Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Welcome to the main forum of our site. Anything and everything to do with the Vancouver Canucks is dicussed and debated here.

Moderator: Referees

User avatar
Hockey Widow
CC Legend
Posts: 19129
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:52 pm

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Hockey Widow »

From what I've heard, and I heard this throughout the season as well, Sullivan was the defacto coach other than on game days. He ran practices and special teams and was universally despised by the players. They liked Gulutzan but felt he didn't have enough autonomy. He was willing to practice the PP and try to change things up but Sullivan had his own ideas. Sullivan had Tots ear and the players often felt that their fates were determined by Sullivan's moods. Cross Sullivan and be in Torts dog house. It was a strange relationship, one that allowed Torts to delegate to the point of abdicating.

It was also a relationship that MG was well aware of and he had contemplated firing Torts just before the Olympic break. He almost fired him after the Calgary fiasco. Why he didn't I don't know. Maybe it was just another sign of how difficult it really was for MG to make decisions in the end or maybe he just didn't want to admit failure. Or maybe....

A couple of my friends say they are still absolutely convinced the Torts hiring was heavily influenced by ownership. He apparently impressed the Italian clan. I guess we will never know
The only HW the Canucks need
User avatar
Island Nucklehead
MVP
MVP
Posts: 8392
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:27 pm
Location: Ottawa

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Island Nucklehead »

Hockey Widow wrote: A couple of my friends say they are still absolutely convinced the Torts hiring was heavily influenced by ownership. He apparently impressed the Italian clan. I guess we will never know
Tortorella seems the absolute antitheses of a "Gillis guy".
User avatar
Chef Boi RD
MVP
MVP
Posts: 28935
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2004 6:36 pm
Location: Vancouver

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Chef Boi RD »

Island Nucklehead wrote:
Hockey Widow wrote: A couple of my friends say they are still absolutely convinced the Torts hiring was heavily influenced by ownership. He apparently impressed the Italian clan. I guess we will never know
Tortorella seems the absolute antitheses of a "Gillis guy".
Gillis still shit the bed massively in trying to stay at an elite level post 2011 cup run with the great core he inherited. Torts was just icing on the miserable cake

Gillis will be lucky to get another managerial job in the NHL. Shouldn't have quit his day job
“Tyler Myers is my guy... I was taking to Scotty Bowman last night and he was bringing up his name, and saying he’s a big guy and big guy need big minutes to play, he is playing great for ya… and I agree with him… He’s been exceptional” - Bruce Boudreau
User avatar
Island Nucklehead
MVP
MVP
Posts: 8392
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:27 pm
Location: Ottawa

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Island Nucklehead »

RoyalDude wrote: Gillis still shit the bed massively in trying to stay at an elite level post 2011 cup run with the great core he inherited. Torts was just icing on the miserable cake
The results speak for themselves.
User avatar
Lancer
CC Legend
Posts: 3123
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 10:41 am
Location: Kingston, Ontario

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Lancer »

Hockey Widow wrote:From what I've heard, and I heard this throughout the season as well, Sullivan was the defacto coach other than on game days. He ran practices and special teams and was universally despised by the players. They liked Gulutzan but felt he didn't have enough autonomy. He was willing to practice the PP and try to change things up but Sullivan had his own ideas. Sullivan had Tots ear and the players often felt that their fates were determined by Sullivan's moods. Cross Sullivan and be in Torts dog house. It was a strange relationship, one that allowed Torts to delegate to the point of abdicating.

It was also a relationship that MG was well aware of and he had contemplated firing Torts just before the Olympic break. He almost fired him after the Calgary fiasco. Why he didn't I don't know. Maybe it was just another sign of how difficult it really was for MG to make decisions in the end or maybe he just didn't want to admit failure. Or maybe....

A couple of my friends say they are still absolutely convinced the Torts hiring was heavily influenced by ownership. He apparently impressed the Italian clan. I guess we will never know
You would think that management would have done their homework more rigorously on Torts. I do believe there were similar rumblings out of NYC about similar issues there: Sullivan's clout, Torts' delegating, etc. Makes you wonder whose idea it was to hire Gully in the first place if it was going to be the Torts and Sully show from the get-go.

All this stuff coming out now and you wonder how the season could have turned out otherwise. In a way it gives one reason for hope that last year was a coach-driven anomaly. At least it precipitated some much-needed changes to the team.

Any word on assistant coaches being named???
Love the Sport. Love the Team.

Hate the League.
Betamax
CC Hall of Fan Member
Posts: 1353
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2014 1:45 pm
Location: @betamax1080p

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Betamax »

Betamax wrote:via: https://twitter.com/VanCanucks/status/4 ... 7381749760

"Change is coming." I guess you can say, there is some truth in advertising.

A place you didn't find Torts last season:
Vancouver Canucks Verified account ‏@VanCanucks

#Canucks coach Willie Desjardins looks on at #Vandevcamp during a lifting lesson. He spoke to the prospects earlier.

Image

1:33 PM - 5 Jul 2014
:mex:
via: http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id ... L|VAN|home

Demko checks in - Vol. I
Sunday, 06.07.2014 / 4:28 PM / Features
By Thatcher Demko
Canuchs(sic) head coach Willie Desjardins was up all weekend as well and he talked to us about what it takes to make it as pro hockey players. That’s pretty special, you don’t expect the coach to come to development camp, that speaks to the level of commitment the Canucks have as an organization, they’re really focused on every players, regardless of where they rank in the system.
LOL. I thought it was only Torts who didn't expect to come to a prospect development camp. :mex:
User avatar
Blob Mckenzie
MVP
MVP
Posts: 31126
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2004 12:34 pm
Location: Oakalla

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by Blob Mckenzie »

RoyalDude wrote:
Island Nucklehead wrote:
Hockey Widow wrote: A couple of my friends say they are still absolutely convinced the Torts hiring was heavily influenced by ownership. He apparently impressed the Italian clan. I guess we will never know
Tortorella seems the absolute antitheses of a "Gillis guy".
Gillis still shit the bed massively in trying to stay at an elite level post 2011 cup run with the great core he inherited. Torts was just icing on the miserable cake

Gillis will be lucky to get another managerial job in the NHL. Shouldn't have quit his day job
Not true. he will get a job one day if he wants one. At worst he is the third best GM in this teams history.
“I don’t care what you and some other poster were talking about”
User avatar
SKYO
MVP
MVP
Posts: 14992
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:34 pm

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by SKYO »

Betamax wrote:
Canuchs(sic) head coach Willie Desjardins was up all weekend as well and he talked to us about what it takes to make it as pro hockey players. That’s pretty special, you don’t expect the coach to come to development camp, that speaks to the level of commitment the Canucks have as an organization, they’re really focused on every players, regardless of where they rank in the system.
LOL. I thought it was only Torts who didn't expect to come to a prospect development camp. :mex:
Yup glad torts is toast, lets erase that from our memory banks like Keenan.
Can the Canucks just win a Cup within the next 5 years.
User avatar
sagebrush
CC Hall of Fan Member
Posts: 1034
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:36 pm
Location: around the bend

Re: Willie Desjardins named Head Coach

Post by sagebrush »

It's official, Gulutzan stays, ... & Lidster comments on the style of play he expects.
Desjardins confirmed that Lidster, a former NHL defenceman, will work with the Canucks’ blue-line corp
"Willie is really good to work with," said Lidster. "His teams play high tempo, exciting hockey and I enjoy that.
Less Canucks embarrassment please.
Post Reply