The Official 2020/2021 Canucks & NHL Thread

[XplicitLuder]

if the habs can fire Julien, we can fire Green lol

[mikemhg]

Can someone expound on how sparsely staffed Canucks Head Office is?

I recall reading that our Head Office is one of the lowest staffed for a team in the entire league? Reasoning by that is Aquaman is cheap, and would like to retain the least amount of salaried staff possible?

If that's the case, wouldn't that also be a big reasoning to our lack of success here?

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by mikemhg

Can someone expound on how sparsely staffed Canucks Head Office is?

I recall reading that our Head Office is one of the lowest staffed for a team in the entire league? Reasoning by that is Aquaman is cheap, and would like to retain the least amount of salaried staff possible?

If that's the case, wouldn't that also be a big reasoning to our lack of success here?

Aquaman is certainly a very cheap employer. There are media reports in the past about his farm managers treating foreign workers like dirt.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5327787/m...lueberry-farm/

The six women are some of of hundreds of temporary foreign workers (TFW) brought to Canada by Golden Eagle Farms, a company owned by the Aquilini group, which also owns the Vancouver Canucks.

Earlier this month, B.C.’s Employment Standards Branch ruled the Aquilinis had misrepresented the contracts of 174 workers, ordering the Aquilinis to pay $133,000 in back wages, vacation pay and overtime.

Six women from Guatemala are speaking out about their experience living and working at the Golden Eagle blueberry farm in Pitt Meadows.

The women complained about overcrowded housing, sleeping in rooms with three or four other people and inadequate facilities.

At work, the conditions were equally as poor, they allege.

According to several women, the hours were long with their access to water in the hot sun restricted by managers until they met their picking quota.

[Expresso]

It's also why he won't make any coaching or GM changes lol.

[Sw0op]

im not backing the owner or anything but the fact that people are saying he's cheap with the Canucks is appalling

the team is near the cap ceiling every year...generally is willing to bury contracts in the minors or do buyouts...shells out long term contracts and during the Gillis regime wiling to spend on sports science or whatever on the side...and this one year where there's barely any revenue coming in and most owners are in the black..of course purse strings are going to be tight.

if you think he's cheap what does that make Melnyk??

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by Sw0op

im not backing the owner or anything but the fact that people are saying he's cheap with the Canucks is appalling

the team is near the cap ceiling every year...generally is willing to bury contracts in the minors or do buyouts...shells out long term contracts and during the Gillis regime wiling to spend on sports science or whatever on the side...and this one year where there's barely any revenue coming in and most owners are in the black..of course purse strings are going to be tight.

if you think he's cheap what does that make Melnyk??

My criticisms of Aquaman being "cheap" have to do with his questionable hirings for management positions in the past. Yes, you can spend as much as you want for players contracts to be near the salary cap.

It takes more than just the players on the ice to make this franchise a Stanley Cup contender.

Like I said before, I think that Aquaman's hiring of Linden as team president was a PR move to get more attention from fans and the media. Hiring a popular former Canucks captain as your team president is questionable when Linden has no experience in making decisions in hockey operations like an experienced NHL executive.

Was Aquaman's decision to hire Linden instead of an actual experienced team president with a resume of playoff success also a way for the big boss to save salary?

I think so.

This is a good article to read.

The NHL is in an era where teams use data analytics, and hire specialists who help GMs make drafting and player signing decisions based on information.

Can somebody tell me if the Canucks use data analytics by hiring staff to look at stats and information for their hockey operations related decisions?

Or do the Canucks just rely on Dim Jim and his scouts to watch players during games in order to make decisions for drafting and signing players?

https://theprovince.com/sports/hocke...ch-has-changed

-from the article in 2019:

With more and more data coming available, the modern NHL front office, you’d think, would be getting bigger, with more specialists than ever. That’s what’s happened in other sports, but that’s not the case here.

Instead, the Canucks' executive suite has featured mostly departures, with few replacements. Linden's departure was succeeded by Jeff Stipec and TC Carling, preceded by Laurence Gilman and Lorne Henning. Stipec was replaced internally, but the duties of the other four have been shuffled onto the desks of others.

The signs have been slowly accumulating, but suddenly this appears to be a budget-conscious organization. A steady run of playoff revenue may yet turn the off-ice spigots back on, but given how tight budgets are in the rest of the Aquilini businesses, that’s also not a straightforward assumption.

Budget conscious = cheap. Saving money through executive management hiring decisions by giving more duties to other management staff instead of hiring new employees to replace people who left the organization.

The lack of quality managers hired to replace Laurence Gilman, Lorne Henning, and the others just goes to show you Aquaman being budget conscious happened years before this pandemic plagued season.

[Expresso]

To be fair firing Benning or Green isn't going to help this team right away anyway. Roster and contracts are still going plague this team.

[Ch28]

Leaving Benning in: run the risk of him trying to make shit moves to 'save' his job like Chiarelli

Leaving Green in: continued losses will make a negative impact on the culture of the team and mental makeup of the core

I feel leaving Benning in could potentially cause more issues down the road.

