The Players need someone to push them?

[inkman]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Suggesting Rasmus Dahlin isn't internally motivated is a choice you could make. I wouldn't, but you could. 

You could choose to like him.  I wouldn’t but you could. 

[CallawaySabres]

Not to mention, Dahlin is probably the last person on this team that I would accuse of not putting in full effort.

[Buffalonill]

12 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

This is sounding more like a team a coach like Gallant can motivate and help get to the next level.  

There's just something fishy about that dude .

Great coach then kaboom 

[PerreaultForever]

I love everything Cliffy says here and he's absolutely right. They need structure and accountability and a hard nosed driving leader/coach but that constant smirk makes me think he knows this is all BS - until it isn't. 

 

[Believer]

39 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Would that have made the team play better?  Honest question.

Would have gotten the message across, “This is not ok. Ever. Don’t care who you are. We will not disrespect ourselves, our fans, or Buffalo.” 

Would it have made the team play better?… Long term? I think so.  We all heard Dahlin, Tuch, and Thompson ask for more accountability and one of them mentioned repercussions… I take that to mean discipline and consequences… Short term? Depends on who was benched and for how long…

Must be a couple slackers or even an asshat or two on the roster Granato couldn’t manage or wouldn’t address.

Give the message in the strongest terms… So every player has the information… Then, get back to work.

[Billznut]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

This is sounding more like a team a coach like Gallant can motivate and help get to the next level.  

He’s definitely my top choice. I wouldn’t mind Berube, but I’m hopeful we can nab  Gallant. Wanted him years ago too when we had one of our numerous openings. 

[Doohicksie]

21 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I love everything Cliffy says here and he's absolutely right. They need structure and accountability and a hard nosed driving leader/coach but that constant smirk makes me think he knows this is all BS - until it isn't. 

 

Yeah, I enjoyed his presser.  He was on a team with a long history of success.  I think he was just as sure as the rest of the Sabres that Buffalo would make the playoffs.  It sounds like it was a slap in the face to him that they didn't.

Watching the exit interviews and wondering which of these players will be gone in the fall.

Skinner?  Joki?  Comrie? (okay, Comrie for sure), Olofsson?  Krebs?  Jost?  Possibly all dead men walking.

It wasn't an exit interview, but I watched Comrie's postgame from game 82.  He knows he's done in Buffalo.  It's kind of sad.

[pi2000]

4 hours ago, inkman said:

I’ve learned the people who earn respect in the work place take personal responsibility or as some would say accountability.  Blaming the coach for not being motivated is a cop out and a sign of major mental weakness.  Could imagine telling people at work, I’d do a better job if my boss just pushed me more.  No one would respect anything you did or said ever again. 

Are the players supposed to voluntarily bench or scratch themselves?

"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody" - Thomas Paine

[Pimlach]

51 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

There's just something fishy about that dude .

Great coach then kaboom 

It is weird that he had back to back 0.600 winning percentages with LVK and NYR and no job.  I hear he drives players hard but is a players coach, he apparently does not work as well up the chain.  

[Second Line Center]

I’ve been taking this in all day.  
 

What a ****ing disaster.   
 

Even if this is true - YOU DON’T SAY IT OUT LOUD!!!

 

Omg!  This frigging team.  Burn down the analytics department.  Revamp all of it.  
 

I was of the belief Tage, Tuch, and Dahlin were better than this leadership wise.  Especially the latter two. 
 

The ONLY explanation I have - the only one is that Skinner and his coasting and his salary just completely screws this team’s chemistry.  
 

How can you sit Cozens or Dahlin (who the heck exactly did Tage think needed to be sat?????) for doing things wrong or not working hard enough when Skinner not only repeatedly is at fault for what these guys are saying today but he’s paid 9 million dollars a season for it!  
 

Get him out of here yesterday.  Get 5 new players on this team identify what the data cannot - and that’s who are the freaking losers with loser mentality and get them out.  
 

My guess is that list is probably one guy.  

