General comments on End of Year Locker Clean Out Interviews

[Pimlach]

There is a lot of discussion on the interviews this year.  Why not, it’s was a disappointing season that led to Granato’s firing. 

I typically think of these interviews as not very much.  Veterans tend to know how to talk to the press better than young players.  Players are down and mostly just going through the motion in the interviews.  

This year’s interviews seemed different and much more scripted.  Adam’s talked to the team about their coach’s firing before the media did.  Almost all of the talking points in his presser came out in the player interviews.  Bad camp, better competition in practices, push the players harder, push each other harder,  accountability, better starts to games ….

This are the guys that protected Granato and snubbed the fans.  Now that he is gone, they all pretty much repeated the Adams talking points.  

I heard player after player say “new veteran coach”, “push us harder”, “more intense practice”, and “accountable”.   Only a few had fresh comments that went off the script.   I think Granato might be pained hearing some of this, but that’s part of hockey coaching. 

Some of the Buffalo media asked long run on sentence questions that had the answer they wanted in the question.  I call them leading the witness questions.  Young players fall for that.  

Lots of people voicing opinions on the next Captain based on these interviews.   I don’t think you can find a Captain from these interviews.  

Edited April 19 by Pimlach

[Cranky old man]

Given the youth and general inability to deal with criticism, hard feelings or discomfort the group performed as expected. Pimlach is on it. They were given talking points and they each gave their own spin on the same general statement. “We need tough love and all that.” It’s an attempt to keep these guys from wandering off into statements  that smack of dissension. Adam is trying to attract a coach. He can’t have it sound like the team is in ruins. Looking back at the last two years you see a GM who is responsible for holding this team back. If  KA had just got us right in goal, the last two years could have been playoff years. Well nothing like “oh crap I’m next” to end brain constipation. 

[Believer]

39 minutes ago, Cranky old man said:

Pimlach is on it. They were given talking points and they each gave their own spin on the same general statement. “We need tough love and all that.” It’s an attempt to keep these guys from wandering off into statements  that smack of dissension.

Sure sounded scripted…

42 minutes ago, Cranky old man said:

Looking back at the last two years you see a GM who is responsible for holding this team back. If  KA had just got us right in goal, the last two years could have been playoff years.

Agree…

Adams bungled goaltending since taking the job. Let Ullmark walk… Didn’t get an NHL goalie after Anderson retired…

Committed too many games early to Levi this season… and too much time to the 3 Goalie rotation. 

[Pimlach]

Not to single out Samuelsson but his quote, like many of the the others, is a big part of Adams talking points. 

Why didn't Adams step in?  He is learning his job on the fly too.  

Practice harder?   That is on the coaches first and foremost, but this is why you need those guys that never want to leave the ice after practice.  Need a few that call out the one that are not getting it.   

Until the right leadership emerges within the players, the coach has to do more to instill leadership. 

 

 

 

[Wyldnwoody44]

When the players got mad at the fans and were defending Donny... Has anything like this ever happened before. Honestly I cannot recall. 

[bunomatic]

If Donnie didn’t drive the players hard in practice this past season to instil work ethic , speed, uptempo, etc. is it safe to assume its been the same for his entire coaching career whilst he’s been with the Sabres ? If so how is it that nobody including KA was aware of this ? We can safely assume that someone who came over from another org. Would have noticed the lackluster way these guys were going about their practices etc. why did it take this franchise so long to figure it out and why hasn’t there been change ? Apparently we’ve all been wasting our time following this team and expecting different results.🤷🏻‍♂️

Edited April 21 by bunomatic

[Night Train]

It also exposes a worrisome belief that personal drive only went so far with the roster. It's up to others..not me. 

Getting together for golf outings is nice if the real work is being put in. They need a fresh face for a coach and some Vets who don't take shifts off. 

Some didn't give their all and still got paid. So what is their incentive ?  Subconsciously they're making business decisions many nights, since there's no accountability to do otherwise. Opponents know that and just run them, knowing there's little to worry about. 

