Host: ...the staff usually we have André Tourigny, we have Pierre Dorion... General Manager and even more of the New York Islanders, Mathieu Darche. Hi Mathieu.
Mathieu Darche: Hi Martin, how are you?
Host: How are you?
Mathieu Darche: Very well.
Host: Congratulations Mathieu, you deserve it and I think you've been waiting for this for a little while. Uh, it's your turn now and congratulations.
Mathieu Darche: Thank you very much. Look, I'm uh, I just got back to Tampa after spending a week in New York for 2 days before going to the combine to make sure that my wife remembers me, but no, I'm very happy, great organization, uh, everything is great and it's a great opportunity.
Host: When the nomination was made, the Islanders announced it would be presented later on Thursday, so that was a lot of days we wanted to talk about you, so we tried to call Julien but you recognize Julien's class when he said, "I understand guys, but the first one I want to talk to you about Mathieu Darche's hiring, I'd like it to be Mathieu, he deserves it." You recognize Julien's class, who never says no to us, uh, now he wanted you to be the one to tell us about it first. There was one who was a little more direct today, Mathieu, we, you know, even with your number, we went through the Islanders' PR, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre who was with us a little earlier, he had a message for you. I'll let you hear it.
Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (audio message): Mathieu Darche, who I know hasn't changed his number yet because he texted me back, but I'm still waiting for his call back, so when you talk at 5 o'clock, tell him not to forget, he's a true buddy, okay, it's at 4:30.
Host: It's all fresh, it just happened.
Mathieu Darche: Well look, I'd like to, honestly, I think between Friday and Saturday I received over 1000 texts and I'm already behind. I have my list next to me right now, I'm taking a few minutes to talk to you, but things are moving fast.
Host: It's done, Mathieu, and we appreciate it enormously and we strongly suspect you're very busy. Mathieu, I often like to ask the question, how does it work when you apply for a general manager job in the league? Do you go there with your plan? Let's say your plan is to rebuild a team and they don't want to rebuild, do you pass... do you go there to find out what their plan is and how you can serve them, or do you have to arrive with your plan, whether it's reconstruction or a reset, how does that work?
Mathieu Darche: Really, you don't necessarily apply for these jobs, they contact you because often they do their work, they make their list and then they call. Because if you call and they haven't thought of you, the chances of you getting it are very slim. So when they, they, they talked to me, we met, and you go there and you present your plan. You have to be, because if you arrive there and you tell them what they want to hear, but that's not what you think is the right thing, well, it won't work out either. So it's a long, well, it's a long process, it's a process of almost two weeks this time, it depends on the teams, but yeah, I arrived, I presented to them what I wanted, and well, I'm the one who's here, I'm not here in Tampa anymore, but I'm the one who got, who got...
Host: It's you who got the job. Yeah, the first questions you answered were about Patrick, and we'll come back to that, but the second question, and you know Mathias Brunet, he wanted you to rebuild the Islanders, he wanted you to tear it down and rebuild. Then he was arguing with me because you said that this team could be competitive, and he was arguing with me, I said, "Don't argue with me, I'm only talking to him tomorrow, why are you arguing with me?" It's not me who said there was no reconstruction. Why do you think the Islanders can go to the next step with the current core?
Mathieu Darche: Mathias was arguing with me, but firstly, the team last year, for sure, injuries, everyone will have some, and the special units had a lot of trouble last year, they were 31st, 32nd, and you know, they were there. Sure, they finished far behind because at the end, sometimes it goes downhill, but listen, that doesn't mean I won't make changes this summer either, but anyway, I'm not going to share my plan today, but you know, if you look at it, with Barzal, Horvat, Pageau, Romanov, Dobson, Sorokin, it's not a team that's going to finish in last place, and if so, you'd have to move a heck of a lot of guys. I think, I think there's a good, there's still a good core. Yes, there are older players, and it's up to me to make sure there's a balance between the two, but uh, look, it's not a team that's going to, that's going to fight for last place.