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Buffalonill said:

There's just something fishy about that dude .

Great coach then kaboom 

If he can do with the Sabres what he did with VGK in their first year, I'm all in.

[GoPuckYourself]

2 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Would that have made the team play better?  Honest question.

Ask UPL if it helped him, as soon as he knew his job was on the line he elevated his game. Why Granato didn't implement this after what it did for UPL is beyond me. 

Edited April 18 by GoPuckYourself

[Kristian]

6 hours ago, inkman said:

Not liking how this sounds.  How about some self respect for the job you have? 

Been this way sin e black sunday. Blame the culture, not the players. They all end up like this, somehow.

The damage runs deep.

[phil_soisson]

11 hours ago, dudacek said:

Some would call this being accountable. 🤷

Some would call player interviews in the locker room after losses, with the respective player commenting, "I(we). have to do better" (all season long), being accountable.

[inkman]

46 minutes ago, phil_soisson said:

Some would call player interviews in the locker room after losses, with the respective player commenting, "I(we). have to do better" (all season long), being accountable.

After they just spent how many months (years?) floundering and failing because someone wasn’t mean enough for them?  Oh boy. 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, Second Line Center said:

I’ve been taking this in all day.  
 

What a ****ing disaster.   
 

Even if this is true - YOU DON’T SAY IT OUT LOUD!!!

 

Omg!  This frigging team.  Burn down the analytics department.  Revamp all of it.  
 

I was of the belief Tage, Tuch, and Dahlin were better than this leadership wise.  Especially the latter two. 
 

The ONLY explanation I have - the only one is that Skinner and his coasting and his salary just completely screws this team’s chemistry.  
 

How can you sit Cozens or Dahlin (who the heck exactly did Tage think needed to be sat?????) for doing things wrong or not working hard enough when Skinner not only repeatedly is at fault for what these guys are saying today but he’s paid 9 million dollars a season for it!  
 

Get him out of here yesterday.  Get 5 new players on this team identify what the data cannot - and that’s who are the freaking losers with loser mentality and get them out.  
 

My guess is that list is probably one guy.  

Screaming about the analytics department when Granato and Adams have clearly made moves that ignored analytics is dumb. They need to look at the underlying numbers more and rely on their old man hockey feels less. 

[triumph_communes]

The entire point of a coach is to set a standard. Even the McKinnin of the world are going to be on a struggling team if the coach won’t set a standard 

[Demoted]

11 hours ago, SDS said:

I think you would need to compare this to the other teams in the league. I seriously doubt that this is uncommon.

It is uncommon b.c the Sabres are the only team that hasn't made the playoffs in 13 years. Sabres share the longest current sports playoff drought in American Sports with the Jets.

Edited April 18 by Demoted

[inkman]

8 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Not to mention, Dahlin is probably the last person on this team that I would accuse of not putting in full effort.

Risto was known famously for his off season tire pushing work outs. How’s that going for him? 

[Pimlach]

22 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I love everything Cliffy says here and he's absolutely right. They need structure and accountability and a hard nosed driving leader/coach but that constant smirk makes me think he knows this is all BS - until it isn't. 

 

The smirking towards the end of the interview was the classic defense mechanism because he was stumped on what to say.  He likes DG, he likes the team, he knows they lack certain things and he knows not to air too much information to the press.   

I like Clifton in the 3rd pair.  I want another version of him for the top 4, someone bigger and better, but with the same jam.  

Edited April 19 by Pimlach

[Pimlach]

13 hours ago, Believer said:

 

"I think a lot of times this year, we got away with some stuff that we shouldn't have gotten away with," he added. "I think if you clean those things up, then it sends a message."

Who thinks Ruff would have let that juvenile fan rebellion stunt go on for two weeks?… 

Would bet a bunch he would have benched the ringleaders without hesitation to send a message to the team, the fans, and the town.

Ruff would have told them right from the start that the fans pay the bills, so they are free to boo or chant "fire Lindy".  So there would have been no ringleaders, and no benching's, and no story.  

