Get to know Rikard Gronborg - like it or not

[Curt]

2 hours ago, etiennep99 said:

Can someone explain to me how the assistant coach to Kruger comes in and totally changes things.  What the freak did Donato do when

he was an assistant coach?  Why didn't he have more of an influence then?  Was Kruger just shutting out every other voice?  Why do I

seem to be the only person asking this question?  Am I really that clueless on how NHL coaching staffs work? [Yes, I know that is an

invitation for others to slam me. Whatever.]

Reasonable questions.  I don’t know if anyone has an answer.

But really, I’m more concerned by your paragraph structure.  

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, MODO Hockey said:

And yes, im pretty sure Rikard would accept a assistant position if the terms is right.

If it turned out that Donnie Meatballs gets the HC spot and he brought in Grönborg as his bench coach, I think I could see that working.  Still not sold on it, but... maybe?

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

The Kraken however, do provide me with an exit strategy and I just might be forced into it. 

I wouldn't blame you.

A different situation, but if the NLL gets going again Fort Worth will have a team and I'll be rooting for them over the Bandits.

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

If they're stuck on the direction they are in philosophically this idea makes more sense to me than Granato staying on with Gronborg as HC. They hire Granato full time and add Gronborg to the staff. If Granato is failing there's your new interim to try out. 

Not my preferred option, but makes more sense to me than giving the job to Gronborg. 

Also, Granato with his past medical history may not have the stamina to go a whole season as HC.  Maybe you let Grönborg coach a road trip or two to allow Granato some R&R midseason.  If their coaching styles are that compatible it could work.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, etiennep99 said:

Why didn't he have more of an influence then?

My impression is that Krueger as a self-confident, arrogant know-it-all who really didn't know much.  Knowing Donnie Meatballs' personality, he probably tried to push Krueger behind closed doors and when it didn't work did what he could within Krueger's system to help the players.

Even though he was on Krueger's staff, I got the impression he was suggested by the Sabres deep state as a North American counterbalance to Krueger's Euro philosophy; perhaps even suggested by Adams, who was VP of Business Administration for the team and probably part of the inner circle of management (I suspect he was part of the Pegulas' inner circle at that point since he was made GM shortly after that).

I thought Steve Smith was Krueger's go-to guy, and unfortunately they thought too much alike.  Granato alone was not enough to break the logjam.  Knowing his "do the best you can with a situation" philosophy I can see him making contributions to improve and develop the players even if the HC didn't want his input on how to run the games.

I also suspect Granato was one of the voices reporting back to Kevyn who reported back to the Pegulas as to the inner workings of the locker room that finally led to Krueger getting sacked.

Edited June 5, 2021 by Doohickie

[sabremike]

This team is in no position to do another speculative high risk/high reward coaching hire. They need someone who is a solid professional with a lengthy track record of getting results. There is a guy who would essentially be manna from heaven clearly interested in the job but the worst owner in modern hockey history will have none of it (which is why he is the worst owner in modern hockey history).

[etiennep99]

7 hours ago, Doohickie said:

My impression is that Krueger as a self-confident, arrogant know-it-all who really didn't know much.  Knowing Donnie Meatballs' personality, he probably tried to push Krueger behind closed doors and when it didn't work did what he could within Krueger's system to help the players.

Even though he was on Krueger's staff, I got the impression he was suggested by the Sabres deep state as a North American counterbalance to Krueger's Euro philosophy; perhaps even suggested by Adams, who was VP of Business Administration for the team and probably part of the inner circle of management (I suspect he was part of the Pegulas' inner circle at that point since he was made GM shortly after that).

I thought Steve Smith was Krueger's go-to guy, and unfortunately they thought too much alike.  Granato alone was not enough to break the logjam.  Knowing his "do the best you can with a situation" philosophy I can see him making contributions to improve and develop the players even if the HC didn't want his input on how to run the games.

I also suspect Granato was one of the voices reporting back to Kevyn who reported back to the Pegulas as to the inner workings of the locker room that finally led to Krueger getting sacked.

