Shake up in the office PAT LaFONTAINE RESIGNS

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Exactly. You're missing pieces.

 

People in the know have 4 different stories. It's not cut and dry. I just go off of history, character shown in the past, and concern.

 

The beef wasn't with Murray...PLF MIA days before trade and supposedly Nolan has extension offer.

 

If it is some outlier....you don't choose to have this happen NOW.

 

The spin coming from GR et al about Lafontaine being difficult and having concussions.....that is a John Kerry swift boat attack. Yes, Lafontaine did this before. He left after seeing Charles Wang operate who is pretty much slam dunk known as the worst owner in hockey. If anything, it shows brilliance and foresight...which with the concerns some of us have had here....and outlying this EXACT scenario given the addition of Battista and history of Pegula....it's a concern.

 

If Tim Murray and Craig Patrick stay, then it is much less of an issue. Murray can't leave now....Patrick, he's probably taking a nap before bridge club tonight. If he goes, it will be in the offseason to limit damages.

 

My heart was totally in supporting this team, and was excited about the trade deadline and making actual analysis of deals and possibilities. Now we are just back to typical 3 ring Buffalo Sabres circus.

 

[Sabresfreak]

Im not a 100% convinced there isnt more to this. If PLF wanted out for the reasons stated, why havent we heard from him? There is no shame in admitting the grass wasnt greener with the a new job and you need to move on. Happens in real life all the time. Man up ,admit it was a error and move on.

With that said, I am ready to move on and see what other surprises await us the next three days. At least it is exciting ! :clapping:

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I am curious. Pat resigns to go back to the NHL job. 2nd time in a school year to up root his family? My wife would be all over me. Maybe Pat will have his own press conference or a one on one interview with a local sports guys. Forget anyone with the Buffalo News, they are hacks. Likeable hacks but hacks nonetheless. One thing that I would point out is Pat has had a history of concussions. The post concussion syndrome problems include headaches, cognitive difficulties, irritability and other issues. The stress and pressure of the job may have aggravated his condition. The NHL gig could be more to his liking. This is only a theory and supposition I wish Pat well and good luck. I don't want t reason be infighting, diva attitudes, and other crap. This just does not make sense to me until all parties are heard from.

 

Has anyone seen the medication list of any Sabres execs?

[Jsixspd]

I don't trust Ted Black..... he's just the usual corporate mealy-mouthed type. Tell you want you want to hear, parrot the company line.

 

And yes, lots of resignations are not voluntary. Sometimes they're also bribed - like a nice separation package of severance pay, benes, etc.

 

But I DO trust Murray. And it sounds to me like it was Pat's choice. Maybe there was friction, who knows? Or maybe Pat just didn't like the job after the big tasks were behind him? he tried it - didn't like it.

 

Since he's going back to the NHL, this might have been a done deal for a while. Perhaps intended to announce it after the trade deadlines and it got leaked, which makes it seem ominous and Machiavellian and all?

 

If this is the case, then Sabres' corporate communications absolutely sucks. It could have been handled so much better.

[26CornerBlitz]

Bold, decisive leadership in the Hockey department with Murray. I'm like him as the GM.

[Doohickie]

that TN presser didn't help me feel any warmer or fuzzier about this mess. I got the feeling he's not sure he wants to accept a contract offer.

 

WTF is going on?

 

Again, PLF and TN are besties. They go back a long time. I think Ted knows exactly what's going on, and probably takes PLF's side, but he's a professional and knows first and foremost that he's got his job to do. You can see in the presser how torn he is, and I totally get it. He's gotta decide if the Sabres without PLF is the club he wants to coach for. I totally respect that he doesn't want to make a decision while he's still feeling the emotions of PLF's departure.

 

On a positive note, he mentioned Drew Stafford as a leader of the club. If he gets the C, I think we all know that that means..... he'll be the next guy traded. :w00t:

 

In all seriousness, I think Staff may really emerge as a leader of this club and may be the only member of the Old Core that moves forward with the Sabres.

[Weave]

Of course. It's the only reasonable explanation of what happened, combined with the timing. It's possible, of course, this isn't what happened. But I would bet that it did, and I can't think of another reasonable scenario if it didn't.

 

What doesn't fit with the narrative of a sudden resignation/firing is PLF being AWOL for a period of time AND having a job already set to go to when he flies. Something has been up for a bit.

[Kelly the Dog]

What doesn't fit with the narrative of a sudden resignation/firing is PLF being AWOL for a period of time AND having a job already set to go to when he flies. Something has been up for a bit.

In the presser they said this happened days ago. It probably blew up in their faces yesterday. In between that time, PLF could have said to the NHL, if I quit or get fired, can I get my job back, and it may have been an easy answer for them to say yes.

