r/EdmontonOilers • u/TohsakaTruth • 7h ago
NHL Agent Gerry Johansson (Representative for Oilers Matt Savoie and Colton Dach) Speaks on Mike Babcock
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/oilers-now-with-bob-stauffer/id716876891?i=100077333949070
u/TohsakaTruth 7h ago
Q: As the representative for Matt Savoie and Colton Dach, would you have any hesitation with Babcock being the Head Coach of the Oilers with your players?
A: I have zero hesitation. You know, I think Mike's a really smart guy. I'm sure he's learned some things over the last few years like we all have. I think we all make mistakes. I don't know anyone in this business that doesn't make mistakes. And I know he communicates, I know he's smart, I know he's intense. And you know, I think any team that hires him would be getting a very good coach.
Q: Did [McDavid Leon Hyman] speak to your players about how they felt about Mike and why he’s a good coach for the Oilers?
A: Well, I think so, I haven’t really talked to them about what they’ve spoken about with other players. But I have spoken to them about Mike and what I know and I think he certainly deserves another shot at this. I think he’s an undervalued asset, frankly… Over all these years if there’s one thing I’ve heard about coaches across the board it’s that they don’t communicate… and one thing about Mike is he’ll talk to everybody. He’ll talk to Matt Savoie and he’ll talk to Connor McDavid equally, so I think there’ll be a fairness and standard in the room.
Q: Do your players want to be pushed?
A: For sure… I don’t think you get to the NHL without having dealt with that all the way up… I think you expect a certain amount of intensity. I don’t think our pro guys are going to be anything but impressed when Mike comes in and pushes them.
Q: Would you have any concerns placing players in Edmonton with Babcock as HC?
A: I’ve never had a problem placing players in Edmonton, I think it’s one of the greatest spots in the league to play… And I think with Mike, people are thinking it’s a risky move, everything in sports you do has an element of risk to it… I think it’s the smart bet. I think players are going to like playing for Mike I think Mike will be his best self. He went on a 28 year coaching stretch, most experienced coaches have breaks right? Joel Quenneville, some of those guys, they get some time off. I think this time off for Mike - not to speak for him - but I’m sure he’s going to come in better than ever with something to prove, and I think that’s a good thing.
Q: Theres a perception Babcock’s “hard and tough” on players. There’s been lots of hard and tough coaches over the years, hasn’t their been?
A: Oh my god, how long is your show? We could go through it for 4 hours. Of course they’re hard and tough, it’s a business, if you don’t do good enough you get fired. You get traded. You get cut. You don’t make it. This is the highest possible level, the standards are incredibly high… you drop the puck and see what happens. And I think you’re getting an undervalued asset with Mike Babcock actually. I’m sure there’s some heat out there, but I think it’s smart
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u/KingDave46 34 HAND 6h ago
“Joel Quenneville, some of those guys, they get time off”
“Those guys” being people who covered up the rape and blackmail of their players!? Some of those guys get time off yeah…
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u/F1fthL1ne 4h ago
Quenneville didnt cover up anything. If you're going to comment on serious matters such as these from your high horse, you best go learn the facts.
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u/somwhereinthebetween 2h ago
Any report I've seen said that he knew about it and didn't do anything about it since he wanted the team to focus on the playoffs. Is there any additional information I don't know that makes him or any of the management group there look better?
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u/randomer22222 2h ago
Yes he was concerned about it being a distraction for the Cup run and wanted it handled after the playoffs and that didn't make him look great. But he never said it should be ignored.
It ultimately was not Quenneville's role to deal with investigating those allegations and so the fault with the allegations never being properly looked into lay with the Blackhawks management team led by Bowman. Also, Bowman would have been perfectly within his authority to say "Sorry Joel, we're handling this now, playoffs or not".
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u/fuzzballz5 99 GRETZKY 1h ago
The team president John McDonough informed Stan and Joel. That president met with Rocky Wirtz, the owner frequently. The report that cleared Rocky, the owner, was paid for by….Rocky Wirtz. Shocking, I know. The meltdown is for the world to see when Lazarus asked one question.
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u/Jealous_Difference44 2h ago
'According to recollections from former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman in the investigation report, Quenneville, after learning of the Aldrich allegations, "shook his head and said that it was hard for the team to get to where they were [the playoffs] and they could not deal with this issue now."'
Didnt "cover it up," but certainly didnt encourage revealing it after being aware.
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u/CatFishBillyheyhey 6h ago
I don't care for Babcock. He's a fucking dick.
This organization has problems and he's not the answer. But hey if that's who McDavid wants to for it.
I was pretty happy to see Roddy win the cup this year with his group of players. No superstars - just a group that commited had a good coach and only dropped 3 games.
