Shake up in the office PAT LaFONTAINE RESIGNS

[bunomatic]

Look no further than Battista. Why is he even in the meetings of the hockey minds when NHL decisions are contemplated ? Makes no sense. Zero NHL experience, nada. Zip. Hell, I'd have resigned too.

[Kristian]

Would the non disclosure thingamabob stop Pat from getting his story out through back channels? "Sources close to LaFontaine say..."...

 

Any decent non-disclosure agreement would likely prohibit him from talking to anyone outside his family about this.

[TrueBlueGED]

And he was brought in to be an adviser without getting compensated for it. By hiring him as an advisor, they are asking him to provide advise.

If I was brought into a position where they asked for my advise and my advise was never taken, I wouldn't waste my time anymore and have no problems leaving a job I'm not being paid for.

 

If he left because his advice wasn't heeded, that must mean he expected to be followed on every decision. Why would an unpaid advisor expect to be listened to 100% of the time? If that was the case, he'd have been given an actual job. Depending on exactly what his advisory duties were, he was probably there to provide some insight, give a different perspective on things, etc. But you're not in a position of power, you're not going to get your way all the time...and if you think you are, then you're definitely clueless as to how front offices work.

[apuszczalowski]

If he left because his advice wasn't heeded, that must mean he expected to be followed on every decision. Why would an unpaid advisor expect to be listened to 100% of the time? If that was the case, he'd have been given an actual job. Depending on exactly what his advisory duties were, he was probably there to provide some insight, give a different perspective on things, etc. But you're not in a position of power, you're not going to get your way all the time...and if you think you are, then you're definitely clueless as to how front offices work.

And I don't think there was ever any indication that his reason for leaving was because he demand power from the Islanders organisation and they wouldn't listen to his every idea, The reason for leaving was because he disagreed with the direction Wang was taking the team when he turfed the GM that was brought in with Lafontaine for Snow.

 

Why would he stay in an unpaid position in a situation where they brought him on for his advice and his advice isn't being taken? I would have left too instead of staying there wasting my time. They obviously didn't need him if they wouldn't listen to his advice.

[blugold43]

What's a kid like Grigorenko to think about this whole Pat Lafountaine affair?

 

Wasn't it Pat who said that Grigo had to learn to be patient and EARN his place on teams.

I think that Pat should look himself in the mirror. Twice now, Pat has been rushed into influential

positions and then left at the first sign of trouble. That's not a good example Pat.

 

My take on things is that Lafountaine was being forced into a figurehead role and that he didn't

care for it. That's not what he signed up for. But, come on. He should have at least stayed

to the end of the year. You gotta practice what you preach.

 

I take this all back if it was something more insideous that people are keeping private. Well,

except the Grigorenko part because this kid has to really have his head spinning right now.

ha. grigorenko? he should just worry about learning to skate and hustle like an nhl player. i won't be surprised if he gets moved before he's back in the nhl.

[TrueBlueGED]

And I don't think there was ever any indication that his reason for leaving was because he demand power from the Islanders organisation and they wouldn't listen to his every idea, The reason for leaving was because he disagreed with the direction Wang was taking the team when he turfed the GM that was brought in with Lafontaine for Snow.

 

Why would he stay in an unpaid position in a situation where they brought him on for his advice and his advice isn't being taken? I would have left too instead of staying there wasting my time. They obviously didn't need him if they wouldn't listen to his advice.

 

What I was trying to get at (and did a poor job of) is this: What if "not heading in the right direction" is synonymous with "didn't listen to me"? In a group management setting, especially one where you have zero authority, you have to be able to handle the decision makers taking actions you disagree with.

[blugold43]

WTF is it with Bucky Gleason? He ran one GM out of town and he's looking for another trophy?

OH MY GOD.

 

Bucky Gleason got Lindy fired??!

 

You are amazing.

[shrader]

OH MY GOD.

 

Bucky Gleason got Lindy fired??!

 

You are amazing.

 

Lindy was GM?

