Inspired by a conversation I had with faithful Jacket Times commenter Brandon, I've gathered evidence supporting the fact that Blue Jackets General Manager Doug MacLean is stuck in 1996.
Brandon: i heard today from a buddy of mine that McConnell told MacLean to fire Gallant and that if he didn't he'd be firing two people.
Tyler: i believe it
the whole gallant situation is maclean's fault going back to when they fired king
they fired king and never did anything about it, then wonder why we stink four years later
Brandon: might help if we brought in some actual talent. it's like he's playing NHL 1996 and trying to grab the best players from that
Interesting point. 1996 Was a good year for MacLean. That year he was the GM of the Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers. With that kind of performance from his team, I can imagine why he'd want to live those days forever. Let's take a look at some of the decisions MacLean has made recently and see if he's still stuck in the 26 team version of the 1996 NHL.
- Bryan Berard - In 1995, he was the #1 overall pick in the NHL Draft. By 1996, little about the NHL performance of the defenseman was known, and he was no doubt a hot commodity.
- Anson Carter - Played his first games in the NHL in 1996 for the Washington Capitals
- Dave King - In 1996 King just finished his third consecutive year coaching for the Calgary Flames. He reached the playoffs each season but always lost in the first round.
- Sergei Fedorov - #91 had already played a number of successful seasons with the Red Wings, and their team looked really sharp. (They went on to win the Cup in '97 and '98) Sergei also posted over 100 points during the '95-'96 season.
- Adam Foote - Foote was a top defenseman for the 1996 cup winning Colorado team. MacLean saw firsthand what Foote was capable of as his team stole the cup in game
74 (Thanks Truth) from the Panthers. - Ken Hitchcock - He was hired by the Dallas Stars in the middle of the 1995-1996 season. Even though they finished 15-23-5 that year, Hitch's Stars made the playoffs the next 5 consecutive seasons and included 2 finals appearances and one Stanley Cup victory.
- Gerard Gallant - GG finished his last season as a player in 1996 and joined the Blue Jackets as an assistant in 2001 - his first NHL gig.
- Doug's iPod has been known to contain tracks by Los Del Rio, the Quad City DJ's and The Tony Rich Project.
4 comments:
"Foote was a top defenseman for the 1996 cup winning Colorado team. MacLean saw firsthand what Foote was capable of as his team stole the cup in game 7 from the Panthers." Uh guys, the series only went four games. But I agree 100% with your premise that Doug lives in the past.
lol, thanks. You're right- i just tried to take it from memory.
haha, wow, I am scary good at analogies.
Well first off, Doug was manager, not GM of the Panthers when they made there cup run. It was his first season behind the bench as manager, but he served as an assistant prior to that in Detroit which is where he saw Federov display his miriad of talants. As for players like foote, carter, and berard, theyve all been known to dig their heals in as gritty players that stand up for their team mates, and thats all Doug can hope for to keep nash healthy. The guys a great player and with a lil help between the pipes and contributions from a strong second line, columbus is on the track to start competing.
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