Mike Gillis Interview With Team 1040

1. I’m calling BS on Demo. I’m guessing that MG knew the potential length of Demo injury. MG is a smart guy and knew that he could go over the cap having Demo out for a month and a bit. With that being said… My prediction is that sooner or later MG is going to pull the trigger for a trade to make room. But with the financial mumbo jumbo side of it all I don’t have a clue. I like the team the way it is and offense can come from any of those guys who are in the dressing room right now.

2. AV is a great coach. A more uptempo style game is always liked. But hell a boring tough 1-0 win (especially when we beat the fLAMES) is what I’d rather see. Lets win the DIV again!

3. My questions is… Can Burrs and Kes repeat? If not… does Kesler get his extension and big money? Or does he get a decent 5 year contract cause he is all heart and soul. I want Kesler to retire a Canuck. Guy has guts. As for Burrs… I hope he gets another shot with the Sedins, but playing with Kesler is awesome to watch as well. 2 guys I wanna see step up. HODGE and SHIRK… I hope they can make the team. If not a guy like Hansen is someone I want to step up offensively… Pudge is another guy that needs to have a break out season.

4. Injuries are part of the game. Don’t jump off the wagon, so called Nucks fans.

5. MG is a genius. If his words are put into action. Hell we won’t need Big names to come to Vancity. We will get our own players to bleed blue and become warriors like Linden. I like what I’m hearing. Hope they are practicing what they are preaching.

3.

Who’s jumping off the wagon? The ex season hasn’t even started yet.

Gotta like what he says though…great stuff.

Don’t think he was jumping off the wagon Smo’…maybe just dipping a toe in first…not like the rest of us ….

;)

Tobemarked: I agree 100% with your points 1 and 2. Unfortunately, AV is never going to be able to coach that way again in Vancouver. He’ll be fired before that happens.

Raymond and/or Hansen are right on schedule to have increased points; Wellington’s looking to keep his goals up, but is also a great passer, so working with one of those two… And Bernier’s pumped himself up for this year, taking advantage of ’Nucks trainers to do it.

Have to say, I’m impressed with Gillis’ work so far. I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of someone jumping from agent to GM, but it seems to have worked. Let’s see what it’s like in five years.

Agreed, tho I think the primary (and unstated) reason to keep players happy here is not so much to attract free agents as to get a hometown discount from the players you’ve got. Those discounts really add up: e.g. what we saved on the twins pretty much pays for Samuelsson, or nearly so.

Well, that depends.

Some players crave a market that cares, and some like golfing outside their door on off days and being anonymous.

I’d tend to want the ones that want to play in a hockey mad market.

Us fans just got to learn to take it easy on the youngins.

Let them grow. LInden is a perfect example to those players that if you just play an “honest” game in Vancouver, we’ll be pretty happy with you.

We may bitch and moan about when you fuck up…but we don’t usually mean it.

Usually….

I was able to listen to this interview on the podcast 1040 have. The final talking point that Gillis touched on about how players want to stick around really grabbed me…

Think of it…how’d you all like a boss that, a) communicated their clear intentions of what they want from you, b) valued your input in that process, c) gave you all the tools to succeed and possible excel as an employee.

I wish I worked for a guy like that…

Mine cared enough to put everyone through a “How to Give Good Customer Service” workshop! It started with pictures of puppies and everything!

Whee!

So I went through and blue-penciled the 12 pages the speaker handed out: those pages that weren’t photocopied and an average of 14 errors on each of them. Those folks who complained about taking English 10, take note.

My favorite part of that interview with MG was when he talked about how as an agent he had got to know what players really want in the teams they want to play on is respect.

Not to be talked to like a kid. AV sometimes berates his players gently in the media, but I think some of that is that you have to give the pack of wolves SOMETHING.

But mainly its as Expat said. Those things are making the ’Nucks a place players want to come already. Pyatt said nothing but glowing things even after he was basically dumped.

At the time when players have been known to take shots…

In answer to the system paying off…pending Cody, that starts this year, and increases exponentially as the young players develop.

There are way more prospects to talk about now. Not just guys like Shiro, Rhodin, Schroeder et al, that have been in the system. But some of the signings that went under the radar. Tockhin went undrafted even though he had offense to burn. Maybe that means that teams saw something they didn’t like…but in his interview on CDC, he sounded pretty forthcoming and willing. Maybe yet another diamond in the rough.

Steamer being one of the guys that is out looking for the kind of players MG wants is great too. Lets see what happens with Oberg…another diahard Canuck fan even though he lived in Alberta. Which makes me love him as a player even more of course.

Ended up a D’man, even though he idolized Bure. If as a D’man he channels even a minute fraction of his idol’s offensive talent, Steamer can get that bonus sooner rather than later.