40 replies to this topic

[Jedi]

Fair enough, but I'm not so sure the politics are as simple as saying no.

I don't think it's any harder than just saying no.

You said it earlier, these guys are all professionals. If Stevie's only loyalty now is to Tampa Bay, so why would Holland and Co. be any different to the Wings?

If Yzerman asks to speak to someone that the Wings don't want to lose, they'll say no. Just as Yzerman is now in the business of turning TB into a winner, the Wings' top brass is still in the business of maintaining a winning team. They won't let Yzerman's past with Detroit get in the way of that.

[Drake_Marcus]

I don't think it's any harder than just saying no.

You said it earlier, these guys are all professionals. If Stevie's only loyalty now is to Tampa Bay, so why would Holland and Co. be any different?

True. I just find the early actions of Stevie unsettling. Originally I was excited he got his shot in Tampa. I signed up on the TB forums and figured I had a Leastern team to cheer for on nights the Wings aren't playing. That's all well and good. But once reports filtered out about him looking to grab Wings employees this early in the game I've started to get a bit worried. Now there's someone out there with the inside track and the credibility to realistically prove a greater chance of luring key managerial assets away from the Wings.

The one thing that I'm confident about with Lidstrom retiring is that the architects of this franchise haven't disappeared (Bowman not withstanding). The idea that key pieces of that puzzle could walk away is pretty scary for me. The management is what sets Detroit apart... without that we could be one of those miserable teams we all joke about (Atlanta, Toronto, Edmonton, etc).

[CaliWingsNut]

True. I just find the early actions of Stevie unsettling. Originally I was excited he got his shot in Tampa. I signed up on the TB forums and figured I had a Leastern team to cheer for on nights the Wings aren't playing. That's all well and good. But once reports filtered out about him looking to grab Wings employees this early in the game I've started to get a bit worried. Now there's someone out there with the inside track and the credibility to realistically prove a greater chance of luring key managerial assets away from the Wings.

The one thing that I'm confident about with Lidstrom retiring is that the architects of this franchise haven't disappeared (Bowman not withstanding). The idea that key pieces of that puzzle could walk away is pretty scary for me. The management is what sets Detroit apart... without that we could be one of those miserable teams we all joke about (Atlanta, Toronto, Edmonton, etc).

You find the actions of a 30+ year veteran hiring Possibly 2!!! TWO... two... red wings staff unsettling... wow.

[miksteri]

Steve Y, i love you man, but lay off the Red Wings employees and find your own ace employees, thanks.

[SweWings]

Steve Yzerman would have to do something majorly f***ed up for me to start losing my awe for him. After getting permission to do so he got two guys to come down to Tampa. Are those two guys major components of the Red Wings success? Maybe the capologist, but I doubt it. One scout won't make a big difference.

He's not stealing these guys away like a thief in the night; everything has been done above board with the approval of the Red Wings head honchos. If they don't have any issues, why should I?

[eva unit zero]

There's one thing I can be sure to tell you is that Steve Yzerman has never played for the money but this time it was all about the $$.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Stevie in fact I'm really happy for him with this opportunity.

I doubt money was the issue at all. I would be willing to bet Yzerman's salary with Tampa is not far above, if at all, than his salary with Detroit is. There are many around the league who speculate that Jim Nill gets paid more to be an Assistant GM in Detroit than a lot of guys get paid for GM jobs. I wouldn't be shocked if Yzerman's position was the same way.

Yzerman had always stated he wanted to be a team's GM. He was third in line in Detroit. Tampa offered him the job. What do you do? You want a store manager position, but you're one of two assistant managers and you have lower seniority. Another company offers you a store manager position making the same money or more as you are now. Do you say "No, I'm gonna stick around here until I get he job here" or do you take the job?

[cusimano_brothers]

He's just trying to make the lyrics of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" more believable by creating "South Detroit".

[KrazyGangsta]

I doubt money was the issue at all. I would be willing to bet Yzerman's salary with Tampa is not far above, if at all, than his salary with Detroit is. There are many around the league who speculate that Jim Nill gets paid more to be an Assistant GM in Detroit than a lot of guys get paid for GM jobs. I wouldn't be shocked if Yzerman's position was the same way.

Yzerman had always stated he wanted to be a team's GM. He was third in line in Detroit. Tampa offered him the job. What do you do? You want a store manager position, but you're one of two assistant managers and you have lower seniority. Another company offers you a store manager position making the same money or more as you are now. Do you say "No, I'm gonna stick around here until I get he job here" or do you take the job?