Host: You see, that's what I was telling Mathias. I said, "Mathias, let's play a game. Mathieu decided to continue. Why is he continuing?" They have an elite goalie. I still believe Sorokin is an elite goalie in the National League. You have Pulock and Dobson on defense. I think anyone would take those two guys as 1 and 2 on defense. Center line, you talked about Barzal, if we put him back at center, Barzal, Horvat, I say it's not shabby as a center line, you have to...
Mathieu Darche: No, go ahead. You also have Adam Pelech on defense who is a very good, you know, a defenseman, a real defender, and you have Romanov who plays well for them too. So, for them, I have to invite myself to say "for us." Uh, but no, that's it, look, I agree with you there.
Host: How does it work? Because, let's not kid ourselves, plus you said it in a press conference, you want to play fast. They played fast, there's fast. I think one of the Islanders' weaknesses is speed on skates. I find the Islanders are slow. Of course, if I were a radio host, and I find that other general managers when they have to arrive, or maybe the free agent market, is it a mission to speed up this team, to add a bit of speed?
Mathieu Darche: I don't know, speed up, a bit of speed. There are two ways to play fast, to be fast: either you skate fast, or you play fast in the way you execute, the way you think. So that's playing fast. There are many guys who skate very fast but aren't able to play because they don't have hockey sense and they don't make good decisions with the puck. That's why playing fast, there are different ways to do it, and it's up to me to adjust. You know, I'll try to do things, but there are many players who had a disappointing season compared to their expectations last year, and just with that, and now I think Patrick and I are on the same page, and uh, hopefully, knock on wood, injuries will spare us a bit. You know, when you lose Mat Barzal for 60 games, it's definitely going to affect your team too, that's clear, and he's an extremely fast player. So, uh, play fast, think fast.
Host: Mathieu, how was that conversation? You talked about it in your press conference, I listened to the whole thing. You said Patrick talks a lot, and I talk a lot. Or was it in the interview with Patrick Friolet? How did that meeting go and to what extent was that meeting crucial in convincing you to continue with Patrick?
Mathieu Darche: My initial idea was dialogue with Patrick, but I don't know Patrick, honestly. It's true that the first time I got his phone number was last Friday, the day I was appointed. After a game this year, walking towards the bus, our cars are parked next to the buses, we chatted like all Francophones end up saying hello, like when the Russians play against their compatriots, they'll talk. In fact, that's it, that's all. I had no relationship with Patrick. So before knowing if I'll work with him, and that was my, my first impression was good, but I still have to do my homework. I spoke to many people who know him, who have worked with him, and I wanted to see if we could sit down together, if we could talk, or if after 15 minutes it would be weird, not being able to talk. So I came to Montreal and spent a good 5 hours with him, and we got along very well, and I spoke to him again the next day, and that's when I made my decision. But for me, it's important to do my homework properly because you need to get along well and be on the same page as your coach, otherwise it doesn't work. So that wasn't, that was the purpose of my trip to Montreal, to meet Patrick, and I was very comfortable, I was excited to work with him.
Host: And the worst part is, you explained it, and you know, I was aware, talking to you about that backbone that's important, the owner with the Lightning, the understanding with Julien, you know, the integrity, and everyone is in the right seat, there's no one, you know, who goes over anyone's head, etc. When you say you have to get along with your coach, for you, you're going to bring that, I'm sure you're going to bring that good understanding from top to bottom in the Islanders organization, I'm not mistaken, am I?
Mathieu Darche: Yeah, it's not just between the GM and the coach, it starts with the owner. I think one of Tampa's strengths is that everyone is aligned, it's vertical, however you want to call it, from the owner to the team president to Julien to the coaches to the way of working in Syracuse with the players. So that's what I'm trying to bring here. And the important thing, you know, even Julien, advice he gave me, he said you have to get along with your coach. I'm not saying you'll always agree, that it will always be rosy and everything will be perfect... you have to be able to work with your coach, otherwise it won't work. So that's why it was important for me to spend time with Patrick to get to know him, and for him to get to know me. Maybe he would say, "Well, I don't like his face, I don't want to work with him either." Uh, so that was important to me, and we had a very nice evening together, and I decided to keep Patrick but to make changes with the assistant coaches.
