Can I get an amen?

[Jim Bob]

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20031218/1022169.asp

[two4trippn]

While I agree with some, its still typical "stir the pot" propaganda we hear every day in this town. Its easy to point out faults but no one screams a solution. Fire him, him too, he s*cks too, he should go, its all great but there's no better action for the intial reaction.
Darcy should now be first in line to be replaced, especially if by Dec 27th, we still have this current roster. One problem is his immediate replacement will be Larry Quinn. This could be just as bad, with Quinn given the free pass the rest of the year while continuing to dump higher priced players and turning us into this seasons Penguins.
The right Franchise player should be a difference maker in 10% of games, right. Thats potentially 15-20 pts more than a team WITHOUT a franchise player. Who is ours?

[Jim Bob]

There is no way that Larry Quinn should be allowed to make any hockey decisions.

The guy should only be allowed to run the business side of the organization.

If Golisano wants to keep Quinn around, then fine. But, the first move should be to split the organization into a business side and a hockey side with a head of each department reporting to Golisano.

Quinn should run the business side of things.

And Golisano should go out and get someone with experience running a hockey department to come in and clean things up. I think a guy like Marshall Johnston might be a good choice for the post.

[two4trippn]

Wasnt Neil Smtih from the Rangers mentioned once before too?

[pigpen65]

I was just about to post a link to this article. It's about as right on as you can get with respect to the sabres current problems and coaching situation.

[Jim Bob]

Originally posted by two4trippn
Wasnt Neil Smith from the Rangers mentioned once before too?

Neil Smith is a guy that Larry Quinn supposedly talked to about stuff in the offseason.

I remember there was an article that said Quinn showed him a list of guys that the Sabres were interested in. Smith really liked Drury, but said that a team like the Rangers was likely to land him if he was available.

[GrapeDRINK]

Anyone notice Jerry Sullivan only comes around to say something negative. He is by far the worst sports columnist ever, things aren't going right but all he knows is how to bash a coach. I don't blame the coach, I don't blame Golisano, I blame Regier a little but but not totally. You know who is to blame, Gary Bettman and the rest of the morons on the top of the NHL and the terrible union of the players the NHLPA. Bettman has absolutely no idea how to run a league, in the decade that he has been commissioner of the league both attendence and popularity have gone down yet expansion of teams has continued to rise. What the hell sense does this make. Not only all this he has attempted to fix it with the stupidest ideas (OT loss points, Nets behind the nets, Video replays with strange exceptions I.E. 1999 Stanley Cup, and many other stupid things). He has created an enviroment where it is almost impossible for a small market team to win a stanley cup let alone make the playoffs above the 6th seed). And he has allowed the NHLPA to make him their bitch by continually rising player salaries while profits go down and do absolutely nothing about it the last time around when something should have been down. Anyone here that honestly thinks that a teams like the Sabres, Carolina, Florida, Montreal and some other teams can be good year after year is sadly mistaken. Anytime a player is developed and becomes good they are gone, with the exception of two we have managed to keep in Satan and Hasek who was eventually lost. It is just not possible for a team like the Sabres to be good every year, the way it is set up is maybe 1 or 2 small market teams will be good every year in each conference and the rest suck. Anyways.....Can anyone please explain to me after all the controversy and how obviously terrible Bettman is, why exactly he is still in charge?

[Jim Bob]

Bettman's biggest problem is that he tries to make everyone happy rather than doing what's right.

He's been taken to the cleaners in the last few CBA talks because of outside pressures.

There was pressure to get NHLers in the Olympics.

There was pressure to get expansion OK so the owners would have their easy money.

There was pressure from TV networks and advertisers to end the last work stoppage too soon.

This time there will be far less pressure on Bettman to take a less than ideal deal from the NHLPA.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out.