This article is interesting if for no other reason Shumway's alleged reaction after the meeting.
Gretzky must adjust priorities
Turnaround requires more commitment
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 18, 2007 12:00 AM
We are home to two of the most famous Canadians on the planet. One of them has lifted the Suns to great heights. The other has wounded a hockey franchise with his indifference.
Fortunately, the Coyotes are on to Wayne Gretzky.
"I'll be blunt about this," said Coyotes CEO Jeff Shumway. "When I started holding meetings in December, I was stunned that we didn't seem to have a plan. There wasn't a vision of what it means to be a Coyote."
It was amateur hour uncovered.
This is not to say that Gretzky should have been fired, too, along with the rest of his handpicked staff of friends. You don't just fire Wayne Gretzky, and besides, he might turn out to be a wonderful coach in a better environment. But his commitment and misguided priorities are a large reason why the Coyotes are in this mess. And at any rate, the game is over.
Shumway is the owner's new watchdog and says he is developing a systematic plan for winning hockey games. Doug Moss, the team's chief operating officer, seems to have lapped up some power left behind. And the firing of Rich Nairn - a silky smooth public-relations guy acknowledged as one of the best in the NHL, yet a PR guy very close to Gretzky - tells you all you need to know about shifting winds in Glendale, and how the game's greatest player has been stripped down to size.
"I just met with Wayne (Monday) in Los Angeles, and we had a broad discussion about where we're going," Shumway said. "For instance, players will say they want to be in Phoenix.
"Sometimes, I think that means the weather is good, the golf is good, and there are nice clubs in Scottsdale. What they mean is they want to retire in Phoenix. What we need are guys who want to play hockey in Phoenix.
"I don't think the nature of the city affects just us. It affects other sports teams in town, too. You get guys here that realize it's a great place to live and a great place to collect a paycheck. We need to get rid of that attitude."
No doubt, tee times and happy hours always lurk in the Valley. But you wonder, in a small way, was he talking about Gretzky, too?
Granted, the Coyotes' biggest problem is not bad coaching. It is a lack of good players. Last season, their top six forwards simply were not on par with a playoff-caliber team. These deficiencies are being addressed.
Shumway said the Coyotes would begin contacting teams this week in an effort to hire a general manager. There will be a new focus on institutionalized fundamentals and assessment tests, thus avoiding players easily distracted by sunshine and bikinis. And younger prospects actually will be required to work with an Olympic skating coach in sort of a finishing school.
"We're going to take a much more comprehensive approach to how we train players," Shumway said.
Yet you can't expect all that with an AWOL coach, and here is the bottom line with Gretzky: A lot of bad things have happened under his nose - bets allegedly placed, contracts egregiously padded, playoffs missed, etc. And a lot of that is because Gretzky has never given this job or this franchise the time or care it deserves.
For instance, Gretzky missed two days of practice before the Coyotes played the Blues on April 3. When asked before the game how St. Louis had successfully changed its style, he didn't have an answer. Most coaches I know would have felt obligated to throw in a tape or two.
Then comes his choice for a right-hand man, now that Barry Smith has been exposed. Gretzky sorely wants Rick Tocchet back, as does everyone in the organization. Tocchet made Gretzky a good coach, because Tocchet has the makings of a great coach.
But Gretzky also admitted that he had no Plan B, even though Tocchet is trapped in legal limbo, even though such blind loyalty also places the Coyotes in limbo.
Of course, officially, Gretzky is not part of the problem.
"I can tell you that, over the course of the past 12 months, trades have been made and decisions made that Wayne voiced his opinion against, but they were done anyway," Shumway said. "If Wayne had been making all those decisions, then he should be taking some heat. But the reality is, Wayne hasn't had that involvement. It's grown each year, and this year it'll be the most it's ever been."
At this point, it's the least he can do.
