News Article: Former Ottawa Senators’ D Michael Del Zotto on team’s culture: ‘Couldn’t believe that was an NHL organization'

[Ralph Malfredsson]

I mean, to be fair, we couldn't believe that Michael Del Zotto was an NHL player!

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Guys. Dorion gave him a 2 year deal. Let that sink in.

 

[Adrianopolous]

I wonder if he got fresh quesadillas when he sold his first house in Florida.

What’s wrong with selling real estate?

Why so many real estate jokes?

He also mentioned no accountability.

A few former players mentioned this

 

[bicboi64]

what's funny is that MDZ being signed for 2 years to help establish our locker room culture demonstrates his point. Either MDZ is super self-aware and making a very meta joke, or he's impressively clueless. Having said that, his point is valid, under Melnyk, Dorion and DJ, this organization was a pure joke.

 

[JD1]

To me it’s more important to know if there was salsa, hot sauce and sour cream for the quesadillas

More important than that is whether there was chicken in them or just veggie quesadillas

 

[Tuna99]

More important than that is whether there was chicken in them or just veggie quesadillas

Also, warming drawer. How special is that? I’m thinking of installing one in my house just for when I want to open a drawer and see some warmed sweaty quesadillas in there

 

[jbeck5]

Lol come on, he doesn't have anything to gain by lying, and we all know under Melnyk and Dorion this org was a shit show.

A lot of you really hate hearing the truth.

I think it's more along the lines of

1) we already knew this
2) Melnyk died almost 2 years ago now
3) is it still like this under andlauer? No? Then who cares.

I guess I'm also someone who knows just how shitty Melnyk was in all areas that I've heard it all, and to keep talking about it years after gets tiresome.

I came to see if there was any new light shed. It's just more of the same crap we always heard about how he cheaped out everywhere and cut corners.

Do you want to hear a story in a couple months about how he refused to buy treadmills for the team gym?

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

We all know how shitty and stupid things were in the Melynk years. But Del Zotto really isn't the one to be spilling the tea. Dude has little credibility himself.

But, I get it. He thinks he's better than what he is and should still be on an NHL roster, so he's got the bitter betty bug.

 

[jbeck5]

Those are generalized claims. He's also the F that is usually deepest in the o-zone on the forecheck or infront of opposition net so of course he will be last one out.

You fail to mention that he checks hard, gets into scrums and clearly wants to win.

He definitely puts the most effort on the team in certain areas.

But he also puts a shitty effort in other areas.

For the amount of times you see him steal pucks in the offensive zone with relentless forechecks.

I haven't even seen 1/5 that amount in the defensive zone when the other team has pressure.


Why is he relentless in the offensive zone when he can score right off a turnover, but then has no care in the world when a turnover just gets the puck safely out of our end?

He cares sooooo much more about scoring goals than he does about preventing them.

That's a big sign of not being mature or disciplined enough.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I think it's more along the lines of

1) we already knew this
2) Melnyk died almost 2 years ago now
3) is it still like this under andlauer? No? Then who cares.

I guess I'm also someone who knows just how shitty Melnyk was in all areas that I've heard it all, and to keep talking about it years after gets tiresome.

I came to see if there was any new light shed. It's just more of the same crap we always heard about how he cheaped out everywhere and cut corners.

Do you want to hear a story in a couple months about how he refused to buy treadmills for the team gym?

Also a case of a former player who has an axe to grind who is trying to stay relevant. His words might have truth to them, but the mouth they're coming from stinks.

 

[jbeck5]

Also a case of a former play who has an axe to grind who is trying to stay relevant. His words might have truth to them, but the mouth they're coming from stinks.

My issue too, is when people are too scared to speak up when people are alive, but the floodgates open after they die.

Why didn't people come out in detail about melnyks cheapness when he was alive and in charge and running the show.

They all come out when he's dead. Kinda pointless now. The whole point should have been to shove it in his face that he's cheap so he can hear it while being alive.

Now? Does nothing.

