News Article: Do the Rangers have a culture problem? An exclusive look at what's bubbling at MSG

[80s Kid]

Not for nothing but from my experience those who preach tolerance are some of the least tolerant and most vitriolic people i have met.

So i have no doubt that the pr person was speakjng the truth.

However, that pr person should have kept their mouth shut as nothing good was coming from that situation.

I'll second this.

As far as the article goes, maybe this is just Drury's way of getting rid of the "country club" atmosphere. It's not something you can do overnight and you can disagree with how he's going about it but sounds like he's trying to keep the players focused on the task at hand.

 

[Lua]

A really underrated point. I’m supposed to believe Chris Kreider’s been on this team for 10 years and watched a dozen franchise greats/favorites get moved out but all of a sudden he’s turned into Columbus Jeff Carter over Barclay Goodrow?

It’s clearly the way the business is being conducted because the GM has the personality of a potato.

Exactly my thoughts as well. For those of you saying "it's a business," I'm wondering what business you all work in where morale, optics and politics aren't a key part of the calculus of business operations, and where labor just keeps their heads down and gives 100% while they wait for the bean counters to announce the next wave of layoffs, because, by golly, they have a really important job to do and "that's what the paycheck is for."

Sports, like all competition, is highly psychological. It feels clear to me that the Rangers players feel that their situations are untenable. I don't care what your industry is, it is extremely difficult to perform at your full capacity when your organization is in crisis mode — especially when the crisis is public and you feel the breath on your neck. It is very difficult to perform when you are walking on eggshells, or wondering whether today is your last day at the organization.

Whether or not they're coddled millionaires doesn't really factor. People need to be properly incentivized and feel valued and like a crucial part of a team if you want them to give a shit about the product or service or company or team. You can say "that's what the money is for" all you want, but if the goal is to maximize the performance of your talent pool, you can't ignore the psychological factor and incentive structure. These players are already getting their checks. "The fans are paying their hard-earned dollars to support the team." They probably don't care about the fans, which is fair; most of us are idiots and otherwise kind of suck and are weird obsessives.

You need to work with the talent and meet them where they are at. All workplaces worth a shit, or at least worth doing your best at, "coddle" their workers to some degree, and endeavor to treat them decently — and when all else fails, provide an avenue for workers to part ways gracefully and save face.

It's management's job to not cause their workers to revolt. Item no. 1 in their job description is to manage the talent. There is a right and wrong way of doing things, and the Rangers players feel that things aren't being done right, and it's exacting a psychological toll on them.

I'm not saying I'm sympathetic to who by all appearances are a group of crybaby millionaires; I'm saying that if the goal is to maximize performance, it's simply not an item in the equation.

 

[kovazub94]

This is true in theory. Yet, this shit still affects them, regardless of what we fans think. They are people. Sergei Zubov would be holed up in his room in the Penn Hotel chain smoking cigarettes on game days because he was so nervous about being traded the year they won the Cup. And as a GM, you need to know the temperature of the room because well, that's part of your job. And if it hurts your chances of winning, what's the point?

Feeling the temperature of the room got them three coaches in the last 5 years. I’d say this is where fever is a good thing.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Lol I’m not shilling for the players. I’m trying to point out why this article makes a lot of sense and fills in a lot of blanks for me.

Obviously moving players isn’t the problem - that has happened forever to all of these guys. The problem is being underhanded and shitty about it.

Not talking to a player when you’re about to thrust them into a situation like that? And they’re someone you know will not be happy about this? That’s just being a bad manager. Doing that to Goodrow and then trying and failing to do that to the captain of the team in the middle of the summer? Again, really bad management. Starting the season with that issue unsettled with the captain of the team and then being shocked when the team feels the effects of it a leader being half out the door?

This stuff is Drurys job. It’s not just making transactions. He’s supposed to be managing the entire organization. He’s doing a bad, bad job of it and we’re just now seeing how bad - it’s not a coincidence that we’re all seeing the team play like absolute trash.

Has Drury done everything perfectly? No. But excuse me when I'm more upset at players for actively giving up than the GM who was mean.

 

[Tob]

They have a p***y culture problem and it starts with the pansies talking to the media like kreider and zivabenakd

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Feeling the temperature of the room got them three coaches in the last 5 years. I’d say this is where fever is a good thing.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think Drury is gonna leave this team in worse shape than when he took over, that's if he even finishes the year out.

 

[NikC]

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Ya know, I found it odd that the team accounts were using CCTV footage of players entering the arena last week

With the context of this article, makes a lot more sense. What a mess lol

 

[lakeshirts37]

Chris Drury is a snake. He's in over his head and is going to ruin this team.

ruined*

 

[OriginalLimbo]

Has Drury done everything perfectly? No. But excuse me when I'm more upset at players for actively giving up than the GM who was mean.