You seem to be privy to a lot of the inner workings, or is it just supposition?  I would hold suspect anyone who was a willing partner to a disaster.  If I ran a factory that made widgets and our line equipment was trashed, and if our QC was trash, and our sales were tanking, I would protest quite a bit if my boss refused to listen and the board refused to listen, or I would leave.  I want to be part of a solution, not the problem.  I've been there before. Even had a good boss, but the director sucked. I stayed too long.   While I think that Granato improved the team and has some good things to offer, I would be really hesitant to hire him as HC if I didn't know behind the scenes that he was stridently trying to right the ship.  The world is overfilled with "yes" men.

[Brawndo]

 

Enroth Approves 

 

[Eleven]

Ok.  I've gotten to know him and I still don't want the Sabres to hire him.

If they're going to go with a newbie, go with the newbie they already have.  Otherwise, I want them to hire a coach with experience as a head coach in the NHL.

[JohnC]

3 hours ago, etiennep99 said:

You seem to be privy to a lot of the inner workings, or is it just supposition?  I would hold suspect anyone who was a willing partner to a disaster.  If I ran a factory that made widgets and our line equipment was trashed, and if our QC was trash, and our sales were tanking, I would protest quite a bit if my boss refused to listen and the board refused to listen, or I would leave.  I want to be part of a solution, not the problem.  I've been there before. Even had a good boss, but the director sucked. I stayed too long.   While I think that Granato improved the team and has some good things to offer, I would be really hesitant to hire him as HC if I didn't know behind the scenes that he was stridently trying to right the ship.  The world is overfilled with "yes" men.

I doubt that Granato would be stridently challenging Krueger's method in managing the team when he was a subordinate. That is not to say that he wasn't in his lower position encouraging change. What the internal dynamics were when he was an assistant coach we don't know for sure. What we do know is that shortly after he took over the team dramatically changed its strategy and every player played better. Increased production in itself is a persuasive argument in his behalf for his hiring as a HC. Trust your eyes. 

[Zamboni]

This answer will be telling …

 

Maybe he’s the right man for the job, however … but no one is perfect …

So, for those that have followed Gronborg for awhile … if you had to give criticism to a couple things about his coaching, what would it be?

[Doohicksie]

5 hours ago, etiennep99 said:

You seem to be privy to a lot of the inner workings, or is it just supposition? 

More fan fiction that anything else  😛

[Kong]

One of those opinionated days...

One thing about the Sabres, they have a huge contingent of Swedish players with whom Gronberg theoretically could communicate. I've never seen a team with so many Swedes. But many of them have experienced so much losing on the Sabres, I think most would prefer to play elsewhere. 

I would prefer to see players on the Sabres to have a regional American/Canadian majority. Not sure there are any French Canadians on the Sabres but we've had some outstanding players play well for us through the years.  I honestly think, besides the losing, that most of these overseas players have no feeling for the city of Buffalo and don't get Buffalo. Mercenary players (I'm including Eichel, Okposo and Skinner) will demand more money, put less heart and soul into their job and give up easier.

To me, the players who are instrumental in winning Stanley Cups aren't the Eichels of the world, it's the guys named Smith.

I'd like the Sabres to take a conventional NHL coach like a Boudreau or a Gallant that has a track record of success and not always come up with outside-the-box major hires. I'm sick of outside the box. We've tried many different flavors of outside the box. It hasn't worked for us.

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Kong

[MODO Hockey]

31 minutes ago, Kong said:

One of those opinionated days...

One thing about the Sabres, they have a huge contingent of Swedish players with whom Gronberg theoretically could communicate. I've never seen a team with so many Swedes. But many of them have experienced so much losing on the Sabres, I think most would prefer to play elsewhere. 

I would prefer to see players on the Sabres to have a regional American/Canadian majority. Not sure there are any French Canadians on the Sabres but we've had some outstanding players play well for us through the years.  I honestly think, besides the losing, that most of these overseas players have no feeling for the city of Buffalo and don't get Buffalo. Mercenary players (I'm including Eichel, Okposo and Skinner) will demand more money, put less heart and soul into their job and give up easier.

To me, the players who are instrumental in winning Stanley Cups aren't the Eichels of the world, it's the guys named Smith.

I'd like the Sabres to take a conventional NHL coach like a Boudreau or a Gallant that has a track record of success and not always come up with outside-the-box major hires. I'm sick of outside the box. We've tried many different flavors of outside the box. It hasn't worked for us.

