Mr. Teeny
Great write up! Everyone around here owes you one, or two or three or four...
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Great write up! Everyone around here owes you one, or two or three or four...
So, like CBGB, KP is not impressed????
just kidding.
I couldn't have said it better myself. That's for taking the time to actually show up and stay for the workouts. You are the epitome of a hockey fan!
Hats off to you, sir.
But spill the *****ing beans on what you and Lombardi talked about! NOW!
Okay, well remember there are four times we talked. Most of the times have been recapped, I believe.Originally Posted by CBGB
But spill the *****ing beans on what you and Lombardi talked about! NOW!
The first talk with Lombardi was with MindGeyser. I thought there was going to be some sort of yelling match at the front of the TSC because one chick was driving like a maniac, so I went in front of the roller rink to check it out, and suddenly, Lombardi popped up. I didn't have my notepad, and I don't make it a habit of recording random conversations, so this is my best recollection of the conversations. This was last Thursday, I believe.
I first told him that I pretty much like what he's doing. He admitted it's going to be tough to watch this year. One particular point he brought up as an example was that Greene would probably be playing more minutes than Lombardi wants this year; however, with his style of play, and when Johnson, Teubert, Doughty, and Hickey come into their own and can contribute regularly, he'll be a better fit long term.
Even though it will be tough to watch, he said he likes the team that is forming. He mentions that these guys are hanging out together. He confirmed that after Teubert and Doughty were drafted, that Hickey called them. He said those are dynamics of the locker room and players that we, as fans, aren't exactly privy to. He brought up another player to illustrate dynamics that we may not be privy to: Sean Avery.
He mentioned how Avery was such a negative influence on Brown. He didn't get into specifics, but basically said that when Lombardi came into the organization, Brown's confidence was shot and Avery was a big part of it. Lombardi would call Brown up into the office to talk with him, and Brown couldn't sit in the office for five minutes without needing to stand up and move around, as he was so nervous. Now, Lombardi teases, that Brown will just come into the office and now DL can't get rid of him.
MindGeyser said he's really going to miss Visnovsky. Lombardi nodded and said that he's a great person and a great player, and it was really tough to see him go. Again, though, he brought up those four d-men (Johnson, Teubert, Doughty, Hickey) and said that when they start coming into their own, Visnovsky, with his age and cap hit, wouldn't be a fit.
He said that, while he's not as good as Visnovsky, Hickey will eventually fill his role. He said that Hickey's dying, because he can't play right now. It's really hard for him to see these other players hit the ice and he can't. Apparently there was something wrong with one of the screws in his ankle, and that's why he was on crutches, and that DL gave the doctor an earful.
Somehow the conversation shifted to all the cap space the team has. Lombardi wanted this type of cap space, because he doesn't want any problems re-signing Kopitar and Johnson next year. He also wanted to have the cap room in case someone gave O'Sullivan an offer sheet; he wants the capability of matching, and at the same time sending a message to other GMs, "You try to take my star player, I'll try to take yours."
I asked him, since I thought it was a myth, if it really was bad business for GMs to tender offer sheets to other GM's players. He said definitely. A few years ago, if a GM gave an offer sheet to the player, the offending GMs would be grabbed by the collar and asked, "What the hell are you doing?" Now, it's one of those components that GMs have to deal with a lot more frequently, even though they don't like it.
He said that young players are getting the payday way too early, especially with these offer sheets, and used Tomas Vanek as one example. He said the priorities are shifting with the new CBA that you have to lock up young players long term, and that's why he doesn't like it. They get their pay day well before they deserve it (he touches up on this the next time he talks to me and a few other fans).
Finally, it was brought up that Brown had come in to do some drills. Lombardi said that Cheechoo used to do that in San Jose, and he said it makes a great impact on the young players. Here they are, seeing someone who's already making it in the NHL and being a budding star, yet he keeps showing up on his own time to work on his skills. Some of these kids don't appreciate the fact that they're here, until they see that. I asked Lombardi if he feels that doing that is captain material (since asking outright if Brown will be captain will get a convoluted answer), and Lombardi said, "Absolutely."
Then he excused himself. I feel like I've missed something, but MindGeyser was there if he wants to add/clarify anything.
The good part about this talk is we talked about a lot of stuff and since we didn't pester him with typical questions, he was more open and comfortable talking about things in general. We moved on from the next point to next point, without needing to have him say the same thing twice. The same can't really be said about the next one where he talks to a group of fans, which I'll detail in another post.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