 

He would then have more ammo to press the issue.

[nfreeman]

so what is still odd, pegulas daughters tweet yesterday " suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked" or whatever it was. wasnt that just freakin weird?

 

She's a teenage girl. She could've easily been referring to One Direction or the mean girls at school or a million other things.

 

That's what I'm seeing too--the guy just doesn't have a role to play. But, why this week? And why not leave more gracefully than this? That's what bugs me about my own thoughts.

 

That is the tricky part. OTOH, it could explain the reason why TB seemed fairly PO'd in the presser -- i.e. "I can't believe PLF left us a pile of poop to deal with like this."

 

I have no idea what the truth is....but I don't buy for 1 second that Lafontaine decided to leave during the most crucial week of the season to go back to a patronage job after making major life changes. The Sabres sloppy and delayed response should say that this was not a cut and dry situation.

 

I'm perfectly willing to say PLF is capable of flying off the handle.....but even DB's don't do this to their enemies. Lafontaine would not want this public no matter what the true situation, this week.

 

Do we know for a fact that his kids left NYC and are in school in Buffalo?

 

As for the Sabres' PR response -- while it may have been clumsy, maybe they knew it was coming but thought they had until after the season to deal with this, but PLF surprised them with the timing.

 

He and PLF are besties.

 

I had a boss at work that I got along great with, who pulled me along behind him not once but twice, both times giving me pretty cool assignments. Then he just left the company. It gave me pause, but here it is about five years later and I'm still with the company.

 

I'm sure with the departure of PLF, Teddy is doubling down on his decision, making sure it's the right way to go. His career so far has been greatly affected (positively and negatively) by personal relationships, but he's also good enough for his coaching to stand on its own merits. His hesitance probably has to do with him doing a gut check, convincing himself he can really do the job. It was an easy decision when PLF was there pulling for him, but with Patty gone, he's doing some soul searching to make sure he wants to work with the personalities left. I think he will, but there's no real reason why he has to say yes or no right this minute.

 

I like to think he'll be successful as a coach for the Sabres going forward, but if he decides the situation isn't right for him, I think GMTM will be able to find and bring in a capable replacement. Who knows, maybe this whole interim tag thing was Nolan's preference, not wanting to commit to the job until he was sure it was the right thing for him to do at this point in his life.

 

Good post.

 

I guarantee PLF is telling Nolan to sign the contract.

 

I would think so.

 

I can only imagine what Tim Murray was thinking while being bombarded with questions:

 

I cant believe I am going thru this BS when I have a million productive things I could be doing right now instead of this crap...

 

 

The more I hear Tim Murray speak I cant help but draw comparisons to the way Jimmy Johnson from the Dallas Cowboys in the year of 1989 talked....Folks we have a GM who if he really knows Hockey Players is gonna make this team really great...He answers questions with authority and conclusion, the way he is handling every speed bump or potential one is just dead nuts on. He has taken the steam out of any future Nolan fallback for not hiring him by offering him an extension and putting the ball in Teds court. Our team is at the bottom of the barrel right now and we will be for another year but once we get thru this its gonna be a great ride i think...

 

Also a good post. I liked how TM handled himself in that presser and I like what I've seen from him generally.

 

People in the know have 4 different stories. It's not cut and dry. I just go off of history, character shown in the past, and concern.

 

The beef wasn't with Murray...PLF MIA days before trade and supposedly Nolan has extension offer.

 

If it is some outlier....you don't choose to have this happen NOW.

 

The spin coming from GR et al about Lafontaine being difficult and having concussions.....that is a John Kerry swift boat attack. Yes, Lafontaine did this before. He left after seeing Charles Wang operate who is pretty much slam dunk known as the worst owner in hockey. If anything, it shows brilliance and foresight...which with the concerns some of us have had here....and outlying this EXACT scenario given the addition of Battista and history of Pegula....it's a concern.

 

If Tim Murray and Craig Patrick stay, then it is much less of an issue. Murray can't leave now....Patrick, he's probably taking a nap before bridge club tonight. If he goes, it will be in the offseason to limit damages.

 

My heart was totally in supporting this team, and was excited about the trade deadline and making actual analysis of deals and possibilities. Now we are just back to typical 3 ring Buffalo Sabres circus.

 

Well, with the Sabres coming under heavy fire for this, it's pretty natural (and I think typical in this situation, especially IF they were not in the wrong and PLF was) to get their side of it out there.

 

I agree that what CP and TM do will be very telling.