 

This post is mindblowing, "I honestly think, besides the losing, that most of these overseas players have no feeling for the city of Buffalo and don't get Buffalo"

This in bold is outrage, your so wrong on this take that it makes me wonder if you are for real. The fact that a elite player would some how bond with every city he moves to play hockey is LOL. These are hockeyplayers my friend, not some loyal city members with some faith in their package. I see what your saying, that "Only if they was born in Buffalo they would understand, they would be so much more loyal to Sabres and we would win easy", that is your fairytale story really.

But this in reality, anyone that know about hockey know that this that your referring to has no real meaning to the outcome in the end. 

Yes there are true storys of the city boy that became loyal to the city team and won in the end, but yea.. who cares.

And also, Sabres have hired stanley cup coach, euro coach, a cityboy Phil Hously defender, u name it.. nothing has worked. So Rikard Gronborg could succeed as much as Gallant could, and i like Gallant to. It is what it is, get over it and move on to the next because that is all we fans can do really. Look at Buffalo Bills.

You've never seen a team with so many swedes? 

Ducks - 5 swedes
Cyotes - 3 swedes
Bruins - 2 swedes
Sabres - 4 swedes (and i wouldnt count Mattias Samuelsson since hes never even lived in sweden but technically he has double citizen memberships)
Flames - 6 swedes
Hurricanes - 2 swedes
Blackhawks - 2 swedes
Avalanche - 4 swedes
Columbus - 4 swedes
Stars - 1 swede
Red wings - 3 swedes
Oilers - 5 swedes
Panthers - 5 swedes
Kings - 3 swedes
Wilds - 4 swedes
Canadians - 1 swede
Predators - 4 swedes
Devils - 2 swedes
Islanders - 1 swede
Rangers - 1 swede
Senators - 3 swedes
Flyers - 2 swedes
Penguins - 1 swede
Sharks - 3 swedes
Blues - 3 swedes
Lightnings - 3 swedes
Leafs - 3 swedes
Canucks - 4 swedes
Knights - 3 swedes
Capitals - 3 swedes
Jets - 1 swede
 

Just fyi.

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Kong said:

One of those opinionated days...

One thing about the Sabres, they have a huge contingent of Swedish players with whom Gronberg theoretically could communicate. I've never seen a team with so many Swedes. But many of them have experienced so much losing on the Sabres, I think most would prefer to play elsewhere. 

I would prefer to see players on the Sabres to have a regional American/Canadian majority. Not sure there are any French Canadians on the Sabres but we've had some outstanding players play well for us through the years.  I honestly think, besides the losing, that most of these overseas players have no feeling for the city of Buffalo and don't get Buffalo. Mercenary players (I'm including Eichel, Okposo and Skinner) will demand more money, put less heart and soul into their job and give up easier.

To me, the players who are instrumental in winning Stanley Cups aren't the Eichels of the world, it's the guys named Smith.

I'd like the Sabres to take a conventional NHL coach like a Boudreau or a Gallant that has a track record of success and not always come up with outside-the-box major hires. I'm sick of outside the box. We've tried many different flavors of outside the box. It hasn't worked for us.

 

The casual bigotry of this post is pretty hard to stomach.

[Zamboni]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

The casual bigotry of this post is pretty hard to stomach.

Yea this ignorance is becoming an allowed pattern here. First, the trophy wife garbage. And now this.  Kinda sucks.

 

With that being said, I’ll lighten the mood with a chef we all love … 

 

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Zamboni said:

Yea this ignorance is becoming an allowed pattern here. First, the trophy wife garbage. And now this.  Kinda sucks.

 

With that being said, I’ll lighten the mood with a chef we all love … 

 

OMG YES HIS MEATBALLS ARE TO DIE FOR

[#freejame]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

The casual bigotry of this post is pretty hard to stomach.

It’s pretty remarkable that the bigotry isn’t directed towards the French-Canadians considering the hockey world. He’s either québécois or he just blew his cover. 

