Nonis & ‘The Replacements’ - Managerial Speculation
April 20th, 2008 by thewordbirdManagerial Speculation
It is much like a murder mystery, with the suspects lined up and dossiers out for everyone to see….Will you pick the precise (appropriate) manager for the Vancouver Canucks’ top job? I will attempt to shed a little light on some of the prospective managers to head the Canucks’ brass. It would seem prudent, having commenced my view on the other Vancouver prospects. They are in no particular order and include a few that are more interesting than probable. An asterisk* denotes the five whom I believe are exceptional choices:
*Ken Holland
I know that some hockey insiders and purists would roll their eyes at the prospect to land a man who is regarded as a top notch General Manager in the National Hockey League, if not the best. His acquisitions and strong drafting programs are to be admired. Should the apparent grooming of Steve Yzerman offer a blossoming effect in Motown, then the Canucks would and should make every effort to bring the former goaltender and his three Stanley Cups as Detroit’s GM, home. Holland is a man is his early fifties and was born in Vernon, British Columbia. This is unlikely at this point.
*Jim Nill
Also three Stanley Cups with Detroit, overseeing amateur scouting, developmental leagues and is an assistant to Holland. A former player who joined the Red Wings’ front office in 1994, Nill was a big part of the Canucks’ playoff run in 1981-82, that were the eventual Campbell (Western) Conference Champions.
Doug Armstrong
Currently unemployed as far as the NHL General Manager ranks are concerned. His credentials were celebrated in Dallas. In 1999 the Armstrong-built Stars won the Stanley Cup, and his regular season statistics boast strongly in favour of the strong organization as well. Armstrong’s father Neil has been inducted to the Hall of Fame as a lineman.
Pat Quinn
Another of the ‘eye-rollers’; why don’t I just suggest Scotty Bowman, Mike Keenan, Mike Keane, Bian Burke or Steve Yzerman, you might say?
You love ‘The Big Irishman’, but would the Aquilinis or Chris Zimmerman allow that? I should think not, though Quinn is a great hockey mind and brought arguably the best Canuck in history into Vancouver, stealing Pavel Bure in the entry draft. Keep in mind that Quinn is on the induction committee for the Hall of Fame and has managed both the Flyers and Canucks, after a solid career as a player. Quinn is a Gold Medal winner with Team Canada. He knows the Canucks’ organization well and that is precisely why I believe that he is not a likely choice. Keep in mind that Pat Quinn is on the induction committee for the Hall of Fame. He is a Vancouver resident, won the Jack Adams Trophy twice and a couple of degrees.
A quote from Quinn’s address to McMaster University: “Education is a toolbox to make career changes. It is good advice for you to follow your dreams, listen to your heart and obey your passion”
Michael Gillis
A former NHL player that went on after his career to earn a degree in law and has translated that into a successful player’s agency, M.D. Gillis & Associates, representing Markus Naslund, Bobby Holik among others. It is widely rumoured that he is a likely candidate and has thus far been unavailable through my telephone calls.
Brian Lawton
Another player’s agent and had a decent career numbers-wise, though he takes a lot of flak for being a ‘bust’ as a former #1 overall pick. He has been linked with the ECHL’s Penguins. A graduate of Mount Saint Charles Academy, he was R.J. Umberger’s agent that played hardball with Brian Burke.
Pavel Bure
I thought I might as well disarm you with this one too. C’mon, at least Pavel has some GM experience, though the Russian team is expected to place in the medals at International competition. The former super-star Canuck is a frequent donator to the Red Army Hockey School and lives a celebrity’s life in Moscow. He is reported to have dabbled in politics.
*John Muckler
‘Mucks’ is a member of the ‘old-boys’ club in the NHL and has five Stanley Cups to back up an impressive resume. He has been coaching, scouting and managing for over fifty years. He was most recently fired from the Senators, after building a true contender in the Canadian capital. He has made some enormous trades in NHL history, including one that brought Dany Heatley to Ottawa for Greg De Vries and Marian Hossa, signed Martin Gerber (which looks good now, does it not?) and also traded Sami Salo to Vancouver for Peter Schaefer. Another trade tie to the Canucks is that he sent Alexander Mogilny to play on the West Coast for Mike Wilson and Michael Peca.
Jim Rutherford
As a former goaltender with various teams, he never became a Stanley Cup winner. But as a GM in Hartford, before the move to Carolina and on through, Rutherford constructed a Cup-winning team for the Hurricanes. Currently under contract with Carolina, he has been with the organization for close to 14 years.
Steve Tambellini
The right-hand man to Dave Nonis, he has perhaps the best knowledge of entire Canucks’ framework. That might be his undoing. ‘Tambi’ finished his playing career with the Canucks and obtained the positions of ‘Director of Public and Media Relations’ quickly before moving to Senior V.P. of Hockey Operations and then Assistant GM. Steve was born in Trail, B.C. and should warrant serious consideration.
*Melody Davidson
The GM of Team Canada. Davidson has the Gold Medals, coaching acumen, scouting background and winning attitude to back it up too. Too bad really, that I could not see this happening any time soon in the NHL. Melody is set to help the Calgary Canucks until the next Olympics here in Vancouver. Graduate of the University of Alberta.
Pat Brisson
This up-and-comer in the hockey world was recently slotted in at #43 in The Hockey News’ “100 People of Power” article. He is a slick, behind-the-scenes type who has his ear to the ground, making a name for himself through trade shows and hockey schools. Brisson was a Memorial Cup finalist, losing to Gary Robert’s club eventually, and is friends with Luc Robitaille. Watch for his arrival in the NHL soon. Chris Zimmerman should at least interview him. Then again….
*Scott Bonner
My personal favourite. I have watched him build the Giants in the WHL from a fledgling expansion franchise to champion in a direct line ( in a very short period of time). Bonner has done it through solid scouting and drafting, translating those into strengths that were assets to draw from when making the Vancouver Giant’s championship bid recently. It is said that he is looking at filling a position in Kamloops, but I believe he would be a natural fit with the Canucks. He brought in Don Hay and made outstanding trades for Kendall McArdle and A.J. Thelen.
Dan Price
Price was recently hired by the Chilliwack Bruins to operate under GM Darrell May and Head Coach Jim Hiller. Eventually he will be approached by teams. Scouting background.
So there you see, I’ve tried to use both the available General Managers from around the NHL and tried to dredge up some other candidates that could be fine choices as well. I would love to hear your comments. I believe that the Canucks will have little time to make this decision, though perhaps they are waiting for certain teams to be eliminated from tournaments or the Stanley Cup playoffs.
April 20th, 2008
Robin Keith Thompson