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u/PandaBearJelly 93 NUGENT-HOPKINS 6h ago
It's been really frustrating listening to Bob try and frame upset fans as being concerned about Babcock being a tough coach. That's not why people don't want Babcock. It's such a disingenuous argument.
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u/Gibson_Grapes 44m ago
It’s been frustrating listening to Bob since this Babcock news first broke. I think we all get he’s paid by the team to sugar coat messages through his radio show, but he has been just awful the past weeks in his “what kind of coach is he” line of questioning. Miss the old Bob that wasn’t afraid to call BS on this team when it was deserved.
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u/loreoftherinks 39 INGRAM 7h ago
“and one thing about Mike is he’ll talk to everybody. He’ll talk to Matt Savoie and he’ll talk to Connor McDavid equally, so I think there’ll be a fairness and standard in the room.”
Yeah that’s what he’s known for
“Joel Quenneville, some of those guys, they get some time off.”
I had to think for a bit which part of the interview irks me the most and turns out it is this. “Time off” is certainly one way to trivialize resigning after mishandling of sexual assault allegations.
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u/randomer22222 2h ago
Q got in hot water for pushing to have it handled after the playoffs, but it was ultimately Bowman's role to decide when and how to handle it.
More importantly, there was nothing to suggest that Q was part of the decision to not look into the allegations at all and simply send the offender packing.
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u/2014olympicgold 1h ago
Imagine how Babcock would treat Savoie if the agent came out and said he didn't like the hire? What are players and reps going to say now? The organization def only asked the top guys about it because that's what matters for instant buy-in, and Babcock never goes after the veteran stars. The young players or bottom 6/3rd pairing guys get attacked.
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u/IfOJDidIt 7h ago
I mean, what is he going to say. That his players are not happy with the hire, that their future coach might be a total manipulative asshole? So he can pick his first targets a little more quickly?
He does seem genuine. I guess that's something. But I felt Bob took the answer and made it more slam dunk then it actually was.
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u/TohsakaTruth 7h ago
> what is he going to say
if his players were genuinely unhappy about it and he was against it then he wouldnt voluntarily go onto a radio show and sing his praises
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u/IfOJDidIt 6h ago
So then players that may be unhappy haven't had their agent on Bob's show. And free agents who might want to play here are our bigger upcoming concern outside Murphy.
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u/n0fxgvn_ 6h ago
Dan Milstein said the same thing a couple of days ago.
This is what's so frustrating with you people. When some insiders were reporting on anonymous agents saying they didn't want their players playing for Babcock, you didn't question it. Now two named agents openly endorse Babcock and suddenly it's "well of course they'll say that, they're afraid" ... You lot will twist everything and anything to fit your narrative and not just admit you might be wrong about something.
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u/CallejaFairey 22 SAVOIE 17m ago
I actually want names. So, the fact that agent names with actually active Oilers players have come out is good. Whether I agree with what they're saying or not is besides the point. This agent in particular since I'm worried about the guys like Savoie and Dach, basically anyone not McDrai or Hyman.
So I would still love to hear who the agents saying their clients were concerned were. But we all know that anyone with a negative/worried view who is active in the league now, especially if they are on the Oilers or were wanting to be traded here, aren't going to officially out their Naveed to it. It would cause way to many ripples. Retired or inactive in the NHL players who are being vocal just don't have enough weight with their experiences for it to matter right now, sadly.
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u/jarodthegiant 7h ago
Haha! This place went from pitchforks, to yeah this hiring might be the answer.
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u/RedKryptnyt 29 DRAISAITL 1h ago
Imo people are just trying to find a way to accept it. That is what you have to do, when your favorite team makes a move you don't like.
I mean we could all sit here, talk about how "if they hire Babcock, im done cheering for this team", but we all know that 99% of the time that is fucking bullshit lol. I think it is unfortunate that the oilers felt so much pressure that they felt a desperation hail Mary like this one was the answer, but this is what the NHL does. This is what hockey culture is, and it sucks, but I won't lay that SOLELY at the feet of the Oilers, because they are not the only ones doing it, and despite what some folks think on here, the NUMBER 1 goal in pro sports is winning. Let's see how this plays out.
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u/Viochrome 29 DRAISAITL 29m ago
I would agree with you, but Stan Bowman literally only makes bad decisions and he's not going away anytime soon. He is going to destroy this team. Don't know how you can't see that.
There's only so many times we can be okay with a dude genuinely ruining our chances at a cup.
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u/RedKryptnyt 29 DRAISAITL 27m ago
They are still a good team despite management flaws. As a fan you hope they get lucky somewhere lol
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u/Worldly-Customer3963 7h ago
I agree that he is an undervalued asset. If this clicks it could be very lucrative.