 

[lancepitlick]

I don't understand why people have an issue with MDZ talking about what he experienced playing here under Melnyk. The more we know the better and I don't buy that it has zero value.

 

[Tuna99]

I don't understand why people have an issue with MDZ talking about what he experienced playing here under Melnyk. The more we know the better and I don't buy that it has zero value.

Just like MDZ who sucked at everything is going to turn around and say something else sucked and was below him.

There was a reason MDZ went from The worst team in the NHL to Ottawa the other worst team in the NHL and then the AHL - he sucked so Dorion, MDZ and Melnyck were a match made on heaven.

 

[inthewings]

I only stop in here sporadically but have the 2-3 people who argued until the end that Dorion was a great GM and this was a masterful rebuild admitted they were wrong?

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

My issue too, is when people are too scared to speak up when people are alive, but the floodgates open after they die.

Why didn't people come out in detail about melnyks cheapness when he was alive and in charge and running the show.

They all come out when he's dead. Kinda pointless now. The whole point should have been to shove it in his face that he's cheap so he can hear it while being alive.

Now? Does nothing.

Job security. Don't think an organization would want to sign someone who spills internal details. It's the way it is.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Job security. Don't think an organization would want to sign someone who spills internal details. It's the way it is.

And the local media had been bullied anytime they tried anything, so there was a precedent for how you'd be treated if you did say anything. It was a tough spot for everyone.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

My issue too, is when people are too scared to speak up when people are alive, but the floodgates open after they die.

Why didn't people come out in detail about melnyks cheapness when he was alive and in charge and running the show.

They all come out when he's dead. Kinda pointless now. The whole point should have been to shove it in his face that he's cheap so he can hear it while being alive.

Now? Does nothing.

Yes, true.

But, it was very obvious that Melnyk was running things on the minimal budget. Players were jettisoned when they they were up for their payday contracts, we signed got players whose $s were much smaller than cap hit (e.g., Derek Stepan) so we could hit the cap floor, etc. We didn't need MDZ or any other player to say anything.

Thankfully there is a new owner now who appears to have enough money to run things differently i.e., moving forward versus looking backward.

 

[JD1]

I don't understand why people have an issue with MDZ talking about what he experienced playing here under Melnyk. The more we know the better and I don't buy that it has zero value.

What value does it have? Does it allow you to hang on to the bitterness? Drop a new Melnyk bomb every few months, keep the hate alive?

 

[TheNewEra]

We need to relax, the meals were on page 47 of the plan. Nothing to see here

 

[bert]

Sour grapes coming from the guy who got embarrassed by the organization. Nothing story. More people kicking us when we’re already down

No he's just speaking the truth. I don't know how you equate this to 'kicking us when we're already down.' That was the previous regime previous ownership and frankly has nothing to do with you being a sens fan. It actually does shed some light on how we got here and how much culture change is going to be required. Huge job for Andlauer and Co to get this team up to NHL standards. It was mess and these results shouldn't surprise anyone.

 

[bert]

What value does it have? Does it allow you to hang on to the bitterness? Drop a new Melnyk bomb every few months, keep the hate alive?

It's some level of vindication for so many of us that had to endure 'you're a bad fan' for not supporting this team when melnyk was the owner in later years. Many fans like myself knew about this level of disfunction. It also helps us understand how we got to this point of being such a tire fire of an NHL organization. I am sure the posters that defended Melnyk/Dorion to no end don't want to see this stuff. But the reality of it is this is what transpired on almost all levels in this organization. It was simply not national league.

On the bright side as fans we now have committed ownership. This is in the past but overall this won't change over night. I know for a fact that Andlauer is doing an entire overhaul of the organization. It's great for everyone. To me this is a massive positive.

 

[JD1]

No he's just speaking the truth. I don't know how you equate this to 'kicking us when we're already down.' That was the previous regime previous ownership and frankly has nothing to do with you being a sens fan. It actually does shed some light on how we got here and how much culture change is going to be required. Huge job for Andlauer and Co to get this team up to NHL standards. It was mess and these results shouldn't surprise anyone.

