JWomp Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opinion/2012/07/zach-parise-ran-the-show-30-thoughts.html This link was already posted because of the Parise information it contains, but I thought the "plug" from Friedman at the beginning of the blog was also worth noting: During the Stanley Cup playoffs, I had time to read Behind the Moves, which is basically a 252-page oral history of hockey's general managers. It's written by Jason Farris, who is now a Dallas Stars executive vice-president.The book is outstanding. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to re-read it, this time putting together a structured notes package on its subjects. One of the best things about working at HNIC is the access it allows. However, Farris, who has more of a business background than a sportswriting one, got these guys to reveal quite a bit about their philosophies and thought processes. That includes guys who tend to be quite secretive, like Lou Lamoriello and Pierre Lacroix. The group was also very honest about each other. The book is $99.95, or, if you pay $139.95, you can get the special Devils edition signed by Lou. I would love to read what Lou has to say in the book, but not bad enough to drop $100 on it. Regular edition: http://www.circanow.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=115 Special edition: http://www.circanow.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ID=111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayday Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 $100 for a book? I don't care if its hardcover god dammmit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghdi Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 $100 for a book? I don't care if its hardcover god dammmit. Its probably self-published or just a really limited run. Not uncommon with this sort of thing since it won't generate a lot of casual interest. Happens a lot with art and photography books. Not interested at all in it, but it does seem like a really nice piece that Id enjoy flipping through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin226 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Can someone just post the portions from Lou? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Yeah I saw that. The book is only 250 pages long though, I'm debating buying it. From the website, it contains interviews with: Active NHL GMs Glen Sather, New York Rangers Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey Devils Brian Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings Darcy Regier, Buffalo Sabres Jim Rutherford, Carolina Hurricanes Paul Holmgren, Philadelphia Flyers Jay Feaster, Calgary Flames Ray Shero, Pittsburgh Penguins Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks George McPhee, Washington Capitals Bryan Murray, Ottawa Senators Former NHL GMs Bob Clarke Bob Gainey Craig Patrick Pat Quinn Scotty Bowman Cliff Fletcher John Muckler Neil Smith Kevin Lowe Darryl Sutter and others This has a sneak peak http://www.circanow.com/ProductDetail2.aspx?ID=115 Including the page layout and table of contents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) Such a shame this book is a coffee-table book. With the names and time the writer got, this had the potential of being fantastic. Still could have some nice details, but how much could be said in this kind of book? Edited July 18, 2012 by devilsrule33 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSC Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 If only I could justify $140, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. If only. I give it a month until somebody makes a torrent of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 In the preview, I think thought this was very interesting: When the Anaheim Ducks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on May 22, 2007 an NHL milestone was reached. With that victory, Brian Burke became the 50th NHL General Manager to guide his team to the Stanley Cup Finals. In 84 years of NHL history only 32 GMs have won the Stanley Cup as a GM, and only 21 since 1967 expansion! Burke is one. There are only 30 GMs in the NHL. Burke is one….but one of a kind! Basically, it's very tough to win even one Stanley Cup as a GM, and there are enough of them that manage to do it by having been born with a silver spoon, so to speak (e.g. Ray Shero being lucky getting to draft Crosby, Malkin, Staal or the Canadien dynasties having the benefit of having the best talent contractually bound to them outside of the draft). Lou won 3 Cups with the benefit of only one top three draft pick as a result of being a bad team (Brendan Shanahan who turned into Scott Stevens), an inability to attract the top free agents, etc. (We all know the accolades.) You'd be hard pressed to name five GMs in the history of the sport that are better than Lou. It's a stat like the one in the quote that puts into perspective how good he really is and how lucky we are to have him. Basically, but for Lou, the Devils would have relocated a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 You'd be hard pressed to name five GMs in the history of the sport that are better than Lou. It's a stat like the one in the quote that puts into perspective how good he really is and how lucky we are to have him. Basically, but for Lou, the Devils would have relocated a long time ago. I say this over and over again. And not only that but we continue to have success today. But people still call for his head at every turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masked Fan Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 .... I would love to read what Lou has to say in the book, but not bad enough to drop $100 on it. Really? Can someone just post the portions from Lou? Lol OK, I'll give it a shot for you. ahem... "Status Quo" "I am not going to make a decision just to make a decision" "Lower body injury" "We'll have to see how it goes" "Nothing new" "I haven't spoken with him" "If we can get better, we will" "Marty will be a Devil as long as he wants to be a Devil" "I'd rather just let things be and wait til tomorrow" "I have been speaking with him every day" "Time for plan B" Okay, I think that about covers it, anyone got any more gems to glean enlightenment from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 In the preview, I think thought this was very interesting: Basically, it's very tough to win even one Stanley Cup as a GM, and there are enough of them that manage to do it by having been born with a silver spoon, so to speak (e.g. Ray Shero being lucky getting to draft Crosby, Malkin, Staal or the Canadien dynasties having the benefit of having the best talent contractually bound to them outside of the draft). Lou won 3 Cups with the benefit of only one top three draft pick as a result of being a bad team (Brendan Shanahan who turned into Scott Stevens), an inability to attract the top free agents, etc. (We all know the accolades.) You'd be hard pressed to name five GMs in the history of the sport that are better than Lou. It's a stat like the one in the quote that puts into perspective how good he really is and how lucky we are to have him. Basically, but for Lou, the Devils would have relocated a long time ago. Lou is one of the greatest GMs in professional sports, but it is more than just transactions, but how he runs an organization. It might be considered old school now, but his approach has been successful many times. He is either loved or hated, but the amount of players that return to the organization says something...and so does the success, of course. Having said that, when you are a GM, you get too much credit when things go well and too much blame when things are going bad. The director of scouting