Host: You arrive with, let's say, Lane Lambert, because he was named, we don't know many people. Patrick Roy, there's an aura, we know him, and you know he was out of the league for a long time because he had a reputation. Did you have to talk to yourself and say, "I'm going in there with a blank slate, no preconceived notions, and I want to talk with Patrick Roy," or did you have to undo your knot of "Patrick scares people"?
Mathieu Darche: No, because I'm a very confident person. Uh, I just wanted to get to know you. You know, of course, we know Patrick, and uh, you know, I was making a joke the day I went to see my guys who are in Montreal and my mother for dinner, we saw one of my son's friends at the restaurant, and he comes to see me, "Hey, congratulations Mathieu!" First thing he says to me, "Hey, you're going to work with Patrick Roy!" You know, that's, that's how it is in Quebec, people, that's how they think. But, but I'm going for it, and I'm proud to work with Patrick Roy. But for me, he's my coach, he's Patrick Roy the coach, not Patrick Roy the goalie who won four Stanley Cups this year, that's not what, uh, I needed to be sure of, that we are able to work together. That's why it was important for me to go spend time with him and not just call people and say, "Okay, well, they say this because everyone has different... people will... you call people about me, there are people who will have different opinions of me." So I wanted to take all that in, it was all part of my equation, but as I said from the beginning, when I got the job, before talking to Patrick, my intention was to start with him, but I wanted to consolidate or confirm it. So that's why I met you in Montreal.
Host: Last thing on Patrick, you talked about special units. I assume that must have been part of your questions, to say, "Patrick, we didn't have good power plays, good penalty kills. In your opinion, is there a reason, and how can we fix it, or is that on you?" How does that work? How does it work?
Mathieu Darche: No, no, but look, we, we don't have special units... different factors, and yes, it comes back to the coach, but that's why I decided to make changes with the assistant coaches. And it's not that I'm putting all the blame on them at all, but sometimes just a change within, uh, the coaching staff can help, new ideas and everything, and we'll move forward with that. And you know, when you lose key players, they lost a lot of key players during the year, it's bound to affect your special units too.
Host: Yeah, that's clear. Uh, okay, apart from the assistant that Patrick was able to bring with him, Lou Lamoriello, yeah. You let the other assistants go. And the farm team, you talked a lot in your press conference about how important development was, and like you said earlier, the alignment between the National Hockey League and your farm team. How important is this appointment, both for putting your stamp on your new team and for the future of your team?
Mathieu Darche: It's very important because the vast majority of your players will go through the American League before playing for you. So you want good development, you want coaches who will maintain, uh, accountability for the players who work and everything. And you know, I saw, that's why for me, my 6 years in Tampa, between Benoît Groulx and Joël Bouchard, they are two excellent coaches, guys who have, who maintain a culture, who maintain values. So for me, finding the coach in the American League is also as important as anything. That's a part of the organization that I want to be right. You can't, you can't say, "Oh, it's not a big deal, it's the minors, we let them play and they make their mistakes, it's not a big deal, no accountability." It's important that the same vision is in the American League as what you want in the National League.
Host: The Lightning, while you were there, were in a phase, a window to win. The draft picks suffered a bit with the Lightning. What is... and now we'll know, now that you're no longer with Julien, we'll know if it was you who didn't like them or if it was him. Draft picks, overall, have great value for you, but what is your vision of draft picks? We always look at the percentage of players who make it after the first round, the second, the third, and then 4, 5, 6, it's much less. What is your vision of draft picks to help your team?
