Neo

Quickie ... I don’t think it’s a talent vs culture issue in the either/or sense of debate. It’s both. Skills exist in settings. They feed one another. I think of a robust seed dropped into fertile ground when I think talent and culture. Greater talent can overcome lesser culture, and vice versa. Less talent can erode culture, etc. There are career parallels between what I do and what hockey people do. I’ve been a player, coach and GM. I’ve moved up and down the continuum. Better talent has always been an obvious desire in business. I have tremendous empathy for the Bylsmas, the Housleys, the Botterills. “How would I make an impact?” Culture’s gotten recognition the last twenty years, or so. Picking talent is easy relative to building a culture. Early in my career, I worried little about culture. I’m old school. Culture was doing what my boss told me to do. It worked for me. I performed, got promoted, and told others what to do. Simple, huh? I had great success. I also had monumental failure. I’m more in tune with culture, now. I stopped telling people what to do. I began showing them what to do. When you show, those who are engaged opt in and thrive. Those who aren’t engaged opt out and go elsewhere. I “feel” Krueger and like him. Ten years ago, I was Ted Nolan (work harder) or Brian Burke (do what I tell you to do). I took a new job in August after interviewing for two months. I was asked about credentials, expertise and business models for a few hours over a few days. I was hired after the firm learned my view on culture and asked me what I would build. That conversation took weeks and involved me flying around and meeting leaders in other lines of business. They don’t share my skills. They needed to know I shared their culture. My sales meetings sound a lot like Krueger’s press conferences. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” I’m an apostle. Notice, though, that the quote is silent on talent. Talent is a given. I think the real debate is strategy vs. culture, for any given level of talent. THEN, there’s no debate at all. This franchise will win when JBot finds talent and RaKru shows it what to do.

I’m going to need you to set up a live feed. Get a mic, put the commotion over your shoulder. E-nun-ci-ate.

Well, Sam definitely stopped skating. Some will call that coasting, or lazy. Some will say it's hockey IQ conservation of energy when hustling would be futile. Frankly, it disappointed me. As some have mentioned, it follows his post game “step up and be accountable” interview. There are “no quit” and “never give up” cultures. Are they necessary to win? I don’t know. Would they allow someone to stop skating, despite the odds? No, they would not. By the way, being tired or gassed might change the result of you trying hard, but they don't prevent you from trying hard. I am hearing the words “desperate” and “accountable”. I’m not sure Sam was either on that particular shift. I’ll stop short of drawing an over all conclusion about the guy from that play. I would've shot him a look as he returned to the bench if I were a teammate.

I think the counter point here is that this isn’t a “Sabres” issue. The entire NHL leaves the goalie mask up to the goalie. The masks do take weeks. They're expensive, relative salaries notwithstanding. Goalies don’t have them in advance of “arriving” somewhere and typically wait to order until they’re reasonably certain the assignment will have some staying power.

I chose fake news over fake hockey ...

LeSean McCoy inactive ... had to sting. Andy Reid call, too .... just win, baby.

Good for Andy Reid. Now, Hi ... you go GIT me some o’ those weapons ....

We did!

Can you imagine if the Bills / Allen had receivers who separated like this? Mahommes is dropping balls in were receivers have to stop and wait, and they’re still wide open,

We disagree on the PI call. We agree on the Shakira call. I had no idea what a Shakira was ....

As a boy, I caddied at a country club. I was a worker bee, and certainly not a member of the upper crust elite. Caddyshack was an over the top peek into a testosterone world with enough “yeah, that sorta happens” to allow a certain demographic to put themselves into every scene. As a boy, I played house league hockey at Leisure rinks. I was a grinder, and certainly not a member of the travel team elite. Slapshot was an over the top peek into a testosterone world with enough “yeah, that sorta happens” to allow a certain demographic to put themselves into every scene. When you see those movies as a sixteen or nineteen year old hockey player and golfer, they find something that lives inside you, settles, and never leaves. Protagonists, villains, warriors and fields of battle, riches, prized women and the journey to success; the two movies hammer away at the male intrinsic. The films are La Morte D’Arthur writ small, appealing and sustained for the same reasons. “Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." “Lard ass Barkley Donaldson. You all saw what happened. Stick down, gloves off, he challenged the Chiefs. Called us names, CALLED US NAMES! But Dave was there.”

I say we sponsor 17,000 of these bad boys ! Someone get it on Twitter.

I want to hug him. “Chinese knockoff jerseys”. It gets no better ... “I’ll hang up and listen” ... in the fetal position, self soiled.

$$$

I didn't think you'd watched ten! I dig the film mightily ... “fook, e’s a big fella ...”

SEE A DOCTOR!

Why is Frolik shooting a backhand shot at a prepared goalie while he’s committed to going behind the net?

I may be weird. If it’s not emotionally taxing, could you keep us posted? Taxed with finding / recovering sounds like some sleuthing will be required. You are obviously a trusted friend.

“Getting” that message isn’t a walk on the beach. Ayn Rand needed 1,000 page novels ... Peart wrote five minute songs. I’m not sure what I get and what I merely glimpse.

I came to Rush later in life, as I did to much of my understanding of the world. Neil Peart, Rush, Ayn Rand and Objectivism. I was 17 years old in 1978, and hardly grasped “The Trees”. What a magnificent exploration of ideas across media. I believe Peart was the driving ideologic force. Such a respectfully bold representation of one master by another. There is indeed unrest among the trees. I’d like to have hung out with that group, for a quiet evening .. He was one talented drummer, too. There is unrest in the forest,There is trouble with the trees,For the maples want more sunlightAnd the oaks ignore their pleas.The trouble with the maples,(And they're quite convinced they're right)They say the oaks are just too loftyAnd they grab up all the light.But the oaks can't help their feelingsIf they like the way they're made.And they wonder why the maplesCan't be happy in their shade?There is trouble in the ForestAnd the creatures all have fledAs the Maples scream 'Oppression!'And the Oaks, just shake their headsSo the maples formed a unionAnd demanded equal rights.'These oaks are just too greedy;We will make them give us light.'Now there's no more oak oppression,For they passed a noble law,And the trees are all kept equalBy hatchet,Ax,And saw.Rush - The Trees

Just, strangely ... meh, who cares. More ominous than an angry season ticket base is an apathetic season ticket base.

I thought Mojo’s spleen ruptured. Didn’t look too bad in replay. Now, downplaying injury to others is less than gracious, but I candidly think he was looking for a call. Not unheard of, but he allowed a 30 second five on four in our zone .... what do I know.

Tre White Goalie Academy ...

i have to say, you were in early and often on this point. And it IS a point. Now, in the three dimensional chess that is coaching, I don't know who’s saying what. I do know who the head coach is. Clearly a developmental opportunity.