Official Ottawa Senators Thread

[Bates]

YOu could add your opinion as well.

I highly doubt anyone posting here has the ability to actually answer that.

Yes. I suppose I'm inviting opinions on the matter. Crazy thing to do on a discussion board I know but, well, I've played by the rules for too long here. Time to get results.

 

[Peter D.]

I wonder what he means by hands-on in that sense? How hands on are Rogers and Bell? Or the Ilitchs? Or James Dolan?

For me, once ownership starts dictating player and/or managerial and coaching personnel, they've treaded over the line of being considered hands-off.

 

[Kin]

YOu could add your opinion as well.

While I'm well known for being fairly reticent about sharing my opinions, this is a case where by virtue of asking the question I'm tipping my hand in as much as I don't really have one. But, by putting it out there, I'm appealing to the collective wisdom of the board. Who knows? Maybe someone out there has heard something or read an article about how much involvement various owners have. By asking the crowd, I'm hoping for some much needed enlightenment. However, I recognize that others might not have the desired knowledge that I'd like to be shared with the board and was prepared for the question to go sadly unanswered.

Personally, I'm a little skeptical when Dreger says that some of these owners are "hands-on" in any meaningful sense. Bell/Rogers, Dolan, guys like Anschutz...I'm guessing they have better things to do.

 

[Bill_Berg]

Probably hands on is stuff like, spend to the cap, don't spend to the cap, don't spend more than 11 million on Tavares, here is money for more scouts so you can make this draft the best ever. Presumably without being asked first maybe.

 

[Bill_Berg]

YOu could add your opinion as well.

While I'm well known for being fairly reticent about sharing my opinions, this is a case where by virtue of asking the question I'm tipping my hand in as much as I don't really have one. But, by putting it out there, I'm appealing to the collective wisdom of the board. Who knows? Maybe someone out there has heard something or read an article about how much involvement various owners have. By asking the crowd, I'm hoping for some much needed enlightenment. However, I recognize that others might not have the desired knowledge that I'd like to be shared with the board and was prepared for the question to go sadly unanswered.

Personally, I'm a little skeptical when Dreger says that some of these owners are "hands-on" in any meaningful sense. Bell/Rogers, Dolan, guys like Anschutz...I'm guessing they have better things to do.

Tanenbaum though...

 

[Kin]

Probably hands on is stuff like, spend to the cap, don't spend to the cap, don't spend more than 11 million on Tavares, here is money for more scouts so you can make this draft the best ever. Presumably without being asked first maybe.

I guess this sort of raises a separate question but I really have to question whether or not any but a few owners really get involved with that stuff. Depending on whether or not you think a team President counts as "ownership" I have to imagine there's a layer between actual hockey ops and ownership that makes it so most owners don't do a damn thing outside of making sure that the team's balance sheet is relatively healthy year to year.

 

[Frank E]

Probably hands on is stuff like, spend to the cap, don't spend to the cap, don't spend more than 11 million on Tavares, here is money for more scouts so you can make this draft the best ever. Presumably without being asked first maybe.

I guess this sort of raises a separate question but I really have to question whether or not any but a few owners really get involved with that stuff. Depending on whether or not you think a team President counts as "ownership" I have to imagine there's a layer between actual hockey ops and ownership that makes it so most owners don't do a damn thing outside of making sure that the team's balance sheet is relatively healthy year to year.

I don't think they worry much about the balance sheet, franchise values keep growing at a pace that their income statements wouldn't suggest.

I think they worry more about the income statements, at least they should.

Other than reviewing the monthly/quarterly income statement, I would agree that most owners likely don't get involved at all. 

Melnyk, and Dolan, seem to treat these teams as their own personal hobby.  As we've seen, very few good executives want to have anything to do with that kind of babysitting. 

 

[skrackle]

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini is rumored to be very hands on, as in dictating whether the team re-builds or not and getting involved in trades. He's said to have vetoed trading the Sedins some years back.

Just guessing, but there could be a connection between the bottom feeding teams and the degree of owner meddling.

 

[Bill_Berg]

Probably hands on is stuff like, spend to the cap, don't spend to the cap, don't spend more than 11 million on Tavares, here is money for more scouts so you can make this draft the best ever. Presumably without being asked first maybe.

I guess this sort of raises a separate question but I really have to question whether or not any but a few owners really get involved with that stuff. Depending on whether or not you think a team President counts as "ownership" I have to imagine there's a layer between actual hockey ops and ownership that makes it so most owners don't do a damn thing outside of making sure that the team's balance sheet is relatively healthy year to year.

I don't think they worry much about the balance sheet, franchise values keep growing at a pace that their income statements wouldn't suggest.

I think they worry more about the income statements, at least they should.

Other than reviewing the monthly/quarterly income statement, I would agree that most owners likely don't get involved at all. 

