excuses. Our fans deserve better
Aquilini: Canucks owner can't pinpoint what
he wants in mumble-jumble speech

Jason Botchford, The Province
April 16, 2008


Wanted: A general manager who is a leader with a plan to win the Stanley Cup.

A person who can win said Cup soon.

Must have extensive experience. Must make playoffs. Annually.

Must know how to acquire top-tier offensive talent quickly and do it without mortgaging the future or overpaying.

Must build for both long-term and short-term success.

Must be willing to work under a fan-turned-owner who is hands-on, reactionary, at times contradictory and potentially meddlesome.

Oh, and no excuses.

Sound intriguing?

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini made the job sound anything but in an awkward, muddy, conflicting press conference Tuesday that left people hoping he's better at finding a new general manager than he is at public speaking.

As he begins in earnest the search for which he will be judged, the one that will define him as a Canucks owner, Aquilini made nothing clear.

Not why he fired Dave Nonis after agreeing with him on almost every decision. Not who he's eyeing to replace him. Not how long he's going to let his ship drift
rudderless. Not why he thinks anyone of merit would want the job. Not how he defines the buzz word "leadership," which he used 14 times in a 17-minute presser. And not when he's going to hire a speechwriter.

What he did say was: "Our fans deserved better."

In his biggest veiled shot, he said he declared his desire to win the Stanley Cup and suggested he didn't have confidence Nonis could do it. He faulted Nonis for building a team he didn't think could be competitive annually.

"After three years, reviewing it, we didn't see that sustainable competitive team in the long term . . . Our objective as owners is to win the Stanley Cup," Aquilini said. "To have a team that not just makes the playoffs but can actually win the Cup.
"[We want] someone who can step into the big shoes, and set a strategic plan, someone who has experience, someone who can get the job done.

"That's what it comes down to -- not giving excuses."

The "excuse" stinger was seemingly in reference to the well-documented issues that dogged the Canucks this year, which Nonis and Alain Vigneault touched on at their year-end address to the media, including the injuries to the back end, the tough schedule and Roberto Luongo's baby distraction.

Pundits have given specific reasons as to why they think Nonis has gone from a 105-point season to the unemployment line, including questionable drafting, no trade-deadline acquisitions and a failure to address the team's most-glaring weakness -- scoring.

But Aquilini didn't give concrete answers. He said missing the playoffs two out of three years "is just not acceptable." (Potential applicants be warned.)

"There's no one single issue that makes or breaks a season," he said. "But when everything is said and done, being in the playoffs and taking a good run at the Stanley Cup isn't optional for this team.

"I know how Canuck fans feel. The fact is they deserved a better season than the one we gave them."

Just to make things more confusing, Aquilini said he wouldn't necessarily fire the next general manager if he didn't make the playoffs.

It wasn't the only time he seemed to contradict himself. He said he didn't believe the Canucks had a team that could compete over the long run. But, at the same time, he said Nonis built a "great foundation" and acquired the "best goalie in the world."

"I think we can build on it," he said. "It's going to be the challenge of the new GM to provide that."

Aquilini's implication is that he doesn't think the Canucks need a rebuild, just a general manager who can find the final pieces to a long sought-after puzzle.

To find the next GM, Aquilini said he will rely on his brothers and team president Chris Zimmerman, a group that is long on business expertise but short on NHL experience.
He may seek the help of an advisor group, he said.

For now, assistant GM Steve Tambellini, who is in Russia, is in charge of the hockey operations, putting everything in limbo for the immediate future.

"We certainly understand the demands of getting somebody in place quickly, during an off-season that is critical to the future of the team," Zimmerman said.

jbotchford@png.canwest.com

Sports Ticket Depot - NHL Stanley Cup,
News Archive Index: 2010, 2009, 2008