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Lou is New Toronto GM


William D'Aquila

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http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/articles/2009/11/10/a_special_breed/?page

 

Mentor and friend
Former Bruins goalie Craig Billington, drafted by the Devils in 1984, considers Lamoriello among his mentors. Now in Colorado’s front office as the assistant GM, he knows that most people don’t get to know Lamoriello beyond what Billington refers to as his friend’s “facade,’’ one of the stern negotiator and someone known for his uncompromising, meticulous attention to detail.

 

“Could I tell you more? Sure,’’ said Billington, breaking into laughter. “But there’s too much fear for me to tell you any more than that.’’ Some of which probably explains why Billington, when he finally decided to settle down at age 40, felt compelled to fly to New Jersey with his fiancee so Jocelyn could meet Lamoriello.

“I figured Lou’s one of a few people, along with Pierre Lacroix [his boss in Colorado] and Tom McVie [once his coach in New Jersey] who she’ll hear me talk about almost every day,’’ Billington said. “She’d met Pierre. Well, I had to have her meet Lou.’’

When Lamoriello met the future Mrs. Billington, he invited her into his office and told the groom to wait outside. The GM/friend preferred a private consultation.

“You know, she’s never told me what he said,’’ Billington said. “Shows you the power he has - she wouldn’t tell me if I asked.’’

To this day, said Billington, if he is going to meet Lamoriello on business he won’t show up unless he is clean shaven and wearing a white shirt and tie.

 

 

Story I mentioned in other post.   From a article with some other interesting stories from when he was inducted into the HoF

 

joe

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http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=775488&navid=nhl:topheads
More quotes from nhl.com from Lou.  It's really crazy but everyone is treating this like a retirement.  

 

 

"That was the toughest thing at the end. I used the expression to myself, 'taking the jersey off,'" Lamoriello said. "What my relationship is with the Devils … c'mon now, I've been there for so long, had so many great experiences, worked with so many great people.

"No question (I feel) melancholy and trying not to think about it right now."

Much of Shanahan's philosophy on team-building comes from what he learned from and observed with Lamoriello.

"It's trying to create where the players are willing to give up their own identity for that logo in front and never mixing what's on back of the jersey and what's in front of the jersey," said Lamoriello. "That has something that has to be transmitted to each and every player no matter what their abilities are.

"I've always made a team like an orchestra. It's all about music. If the music isn't good, no matter how good each and every one instrument is, everybody leaves. Success doesn't come unless each and every one of these individuals are committed to each other, but more important, will do what's necessary to have success and that's give up their own identity."

The Devils had those type of players much of Lamoriello's tenure.

 

"I can't remember who were the leading scorers when we won," Lamoriello said. "But I do remember the names of the people who are on the (Stanley) Cup."

Edited by RizzMB30
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Why "good riddance?" It would be a completely fair POV on Elias's part. He's spent his entire career on the Devils under one GM. At the end of his career, with a rebuilding team, he already serves to be a trade asset and to benefit from a trade. Now one of the only people still tying him to the team is gone and it only makes more sense for him to want to move on. I am not saying that's how he feels, but for you to say "good riddance" well...that's just dumb.

One of the only people still tying him to the team? What exactly does that mean? First of all, he's played with some of these guys for a long time. Greene, Zajac, Zubrus. Secondly, this seems like the elementary perspective of since he isn't a piece of the core going forward, he somehow has lost all connection to this team, which is kind of silly. Maybe he does want to go play for a cup somewhere, and maybe he does want to go, but Lou wasn't his last connection here. His teammates of 2, 5, 10 years, his home of 20 years are probably pretty strong connections for him. Thanks largely to himself, the only thing Lou was the last connection to was sustained mediocrity.

I'll always appreciate what Lou did here, and one day we'll celebrate him with a major ceremony and banner raising, and maybe we'll see that statue in Newark commissioned the day he dies, but until then he's a rival GM in the Eastern conference for a team I not only don't much care for, but a team I find particular joy in watching implode every year. Quite frankly, fvck him. I'm honestly surprised he didn't go the Joe Paterno route and drop dead the day Shero took over.

Edited by thecoffeecake
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He said he was going to be a Leafs fan and wished us 'good luck in Hartford'. He's a fvcking douchebag.

 

WDA got banned then? He reached out to me on twitter few days ago

 

William D'Aquilla

@SterioDesign It is Beetle, I need your assistance.

 

@SterioDesign Thinking about doing a kickstarter for a Lou where the fans take out an ad in the Toronto Sun.