Melnyk, and Dolan, seem to treat these teams as their own personal hobby.  As we've seen, very few good executives want to have anything to do with that kind of babysitting.

Yet the comment is that most owners are hands on, which implies that most owners do have some interaction action at least. So either Dreger is wrong or owners do get involved or maybe he means by hands on, they grab a stick at practice once in a while?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Melynk sitting right beside Dorion at the sens draft table.

 

[Zee]

Melynk sitting right beside Dorion at the sens draft table.

Does he have his hand up his back?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1011642489449545728
https://twitter.com/NHLnumbers/status/1011645298068746242

lmao

 

[Coco-puffs]

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1011642489449545728
https://twitter.com/NHLnumbers/status/1011645298068746242

lmao

lmao indeed.  Burrows is still an effective 4th liner.  2.5M is definitely overpaid for that, but, anyone who's going to replace him in the lineup gets paid at least $650k.... so, they aren't really saving any money??? 

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Meanwhile...
https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/991347496495472640

 

[Frank E]

Might be a culture purge move, given that I'm sure they've done the math on a replacement.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Might be a culture purge move, given that I'm sure they've done the math on a replacement.

Honestly, that just makes it even funnier since the awful trade and awful contract were done with the idea of improving the teams culture.

 

[herman]

Might be a culture purge move, given that I'm sure they've done the math on a replacement.

Honestly, that just makes it even funnier since the awful trade and awful contract were done with the idea of improving the teams culture.

You know what improves culture? Reading and going to the museum. Is it okay to drag both franchises at the same time?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

You know what improves culture? Reading and going to the museum. Is it okay to drag both franchises at the same time?

Yes, I'll allow it.

 

[Frank E]

In fairness to the Bruins and Flames, this is the second time in 4 years that the player has been moved under weird circumstances, so...perhaps where there's smoke there's fire?

 

[herman]

In fairness to the Bruins and Flames, this is the second time in 4 years that the player has been moved under weird circumstances, so...perhaps where there's smoke there's fire?

Assuming that the release of information is by the teams in an attempt to tar Hamilton on his way out to justify the transaction, the 'smoke' they've farted out merely highlights how dumb these two teams are.

http://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/francis-flames-make-necessary-move-to-help-change-dressing-room-dynamic

Hamilton isn?t disruptive or hated in the room or by the media.

He simply falls into the category of a player who isn?t bothered at all by losses, which rubs teammates and upper management the wrong way.

Winning, and all the things necessary to do so, isn?t paramount to him.

Conversely, Hamilton was clearly frustrated by the team?s decision to put his brother on waivers (after which he was claimed by the Arizona Coyotes) in January and did several things as the year wound down to demonstrate his unhappiness.

Let's layer on some context:
http://ontariohockeyleague.com/icedogs-dougie-hamilton-named-ohl-scholastic-player-of-the-year/

Hamilton, a 17-year-old from Toronto, ON, attends Governor Simcoe Secondary School in St. Catharines where he maintains an overall academic average of 94% in six Grade 12 level courses including marks of 97% in Calculus, 95% in Physics, 95% in Personal and Fitness, 92% in English, 92% in Biology, and 91% in Chemistry.  This is Hamilton?s second straight Academic Award after winning the Ivan Tennant Memorial Award in his rookie season.  Hamilton becomes the first member of the IceDogs to be named Scholastic Player of the Year in this the fourth straight year where a member of the organization has been recognized for their achievements in the classroom.  Dougie?s older brother Freddie and teammate Alex Friesen earned top Academic High School honours for the 2008-09 and 2007-08 seasons.

John Shannon claimed the straw that broke the camel's back was when the team went to Moxie's for lunch and Hamilton elected to go to the museum; presumably this is one of the ways Dougie expressed his displeasure of being separated from his brother.

https://flamesnation.ca/2018/06/24/why-did-the-flames-make-the-dougie-hamilton-trade/

Madness ensued on Twitter, where Hamilton has a throng of supporters, and rightfully so. Not only is he one of the premier young defencemen in the league on a team-friendly contract, but many identify with what appears to be a soft spoken, shy and seemingly introverted personality. To expedite him out of town because he?s different than the classic confident, bro-dude hockey player, was mind boggling.

[...]

From the second the Flames acquired Hamilton, all we read about him was that he was a little shyer than everyone, a little odder than everyone, a little quieter than everyone. Media in Boston tried to justify their giving him away for just a first and two seconds by calling him a ?loner?, and saying he had no friends in the dressing room.

So these teams dumped Hamilton because he was too shy, quiet, introverted, and smart for their dressing room chemistry. He didn't hate losing enough. Winners have moxie. And go to Moxie's. Which is the Barstool Sports of chain restaurants.