Well I did hear on the team 990 that he was the most highest paid GM in the league. I might of misheard it but ya I get your point that's why I mentioned that I was totally happy for Yzerman. Agreed with you that he was 3rd in line but there are some stuff that was mentioned that makes me think the $$$ had something to do with it also. In his conference Yzerman stated: "Tampa Bay made an offer I couldn't refuse"(or something like that).

I'm not even saying that Yzerman is in it for the money but it just made his decision much easier and as he stated himself the deal was to sweet to pass on.

[joshy207]

I heard the same, Yzerman got one of the richest contracts for a sports executive. It was reported on 97.1FM in Detroit, our sports flagship station. I don't know how much he was making in Detroit, but I'm sure the money offered by Tampa had *something* to do with it. (I've also heard the same speculation about Nill's salary and I figure it's probably true.)

As for the guys he's taking with him from Detroit... that's nothing new. Coaches, managers, executives like to work with guys they're familiar with. Besides, Martin is taking a better position (Assistant GM instead of "Capologist") and I'd guess Verbeek will have a larger role in Tampa's scouting department. It's not like he's taking Babcock, Zetterberg, or someone else integral to the team's success.

[haroldsnepsts]

Steve Y, i love you man, but lay off the Red Wings employees and find your own ace employees, thanks.

Verbeek started around the same time Yzerman was named VP of Operations. For all we know, Stevie was the one who brought him into the organization.

We're talking about a relationship with the Red Wings that's gone on for over 25 years, especially with guys like Devellano. I highly doubt Stevie is doing anything to jeopardize those relationships.

It's a business and people bring staff with them all the time. There's just too many details I don't know to think ill of Yzerman at this point. If you can't give him the benefit of the doubt, then what pro athlete can you?

Well I did hear on the team 990 that he was the most highest paid GM in the league. I might of misheard it but ya I get your point that's why I mentioned that I was totally happy for Yzerman. Agreed with you that he was 3rd in line but there are some stuff that was mentioned that makes me think the $$$ had something to do with it also. In his conference Yzerman stated: "Tampa Bay made an offer I couldn't refuse"(or something like that).

I'm not even saying that Yzerman is in it for the money but it just made his decision much easier and as he stated himself the deal was to sweet to pass on.

I guess it could be true, but I'd be shocked if he were paid more money than Holland, considering Holland's track record and the deep pockets of the Wings franchise.

[Electrophile]

WTF is wrong with you people? Shouldn't you want Yzerman to be successful? If he's successful in Tampa and proves his competence at being a GM, that means there's a greater chance that when Holland retires, there could be an opening for him to be GM of THIS team. I wouldn't want him running this team if he can't run Tampa Bay. The margin for error in Detroit is smaller than Lindsay Lohan's chances of staying sober. So that means if he needs to take some people WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S PERMISSION down to Tampa to help him do his job there, I'm not going to argue. Because if they have no problem with it, what the hell are all of you crying for?


For God's sakes, stop it. Just stop it.

[soonboomer]

WTF is wrong with you people? Shouldn't you want Yzerman to be successful? If he's successful in Tampa and proves his competence at being a GM, that means there's a greater chance that when Holland retires, there could be an opening for him to be GM of THIS team. I wouldn't want him running this team if he can't run Tampa Bay. The margin for error in Detroit is smaller than Lindsay Lohan's chances of staying sober. So that means if he needs to take some people WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S PERMISSION down to Tampa to help him do his job there, I'm not going to argue. Because if they have no problem with it, what the hell are all of you crying for?


For God's sakes, stop it. Just stop it.

Have to disagree here. If a situation such as this happened (as it does everyday) outside the sports world, management of any company losing a key employee to a competitor would wish no success to the company the leaving employee went to if said success occurred at any expense at all to their company. I would assume that the defections of the capologist, Verbeek or any other employees from Detroit to Tampa would at even a miniscule level be detrimental to the success of the Wings (or else why would they be employed by Detroit?), and as a fan, this has to be of concern. Those mentioned at this point might play only minor roles within the organization, but at what level would it concern you? A more prominent scout? An assistant coach? Other VP's? Fact of the matter is, the success of the Wings always trumps everything else........and that includes any success or "good wishes" to Steve Yzerman or Tampa Bay.