[JohnC]

13 hours ago, inkman said:

I’ve learned the people who earn respect in the work place take personal responsibility or as some would say accountability.  Blaming the coach for not being motivated is a cop out and a sign of major mental weakness.  Could imagine telling people at work, I’d do a better job if my boss just pushed me more.  No one would respect anything you did or said ever again. 

Sometimes the unvarnished truth is a tough pill to swallow. You, as an individual, may have the awareness, character and maturity to accept accountability in the workplace. But within a group setting in any workplace it usually doesn't happen by everyone in the group. That's where the boss/supervision comes in. They have the responsibility to determine where the deficiencies are and how to correct those deficiencies. In the sports arena it is usually done by controlling playing time. 

Anyone who watched the last two Sabre/Cap games should easily conclude that overall the Sabres were the better team. We won both of those games. But from a day in and day out standpoint in a long and grinding season the Caps were the more mature and resolute team. That's why that less talented team is in the playoffs and we are not. Players need to be held accountable and so do the coaches. That's the way this particular bottom line (record) business operates. The Granato and most of the staff being fired should not be a surprise. 

[nfreeman]

I'm not put off by the players saying that they need the coach to hold them accountable.  They are effectively admitting that they have screwed up and need to grow up, that they know it will be harder and more unpleasant for them going forward and that they deserve that outcome.

I certainly don't disagree that it shouldn't have gotten to this point and that the Sabres needed better internal leadership (and IMHO that certainly includes KO, Zemgus and whomever else is/was in the alleged leadership group -- that group has led this team precisely nowhere).  But I also think teams tend to take their mental approach and temperament from their coaches.  This is the youngest team in the NHL.  They need a strong leader at coach.  DG was more of a substitute teacher that they didn't take seriously -- and who evidently didn't make them practice hard or generally crack the whip.

Well, the party's over now.  Nurse Ratchet is taking over this summer and she's in a bad mood.

 

[Pimlach]

8 hours ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Ask UPL if it helped him, as soon as he knew his job was on the line he elevated his game. Why Granato didn't implement this after what it did for UPL is beyond me. 

What?  when was UPL's job on the line?    He came out of camp as the #3, I guess?   It is really hard to tell what the camp and preseason were trying to accomplish, but he was the last of the 3 goalies to get a shot.    They could have waived him and he would have been claimed immediately (there were 4 teams that needed goaltending) and we would all be crying about it today.  Thankfully, Adams knew he would lose him.  

UPL got better because he worked hard and got finally got the opportunity and things came together and yes, our team defensive game got a little better too.   Not because of any direct benching by DG or Adams.  

The problem with the goaltending was that Levi was not ready and our GM was too arrogant to admit it and forced him into the #1 seat.  They promised him games, is that not crazy?   They played him 4 straight and he got hurt.  Then they went to Comrie, who had a few good games and then he became the real Comrie as expected.  Finally UPL got some games and he emerged as the #1 in late December.  

Every serious hockey fan knows this - they just needed to improve on Comrie with a true #1, and let UPL and Levi develop at the pace that they could.  UPL should have started the year as the 2.  Levi should have started in Rochester, and Comrie should have been replaced with a better veteran option until one of the kids emerged.   But Comrie is a "nice guy" so in the world of DG and Adams he gets to stick. 

Kevyn Adams promising Levi games was another stupid move.  We wonder why the young kids appear to be "entitled and arrogant", look at the way things were run this season. 

[WhenWillItEnd66]

Ok.... a couple of things about some of the things that were said:

- It makes me mad when professional PAID players says they need to be motivated and or pushed. Enough said about that, it should be self explanatory.

- Totally agree with a heavier structure that starts day one. You can tell this team definitely did NOT have that.

- I think Tuch should be wearing the C over Dahlin. Dahlin get the A. Just listening to them both, Tuch is more mature.

 

Ok, that was more than a couple, but just my thoughts.....