Indulge me for a moment while I shout again. HEY! NATIONWIDE!! NEW MINORITY OWNER!! YOU ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT BY HIRING EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES!! JOHN DAVIDSON FITS THAT ROLE!! Sorry. I was carrying on a conversation with one of our minority owners. Ahem.
John Davidson was a goalie for the New York Rangers when Craig Patrick became GM. Those two go WAY back. This is an opportunity to significantly upgrade the 'hockey smarts' department in our executive leadership. Mike Priest, you did your job. We have a lockout, but the team is not now paying for the arena. Well done laddie. Time to move up into an upper level job at Worthington Steel. Now its time to hand the reins to a hockey man. John Davidson has the experience to be a president of the organization, and the personal weight to carry off the role of face of the organization. Mike, you did a great job as a successful business man working in the back rooms of Columbus. But now its time to move on.
Craig Patrick and Scott Howson make an effective team, as Howson is a good, younger guy, to take Patrick's overall hockey knowledge and put it to work. This is an opportunity to grow that level of 'hockey smarts' at the executive level by more than a third. Excuse me while I indulge in a bit more shouting.
THIS TYPE OF OPPORTUNITY DOES NOT COME ALONG OFTEN!! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT NOW!!
Use the money you are saving to hire John Davidson. Remember this Mr. McConnell. You need someone to explain to the hockey fans in Columbus why the All-Star Game has been canceled. Do you really want Scott Howson or Mike Priest to handle this job? What ever money John Davidson commands is well worth the expenditure for this moment.
Sorry for all the shouting folks. For a hard luck franchise, this is an opportunity of a life time. Recognizing the opportunity is one thing. That's our job. Capitalizing on it is up to the organization. Its time to show you can Get 'er Done!
GO JACKETS!!
Well put, laddie. Now, tell me, what would be so attractive about the job here that would bring John Davidson to Columbus? As you stated, he has already been there, done that with St Louis in terms of taking over a franchise at the bottom of the barrel and turning it around. Indeed, it would be a coup if the Jackets signed him up but that would be something over and beyond the realm of expectation for our franchise, wouldn't it? That would be just too good to be true, eh?
ReplyDeleteWell, you raise a good point. McConnell and Nationwide have a lot of dough. Especially Nationwide. You need to pitch it from an important national sponsor point of view, and make it worth his while. At this point its important to make a real effort. As you say, he may say 'nice try guys'. On the other hand, Puck Daddy described the St.Louis front office as 'one of the two most talent laden'. There is the attraction of doing it on your own, mano a NHL. Because that's what it would be here. Plus you define yourself in terms of the hall of fame. If you can win here, heck, you deserve it. And, I have to wonder about the role of Craig Patrick in his launch from backup goal tender to 'amazingly great announcer for the Rangers' while Patrick was GM there. For all I know he hates Patrick. On the other hand, the guy might have launched his career. You might be going back to your roots. I hope anyhow. History puts them in the same place at the same time, but I have no real knowledge about their relationship. However, I have my hopes.
DeleteTwo points why Davidson will not come to Columbus. 1. It's the Blue Jackets. 2. In order to hire John Davidson, significant organizational changes would need to be made to the Columbus Blue Jackets front office. 3. (What?) A team who voted to lock out its players because it can't make money will emerge post-lockout and then add 2-3 million in payroll to hire Davidson?
ReplyDeleteI agree Gallos, and think its entirely possible. Why not come here even after turning STL around? You prove you can do something twice, its no longer a fluke, its a trend.
ReplyDeleteIts a well known fact that the Front Office can use every ounce of hockey knowledge they can get. I doubt this is a problem - if Davidson wants to come here, they will get a deal done.
As an aside, to Morgan's comment, I would wager that if the chips were down, CBJ wouldn't want the lockout, but we are lowman on the totem pole in an exercise that is highly political. We HAVE to vote with the rest of the owners. Period.
It makes sense, that's why it won't be done. This organization hasn't made any sensible front office moves since their inception. Howson, the worst GM in professional sports still being here, is a perfect example!
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