McGuire Gone Wild?

Came across this item on the Sports Illustrated Hockey site...for your information:

Pittsburgh assistant GM Chuck Fletcher and broadcaster/ former coach Pierre McGuire remain among the viable candidates seeking the vacant Minnesota Wild GM job.

After 16 years in the business, Fletcher is a practiced hand, a talent evaluator who would know how to build an organization.

McGuire has a slightly different skill-set, but he certainly can energize a market that could turn soft in the coming years unless the Wild shows a more dynamic on-ice and management style.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/michael_farber/05/04/playoff.notes/index.html?eref=nhlg

Farber is no slouch in the hockey reporting department....so this item has substance.

And this after McGuire declared on TGOR last week: "I'm flattered by all the talk of me getting back into a hockey executive position, but I'm very happy doing what I'm doing now."

Your thoughts are eagerly anticipated, of course...

Yeah, they were talking about this on CBC and TSN last week and again this weekend. Very few guys have Pierre's hockey knowledge - at least towards players. I would see this as a viable option.

I heard Quinn and JFJ were in the mix too.

MADNESS.

shabbs wrote:I heard Quinn and JFJ were in the mix too.

MADNESS.

JFJ as a coach?

I'll tell you what, though, as bad as he was at GMing, he had some incredible finds at the draft.

Granted, then he traded them for Raycroft.

asq2 wrote:

shabbs wrote:I heard Quinn and JFJ were in the mix too.

MADNESS.

JFJ as a coach?

I'll tell you what, though, as bad as he was at GMing, he had some incredible finds at the draft.

Granted, then he traded them for Raycroft.

JFJ, McGuire and Quinn are in the mix for the GM position of the Wild.

if mcguire does take then we wont have to listen to him doing anymore broadcasts on tsn any more .....i hope he takes the job

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:if mcguire does take then we wont have to listen to him doing anymore broadcasts on tsn any more .....i hope he takes the job

It would be neat to see him take the job after hearing him tell everyone what to do for so long... heh heh.

I just don't see how the guy could garner the respect from agents and fellow GMs that would be required to sign and trade efficiently...

I mean, you look at the faces of the guys on TSN when McGuire's talking and its pretty obvious that they don't even respect him.

Imagine what killer sharks like agents and good GMs would do to the guy....

This has bad move written all over it.

I would love for it to happen just to see what happens. Heh heh. He knows his prospects, that's for sure...

Possibly the best topic title ever! It even works on the level of an attention-loving McGuire and stupid 18 year-old attention-loving girls lifting their shirts.

More info on SNet yesterday...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/05/04/wild_gm_search/

cash wrote:I just don't see how the guy could garner the respect from agents and fellow GMs that would be required to sign and trade efficiently...

I mean, you look at the faces of the guys on TSN when McGuire's talking and its pretty obvious that they don't even respect him.

Imagine what killer sharks like agents and good GMs would do to the guy....

This has bad move written all over it.

Funny you should mention this because I talked to Dawg about it last night. Regardless of how you view him, believe it or not McGuire is regarded very highly around NHL circles. He does know just about every up and coming player (thanks to TSN's coverage of the WJHC) and also is very up to speed with just about every pro player out there at an AHL or higher level.

The one negative he has in his lack of ability or experience if you wish to negotiate NHL contracts. That's really a non issue in today's NHL as most teams have a group of people (call them capologists) who are responsible for working the numbers to fit.

I will say this, getting him hired by the Wild or Avalanche would mean he's off Ottawa radio, and while I used to love the Wednesday's listener question segment, I've found lately (the last year or so) that he fawns over his favorites and shouts down those who disagree with his point of view.

Personally I think he'd be a great Chief of Scouting staff..but that isn't something he wants.

Off now, heading downtown Chicago and then a little nap before the big game tonight.

The same has been said of JFJ - great at scouting, not so great as GM or at contract negotiations... he should stick to scouting.

I'm sure you've all heard him this morning confirming that he'll be interviewed today for the GM position.

Personally, I think he's hoping Gainey gets gassed so he can get that job.

From this morning's Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Interviews on tap for short list of Wild GM candidates

The five personalities who remain would bring a wide range of experience and very different perspectives to the post.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: May 4, 2009 - 11:22 PM


Maybe it was the calm before the storm, but the Wild's search for a general manager is heating up.

With the help of a committee that includes former Wild CEO Jac Sperling, owner Craig Leipold has weeded down a list of nearly 30 applicants to a handful of men who bring vastly different perspectives to the job, multiple league and team sources say.

The short list includes Pittsburgh Penguins assistant GM Chuck Fletcher, TSN and NBC color analyst Pierre McGuire, longtime NHL GM and coach Pat Quinn, Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton and Wild acting GM Tom Lynn.

While other unidentified candidates possibly could emerge, sources say the two considered frontrunners have interviews lined up.

Fletcher, 41, is expected to be in town later this week, while it's believed McGuire, 47, will interview today.

Sources say the Wild called a number of candidates over the weekend to inform them they won't be interviewed. Contrary to reports, the Wild is not interviewing former Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson.

And, sources say, Minneapolis-based player agent Neil Sheehy, another reported candidate, e-mailed his clients 10 days ago informing them that he was not interested in leaving his growing business for the Wild GM post.

After firing Doug Risebrough, Leipold split candidates into different categories.

There were the traditional candidates such as Quinn, Doug MacLean and Jay Feaster; the bright, young stars like Fletcher and Fenton; and media types like McGuire.

After talking to scores of executives around the league, Leipold and Sperling narrowed those lists.

Fletcher, the son of longtime NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, has been around the sport since he was a child. He has 16 years of experience with Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh, and he's only 41, working alongside some of the NHL's most respected executives -- Bill Torrey, Bobby Clarke, Bryan Murray, Brian Burke and now Ray Shero.