 

Separately: I think we have to consider the possibility that PLF's family was very unhappy with the move and forced him to return to NYC. Maybe PLF told the Sabres he needed to move back to NYC, but that it would be after the season, but then his family forced his hand and he told them he needed to leave ASAP -- which left the Sabres in a bad situation -- and which would explain TB's grumpiness at the presser.

 

Godd -- maybe you should do some twitter sleuthing and see if you can find any of his family members with triumphant/euphoric tweets about coming back home?

[Norcal]

I really hope Tim Murray hasn't been distracted by all this and lost sight of the big picture. Regardless of front office structure or even coaching staff the on ice product needs immediate improvement and he has resources at his disposal to make some major strides in the next couple days. Hopefully Nolan stays but if hes got his panties in a bunch im sure Murray has several coaches he has knowledge of and I trust him to make the right hire.

[pastajoe]

 

 

You're right. This smells like a shitthouse door on a tunaboat.

 

My sympathies on your work experience.

[nfreeman]

In all seriousness, I think Staff may really emerge as a leader of this club and may be the only member of the Old Core that moves forward with the Sabres.

 

I'm not sure about being a leader, but it's not impossible that he could stay for a while and be a good player here.

 

After he puts up 30 goals for the 3rd time in a row in 2016-2017, I might have to get Eleven a Stafford jersey.

 

How's about that for some irony?

 

What doesn't fit with the narrative of a sudden resignation/firing is PLF being AWOL for a period of time AND having a job already set to go to when he flies. Something has been up for a bit.

 

This would jibe with my theory about his family forcing him to return to NYC.

[PASabreFan]

No surprise, I'm with Ghost on TM's unsolicited reference to the owner. Also curious that congratulatory calls to TM would reference advice on how to deal with the owner. It's just a hair short of confirmation for me that this whole brouhaha involved strife between Pat and Terry/Terry's advisors. Sometimes the obvious answer is served up on a plate, and TM did that, probably because he's so honest and doesn't measure his words that carefully.

 

No new president? SDS, you were right. They are making this up as they go. God help us.

[Kelly the Dog]

 

This would jibe with my theory about his family forcing him to return to NYC.

Is there any way you can imagine a wife, kids, or family as a whole, after a few months of him on the job, knowing the business that he is in, demanding PLF back in NY yesterday instead of 4-5 days later?

 

That, to me, is absurd. Even if it were possible, he would just go there and announce that he is leaving a week later. And fake being ill, like the flu story.

[nfreeman]

No surprise, I'm with Ghost on TM's unsolicited reference to the owner. Also curious that congratulatory calls to TM would reference advice on how to deal with the owner. It's just a hair short of confirmation for me that this whole brouhaha involved strife between Pat and Terry/Terry's advisors. Sometimes the obvious answer is served up on a plate, and TM did that, probably because he's so honest and doesn't measure his words that carefully.

 

No new president? SDS, you were right. They are making this up as they go. God help us.

 

Regarding TM's answer and reference to the owner -- I don't read it the same way you guys are reading it. He was asked whether he was comfortable with the management structure. Now that PLF is gone, the management structure has TM reporting directly to the owner -- not to PLF. So the question can be fairly interpreted (and I think TM did interpret it) as "are you comfortable, now that PLF is gone, with reporting directly to TP?" So it made sense for him to discuss his comfort level with reporting directly to TP.

 

I'm still not convinced that everything is hunky-dory at FNC, but I feel better about it having watched the presser.

[Kelly the Dog]

No surprise, I'm with Ghost on TM's unsolicited reference to the owner. Also curious that congratulatory calls to TM would reference advice on how to deal with the owner. It's just a hair short of confirmation for me that this whole brouhaha involved strife between Pat and Terry/Terry's advisors. Sometimes the obvious answer is served up on a plate, and TM did that, probably because he's so honest and doesn't measure his words that carefully.

 

No new president? SDS, you were right. They are making this up as they go. God help us.

Why do they need more than Craig Patrick, Tim Murray and Ted Nolan, on the hockey side of things? If CP leaves, then a guy may be needed. I really couldn't think of many important jobs that PLF even could do once he hired those three guys. It may be different if Patrick hadn't seen it all and Murray been around for 20 years.

[Doohickie]

BREAKING: Exclusive video of final exchange between Pegula and LaFontaine

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhHBL18OcZc

[nfreeman]

Is there any way you can imagine a wife, kids, or family as a whole, after a few months of him on the job, knowing the business that he is in, demanding PLF back in NY yesterday instead of 4-5 days later?

 

That, to me, is absurd. Even if it were possible, he would just go there and announce that he is leaving a week later. And fake being ill, like the flu story.

 

Do you have a wife?

