Adams Introductory Press Conference 2pm EDT

[WildCard]

5 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Couldn't you have just as easily said:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

More fun this way ? 

[dudacek]

9 minutes ago, SDS said:

But what do you want him to actually say? What could a general manager say in a press conference that has actual substance?

We don't score enough goals and we don't create enough chances. Job one is fixing that. (We think it will fix itself with our youngsters and Jeff Skinner bouncing back)

We have $35 million in cap space. I am going (not) to leverage that to the fullest extent on free agents and trades (on re-signing our current guys).

I am (not) a believer in analytics

I (don't) think our goaltending is good enough to get us into the playoffs

Sam Reinhart is (not) a core player that we (don't) want to lock up long term.

Our first round pick is (not) on the market.

So much stuff...

[bob_sauve28]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

As we keep trying to tell you there were more things wrong than just the PP not being the best in the league and Hutton not being good. 

And I see it totally different. The way the team started with Hutton and then he lost it, so Ullmark did way better but Hutton still got his five goals against starts, but we were hanging in there until Linus got hurt and it was a nosedive, we had to play a minor league goalie. 

Ya, it was the goaltending, most important position in the game. 

 

Sure, we could use more scoring. I get that. 

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, WildCard said:

More fun this way ? 

How is that more fun than grammatically correctly using in an appropriate context no less a complete sentence consisting entirely of the word "buffalo" used 10^1 times?

[PromoTheRobot]

35 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

It's almost like Kevyn Adams was identified not for his personnel experience or hockey knowledge, but because he's the perfect cross section of professional looking/articulate/local/not JBott that can smile and tell the fans everything will be alright.

i.e. Pegulas realize the fans hate JBott -- let's give them Kevyn he's a great dude ?

 

Or...I know this is a stretch... Adams will handle the details while Krueger picks the players?

[DarthEbriate]

Red Leader: GMKevyn! Are you sure you can handle this ship?

Peggs Terrlighter: Sir! GMKevyn is the best communicator in the PSE Territories.

<Red Leader appraises GMKevyn>

Red Leader: You'll do all right.

GMKevyn: Thank you sir, I'll try.

<Red Leader thinks: He's a dead man. Seems a waste of a good X-wing.>

[Carmel Corn]

Had to listen to this on delay.   Feels like there is not an adult in the room anywhere in the organization.  Seems like they're hung up more on communication than experience, knowledge and a proven track record.  They are clueless!

Nice job people...now you improve every aspect of being able to communicate "WE SUCK" so that every person in the "flat" organization understands this.  Tired of the learn-on-the-job culture of this organization...for the owners, GM's, coaches, etc.   Maybe I'll save some bucks and cancel my NHL Center Ice package next season.

[Stoner]

3 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Dang, my bruce dreams only lasted 4 hours 

Enjoy your youth. Wait til you're in your 50s.

3 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Spectrum: Why do the Sabres stink and Bills are good?

JESUS!

Someone ask Adams about his philosophy, big picture plans!

So I guess no one got around to asking Kevyn why he didn't get to hire his own coach?

3 hours ago, freester said:

I just can’t see Jack being happy with another total novice with no GM experience  being named GM  

I see little Jack back in Boston, firing pucks against the basement wall, dreaming of playing just one game for the Bruins. Older Jack knew getting there was closer to reality and dreamed of winning a Cup, even if it was a losing franchise when he got there. He didn't sign up for any of this. I truly feel bad for the guy.

3 hours ago, Taro T said:

There was no search.  SMH.

It gives me the shivers when Taro is bummed. It's like a movie where all the birds fly out of a city center moments before something unearthly busts out of the pavement.

3 hours ago, WildCard said:

The Pegula's said that they weren't communicated certain decisions/thoughts they thought they should have been. Kevyn will read them his whole journal if he has to, right down to the temperature of his tepid black coffee if it gets them to smile. I'm betting Botterill just went around his job like a normal person, without telling their boss every little thing, and the Pegulas didn't like that

And yet we were told Terry talked to Jason up to three times a day.

Edited June 16, 2020 by PASabreFan

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

Why did they have this presser before they fired the entire front office of the Amerks later in the day?  Have they announced another PC yet to discuss the CT firing? 

Wouldn't a cohesive message about the future of the organization be appropriate at a time like this???  Who made (or didn't make) these decisions? 

It's not a good day to still be associated with the Buffalo Sabres organization (unless you're RaKru)...  

[shrader]

5 minutes ago, SHAAAUGHT!!! said:

Why did they have this presser before they fired the entire front office of the Amerks later in the day?  Have they announced another PC yet to discuss the CT firing? 

Wouldn't a cohesive message about the future of the organization be appropriate at a time like this???  Who made (or didn't make) these decisions? 

It's not a good day to still be associated with the Buffalo Sabres organization (unless you're RaKru)...  

The whole process seems pretty standard to me.  Get the press conference out of the way before you announce the rest.  They give Adams his moment and they don't have to answer all the questions right away.  Dodging the questions?  Sure, but I'd do exactly the same.