To the extent he even knows or cares, I wouldn’t be surprised that Drury is legitimately bemused by the players reactions or some other takes out there (underhanded, shitty, reading the temp, etc.). Dollars to donuts HE wasn’t given any advanced warning or consideration when he was traded.

Regardless, even if he was, he is who he is. He’s probably like,…wait…you hired me…I’m Chris Drury. And I’m doing Chris Drury things. This is the logical consequence. It wasn’t going to go any other way.

 

[zlev]

this place has become a clown show. I wish I were strong enough to delete my account, lol.

there's one person in particular who just about ruins this forum for me. constantly wrong about everything yet brash and sarcastic about it and posts way too much. if i have to read another one of their 3rd grade nicknames like "Cryder" i might just have to lose the link to this forum.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

there's one person in particular who just about ruins this forum for me. constantly wrong about everything yet brash and sarcastic about it and posts way too much. if i have to read another one of their 3rd grade nicknames like "Cryder" i might just have to lose the link to this forum.

One??

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

there's one person in particular who just about ruins this forum for me. constantly wrong about everything yet brash and sarcastic about it and posts way too much. if i have to read another one of their 3rd grade nicknames like "Cryder" i might just have to lose the link to this forum.

zlev, more like pleb haha

 

[zlev]

zlev, more like pleb haha

pfft, a 3rd grader or a guy with a dead even 100 IQ wouldn't know the word "pleb"

 

[Ail]

Vince casually mentioning a player went out to dinner with a PR person. Which player do we think took a team employee out on a date?

Cuylle is a G, my man.

Chicago and LA were f***ing each other's wives and getting arrested for possession while they were dominating the league.

I think you are on to something here...

 

[mrhockey193195]

Jim Ramsey got fired because he was leaking rumors to the media for years. There's a reason he ran right into Gorton's waiting arms. Maybe that will make Cryder and Meeka accept a trade there.

Vince really thought he was accomplishing something writing the 70th "Dolan is a meddler" piece of my lifetime.

This is not true.

 

[zlev]

say what you want about the "country club atmosphere" but i actually think it was working. this team and this core played way above it's head for years until they got rid of it or whatever it says in this article i can't read (wtf is "Lohud")?

 

[haveandare]

Exactly my thoughts as well. For those of you saying "it's a business," I'm wondering what business you all work in where morale, optics and politics aren't a key part of the calculus of business operations, and where labor just keeps their heads down and gives 100% while they wait for the bean counters to announce the next wave of layoffs, because, by golly, they have a really important job to do and "that's what the paycheck is for."

Sports, like all competition, is highly psychological. It feels clear to me that the Rangers players feel that their situations are untenable. I don't care what your industry is, it is extremely difficult to perform at your full capacity when your organization is in crisis mode — especially when the crisis is public and you feel the breath on your neck. It is very difficult to perform when you are walking on eggshells, or wondering whether today is your last day at the organization.

Whether or not they're coddled millionaires doesn't really factor. People need to be properly incentivized and feel valued and like a crucial part of a team if you want them to give a shit about the product or service or company or team. You can say "that's what the money is for" all you want, but if the goal is to maximize the performance of your talent pool, you can't ignore the psychological factor and incentive structure. These players are already getting their checks. "The fans are paying their hard-earned dollars to support the team." They probably don't care about the fans, which is fair; most of us are idiots and otherwise kind of suck and are weird obsessives.

You need to work with the talent and meet them where they are at. All workplaces worth a shit, or at least worth doing your best at, "coddle" their workers to some degree, and endeavor to treat them decently — and when all else fails, provide an avenue for workers to part ways gracefully and save face.

It's management's job to not cause their workers to revolt. Item no. 1 in their job description is to manage the talent. There is a right and wrong way of doing things, and the Rangers players feel that things aren't being done right, and it's exacting a psychological toll on them.

I'm not saying I'm sympathetic to who by all appearances are a group of crybaby millionaires; I'm saying that if the goal is to maximize performance, it's simply not an item in the equation.

Really well put.

 

[egelband]

This is why I got a kick out of Trouba referring to his trade as “being fired”.

Imagine your company approaching you and going “you’re wildly underperforming and have been for years. Can you tell us 5-10 cities in the U.S. you’d be okay living in - and that work for your family - and we will try to send you there? You can keep your salary too.”

Some people are right. This is managements fault. It’s management’s fault they have no emotional intelligence and continue to covet players with horrible attitudes and leadership qualities.

