continuity for a while.

In Edmonton it might be different though. I'd be concerned about being undermined by the OBC. I doubt Burke was ever worried about something like that.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

These pressers are typically feel good affairs; everyone is polite and says the right things. It's bad form to light guys up in your introduction. Burke knew all about Feaster's blunders before he was hired here, but didn't fire him until mid December.



It's not that it's hard, but it does take time.

But prior to making changes I don’t recall Burke ever being especially enthusiastic or complimentary about Feaster and his work. Ken Holland was fairly unrestrained in his endorsement of Grinder Gretzky.


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[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

But prior to making changes I don’t recall Burke ever being especially enthusiastic or complimentary about Feaster and his work. Ken Holland was fairly unrestrained in his endorsement of Grinder Gretzky.


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Burke was specifically asked if Feaster did anything good and all he could come up with was that he'd created a bunch of cap space.

[crapshoot]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

These pressers are typically feel good affairs; everyone is polite and says the right things. It's bad form to light guys up in your introduction. Burke knew all about Feaster's blunders before he was hired here, but didn't fire him until mid December.

It's not that it's hard, but it does take time.

Yet Holland didn't waste a second before he pushed Hitchcock into the nearest ditch during that very presser. In fact he was very clear that this was his way of proving how willing he was to make decisions immediately and didn't intend to wait around. I see what you're saying, but I tend to think that what we see here has a lot of similarities to what we are used to see, and that this is not a coincidence. I believe Hitchcock was made an example out of to please the masses, and that there is a distinct chance there will be no huge house cleaning in hockey ops.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Good for the Oilers to not pick from their own OBC for a change I guess.

But it's another example of them just going after the big name like they do pretty much any time they hire or draft.

That's what people said when they hired Chiarelli.

The problem is that Holland has about seven members of the OBC that he reports to. Which is why Edmonton had to pay through the nose to get him. Hazard pay, basically.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

That's what people said when they hired Chiarelli.

The problem is that Holland has about seven members of the OBC that he reports to. Which is why Edmonton had to pay through the nose to get him. Hazard pay, basically.

Oh no. Far from it. Its a bribe.

If you're going to sell your soul and reputation, make sure you get paid.

[GioforPM]

One of the HNIC panel said that a GM told him he was looking forward to telling his owners that he was at least half as good as Holland (so he could get paid $2.5M).

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

One of the HNIC panel said that a GM told him he was looking forward to telling his owners that he was at least half as good as Holland (so he could get paid $2.5M).

He also mentioned Treliving said something along the lines of Holland needing to find a new bank or something for all that money. I get the impression the Oilers have once again cost the rest of the league a lot of money as successful GM's will be using that contract as a measuring stick in negotiations. If a guy that hasn't done much in a decade warrants $5 million what does a GM that's actually assembled a good team warrant? At least as much I would think.

[socalwingfan]

Did Katz inherit the business or money? I ask in all seriousness, as he doesn't seem like a very astute businessman, he throws money around like a drunken sailor.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by socalwingfan

Did Katz inherit the business or money? I ask in all seriousness, as he doesn't seem like a very astute businessman, he throws money around like a drunken sailor.

His dad owned Value Drug Mart so he didn't start with zero. But he bought and expanded Rexall very successfully. He's good at making money for himself. And I think it's Oiler fans who are the suckers here.

[JackIsBack]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

You are comparing a guy who took over a company of thousands of employees to which he wouldn't know most of them by name or what projects they were working on to a guy coming into an NHL team where everyone knows everyone by name and their career's work is well documented. How hard is it to look at the AHL roster and junior prospect base and come to a conclusion about how scouting and development has been handled? How hard is it to look at the NHL roster and evaluate pro scouting and salary cap management? It's really not that hard which is why you see a lot of incoming GM's in professional sports clean house.

Steve didn't go through all the staff... just the head of each project (about 300 in all). Also if the line is shorter, then he'll get done quicker - I'd suggest that the ratio would be about the same... but maybe not, maybe there are no diamonds up north - and so be it, then he'll fire them all (if he's allowed - and I truly doubt it). There may be more diamonds as well... I doubt it... but to Holland, who knows. I'm also talking about the front office staff.... obviously players have contracts and the union you have to deal with.

[JackIsBack]

One more thing.... talking with CEO's... there's one thing they have in common, almost all businesses require the same skills at their level... and often these CEO just need to understand basic fundamentals and would be successful in any number of them running in different areas. Now... I think that running a hockey team as a GM is different because it's a game... but at the higher management level... it's about making money. We may criticize Katz about his hockey sense here... but so far he's been filling seats and has a new arena and ice district in Edmonton, funded in part by us taxpayers - I think the Calgary Flames would consider themselves lucky to get the same deal... and we won't, we have different fundamentals here, and we stand by them (big difference up north).

[Locke]

Originally Posted by JackIsBack

One more thing.... talking with CEO's... there's one thing they have in common, almost all businesses require the same skills at their level... and often these CEO just need to understand basic fundamentals and would be successful in any number of them running in different areas. Now... I think that running a hockey team as a GM is different because it's a game... but at the higher management level... it's about making money. We may criticize Katz about his hockey sense here... but so far he's been filling seats and has a new arena and ice district in Edmonton, funded in part by us taxpayers - I think the Calgary Flames would consider themselves lucky to get the same deal... and we won't, we have different fundamentals here, and we stand by them (big difference up north).

I understand what you're talking about, the amorality of High-Level managers in the cause of achieving goals.

But thats become very specific. In many ways its dying out because its become something obvious and targets arent so easy anymore, and in other ways its becoming a very scary profession.