[In The Buff]

I have to imagine that the Pegula's talked to Jack before they made this move, just to get his thoughts & opinion on it & even speak on behalf of the players.

I wonder how that conversation went & how on board he is with Adams.

Knowing the type of guy Jack  is, im sure he said he's on board with whatever it takes to turn the ship around. But i really wonder if he feels more confident today than he did yesterday.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

7 minutes ago, shrader said:

The whole process seems pretty standard to me.  Get the press conference out of the way before you announce the rest.  They give Adams his moment and they don't have to answer all the questions right away.  Dodging the questions?  Sure, but I'd do exactly the same.

It's standard to fire your NHL GM and scouting staff 6 hours before firing your AHL HC and front office, have a press conference in between the two events, and then not even have a prepared tweet ready to go to address the future of the organization?  

This seems lazy and haphazard, not standard.  After 9 years of owning and running a team, they should know how to do better.

Edited June 16, 2020 by SHAAAUGHT!!!
cleaned up to clarify my rage

[Gatorman0519]

The chances of this ending well is not very good I’d say.  Holy smokes.  

[Curt]

Watching this now.

-Dang, Wawrow looks like everyone’s’ uncle and his backdrop looks like everyone’s’ uncle’s junk room.

-Is Adams the only guy who threw on a nice dress shirt for this thing??  Owners included.

-So Botterill didn’t want to fire the scouting staff, fire the AHL coaching staff, and thought they were trying to be too “efficient and economical”.

-Pegula like Adams because he handles whatever they give him, he is loyal and is a great communicator with them a lot.  Great.

-Harrington bringing the heat-why should anyone trust ownerships leadership?  Kim- we are going to keep trying.

-Pegulas needed to make some changes to how the financial side of the organization is run.  They felt like those concerns/directives were not be heard by Botterill.  Wow.  It’s becoming very clear that they are leaning out the organization to save money and Botterill was not on board.

-Opening statement and 4-5 questions passed before the Pegulas even mentioned the poor results of the team.  Does not seem to have been an important factor in these changes.

-Duffer, Krueger, Lyshowski, and Adam Beninni (so?) put on nice shirts.

-Pegulas want flat organization, don’t believe in the Pres of a Hockey Ops model.  Like the 3-way communication set up they now have with themselves, Adams and Krueger.

-Vogel calls owners Tim and Kerry, hehe.

-Pegulas say they already know and trust Adams.  That’s the big difference between this GM hire and previous ones.

-Terry’s 3 words are effective, efficient, and economic.  Great.  He doesn’t know how to use Skype but knows that the current sports technology out there will allow them to be much leaner.  Great.

-Pegulas: Not a rebuild coming up, just need to change some pieces and stay positive.

-Krueger: frustration from players is good.  Use that energy to push forward.

-Jon Scott asks why the Bills have had some success but owned Sabres twice as long and churning through GMs and HCs without success?  Kim: I wish we had the answer, hehe.  Just Great.

-Pegulas don’t have a financial problem.  Sure, energy market is hurting but they aren’t in debt or anything.  Every sports organization is going to have to make decisions like this, you know, especially if they can’t get fans in the stands next year. But there is no financial trouble with them, you know.  Paraphrasing of course.  I’m convinced.

-Pegulas:  there was no GM search.

-Kim hates to see the things going on in country, but history shows (Terry watches History Channel all the time) that adversity makes people stronger.

Overall Take Aways:

Adams seems fine.  Definitely a better public speaker than Botterill, FWIW.  Seems like he may be a good fit with Krueger as a “communicator”  He certainly doesn’t have the experience you would like a GM to have though, and he doesn’t have a lot of experience around him right now.  Maybe he will be good, maybe he won’t.  He didn’t get too deep into anything today.  He is probably as shocked as any of us that he is in the GM seat.

Apart from that, Pegulas look like they are without a doubt prioritizing cutting costs.  There was a lot more talk of being lean and efficient than about winning hockey games.  They hired Adams because they trust him and he wants to go along with their vision, not because of his great skill for building a hockey team.  Today’s events did not inspire hope in this man’s heart.

[Stoner]

"Who's the right people?" Lord.

As for Mike's question, it was fine. I was expecting so much worse. Criticism of the question is based in chauvinism and sexism.

[Stoner]

I had to laugh when Terry said there is no financial "situation" and wondered aloud where that's coming from.

He also completely contradicted himself when he said his vaunted flat management structure allows everyone to talk to everyone, yet claimed that communication has been the biggest problem with the franchise. Anyone ever play the telephone game? There's something to be said for one person to speak loud and clear for the organization and everyone else to listen. (There's also something to be said for an oil and gas tycoon and his wife not having a seat at the table where the real pros sit.)

Finally, filed under continued meddling, Terry said he continues to believe "100%" in a draft-first philosophy of building a team. That's the GM's call. It started with "Lindy ain't going nowhere" and has never stopped.