Cold quesadillas have f*** all to do with how we got to where we are.

Two young Cs missing a year has contributed
A young C that can't get the junior out of his game has contributed
A 1D whose play has noticeably deteriorated has contributed
An HC scandal costing us a very good young player has contributed
Sub standard goaltending has contributed

Lots of things have contributed. Cold quesadillas not so much

 

[bert]

Cold quesadillas have f*** all to do with how we got to where we are.

Two young Cs missing a year has contributed
A young C that can't get the junior out of his game has contributed
A 1D whose play has noticeably deteriorated has contributed
An HC scandal costing us a very good young player has contributed
Sub standard goaltending has contributed

Lots of things have contributed. Cold quesadillas not so much

You're in denial if youre not going to recognize this isn't isolated to one thing.

It all matters it's all tied together and it's a microcosm of a much larger problem. Corners were cut or flat out ignored everywhere. Starts at the top a Bargain bin GM who was too insecure to work with others. Had a skeleton staff not only in hockey ops but in all levels. Resulted in terrible roster decisions,. Scouts and management who were over worked and worried about their job daily. I know one of my good friends was fired, the stories aren't fake or un true. If you don't want to believe in them fine by me but the proof is in the results. The Mann situation will come to the public eventually. But that's even separate from the scout firing I'm referring to.

Lots of injuries that were potentially avoidable or treated wrong. It's crazy the sens didn't have someone in Matt Nichols role at all. This hurts results and development.

There is such a long list of dysfunction to try and isolate it to the quesedillas is clearly a coping mechanism.

The issue with the players in the losing culture is because of the personal around them that was an acceptable standard. DJ was here for way too long. Dorion should have flat our never been an NHL GM.

This is not championship pedigree. High end organizations have it at all levels. That's what Ottawa is competing against.

What I don't understand is why Fans don't want to accept this very obvious reality. And the positive that it's over, there's committed ownership and management here now. The worst is behind us such a large change will take some time.

 

[JD1]

It all matters it's all tied together and it's a microcosm of a much larger problem. Corners were cut or flat out ignored everywhere. Starts at the top a Bargain bin GM who was too insecure to work with others. Had a skeleton staff not only in hockey ops but in all levels. Resulted in terrible roster decisions,. Scouts and management who were over worked and worried about their job daily. I know one of my good friends was fired, the stories aren't fake or un true. If you don't want to believe in them fine by me but the proof is in the results. The Mann situation will come to the public eventually. But that's even separate from the scout firing I'm referring to.

Lots of injuries that were potentially avoidable or treated wrong. It's crazy the sens didn't have someone in Matt Nichols role at all. This hurts results and development.

There is such a long list of dysfunction to try and isolate it to the quesedillas is clearly a coping mechanism.

The issue with the players in the losing culture is because of the personal around them that was an acceptable standard. DJ was here for way too long. Dorion should have flat our never been an NHL GM.

What I don't understand is why Fans don't want to accept this very obvious reality.

I didn't deny anything

I asked what value is gained from bringing up the death of a man two years ago.

But organization aside...I think the fan base, at least in here, is starting to excuse really poor play from our core and blaming that play on the former regime.

You specifically were a guy that repeatedly said "DJ can't shoot for them" or save it, pass it etc. And you were right.

Maybe this group of players can turn it around. There's certainly a lot of talent. But I think it's going to require moving out a central figure to get them to shake themselves up.

Hanging on to bitter emotions does no good. We have new ownership and new ownership is providing new everything. Looking forward provides a better view than looking back.

 

[jbeck5]

Job security. Don't think an organization would want to sign someone who spills internal details. It's the way it is.

Didn't he already have a foot in the real estate door? He wasn't looking to sign again.

Another one was that journeyman goalie Mike McKenna who trashed the team last year AFTER Melnyk died but he was already retired...so why couldn't he say something before?