**WARNING** RANT BELOW **WARNING**
Below is how a GM of another team is dealing with his team's struggles. Check this out from Anaheim Ducks' GM Bob Murray via Helen Elliot's twitter:
"Murray says he has two untouchables-- Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu-- but anyone else is in play. Says he's not rebuilding and seeking draft picks. if he trades a core player, it would be for another core-type player."
Here are more quotes via Ducks' beat writer Eric Stephens:
"Explaining why they're playing the way they are and why we've had the year we've had so far, it's just frustrating and it's unexplainable. It's just not good enough. It's unacceptable."
"I have two players who are unavailable, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu," Murray said. "And the rest of the players in the locker room, I thought they'd figure it out when we changed coaches. They (thought) that time was running, well the clock is running quickly here.
"I still believe we have some core players. Now whether we have to change a few core players, so be it. They're deciding who's staying and who's not staying at this point. They're the ones deciding."
"We're going to get ready for next year," he said. "I think this team can be turned around to make the playoffs next year. "
Keep in mind that this is a Ducks' team that came off a playoff appearance last year. This is a Ducks' team that has made the playoffs the past 4 of the last 5 seasons. This is a Ducks' team that won the cup in 2006-2007. So after ONE horrible year this is how that organization is reacting.
I read quotes like those and it just infuriates me. Where is that accountability within the Jackets? Where is that urgency?
This is our THIRD straight year of losing, 10 of 11 if you count them all, and after being dead last in the league this season we are just now hearing that Scott Howson's patience has finally worn thin in Columbus.
“This last five-game stretch has given us a little more clarity,” Howson said. “We’re just not good enough as a team.”
“The first six or seven weeks of the season, it was too disjointed,” he said. “We had (James) Wisniewski out. We had (Jeff) Carter out. We had (Radek) Martinek out. We had (Mark) Dekanich out. … It was just too disjointed to get a clear picture. The picture is becoming clearer now. We aren’t playing well enough and … me as management has to find a solution to help the team.”
“Changing the coach is not always the answer,” he said, “and if you look at the six changes that have been made, how many have worked?”
“Everything’s on the table,” he said. “We’ve got to look at everything. We’ve got to seriously look at everything. Now that’s different than saying, ‘I’m going to phone every GM tomorrow and say who do you want, (Rick) Nash, Carter or (R.J.) Umberger?’ but we’ve got to look at the whole situation and we’ve got to consider everything.”
Compare and contrast those quotes from Murray to Howson. It's the difference between winners and losers.
Winners don't wait around for players to finally start performing and manufacture excuses for failure like they are pop cans. They don't worry about hurting the feelings of their star players. They are methodical. They are accountable. They are demanding.
Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan... All are just as good if not better than Rick Nash. And all it took is for ONE miserable season for their leadership to hold those core players accountable. It remains to be seen if they will be dealt but what's most important here is the message being sent.
When have you EVER heard a similar message sent to Rick Nash, RJ Umberger, Steve Mason or any other core player in this market by the GM, President or Ownership?
Here, the message is we failed because it was too disjointed. We failed because we don't have a #1 center. Or because our defense is weak. Or because our conditioning sucks. Or we because can't draft. Or because "everyone makes mistakes". Or because we don't have enough hockey minds. Or we didn't want to give up on Mason. Or because of coaching, arena lease, injuries, suspensions, travel, being in the Central, being in the West. On and on and on.
It's all bullshit.
We fail first and foremost because those at the top aren't holding those below them accountable for failure.
If they were, this organization would have sounded a lot more like Bob Murray years ago than Scott Howson right now.
-LTL