 

@SterioDesign Would you want to do to the illustration?

 

 

i simply ignored him of course lol screw that guy lol

 

also not sure if he ever officially admitted he was Beetle... if not well we got it there.

Edited by SterioDesign
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One of the only people still tying him to the team? What exactly does that mean? First of all, he's played with some of these guys for a long time. Greene, Zajac, Zubrus. Secondly, this seems like the elementary perspective of since he isn't a piece of the core going forward, he somehow has lost all connection to this team, which is kind of silly. Maybe he does want to go play for a cup somewhere, and maybe he does want to go, but Lou wasn't his last connection here. His teammates of 2, 5, 10 years, his home of 20 years are probably pretty strong connections for him. Thanks largely to himself, the only thing Lou was the last connection to was sustained mediocrity.

I'll always appreciate what Lou did here, and one day we'll celebrate him with a major ceremony and banner raising, and maybe we'll see that statue in Newark commissioned the day he dies, but until then he's a rival GM in the Eastern conference for a team I not only don't much care for, but a team I find particular joy in watching implode every year. Quite frankly, fvck him. I'm honestly surprised he didn't go the Joe Paterno route and drop dead the day Shero took over.

Crazy Penn State fan here.  We always said he would drop dead on the field so I completely get that analogy.  

Agreed.  I will have continued joy to watch the team implode this year, but a tinge of sadness with the thought that Lou is at the helm.  

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Crazy Penn State fan here.  We always said he would drop dead on the field so I completely get that analogy.  

Agreed.  I will have continued joy to watch the team implode this year, but a tinge of sadness with the thought that Lou is at the helm.  

 

Not at all a PSU fan, I just thought of the guy that allowed pedophilia run rampant and claim ignorance when it was caught.  So I didn't like the analogy at all.  Lou is 1000000x the guy Paterno is.  I know some are PSU guys and they think of Paterno endearingly, but it's not everyone.

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Not at all a PSU fan, I just thought of the guy that allowed pedophilia run rampant and claim ignorance when it was caught.  So I didn't like the analogy at all.  Lou is 1000000x the guy Paterno is.  I know some are PSU guys and they think of Paterno endearingly, but it's not everyone.

Legal issues aside.  You cannot argue that Paterno didn't build that organzation from the ground up.  You have no idea what skeletons (if any) are in Lou's closet, so I don't buy the "Lou is a better person argument".

That being said, NCAA sports are kind of a joke with how much the coaches get paid, who then argue that "student" athletes don't need medical protection in case of injury, don't deserve reinbursement for the services/income they provide.  

Edited by RizzMB30
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I have to say i am a big fan of the Players Tribune. You definitely get to see a side of things you rarely get to see. 

Agreed, my only gripe is some of the stuff I've read on it was pretty obviously not written by the player themselves. Which is fine- if you have a legit writer using the players' words or cleaning it up just note it. Otherwise there's some really good stuff IMO.

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Agreed, my only gripe is some of the stuff I've read on it was pretty obviously not written by the player themselves. Which is fine- if you have a legit writer using the players' words or cleaning it up just note it. Otherwise there's some really good stuff IMO.

 

Almost none of the athletes on there are writing any part of those articles. They tell a ghost writer their thoughts or what they want to say and the writer makes it into an article. 

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Almost none of the athletes on there are writing any part of those articles. They tell a ghost writer their thoughts or what they want to say and the writer makes it into an article.

That piece from Sheldon Souray sure didn't feel like it was from a professional ghost writer

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Almost none of the athletes on there are writing any part of those articles. They tell a ghost writer their thoughts or what they want to say and the writer makes it into an article.

that's exactly what I'm saying- I think TPT does itself a disservice by not holding up to journalistic standards but I guess they're entire angle is that they want the reader to feel like it's coming from the players themselves with no "middle man."
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That piece from Sheldon Souray sure didn't feel like it was from a professional ghost writer

 

That's why they are professional ghost writers.

 

that's exactly what I'm saying- I think TPT does itself a disservice by not holding up to journalistic standards but I guess they're entire angle is that they want the reader to feel like it's coming from the players themselves with no "middle man."

 

There's no breach of journalistic ethics in having it done this way. I didn't mean to imply that this is something that only the Players Tribune does, this is common for any piece written anywhere by anyone who isn't a writer. Believe me, you probably wouldn't enjoy a piece written by the hockey players themselves; it would most likely be very low quality writing. 

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