I had a big smile on my face upon hearing the news of Dave Nonis getting the boot in Vancouver.
Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini fired Nonis on Monday, ending the former general manager's three-year run.
Missing the playoffs twice in three seasons, going from first to worst in the division in back-to-back campaigns, and not being able to solve the offensive woes of the team are just some of the strikes against Nonis.
Yet, just a few months earlier, there was a lot of backlash here on the Bleacher Report, directed toward me, for knocking the Canucks. Anonymous posters came on BR and bashed me for saying negative things about the franchise as well as Nonis.
Well, if Nonis' run in Vancouver wasn't an "epic failure", then why is he out of a job?
Sure, many would pat Nonis on the back for not mortgaging the so-called future to get the likes of Brad Richards to put more pucks in the net. Brilliant. Of course, Vancouver still couldn't score in the final weeks of their 2007-08 choke job.
Yes, many would point to the acquisition of Roberto Luongo, the star goaltender expected to turn the franchise around. And yes, Nonis won that trade, hands down. But what has Nonis done recently?
That Luongo thing is laughable. Sure, keep bringing that up as the reason that Nonis is a great GM.
That's like saying Gord Ash was a genius as Toronto Blue Jays general manager for stealing David Cone from the Kansas City Royals in 1995.
Yes, Cone was the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League, and Ash was trying to make a splash replacing the legendary Pat Gillick, who had just retired.
And Ash even added Roger Clemens to the mix a couple years later, but of course, the Gord Ash experiment was a failure in Toronto.
Local boy trying to win a championship for the local team. Didn't happen for Ash with the Blue Jays, and not so for Nonis with the Canucks.
Like Ash, Nonis stuck with deadweight and didn't move them, or decided to hang on to them for sentimental reasons (ie. Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden for the Canucks, much like how Ash stuck with over-the-hill guys like Joe Carter).
Oh, right, Nonis also picked up people like Jan Bulis, Marc Chouinard, and Matt Pettinger. Great contribution out of those characters. Orlando Merced and Carlos Garcia, Ash bashers?
I mean, this is so funny, now that I think about it.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were ridiculed all season long by fans and the media in Vancouver, who simply love poking fun at other Canadian clubs that are struggling. (Funny, the Oilers finished ahead of the Canucks.)
The Leafs' former GM, John Ferguson Jr., was horrible, everyone said. The Leafs missed the playoffs, Vancouverites were celebrating.
And at the end of the season, guess what. It was Nonis getting axed as well. It's the Canucks out of the playoff dance too.
And what's even more remarkable was at least the Leafs made a charge near the end. At least they didn't go down without a fight. The Canucks, arguably the most boring outfit in the National Hockey League, simply folded. The "Northwest Nine," in reference to Vancouver's final nine games of the season versus Northwest Division foes, was a joke; the Canucks lost seven of those games and fittingly finished last.
Difference is, I doubt that those in Toronto even care about the Canucks. Vancouver isn't even on their radar.
But in Vancouver, it will be another offseason of more jabbing at the Leafs (and Oilers, etc.) and making more dumb draft picks.
However, there will always be those who applaud and stick up for David M. Nonis. Yes, he was the one who picked up Luongo. Just like Gord Ash was able to get Cone and Clemens.
So what?
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2 months ago
I think I know why your name is "wee". Takes a big man to use one man's misfortune as self righteous redemption for your opinions. Not sure why I opened an article from Bleacher Report but I won't make that mistake again. No class.....
2 months ago
I have yet to see a Dave Nonis detractor who was smarter than him. I still haven't.
"Not sure why I opened an article from Bleacher Report but I won't make that mistake again. No class....."
Don't quit your day job, assuming you have one.
2 months ago
The Canucks are an underachieving bunch and have been for years. They would have had a real chance to finish last over all had their goalie not bailed them out most nights.
The Sedins are at best 2nd line players on a non playoff team. They did have some heart but chose to trade it at the deadline. good work.
I don't know... maybe change the uniforms again? Canucks home games look like a freakin halloween party.
2 months ago
Do you spend a lot of time on message boards? Or just know a lot of Canucks fans who bash Toronto and other Canadian teams constantly? Once again, I hate being generalized and stereotyped.
As you know, I am a die hard Canucks fan. I still cheer for ALL of the other Canadian teams, including Toronto! So why take jabs at me and other fans like me...the exact thing you condemn? Isnt that somewhat hypocritical?
"Vancouverites were celebrating." Is that a joke? I heard some people say they were happy but far from any celebration. A large exaggeration at the very least.
Yes Nonis had a bad season. I am still not sure if he deserved to be fired but that is out of my hands. He put up, hands down, one of the best regular seasons in Canucks history last year. Set a record for wins in a season, set a record for points in a season, a Jack Adams award and a Vezina candidate. I'd say thats not a bad second year. Sure, he didnt make some moves this year that probably cost him his job, but I was willing to give him one more shot at it. He had another year on his contract and tonnes of space under the cap with which to work with this offseason. But Aquilini and Nonis had some "internal" problems. There was some definate friction there. And depending on who the new owners bring in, I'm not sure if they made the right decision.
Aquilini's heart is in the right spot though. His comment "Vancouver fans deserve better.." is very true. Its hard to find fans as loyal as Canucks fans. There arnt many teams who have never won a championship(had only two shots at it), 40 years of mediocrity yet are second in the NHL for consecutive sell outs. Every single game is sold out, and theres a 5 year waiting list for seasons tickets. We certainly do deserve better.
I guess in your opinion, though, we are ALL bitter, Canadian team haters, that celebrate other teams failures. And I guess we ALL deserve the fate that we have been given. Sad, I thought you had changed KP....I guess I was wrong.
from 2 months ago
I hear the commentators on Team 1040 mocking the other Canadian clubs. :-(
I retract that statement about "Vancourites were celebrating" - I was out of line with that stereotypical comment.
from 2 months ago
From what I understood, according to CTV Channel 9 on Monday, the reaction on Team 1040 was that it was 50-50 in terms of people arguing whether or not they agreed with the firing.
On Tuesday, CTV Channel 9 did an unofficial poll and over 65% were in favour of the firing...
2 months ago
GO FLAMES! Iginila deserves a cup!
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