[Sw0op]

Originally Posted by pastarocket

My criticisms of Aquaman being "cheap" have to do with his questionable hirings for management positions in the past. Yes, you can spend as much as you want for players contracts to be near the salary cap.

It takes more than just the players on the ice to make this franchise a Stanley Cup contender.

Like I said before, I think that Aquaman's hiring of Linden as team president was a PR move to get more attention from fans and the media. Hiring a popular former Canucks captain as your team president is questionable when Linden has no experience in making decisions in hockey operations like an experienced NHL executive.

Was Aquaman's decision to hire Linden instead of an actual experienced team president with a resume of playoff success also a way for the big boss to save salary?

I think so.

This is a good article to read.

The NHL is in an era where teams use data analytics, and hire specialists who help GMs make drafting and player signing decisions based on information.

Can somebody tell me if the Canucks use data analytics by hiring staff to look at stats and information for their hockey operations related decisions?

Or do the Canucks just rely on Dim Jim and his scouts to watch players during games in order to make decisions for drafting and signing players?

https://theprovince.com/sports/hocke...ch-has-changed

-from the article in 2019:

With more and more data coming available, the modern NHL front office, you’d think, would be getting bigger, with more specialists than ever. That’s what’s happened in other sports, but that’s not the case here.

Instead, the Canucks' executive suite has featured mostly departures, with few replacements. Linden's departure was succeeded by Jeff Stipec and TC Carling, preceded by Laurence Gilman and Lorne Henning. Stipec was replaced internally, but the duties of the other four have been shuffled onto the desks of others.

The signs have been slowly accumulating, but suddenly this appears to be a budget-conscious organization. A steady run of playoff revenue may yet turn the off-ice spigots back on, but given how tight budgets are in the rest of the Aquilini businesses, that’s also not a straightforward assumption.

Budget conscious = cheap. Saving money through executive management hiring decisions by giving more duties to other management staff instead of hiring new employees to replace people who left the organization.

The lack of quality managers hired to replace Laurence Gilman, Lorne Henning, and the others just goes to show you Aquaman being budget conscious happened years before this pandemic plagued season.

i get the "consolidation" of positions and all but wasnt owner like firing coaches/GM's before their contracts are due...ie. Torts/AV/Gillis..thus paying them for not to be on payroll? These guys probably earn more in a year or 2 than those junior positions mentioned combined

Owner is also dishing out long term contracts like Myers/Eriksson/Luongo/Sedins/etc...paying players "dead money" not to play on the team.......whats the last long term big contract Melnyk handed out?

If we had a cheap owner...wasnt the previous owner Mccaw "cheap"?

[Hondaracer]

Billionaires step on people’s toes. Somone like aqualini they have so many business interests it’s not like he’s there on the farms controlling some foreign berry picker lol..obviously it reflects poorly on his empire as a whole but it’s kind of inevitable with anyone with massive wealth and business interests.

In terms of the Canucks I think you would have a hard time finding a different owner who would be willing to shell out MORE than he has imo

[mikemhg]

Originally Posted by pastarocket

Aquaman is certainly a very cheap employer. There are media reports in the past about his farm managers treating foreign workers like dirt.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5327787/m...lueberry-farm/

The six women are some of of hundreds of temporary foreign workers (TFW) brought to Canada by Golden Eagle Farms, a company owned by the Aquilini group, which also owns the Vancouver Canucks.

Earlier this month, B.C.’s Employment Standards Branch ruled the Aquilinis had misrepresented the contracts of 174 workers, ordering the Aquilinis to pay $133,000 in back wages, vacation pay and overtime.

Six women from Guatemala are speaking out about their experience living and working at the Golden Eagle blueberry farm in Pitt Meadows.

The women complained about overcrowded housing, sleeping in rooms with three or four other people and inadequate facilities.

At work, the conditions were equally as poor, they allege.

According to several women, the hours were long with their access to water in the hot sun restricted by managers until they met their picking quota.

This is DEFINITELY not alleged either. An ex of mine works for WorkSafe, and I recall her telling me about how Aquaman's farms had some of the highest instances of WCB claims per capita in the lower mainland. Like appallingly bad, amassing tons of fines from WCB as well.

I definitely believe those worker's reports.

[pastarocket]

Oh, the pain of being a Canucks fan.

I am old enough to remember the team’s game 7 losses in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Rangers in ‘94 and to the Bruins in 2011.

The team’s young core of players has potential to bring this franchise to the next level of being a legit championship contender.

The young guns need a competent GM who can fix our defence and get rid of bad contracts.

Dim Jim’s signing of the big pylon Tyler Myers, useless Swedish meatball Loui, keeping under achiever Shotgun Jake while losing Toffoli does not give me much confidence in this GM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mikemhg]

Originally Posted by Sw0op

im not backing the owner or anything but the fact that people are saying he's cheap with the Canucks is appalling

the team is near the cap ceiling every year...generally is willing to bury contracts in the minors or do buyouts...shells out long term contracts and during the Gillis regime wiling to spend on sports science or whatever on the side...and this one year where there's barely any revenue coming in and most owners are in the black..of course purse strings are going to be tight.

if you think he's cheap what does that make Melnyk??

