After a disappointing season, the Vancouver Canucks are shaking things up in the head office.
A day after being eliminated from playoff contention and less than three years after leading the Canucks to the Stanley Cup finals, team president and general manager Mike Gillis was given the boot.
During Monday night’s listless game against the Anaheim Ducks (which the Canucks lost 3-0), fans who decided to stick around in a half-empty Rogers Arena shouted “Fire Gillis” as the clock ticked down.
“The Vancouver Canucks had success under Mike’s leadership, and we nearly reached our ultimate goal; but I believe we have reached a point where a change in leadership and new voice is needed,” team owner Francesco Aquilini said in a statement.
Gillis blamed injuries and John Tortorella’s coaching style for the team’s disappointing season. Gillis also pointed to Tortorella’s infamous locker-room incident against the Calgary Flames for the team’s collapse mid-season.
But some say the Canucks are still paying for a laundry list of bad deals penned by the GM, including a poor draft record, questionable free-agent signings and trades, and the handling of the Roberto Luongo saga.
After Luongo was replaced in the Vancouver crease by Cory Schneider, Gillis wavered in trying to move the veteran netminder and his massive contract (one that Gillis himself had negotiated).
When Luongo couldn’t be moved, Schneider was dealt to the New Jersey Devils at last summer’s draft. In another surprising twist, Luongo was then traded back to the Florida Panthers last month following Tortorella’s decision to start backup Eddie Lack in the Heritage Classic game.
On Wednesday, former NHLer Trevor Linden was named Canucks’ president of hockey operations. The news comes one day after Linden told Global News that he had no offer from the Canucks.
“Today is a real honour. I came to Vancouver 26 years ago and I have never left. I love this city. It is my home and the Canucks have always been part of my family,” said Linden.
With a team desperately needing to make good with its fans, bringing back one of the most beloved players in the team’s history might just do the trick.
Speculation swirled following Gillis’ exit over who would take the top job, with Linden as one of the top contenders. “Trevor Linden is very much in the mix here,” said Global sports anchor Squire Barnes.
“The Canucks probably feel they need somebody to restore the good will of the hockey team…If it is Linden, they say we got rid of the guy you didn’t like, and we got in the guy you love. You lose the villain, and bring in the hero,” said Barnes.
Linden, though a fan favourite, lacks front office experience.
But Aquilini said Wednesday the organization believes in his leadership abilities. “His 20 years of NHL experience including seven as team captain, his role as NHLPA President, community leader and businessman offers a very special skill set; one that will positively shape the direction of this club in the future.”
Linden played 19 seasons in the NHL, most of them with Vancouver. Linden was named Canucks captain at age 21 and in 1994 he led the team to the Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in seven games to the New York Rangers. He scored 375 goals and added 494 assists in 1,382 career NHL games.
Linden joins the list of former players who have taken on management roles, to varying degrees of success.
Luc Robitaille and the L.A. Kings
In 2007, Luc Robitaille was named president of business operations for the Los Angeles Kings. In 2012, the Kings won the Stanley Cup, adding to Robitaille’s already impressive list of achievements.
Robitaille played 19 seasons in the NHL, 14 of them with the Kings.
Though he had won the Cup as a player (with the Detroit Red Wings), the 2012 season was the first Stanley Cup win for Robitaille with the Kings.
In 1987, the left-winger won the Calder Memorial Trophy in his first year with L.A. after netting 45 goals and 39 assists in 79 games.
He ended his playing career with a number of Kings records, including the team’s franchise record for goals and is the highest-scoring left-winger in league history. His jersey, number 20, was retired by the Kings and now hangs in the rafters of the Staples Center.
Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning
Hockey hall of famer Steve Yzerman played his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, where he served as team captain for two decades.
Yzerman led the team to three Stanley Cup championships (in 1997, 1998 and 2002) and won numerous awards including the Lester B. Pearson Award (for most outstanding player), the Conn Smythe Trophy (for most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs) and the Selke Trophy (for the league’s best defensive forward).
His number 19 jersey hangs in Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, but he now calls Tampa Bay home. He won another Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in the 2007-08 season (this time as vice president of operations).
But with the path to upper management in Detroit blocked (thanks to contract extensions for both the team’s GM and assistant GM), Yzerman was hired as the GM for Tampa Bay in 2010.
Yzerman made a series of strategic deals in his first year on the job, leading the Lightning to the Eastern Confernence finals – the year before they hadn’t even qualified for the post-season. That year he was nominated for the NHL General Manager of the Year award – Mike Gillis ended up taking home the hardware.
(And let’s not forget Yzerman’s success in international competition as well.)
Pat LaFontaine and the Buffalo Sabres
Pat LaFontaine spent his entire NHL career playing in New York State.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner (awarded for sportsmanship and perseverance) scored 468 goals and 1,013 points with the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers, before his career was cut short by concussions.
The hall of famer and Buffalo fan favourite was named as the new president of hockey operations for the Sabres in November 2013, but he resigned on March 1 after only a few months on the job. The Sabres said LaFontaine was returning to his previous job with the NHL, helping the league with player safety issues.
The Sabres hoped LaFontaine would guide the crippled team on a new path – his abrupt departure came as a surprise to many.
Joe Nieuwendyk and the Dallas Stars
Joe Nieuwendyk played 20 seasons in the NHL for the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. The hall of famer is one of only 10 players to have won the Stanley Cup with three different teams.
In 1999, Nieuwendyk helped lead the Stars to the team’s first Stanley Cup victory in franchise history.
He was named GM of the Stars in 2009, after management gigs with both the Panthers and Leafs.
The team’s financial woes stymied Nieuwendyk’s ability to make big moves. He had to make admittedly difficult decisions, including letting fan favourite Mike Modano’s contract expire after 22 years with the team.
Nieuwendyk was released as the Stars’ GM at the end of the 2012-13 season.
With files from Global News’ Justin McElroy and The Canadian Press
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