[Broken 16]

WTF is wrong with you people? Shouldn't you want Yzerman to be successful? If he's successful in Tampa and proves his competence at being a GM, that means there's a greater chance that when Holland retires, there could be an opening for him to be GM of THIS team. I wouldn't want him running this team if he can't run Tampa Bay. The margin for error in Detroit is smaller than Lindsay Lohan's chances of staying sober. So that means if he needs to take some people WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S PERMISSION down to Tampa to help him do his job there, I'm not going to argue. Because if they have no problem with it, what the hell are all of you crying for?


For God's sakes, stop it. Just stop it.

Get off your high horse... jesus...

There's no guarantee that Yzerman will EVER return to the Wings. You may not have a problem functioning in the state of delusion, but don't expect everyone else to eat corn bread just because you are convinced Yzerman is a saint.

Yzerman is a competitor. If you think he is looking at this opportunity in Tampa as a 'tune up' for a future job with the Wings... you are HIGHLY delusional. He's there to win and, knowing Yzerman, win NOW. Seriously... get a clue.

[Electrophile]

Get off your high horse... jesus...

There's no guarantee that Yzerman will EVER return to the Wings. You may not have a problem functioning in the state of delusion, but don't expect everyone else to eat corn bread just because you are convinced Yzerman is a saint.

Yzerman is a competitor. If you think he is looking at this opportunity in Tampa as a 'tune up' for a future job with the Wings... you are HIGHLY delusional. He's there to win and, knowing Yzerman, win NOW. Seriously... get a clue.

I didn't say there was a 100% possibility of Yzerman returning to the Red Wings nor have I ever said/thought/intimated/inferred/implied that he was a saint. I said that it could happen. Just like I could win the lottery tomorrow. And if it does happen, wouldn't you want him to have prior success doing the exact same job?

[55fan]

I have to admit that if I started my own company doing the same thing that I'm doing now, I would hire a couple of friends from my current job. I'd have to hire people anyway. I'd rather hire people that I know and trust to do the job right, and who I know are on the same page as I am. I wouldn't dismantle the place that I'm working now, but if you are going to start something, you need the foundation in place.

I think that at least a couple of my friends would come with me because I'd be giving them higher positions than they have now. I'd be taking people who aren't on the top right now, and putting them in the top in my new company.

Taking a couple of people from the middle isn't going to hurt the current company. That's what happening here. Those couple of people in the middle are replaceable. How many of you had even heard of the capologist? He's not gutting the Wings. He's giving people new opportunities. Those people can be replaced. People move around a lot. Detroit has people like Stevie who stay here forever. This is not the norm. Most people have moved at some point in their career.

This is not a big deal.

[SouthernWingsFan]

This happens in business all the time.

Boo-fricken-hoo.

[toby91_ca]

I don't get it. GMs and other members of management ask for permission to speak to other team's personnel. If you really want someone, that's what you have to do. It would such if you had to simply accept who's out there, out of job and looking. People ask for permission to speak to certain people all the time, sometimes the team says no, sometimes they say yes.

Do I have this correct...some people on here are okay with other GMs doing this with the wings, but not Steve? Makes no sense. He needs to fill positions, he can speak to the other 28 teams, but not the Wings? That's just stupid.

[Echolalia]

In addition to the money, Yzerman was offered a job with a lot of power, and I think that was what he was getting at with the deal that he "couldn't refuse". He was the first person signed after a front office clearing, and he gets to pick who he works with. Vinik said Yzerman will have "full reign" over all hockey related matters for the team. He won't have to consult with anybody or convince anybody of his decisions. The Tampa Bay Lightning is officially his brainchild now, and nobody else's. That's pretty nifty for a rookie GM.

Edited by Echolalia, 07 June 2010 - 10:43 AM.

[LeftWinger]

Get off your high horse... jesus...

There's no guarantee that Yzerman will EVER return to the Wings. You may not have a problem functioning in the state of delusion, but don't expect everyone else to eat corn bread just because you are convinced Yzerman is a saint.

Yzerman is a competitor. If you think he is looking at this opportunity in Tampa as a 'tune up' for a future job with the Wings... you are HIGHLY delusional. He's there to win and, knowing Yzerman, win NOW. Seriously... get a clue.

isn't it funny how some people can say pretty much the same thing and get multiple positive votes, then this guy gets a negative? Weird how that works, eh?

[MCleveland89]

Yzerman is and always will be my favorite player of all time. The guy got a great chance to do something great for a team. I would love to have had him stay here, but I'm happy for him. Do you blame him for trying to take our management? Look how great our team has been over the years. Who wouldn't want our organization?