 

If you do, you probably understand that they can be fairly irrational creatures -- especially if they are living in another city and dealing with the kids. And that doesn't even take into consideration the possibility of other marital concerns (i.e. the kind that allegedly led to Pronger's wife demanding a move out of Edmonton).

 

Anything is possible.

[Kelly the Dog]

Do you have a wife?

 

If you do, you probably understand that they can be fairly irrational creatures -- especially if they are living in another city and dealing with the kids. And that doesn't even take into consideration the possibility of other marital concerns (i.e. the kind that allegedly led to Pronger's wife demanding a move out of Edmonton).

 

Anything is possible.

If that were the case, however, Pat LaFontaine would have said that he is resigning from the team for serious personal reasons and the team, and the press, and PLF, would not have acted like this.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

No surprise, I'm with Ghost on TM's unsolicited reference to the owner. Also curious that congratulatory calls to TM would reference advice on how to deal with the owner. It's just a hair short of confirmation for me that this whole brouhaha involved strife between Pat and Terry/Terry's advisors. Sometimes the obvious answer is served up on a plate, and TM did that, probably because he's so honest and doesn't measure his words that carefully.

 

No new president? SDS, you were right. They are making this up as they go. God help us.

 

I like Tim Murray, and all things being equal, am happy he is seemingly in charge of hockey decisions. He is honest though, and his soliloquy about dealing with an owner when that specific aspect was never mentioned is huge to me. I also own his exact same wardrobe from Casual Male that he has paraded out the past few days. I'm thinking maybe 2xl and 48 portly for Tim though....

 

It's just the pure disappointment of it. You never gave them the benefit of the doubt, and I tried for a few months. I'm not mad because it was fun getting excited, even when D'Agostini scored a seemingly meaningless goal.....but I just wanted to be a fan again. Now the locusts and snakes are in the fields like so often over the past 2 decades....

[K-9]

I'm under the impression that they wanted to keep this under wraps until after the deadline but someone leaked it and they had to preform damage control.

 

I think the preformed damage control poorly though.

 

Love it. "Preformed" damage control. Like whenever they need to, they go to the back room and grab a can of "preformed" damage control off the shelf.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[PASabreFan]

Regarding TM's answer and reference to the owner -- I don't read it the same way you guys are reading it. He was asked whether he was comfortable with the management structure. Now that PLF is gone, the management structure has TM reporting directly to the owner -- not to PLF. So the question can be fairly interpreted (and I think TM did interpret it) as "are you comfortable, now that PLF is gone, with reporting directly to TP?" So it made sense for him to discuss his comfort level with reporting directly to TP.

 

I'm still not convinced that everything is hunky-dory at FNC, but I feel better about it having watched the presser.

 

OK, but why would fellow GMs offer advice on dealing with the owner? I guess it could be, "So you'll be reporting directly to ownership now. Here's some advice, kid." (This assumes that other GMs knew the Sabres wouldn't be replacing Pat.) Or it could be, "Hey, kid. Heard what happened. Just goes to show ya, everybody's got a boss. Remember who's writing that check!"

 

Love it. "Preformed" damage control. Like whenever they need to, they go to the back room and grab a can of "preformed" damage control off the shelf.

 

GO SABRES!!!

 

He probably says "prevert" too. A rare typo for d4rk! Write down the date.

Edited March 2, 2014 by PASabreFan

[Weave]

OK, but why would fellow GMs offer advice on dealing with the owner? I guess it could be, "So you'll be reporting directly to ownership now. Here's some advice, kid." (This assumes that other GMs knew the Sabres wouldn't be replacing Pat.) Or it could be, "Hey, kid. Heard what happened. Just goes to show ya, everybody's got a boss. Remember who's writing that check!"

 

I didn't interpret the advice as "this is how you deal with *your* owner. I think the advice was "this is how you deal with *an* owner. He said he got the advice when he was offered the job, so it is not related to the PLF resignation.

Edited March 2, 2014 by weave

[PASabreFan]

Why do they need more than Craig Patrick, Tim Murray and Ted Nolan, on the hockey side of things? If CP leaves, then a guy may be needed. I really couldn't think of many important jobs that PLF even could do once he hired those three guys. It may be different if Patrick hadn't seen it all and Murray been around for 20 years.

 

It isn't the lack of a president that bothers me per se — although I have argued for it and like the firewall it can represent between ownership and the GM. It's the idea of not having a president, then having one, then not having one. It shouldn't give anyone confidence that smart hockey people are running the show.

[Weave]

I think this tweet well represents why I am concerned.

John Vogl ‏@BuffNewsVogl 54m

1. If Pat LaFontaine willingly resigned to go back to NHL, why would Ted Nolan be so bummed about his friend and decline to talk contract?