This gets me every time, too. These dudes don't ever "get fired". Trouba 100% lost me there. Especially with the smug grin. The grin of someone who was clearly not "fired".

 

[egelband]

say what you want about the "country club atmosphere" but i actually think it was working. this team and this core played way above it's head for years until they got rid of it or whatever it says in this article i can't read (wtf is "Lohud")?

This is my main issue with Drury here. I agree with him 100% the team has issues. Big issues. But at the same time, is turning over the buffet table the way forward? I think we had all made peace with this team being streaky and sensitive and also getting itself together buy playoff time. It was not ideal but it's worse now. Still hoping Drury has some kind of master plan but I'm certainly not confident.

 

[Ruggs225]

say what you want about the "country club atmosphere" but i actually think it was working. this team and this core played way above it's head for years until they got rid of it or whatever it says in this article i can't read (wtf is "Lohud")?

It was working to a point. This team was clearly not going to win a cup though.

It was blatantly obvious.

Even our runs were bc of some great accidents(trouba taking out crosby and us facing back up goaltenders) or an individual perfomance.

We were much closer to the team that was schooled by the Devils than a team that matches uo against Florida.

Better to rip off the bandaid quixkly. Unfortunately driry is dragging this.

I said it in the offseason. We should have traded trouba, kreider, goodrow, miller, lindgren all in June this past year. Add zib is that was even possible.

This core was never going to cut it, and now its drama on top of a bad core.

You done win on vibes. Ask kamala.

 

[JimmyG89]

say what you want about the "country club atmosphere" but i actually think it was working.

Yeah it sure works when you have your starting goalies stand on their head for an almost two decades stretch.

A good work environment wasn't going to make Trouba or Kakko better skaters. It wasn't going to make Lindgren not fumble a pass in the offensive zone. It wasn't going to stop the team from being hemmed in their own zone for entire stretches of the game.

Maybe it helps you overcome those things, but it's not going to work every time. There is an expiration date on that. The milk goes bad no matter how well you preserve it.

The end result is, are you doing your job well enough to win? When the players were happy last season, there were guys still not doing their job well enough. For all the intangibles off the ice, the on the ice product suffered.

"We don't like how you handled Trouba and Goodrow in the offseason." Well we didn't like how Trouba and Goodrow handled the season on the ice, and most seasons for that matter. You can golf and have lunch with them in the summer.

It's very coach-speak when they say that the room bought into the message. You can have all 23 guys pulling on the rope in the same direction, but when they don't pull their weight, you won't go anywhere. We're at the point where you needed to cut the rope to save the guys actually doing that.

 

[zlev]

Yeah it sure works when you have your starting goalies stand on their head for an almost two decades stretch.

A good work environment wasn't going to make Trouba or Kakko better skaters. It wasn't going to make Lindgren not fumble a pass in the offensive zone. It wasn't going to stop the team from being hemmed in their own zone for entire stretches of the game.

Maybe it helps you overcome those things, but it's not going to work every time. There is an expiration date on that. The milk goes bad no matter how well you preserve it.

The end result is, are you doing your job well enough to win? When the players were happy last season, there were guys still not doing their job well enough. For all the intangibles off the ice, the on the ice product suffered.

"We don't like how you handled Trouba and Goodrow in the offseason." Well we didn't like how Trouba and Goodrow handled the season on the ice, and most seasons for that matter. You can golf and have lunch with them in the summer.

It's very coach-speak when they say that the room bought into the message. You can have all 23 guys pulling on the rope in the same direction, but when they don't pull their weight, you won't go anywhere. We're at the point where you needed to cut the rope to save the guys actually doing that.

well this is what i mean. the team clearly wasn't good enough to anyone with eyes, but they were somehow 2 games away from the finals twice in three years. there has to be something else there. the team has needed a soft revamp for years and our holy and mighty GM didn't do it. there were easy fixes to the defense that could've been done this offseason that would've helped a ton, but Carolina did them instead.

 

[grachevsceiling]

Anything that makes you think “hire Sather…..?” is cause for concern lol.

Anyway the fish rots from the head.

I thought they knew that in Connecticut.

The roster is a problem absolutely, but this has worrying implications for the “next “ roster. Starting with “will Perreault sign?”

 

[egelband]

well this is what i mean. the team clearly wasn't good enough to anyone with eyes, but they were somehow 2 games away from the finals twice in three years. there has to be something else there. the team has needed a soft revamp for years and our holy and mighty GM didn't do it. there were easy fixes to the defense that could've been done this offseason that would've helped a ton, but Carolina did them instead.

Yep. And my main issue with Drury is that he had that soft revamp in his hands. He could have traded Mika or let him walk, but instead he fumbled. He doubled down and gave Mika an unmovable contract.