[Kong]

I was just advocating for more local players. I can't remember a Buffalonian Sabre besides Bailey and Gionta (if you count Roch.) who ever really played on the home team, and I'm talking about 50 years. Someone might point out 1-2 more, but my point is we never get to cheer for good players, and there are some, who come from around here. Thinking outside the box has become inside the box and the Buffalo area is outside the box. Are there any conservatives on this board, whether republican or otherwise? Please shout out. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Kong

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, Kong said:

I was just advocating for more local players. I can't remember a Buffalonian Sabre besides Bailey and Gionta (if you count Roch.) who ever really played on the home team, and I'm talking about 50 years. Someone might point out 1-2 more, but my point is we never get to cheer for good players, and there are some, who come from around here. Thinking outside the box has become inside the box and the Buffalo area is outside the box. Are there any conservatives on this board, whether republican or otherwise? Please shout out. 

2 more ottomh: Kaleta & Kennedy.

[dudacek]

Your point seemed to be that players from certain areas don't care or give honest effort.

Not sure how wide the net you want cast for "local" is, but Kennedy, Sheahan, Paille, Ellis, Kaleta, Jordan Nolan, Andrew Peters and Marcus Foligno are some others that come to mind with roots in the area.

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by dudacek

[Zamboni]

30 minutes ago, Kong said:

I was just advocating for more local players. I can't remember a Buffalonian Sabre besides Bailey and Gionta (if you count Roch.) who ever really played on the home team, and I'm talking about 50 years. Someone might point out 1-2 more, but my point is we never get to cheer for good players, and there are some, who come from around here. Thinking outside the box has become inside the box and the Buffalo area is outside the box. Are there any conservatives on this board, whether republican or otherwise? Please shout out. 

Some of your viewpoints and verbiage are an embarrassment to moderates and conservatives. Just saying. Don’t try to fly a political flag when you are on an island with some of your views and verbiage. There IS a political thread. Find it and sound off there. Please…

[Randall Flagg]

8 hours ago, Kong said:

I was just advocating for more local players. I can't remember a Buffalonian Sabre besides Bailey and Gionta (if you count Roch.) who ever really played on the home team, and I'm talking about 50 years. Someone might point out 1-2 more, but my point is we never get to cheer for good players, and there are some, who come from around here. Thinking outside the box has become inside the box and the Buffalo area is outside the box. Are there any conservatives on this board, whether republican or otherwise? Please shout out. 

I don't know if the word conservative suits me best, but I'd be comfortable putting money down on being the "furthest right wing" poster on this board, using common parlance 

My love of sports is deteriorating by the day and has been for a year or so, but this is something I've thought about that could rejuvenate it to some degree. I don't feel attached to people of alien lands like Boston or B.C. or even further coming here and playing sports with "my team"'s jersey on for a paycheck before leaving. But community building and inspiring/training locals to make a true representation of your region champion over others? The desiderium this thought evokes makes me think I'd enjoy it thoroughly

It's so interesting spending time in the world and then coming back to sanitized internet communities

Edited June 7, 2021 by Randall Flagg

[MODO Hockey]

1 hour ago, Kong said:

I was just advocating for more local players. I can't remember a Buffalonian Sabre besides Bailey and Gionta (if you count Roch.) who ever really played on the home team, and I'm talking about 50 years. Someone might point out 1-2 more, but my point is we never get to cheer for good players, and there are some, who come from around here. Thinking outside the box has become inside the box and the Buffalo area is outside the box. Are there any conservatives on this board, whether republican or otherwise? Please shout out. 

You were just brought back into reality. U have no clue what your talking about mr fairytale.

[Stoner]

On 6/5/2021 at 12:00 AM, sabremike said:

This team is in no position to do another speculative high risk/high reward coaching hire. They need someone who is a solid professional with a lengthy track record of getting results. There is a guy who would essentially be manna from heaven clearly interested in the job but the worst owner in modern hockey history will have none of it (which is why he is the worst owner in modern hockey history).

No hockey emperor. No monopoly on hockey IQ. Almost direct quotes from Terry. He told us he wants/needs to be "in on the action."

22 hours ago, Zamboni said:

Yea this ignorance is becoming an allowed pattern here. First, the trophy wife garbage. And now this.  Kinda sucks.

 

With that being said, I’ll lighten the mood with a chef we all love … 

 

And you immediately post a vile, repugnant Swedish stereotype of Swedish chefs. How's 2021 working out for you now?

22 hours ago, dudacek said:

The casual bigotry of this post is pretty hard to stomach.

Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise. Uh, oh, did I trigger Louise? Is she being stalked?