The team ranks in the top 10 of most valuable and profitable teams in the league.

https://www.forbes.com/teams/vancouv...h=b3bc1695c3ec
https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1905303

I wouldn't consider it charitable that the Canucks run @ salary cap, they should, they're profitable, and wouldn't be if they didn't.

This article discusses further the front offices issues that are ongoing:

https://canucksarmy.com/2020/06/04/w...-front-office/

[mickz]

Originally Posted by Sw0op

im not backing the owner or anything but the fact that people are saying he's cheap with the Canucks is appalling

the team is near the cap ceiling every year...generally is willing to bury contracts in the minors or do buyouts...shells out long term contracts and during the Gillis regime wiling to spend on sports science or whatever on the side...and this one year where there's barely any revenue coming in and most owners are in the black..of course purse strings are going to be tight.

if you think he's cheap what does that make Melnyk??

Former Canucks employee here. Control is a bigger issue than money. In the late 2000s they cleaned house with business ops staff to bring in people he wanted. Some of which were with the team since the Griffiths era. Nepotism runs deep in the organization.

Canucks HR is completely toxic. If HR came in and asked everyone in the department to for coffee, someone was getting fired on the spot. Your now ex-coworker and their belongings would be gone before you returned from the Tinseltown Starbucks.

The nicest people I met were in hockey ops and on game nights.

[mickz]

Originally Posted by Expresso

It's also why he won't make any coaching or GM changes lol.

Don't forget the season the Canucks had 3 head coaches on the payroll simultaneously. Torts, WD and Green.

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by mickz

Former Canucks employee here. Control is a bigger issue than money. In the late 2000s they cleaned house with business ops staff to bring in people he wanted. Some of which were with the team since the Griffiths era. Nepotism runs deep in the organization.

Canucks HR is completely toxic. If HR came in and asked everyone in the department to for coffee, someone was getting fired on the spot. Your now ex-coworker and their belongings would be gone before you returned from the Tinseltown Starbucks.

The nicest people I met were in hockey ops and on game nights.

Damn, the Canucks’ work environment for the office staff is fucked up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by mickz

Former Canucks employee here. Control is a bigger issue than money. In the late 2000s they cleaned house with business ops staff to bring in people he wanted. Some of which were with the team since the Griffiths era. Nepotism runs deep in the organization.

Canucks HR is completely toxic. If HR came in and asked everyone in the department to for coffee, someone was getting fired on the spot. Your now ex-coworker and their belongings would be gone before you returned from the Tinseltown Starbucks.

The nicest people I met were in hockey ops and on game nights.

Not trying to be a dick but just because they had been there for a long time they should be retained?

[SkinnyPupp]

Considering the effort they are putting forward, I don't see how you can blame the coaching. That seems like the only thing that's working

[mickz]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Not trying to be a dick but just because they had been there for a long time they should be retained?

Not the point I'm trying to make but Ron Delorme is still Chief Amateur Scout after all.

The pay is below average compared to the equivalent job elsewhere and the novelty wears off for most people. The ones who stick around are the people genuinely passionate about the team. These were the people let go for no fault of their own.

[Hondaracer]

Other than Somone who owns a team thinking there are better people for the job?

[mickz]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Other than Somone who owns a team thinking there are better people for the job?

Nepotism.

[Gumby]

Originally Posted by mickz

Former Canucks employee here. Control is a bigger issue than money. In the late 2000s they cleaned house with business ops staff to bring in people he wanted. Some of which were with the team since the Griffiths era. Nepotism runs deep in the organization.

Canucks HR is completely toxic. If HR came in and asked everyone in the department to for coffee, someone was getting fired on the spot. Your now ex-coworker and their belongings would be gone before you returned from the Tinseltown Starbucks.

The nicest people I met were in hockey ops and on game nights.

Yeah I have a friend who worked in HR, really passionate about the team, but like you said, the novelty wore off and she got out because of the toxic environment.

[mikemhg]

Originally Posted by mickz

Former Canucks employee here. Control is a bigger issue than money. In the late 2000s they cleaned house with business ops staff to bring in people he wanted. Some of which were with the team since the Griffiths era. Nepotism runs deep in the organization.

Canucks HR is completely toxic. If HR came in and asked everyone in the department to for coffee, someone was getting fired on the spot. Your now ex-coworker and their belongings would be gone before you returned from the Tinseltown Starbucks.

The nicest people I met were in hockey ops and on game nights.

Thank you for posting this. It's something I've always heard/suspected about the organization.

I've been a Canucks fan since childhood, and never understood why when people come into the organization, they seem to just flounder, to not have any love or drive for the team. When they leave, like AV for example, they find success elsewhere.

You can tell when people work for an organization they hate, the Canucks have always seemed to be cursed, whoever they bring in, I'm sure this would speak to a lot of that.

[Hondaracer]

AV had the most success of his career in Vancouver?

[RiceIntegraRS]

Aren't all work environments toxic? Or am i soo unfortunate to have had shitty employers for the past 2 decades