[Stoner]

OH MY GOD.

 

Bucky Gleason got Lindy fired??!

 

You are amazing.

 

That's how some people think. Terry himself thought the News was responsible for quit in the Sabres in 2010-2011.

[pastajoe]

My guess is it was a modern Camelot situation: PLF (Lancelot) charms Kim Pegula so he has the ear of the queen. Terry (Arthur) finds out, and banishes PLF in a fit of jealousy. Meanwhile, what do the simple folk do?

[blugold43]

Lindy was GM?

 

sorry i was clearly hallucinating and i typed the wrong name. i was so bewildered by the concept that a sportswriter got our GM fired i lost my grip on reality.

 

actually i need to sign off and get some work done or i may never get it back/...have fun with this today, everyone!

[Robviously]

sorry i was clearly hallucinating and i typed the wrong name. i was so bewildered by the concept that a sportswriter got our GM fired i lost my grip on reality.

 

actually i need to sign off and get some work done or i may never get it back/...have fun with this today, everyone!

This is an awesome explanation. Well done. :D

[...]

 

 

Lindy was GM?

 

Don't stop him, he's on a roll.

[LGR4GM]

Don't stop him, he's on a roll.

[Stoner]

Don't stop him, he's on a roll.

 

Well, I'd say he was assistant GM, at least.

[shrader]

sorry i was clearly hallucinating and i typed the wrong name. i was so bewildered by the concept that a sportswriter got our GM fired i lost my grip on reality.

 

actually i need to sign off and get some work done or i may never get it back/...have fun with this today, everyone!

 

And it only took him a dozen or so years to get Regier fired, which just supports the idea that Bucky isn't very good at his job. :D

[Peter]

 

WTF is it with Bucky Gleason? He ran one GM out of town and he's looking for another trophy?

 

Bucky has had a vendetta against the Sabres for so long (Harrington also has had an ax to grind). Neither one of these guys comes anywhere close to the standard that Jim Kelley set.

 

It is clear that Bucky has "taken sides" - he did so a long time ago.

 

Regarding PLF, one thing that sticks out to me is that the Islanders have erased all mention of one of their greatest players. Whether PLF was an unpaid assistant and only in that role for 40 days, one wonders what a guy could have done to cause an organization to go out of their way to to act as though the guy never existed.

 

On the other hand, the Pegulas have a reputation for being wonderful people to work for. Ask people such as Lindy Ruff or Steve Ott (people no longer with the team) what they think of the Pegulas. The Pegulas were the ones that went out of their way and had the idea to hire PLF. You do not go and hire someone to be an executive with the team (someone who was not on anyone's radar other than the Pegulas) with the desire to screw the guy over.

 

Nevertheless, the guys from the News always have the knee jerk reaction to "choose sides" against the Sabres and its ownership -- because it fits the narrative that they have been pushing for so long.

 

The Pegulas even kept Darcy around when guys like Sully (and the rest) were clamoring for them to fire Darcy on day one. Given their track record of showing loyalty to people such as Darcy (when they could have fired him as their first move to garner PR points with the News and others), one wonders what could have happened to cause this to end so quickly (as with the Islanders). Perhaps, Paul Hamilton's comments about the public and private personas are correct.

 

Given the above, I am going to give the benefit of any doubt to the people who have put their money where their mouths are both in terms of the hockey team and the community.

 

On the other hand, we know that guys like Bucky and Harrington and Sully are not going to give them the benefit of the doubt because it simply does not fit their narrative.

 

Just my two cents.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Peter

[Campy]

Bucky has had a vendetta against the Sabres for so long (Harrington also has had an ax to grind). Neither one of these guys comes anywhere close to the standard that Jim Kelley set.

 

It is clear that Bucky has "taken sides" - he did so a long time ago.

 

Regarding PLF, one thing that sticks out to me is that the Islanders have erased all mention of one of their greatest players. Whether PLF was an unpaid assistant and only in that role for 40 days, one wonders what a guy could have done to cause an organization to go out of their way to actually go out of their way to act as though the guy never existed.