and or director of player personnel is the guy that knows every player in hockey. He's the guy who can name every prospect on every team. He along with his staff is the reason you had a good draft or a bad draft. He's the guy who the GM goes to asking about which prospect should we be getting in this deal and who we can afford to trade. In Lou's case, he's had a hockey genius in David Conte with him for all 25 years I believe. In Detroit, Ken Holland is widely considered the best or 2nd best GM next to Lou (anyone can debate that order...no wrong answer), and he has been blessed with Jim Nill, who like Conte, has been next to him the entire time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWomp Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Really? OK, I'll give it a shot for you. ahem... "Status Quo" "I am not going to make a decision just to make a decision" "Lower body injury" "We'll have to see how it goes" "Nothing new" "I haven't spoken with him" "If we can get better, we will" "Marty will be a Devil as long as he wants to be a Devil" "I'd rather just let things be and wait til tomorrow" "I have been speaking with him every day" "Time for plan B" Okay, I think that about covers it, anyone got any more gems to glean enlightenment from? Haha, I guess I'm just intrigued by this line: "[The author] got these guys to reveal quite a bit about their philosophies and thought processes. That includes guys who tend to be quite secretive, like Lou Lamoriello and Pierre Lacroix." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 In the preview, I think thought this was very interesting: Basically, it's very tough to win even one Stanley Cup as a GM, and there are enough of them that manage to do it by having been born with a silver spoon, so to speak (e.g. Ray Shero being lucky getting to draft Crosby, Malkin, Staal or the Canadien dynasties having the benefit of having the best talent contractually bound to them outside of the draft). Lou won 3 Cups with the benefit of only one top three draft pick as a result of being a bad team (Brendan Shanahan who turned into Scott Stevens), an inability to attract the top free agents, etc. (We all know the accolades.) You'd be hard pressed to name five GMs in the history of the sport that are better than Lou. It's a stat like the one in the quote that puts into perspective how good he really is and how lucky we are to have him. Basically, but for Lou, the Devils would have relocated a long time ago. That is an amazing stat, and one that makes me even more grateful to have had Lou here for all these years. When he officially retires as GM, we need to put his suit in the rafters lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Really? OK, I'll give it a shot for you. ahem... "Status Quo" "I am not going to make a decision just to make a decision" "Lower body injury" "We'll have to see how it goes" "Nothing new" "I haven't spoken with him" "If we can get better, we will" "Marty will be a Devil as long as he wants to be a Devil" "I'd rather just let things be and wait til tomorrow" "I have been speaking with him every day" "Time for plan B" Okay, I think that about covers it, anyone got any more gems to glean enlightenment from? "Don't worry about my cap". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masked Fan Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 "Don't worry about my cap". YES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 'When time is on your side, you use it' 'We never worry about what we're giving up, only what we're getting' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseydevils0324 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 (edited) I caved in to buying the book and received it yesterday. I figured I don't read much either than the internet, so if was going to buy a book it would be this one. I haven't gotten the time to read yet, but a couple interesting quotes from LL are, on Wheeling and Dealing "First of all, there are people who I'm sure call everybody a lot. I call everybody, but not a lot - only when there is a reason and a purpose, because then I feel they know when I'm really interested [and I'm not calling] just to make sure I know what's going on. I can't waste my time that way. I can't waste my time window dressing or kicking tires, to use a hockey expression. If I'm interested in a player, I'm interested, and then I'm going to call." - Lou Lamoriello On Dealing with Players "I have a one-on-one with every player that comes in [to New Jersey].... [i set clear expectations for] they way they dress, the way they talk, what they do, how they act." - Lou Lamoriello On Information Clearinghouse "We were nicknamed 'The Firm' a few years ago from the movie. Once you get in, you can't get out. How do we protect [the intellectual property of the Devils]? You trust. You break people up.... People can leave with what they know, but not with what somebody else knows. So the way we operate is to have very little interaction with people.... The way our [organization] pyramid is [set up is] a little different than most.... Some of your most intelligent scouts might be the most insecure people, so they won't express themselves if you are overpowering.... So we try to do things in such a way that everybody can maximize who they are and never feel threatened or intimidated or that their opinion is not respected and honored, even [if] it's not used." Lou Lamoriello Edited August 5, 2012 by Jerseydevils0324 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSC Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I caved in to buying the book and received it yesterday. I figured I don't read much either than the internet, so if was going to buy a book it would be this one. I haven't gotten the time to read yet, but a couple interesting quotes from LL are, on Wheeling and Dealing "First of all, there are people who I'm sure call everybody a lot. I call everybody, but not a lot - only when there is a reason and a purpose, because then I feel they know when I'm really interested [and I'm not calling] just to make sure I know what's going on. I can't waste my time that way. I can't waste my time window dressing or kicking tires, to use a hockey expression. If I'm interested in a player, I'm interested, and then I'm going to call." - Lou Lamoriello On Dealing with Players "I have a one-on-one with every player that comes in [to New Jersey].... [i set clear expectations for] they way they dress, the way they talk, what they do, how they act." - Lou Lamoriello Good stuff, dude, thanks for sharing. Keep us updated with tidbits from Lou as you read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseydevils0324 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 (edited) just updated another little bit above Edited August 5, 2012 by Jerseydevils0324 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin226 Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Awesome! Thanks a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerseydevils0324 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 (edited) Been reading some more and came across a Lou quote that made me laugh out loud. It was in a section pertaining to GM Meetings and the how in the past GM's had closer and friendlier relationships then they do now. "I remember those GM meetings in my earlier days; I don't know how I didn't choke. There were more cigars and cigarettes going than 'Carter's got liver pills.'" - Lou Lamoriello only Lou Edited August 11, 2012 by Jerseydevils0324 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahon Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 seems interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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