[SwampD]

There are a couple of players I have serious doubts about. They are going to have to show me a lot more than they have so far for me to change my mind on them. I’m still not laying this on the coach, yet.

From the other thread:

I think I have a different take on this. Even now, the players are not taking the responsibility themselves for playing like garbage, and they’re blaming the coach. Weren’t they the one’s who had a hissy fit when the fans chanted fire Donnie, so they had to punish the fans by ignoring them?

Gimme a break.

We’ll see. Talk is talk, and we’ll see just how motivated these spoiled brats are next season. I sooo want to like my team again.

[PerreaultForever]

Did not like this one. Goalies are weird animals but this is arrogant and divorced from reality. The D was good???

 

[Stoner]

Practice could have been harder but what was stopping the players from practicing harder?

The Skinner clip was a beer league level ***** show. Why do we have nine guys on this side and only two over there?

Wow. Double wow.

Edited April 21 by PASabreFan

[Kristian]

On 4/19/2024 at 3:38 PM, Pimlach said:

There is a lot of discussion on the interviews this year.  Why not, it’s was a disappointing season that led to Granato’s firing. 

I typically think of these interviews as not very much.  Veterans tend to know how to talk to the press better than young players.  Players are down and mostly just going through the motion in the interviews.  

This year’s interviews seemed different and much more scripted.  Adam’s talked to the team about their coach’s firing before the media did.  Almost all of the talking points in his presser came out in the player interviews.  Bad camp, better competition in practices, push the players harder, push each other harder,  accountability, better starts to games ….

This are the guys that protected Granato and snubbed the fans.  Now that he is gone, they all pretty much repeated the Adams talking points.  

I heard player after player say “new veteran coach”, “push us harder”, “more intense practice”, and “accountable”.   Only a few had fresh comments that went off the script.   I think Granato might be pained hearing some of this, but that’s part of hockey coaching. 

Some of the Buffalo media asked long run on sentence questions that had the answer they wanted in the question.  I call them leading the witness questions.  Young players fall for that.  

Lots of people voicing opinions on the next Captain based on these interviews.   I don’t think you can find a Captain from these interviews.  

All I hear are the same excuses I’ve heard since 2007.

They flipped the middle finger at the fans when they wanted Granato gone, and now that he IS gone, they can’t wait to throw him under the bus.

Somehow, I feel even more indifferent towards this team now…

[Kristian]

2 hours ago, bunomatic said:

If Donnie didn’t drive the players hard in practice this past season to instil work ethic , speed, uptempo, etc. is it safe to assume its been the same for his entire coaching career whilst he’s been with the Sabres ? If so how is it that nobody including KA was aware of this ? We can safely assume that someone who came over from another org. Would have noticed the lackluster way these guys were going about their practices etc. why did it take this franchise so long to figure it out and why hasn’t there been change ? Apparently we’ve all been wasting our time following this team and expecting different results.🤷🏻‍♂️

Well, I’d say the jury is still out on to whether or not they have in fact “figured it out”. Talk is cheap, and this team talks an awful lot.

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, Kristian said:

All I hear are the same excuses I’ve heard since 2007.

They flipped the middle finger at the fans when they wanted Granato gone, and now that he IS gone, they can’t wait to throw him under the bus.

Somehow, I feel even more indifferent towards this team now…

Clearly the group lacks maturity and does not get the right leadership.  We can only hope a few of them actually know better and will take over.   

On the fans booing and calling for DG to be fired - they should have been told to simmer down and do better.  Fans pay the bills.  Coaches get fired.  Life is not fair either.  

On DG's firing  - the only help Adams should have provided was for to tell them to take responsibility for their part in the firing, otherwise say little or nothing.   The stuff about harder practices and needing to be pushed all sounds like whinny excuses, even if they are true.  

I blame Adams for their robotic and scripted comments.  

[GoPuckYourself]

Every free agent we acquire should be from a winning organization from here on out. Also if we find out this core has no leadership or fight in them how do we move on from these bloated contracts if true?