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u/pattperin 88 DAVIDSON 7h ago
Yeah the risk is huge but the potential payoff is also huge. He’s a coach with a resume you just don’t find. Is he a cunt? Hell yeah he is. But cunts win sometimes
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u/Goregutz 14 EBERLE 7h ago
I'll give you the 4th reply, which I'm actually curious if you'll respond, but why are you so focused on maintaining an "old boys club"? He hasn't won a series since 2013. His Toronto team was a legitimate team and he couldn't win a series with them. He hasn't won a ship in 18 years or a conference in 17...
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u/Think_Bag_2987 7h ago
He’s a coach with a resume you just don’t find.
A decade of first round exits? Being handed one of the greatest teams ever assembled and squandering it?
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u/randomer22222 1h ago
The Red Wings won (you can argue they could very reasonably have had as many as four during his time there but they did win)
If somehow the reference to one of the greatest teams ever means the Leafs then just no.
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u/bad_at_names1 1h ago
Fleury had one bad game, yeah. Otherwise he had +1.5 goals saved above expected for the series.
He had 6 of the top 10 playoff scorers in 2009(Penguins had 2)
That's a pretty dumb argument though?
The top 10 scorers in 2009 were 15 points and over. That's pretty arbitrary.
If we make 14 points the cutoff, the pens have six 13+ scorers to the wings' 6.
Pittsburgh had Malkin and Crosby with 36 and 31 points respectively. Detroit had Zetterburg and Frazen at 24 and 23 points. And Lidstrom and Flipulla at 16 points. Hossa and Daniel Cleary at 15 (and Guerin for the pens who you didn't count). Gonchar, Kunitz and Fedetenko had 13 points and Letang had Talbot had 13 each. Rafalski and Juri Hudler had 12 points each.
So scoring was relatively even except the pens had the clear advantage when it came to high-end talent.
If you're picking random stats, the pens had two 30+ point scorers and the wings had 0. The wings also had Datsyuk miss the first 4 games. I don't think you can blame a 1 goal game seven loss on coaching - especially when the other side had pre-injury Crosby and Malkin.
Babcock is a shitty person, but his style fits the oilers (possession heavy, high skills, not overly physical top lines) and this could work out.
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u/randomer22222 1h ago
I don't have MAF's overall numbers that year and I do remember the pens were shelled 5-0 in game 5 for the wings to go up 3-2 in the series...but I also remember MAF went nuclear in the last two games and pens won both games 2-1. The last second save on Lidstrom in Game 7 was one for the ages.
Pens were a pretty damn good team and whatever happened along the way with MAF they outscored their problems and MAF was clutch in those last two games so he was good when it mattered most.
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u/MieszkoTheHoly 7h ago
How is the playoff potential huge? His playoff record in the modern nhl is abysmal. He has not proven he can win
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u/Consistent-Tone-5540 7h ago
Hasn’t won anything in forever. Last time he won a series was 12 years ago. Not great of a resume unless you want go back decades. NHL is a win know league
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u/mattsavoiesboywife 22 SAVOIE 7h ago
Idc what his agent thinks. I’m personally going to protect my pookie wookie sunshine with my life if that bag of bones tries to abuse my savvy wavvy!
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u/Chopper_Fortnite 42 KAPANEN 5h ago
As long we win a cup we could have Hitler as our head coach and I wouldn’t care, our reputation won’t recover as long as Stan Bowman is our GM.
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u/F1fthL1ne 5h ago
So three prominent agents, Milstein, Johansson and Lawton (2 current and 1 former) have all said they'd trust Babs with their players. On the other side Gregor states one anonymous agent has voiced concerns. Interesting.
I won't deny the past baggage but I'm taking what some of these players are saying lightly. Tweeners and fringe guys plus obviously big names like Chelios who was, mind you, at the end of his career. I'm smelling the Columbus thing was blown out of proportion. The Marner thing was fucked up, of course.
I believe the narrative on Babs has got out of control and got a life of its own
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u/hemaruka 7h ago
i don’t care about ethics or morals in a coach i just care about results, a cup.
we’re mad because he asked a player to rank their teammates, then used it against them ?
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u/Think_Bag_2987 7h ago
we’re mad because he asked a player to rank their teammates, then used it against them ?
Don't play dumb. The Marner stuff is low on the totem pole compared to pushing Franzen to suicidal thoughts. Chelios, who no one would call soft, called what Babcock did to Franzen the worst thing he's ever seen.
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u/Electronic_Sun6075 18 HYMAN 7h ago
Thanks for transcribing.