 

On the other hand, the Pegulas have a reputation for being wonderful people to work for. Ask people such as Lindy Ruff or Steve Ott (people no longer with the team) what they think of the Pegulas. The Pegulas were the ones that went out of their way and had the idea to hire PLF. You do not go and hire someone to be an executive with the team (someone who was on no ones radar other than the Pegulas) with the desire to screw the guy over.

 

Nevertheless, the guys from the News always have the knee jerk reaction to "choose sides" against the Sabres and its ownership -- because it fits the narrative that they have been pushing for so long.

 

The Pegulas even kept Darcy around when guys like Sully (and the rest) were clamoring for them to fire Darcy on day one. Given their track record of showing loyalty to people such as Darcy (when they could have fired him as their first move to garner PR points with the News and others), one wonders what could have happened to cause this to end so quickly (as with the Islanders). Perhaps, Paul Hamilton's comments about the public and private personas are correct.

 

Given the above, I am going to give the benefit of any doubt to the people who have put their money where their mouths are both in terms of the hockey team and the community.

 

On the other hand, we know that guys like Bucky and Harrington and Sully are not going to give them the benefit of the doubt because it simply does not fit their narrative.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Well said.

[K-9]

Interesting. And possible. But given Uncle Terry's willingness to write checks, this seems doubtful. Far better chance that they essentially forced him to resign and bought his silence.

 

 

 

I'm not fan of Bucky, but I saw that he's calling out TB. I actually saw that after I posted what I posted above. Just because Bucky's a boob doesn't mean it's wrong to say TB is full of sh!t.

 

Nothing wrong with Bucky doing that at all. It's his job.

 

But he's just as full of crap as those he accuses of the same when he says he isn't choosing sides. And that make me suspect EVERYTHING he posits as a journalist.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[That Aud Smell]

Given the above, I am going to give the benefit of any doubt to the people who have put their money where their mouths are both in terms of the hockey team and the community.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Terrific stuff.

 

And I don't disagree. My side-issue, if you will, is that I really dislike TB's shtick. There needed to be better talking points than "Pat resigned" and "there was no discord." If the separation agreement needed to have different language in order for there to be better talking points, then so be it.

 

How about "Pat agreed to resign after everyone, Pat included, determined that he had a different vision for how we were going to go about building this team into a Stanley Cup contender. Now, I can't, and I won't go into any details on what that difference of opinion or vision was, that would not be fair to anyone who's still here, especially Tim. I will say that we have all the respect in the world for Pat, and that reasonable minds can and often do differ on important issues. And based on that difference of opinion, Pat elected to resign."

 

Question: Was Pat asked to resign?

 

Answer: Again, I'm not going to get into that sort of thing. I'm not. I explained that everyone had an honest conversation about some differences of opinion, and at the end of that conversation, Pat resigned."

 

Question: Did Pat resign willingly? Was he forced out?

 

Answer: I already answered that question as much as and best as I can. All I can say is that Pat resigned. I understand the desire to know more about the process. But if you want me to ask whether Pat felt like he resigned freely, or willingly, or against his will, or whatever, I'm not going down that path. I'm not going to get into those kinds of issues, out of respect for all involved. Sorry, guys.

[...]

Aud, that's one of the reasons I don't like the guy. He thinks his callousness "works".

[nfreeman]

Terrific stuff.

 

And I don't disagree. My side-issue, if you will, is that I really dislike TB's shtick. There needed to be better talking points than "Pat resigned" and "there was no discord." If the separation agreement needed to have different language in order for there to be better talking points, then so be it.

 

How about "Pat agreed to resign after everyone, Pat included, determined that he had a different vision for how we were going to go about building this team into a Stanley Cup contender. Now, I can't, and I won't go into any details on what that difference of opinion or vision was, that would not be fair to anyone who's still here, especially Tim. I will say that we have all the respect in the world for Pat, and that reasonable minds can and often do differ on important issues. And based on that difference of opinion, Pat elected to resign."