Edited April 21 by GoPuckYourself

[Believer]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Not to single out Samuelsson but his quote, like many of the the others, is a big part of Adams talking points. 

Samuelsson has a lot of balls talking about the team needs to work harder next season… Watched this guy glide through too many shifts without ever taking an opponent into the boards or even finishing his checks… Mr. JustCallMeGlance.

[GASabresIUFAN]

4 minutes ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Every free agent we acquire should be from a winning organization from here on out. Also if we find out this core has no leadership or fight in them how do we move on from these bloated contracts if true?

Johnson, Clifton, Byram, Jost, Krebs, & Tuch were all from "winning" organizations.  None have changed the losing culture KA has created.  It has to be more than just a guy from a winning team.  It has to be a leader that insists that the team play hard like a winning team.  It has to be someone playing in a key role that the other players will respect, not a 3rd pairing D or a 4 line forward.  Guys like Drury and Teppo certainly made a difference, but sadly there are not many of those types of players floating around and willing to come here.

[Sabre The Cup]

25 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Clearly the group lacks maturity and does not get the right leadership.  We can only hope a few of them actually know better and will take over.   

On the fans booing and calling for DG to be fired - they should have been told to simmer down and do better.  Fans pay the bills.  Coaches get fired.  Life is not fair either.  

On DG's firing  - the only help Adams should have provided was for to tell them to take responsibility for their part in the firing, otherwise say little or nothing.   The stuff about harder practices and needing to be pushed all sounds like whinny excuses, even if they are true.  

I blame Adams for their robotic and scripted comments.  

I've had my eyebrows raised at the "Okposo is a great leader" line we were fed out of nowhere in 2022 after the guy destroyed our salary cap for 4 years prior. I get he went through a tough time and came out of it, but that only can make you a good leader, it doesn't automatically make you one. 

We need to reconsider the "leader" he was the last few years if this is how the player's behavior is once he and Granato are gone. Not much of a culture and not much winning to speak of. A lot of coddling.  

 

[Brawndo]

I thought it was interesting who did not speak with media, Zemgus. 
 

 

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

When the players got mad at the fans and were defending Donny... Has anything like this ever happened before. Honestly I cannot recall. 

I lot of us tried to point out why it was a giant red flag but a vocal minority yelled about how the stick salute didn't matter. It was a red flag, this team doesn't get it. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I lot of us tried to point out why it was a giant red flag but a vocal minority yelled about how the stick salute didn't matter. It was a red flag, this team doesn't get it. 

That whole situation may mean that the "core" here is tainted and we may need another tear down. I don't want it to be true, but it's hard for them to come back,to me, personally anyways. 

[Pimlach]

6 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

That whole situation may mean that the "core" here is tainted and we may need another tear down. I don't want it to be true, but it's hard for them to come back,to me, personally anyways. 

I sure hope not.  Bring in a McDermott kind of Coach/Leader. 

I know McD is not a perfect coach, and I don't need a litany of responses on his game day errors, but he did fix a bad culture and a bad perception throughout the league.  That is not an easy task as we are PAINFULLY aware. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

Just now, Pimlach said:

I sure hope not.  Bring in a McDermott kind of Coach/Leader. 

I know McD is not a perfect coach, and I don't need a litany of responses on his game day errors, but he did fix a bad culture and a bad perception throughout the league.  That is not an easy task as we are PAINFULLY aware. 

It is not, and this culture is not one of a hard working, battle tested team. A lot of young guys with the mentality of this current generation; whatever that may be.... Very few leaders it seems. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, Brawndo said:

I thought it was interesting who did not speak with media, Zemgus. 
 

 

I wonder if he talked to Adams and decided to not be interviewed.  

I am ready to move on from #28. 

[Brawndo]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I wonder if he talked to Adams and decided to not be interviewed.  

I am ready to move on from #28. 

With the talk of the team’s leadership or more importantly lack there of I really do not see how they can bring him back 

[TheAud]

35 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

With the talk of the team’s leadership or more importantly lack there of I really do not see how they can bring him back 

Kevyn Adams:

Edited April 22 by TheAud