Edited June 17, 2020 by PASabreFan

[Thorner]

7 hours ago, dudacek said:

Wow, that reply would warm @Thorny's heart.

Tired of kicking the can down the road.

What was it? Picked a bad day to not check on the Sabres in the AM.

What sort of trouble have they gotten into this time, I tell ya! 

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Finally, filed under continued meddling, Terry said he continues to believe "100%" in a draft-first philosophy of building a team. That's the GM's call. It started with "Lindy ain't going nowhere" and has never stopped.

You hire a GM who agrees with that philosophy.  That's just normal ownership.

Right now, I would have been cool with Lindy and Darcy all these years.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

"Who's the right people?" Lord.

As for Mike's question, it was fine. I was expecting so much worse. Criticism of the question is based in chauvinism and sexism.

The second part is why I don’t punch him. My wife is tough enough to handle herself and would probably punch me if acted in any way that suggested otherwise.

My criticism would have been exactly the same had he asked the question of Terry.

There is a line between tough questions and being disrespectful and unprofessional. The words Harrington chose and the tone in which he delivered them was well over the line.

”Kim, why should the fans think this time will be any different?” would have sufficed.

[Stoner]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

The second part is why I don’t punch him. My wife is tough enough to handle herself and would probably punch me if acted in any way that suggested otherwise.

My criticism would have been exactly the same had he asked the question of Terry.

There is a line between tough questions and being disrespectful and unprofessional. The words Harrington chose and the tone in which he delivered them was well over the line.

”Kim, why should the fans think this time will be any different?” would have sufficed.

I'll go back and listen and transcribe the question. How was it unprofessional? From the original posts on this topic I expected to hear shouting and cursing. Mike's reputation clearly precedes him.

[Tondas]

Just watched the Zoom presser.  Adams seems like a good guy.  The Pegulas are as inspiring as a wet dish towel.  They don't seem to have a real plan beyond tomorrow.  It seems like the "blind squirrel finding a nut" management approach.  Hopefully, Adams and RFK can win in spite of this.

Edited June 17, 2020 by Tondas

[That Aud Smell]

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Mike's reputation clearly precedes him.

His reputation is well-earned.

[Stoner]

20 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Dang, Mike.

 

20 hours ago, dudacek said:

Harrington, being Harrington

 

20 hours ago, dudacek said:

I'd struggle not to punch him if he spoke to my wife like that.

 

19 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Ha.

I do think he'd be better at his job if he were to take a different tone - just too much assholery in there.

 

19 hours ago, SDS said:

What an unprofessional phrasing.

 

19 hours ago, SDS said:

Shocked he just didn't pull the f-bomb. It was everything just shy of it.

I can't find the posts that talked about Mike raising his voice and gave the impression he cursed. That was the worst of the Harrington criticism. The posts above run the gamut.

Here's what Mike said in a forceful way without shouting:

"Ultimately why should anyone have faith in you as the team president given the way virtually every former employee whether it's a coach, GM, executive or other worker points to your scattershot leadership as the number one problem in this organization?"

You would think he called her an ignorant slut or the c-word. Bunch of patronizing men trying to defend the little lady from Mean Old Mike. Ridiculous. This is the big league. Kim can fire with the best of them, dubbing herself the Black Widow. She can handle Harrington.

 

[darksabre]

3 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

 

 

 

 

 

I can't find the posts that talked about Mike raising his voice and gave the impression he cursed. That was the worst of the Harrington criticism. The posts above run the gamut.

Here's what Mike said in a forceful way without shouting:

"Ultimately why should anyone have faith in you as the team president given the way virtually every former employee whether it's a coach, GM, executive or other worker points to your scattershot leadership as the number one problem in this organization?"

You would think he called her an ignorant slut or the c-word. Bunch of patronizing men trying to defend the little lady from Mean Old Mike. Ridiculous. This is the big league. Kim can fire with the best of them, dubbing herself the Black Widow. She can handle Harrington.

 

The problem with Harrington's question is that it's pure hyperbole based on pretty much zero actual evidence. We don't have "virtually every former employee" calling Kim's leadership "scattershot". We have some "rumblings" at best, and nothing nearly that severe.

If he wanted to question her leadership, there's probably a much more tactful way of doing it. He just sounds like a Twitter troll.

[Stoner]

3 minutes ago, darksabre said:

The problem with Harrington's question is that it's pure hyperbole based on pretty much zero actual evidence. We don't have "virtually every former employee" calling Kim's leadership "scattershot". We have some "rumblings" at best, and nothing nearly that severe.

If he wanted to question her leadership, there's probably a much more tactful way of doing it. He just sounds like a Twitter troll.

Questions like that have the highest chance of receiving an answer (Mike's the only reason we got confirmation of how OSP ran the Sabres). Look at how the oatmeal questions get answered. They don't. I don't know why Vogl bothers to attend these things. The affiliate guys are the worst. It's like their bosses say, "Don't rock the boat, we need that B-roll for 11 o'clock." They all come off as intimidated to be speaking to such power. Except Mike. I want to be him when I grow up.