 

Question: Was Pat asked to resign?

 

Answer: Again, I'm not going to get into that sort of thing. I'm not. I explained that everyone had an honest conversation about some differences of opinion, and at the end of that conversation, Pat resigned."

 

Question: Did Pat resign willingly? Was he forced out?

 

Answer: I already answered that question as much as and best as I can. All I can say is that Pat resigned. I understand the desire to know more about the process. But if you want me to ask whether Pat felt like he resigned freely, or willingly, or against his will, or whatever, I'm not going down that path. I'm not going to get into those kinds of issues, out of respect for all involved. Sorry, guys.

 

Great post. I hope TB reads this and takes it to heart.

[Kristian]

Bucky has had a vendetta against the Sabres for so long (Harrington also has had an ax to grind). Neither one of these guys comes anywhere close to the standard that Jim Kelley set.

 

It is clear that Bucky has "taken sides" - he did so a long time ago.

 

Regarding PLF, one thing that sticks out to me is that the Islanders have erased all mention of one of their greatest players. Whether PLF was an unpaid assistant and only in that role for 40 days, one wonders what a guy could have done to cause an organization to go out of their way to to act as though the guy never existed.

 

On the other hand, the Pegulas have a reputation for being wonderful people to work for. Ask people such as Lindy Ruff or Steve Ott (people no longer with the team) what they think of the Pegulas. The Pegulas were the ones that went out of their way and had the idea to hire PLF. You do not go and hire someone to be an executive with the team (someone who was not on anyone's radar other than the Pegulas) with the desire to screw the guy over.

 

Nevertheless, the guys from the News always have the knee jerk reaction to "choose sides" against the Sabres and its ownership -- because it fits the narrative that they have been pushing for so long.

 

The Pegulas even kept Darcy around when guys like Sully (and the rest) were clamoring for them to fire Darcy on day one. Given their track record of showing loyalty to people such as Darcy (when they could have fired him as their first move to garner PR points with the News and others), one wonders what could have happened to cause this to end so quickly (as with the Islanders). Perhaps, Paul Hamilton's comments about the public and private personas are correct.

 

Given the above, I am going to give the benefit of any doubt to the people who have put their money where their mouths are both in terms of the hockey team and the community.

 

On the other hand, we know that guys like Bucky and Harrington and Sully are not going to give them the benefit of the doubt because it simply does not fit their narrative.

 

Just my two cents.

 

Makes sense.

[bcsaberks]

Just my two cents.

 

Excellent, thank you.

 

Answer: I already answered that question as much as and best as I can. All I can say is that Pat resigned. I understand the desire to know more about the process. But if you want me to ask whether Pat felt like he resigned freely, or willingly, or against his will, or whatever, I'm not going down that path. I'm not going to get into those kinds of issues, out of respect for all involved. Sorry, guys.

 

Also excellent. I find myself trusting TB thus far in his tenure. Again he's a salesman, but seems fairly honest about it. I agree that adding more depth to the responses would have been appreciated. Be professional, it's a personnel matter after all, but continue to build on the trust you have with your customers. He took the safer route and said nothing.

[That Aud Smell]

Also excellent. I find myself trusting TB thus far in his tenure. Again he's a salesman, but seems fairly honest about it. I agree that adding more depth to the responses would have been appreciated. Be professional, it's a personnel matter after all, but continue to build on the trust you have with your customers. He took the safer route and said nothing.

 

Thanks, but I disagree. He did say something. In connection with explaining PLF's resignation, he said there was no discord within the FO. As others have noted, that statement can only be a Clintonian truth ("Well, see, that depends on what the meaning of 'is' is ... ."). A more reasonable view of TB's claim of "no discord" is that it was an outright lie.

 

I agree that he's charged with selling the brand. I happen to think he's bad at it, and that his habit of shading the truth plays very poorly in a town that, as much as anything, wants honesty and hard work. (I am sure TB has "hard work" covered.)