Mathieu Darche: It's that it's another way to acquire a, uh, a player, whether you use it by drafting or you use it by trading it to acquire a player. So it's an asset. I don't like the term "asset" because I don't want players to be seen as assets, they are people, but it's, you know, a draft pick is a way to get a player into your organization, whether it's the player you draft or the pick you give up to get a player. So listen, I don't expect to trade my first-round pick at the next draft, that's what I told Julien, I'm not used to talking in the first round anymore, I'm arriving with the first overall pick, so that will be a change. But uh, uh, there are times maybe I'll be ready to make those trades too, depending on what you get in return. Uh, so like I was saying, it's just another way to acquire a player.
Host: You need, you know, there were two signings today. Uh, I think I read that these were deals that were on the table but maybe not signed, I don't know how that works. Are these deals you decided to honor because they had been negotiated in advance?
Mathieu Darche: I want the players on my team, so I signed the contracts, that's all.
Host: That has the merit of being clear. Are you, do you need a period to be 100% operational, or are people calling, are we taking calls right away, already, and we're operational? Or do you need a period to sit down, find out who you're working with, are you going to get another assistant GM, are you going to continue working with Mr. Lamoriello? How does that work?
Mathieu Darche: Well, I'd like to say that I have the time to sit down and just quietly look at everything, but I can tell you that since Friday, things have been moving. But what does "moving" mean? I don't feel like, "Oh my, I'm overwhelmed." Yes, look, I get up, I'm on it, and I go to bed, I'm on it. I haven't, I usually watch all the Syracuse games, I haven't watched one in a week. Of course, I'm doing everything at the same time. I'm evaluating what I have. You know, Lamoriello, he's not, he's not a nobody either, there are very good people working with the organization. I'm evaluating all that. Now, of course, we have coaches to find in the American League, in the National League, we have the combine coming up, I'm going to Buffalo on Sunday, after that we'll have other meetings, the draft is coming up, choosing what we do, we have free agents, restricted free agents, arbitration, and everything. So it's, it's, uh, you're drinking from a firehose.
Host: No, I don't doubt it, and we'll hope you don't, you don't drown. Mathieu, you've given us more than 10 minutes, a huge thank you. I thank you infinitely. At BPM, there's a connection because of Patrick, I think it's been 2 years that Max in the morning sends 4 or 5 buses to see an Islanders game, and I presume that with a Francophone Quebecer general manager, that won't change. Last question, did Patrick ask you if you guys can wear beards?
Mathieu Darche: Well, look, yes, the players and coaches will be able to have a beard. That was a little, how do you say, a quick, easy win with the players, a little, a little wink. Well yes, of course. No, and it's not that I'm trying to, you know, I'm not saying that to ridicule Lou's rule, because Lou did that his whole career, it worked, so that's not me. You know, sometimes in my interviews, I get asked, "Are we looking for Julien 2.0?" Zero. Or I say, "No, you're getting Mathieu." It's not that there aren't many things I learned from Julien. By the way, Julien was incredible throughout this whole process, the support he gave me, he'd call me, "Can I do anything to help you?" You know, I even talked about a couple of things with him, and he was super about it. And there are many things that I will do that will be like Julien did them, but I have to be me, because if I try to be a personality other than my own, it won't be authentic, the players will see through it, the staff will see through it. So I have to be myself in everything. But of course, I learned many great things with the Lightning. It's like being a parent, you learned things from your father, things from your mother, and then there are things that come from Mathieu Darche.
Host: Mathieu, super, I wish you the best of things. I can only wait to see that first Islanders-Lightning transaction, that's going to be very funny.
Mathieu Darche: Yeah, yeah, it's going to be, I hope I'm the one who gets the long end of the stick.
Host: I wish you both the long end. Bye Mathieu, big thanks, my friend. Bye bye.
Mathieu Darche: Bye, congratulations again, thanks again. Bye bye.
Host: Mathieu Darche, Islanders of New York. The Islanders were already interesting for BPM fans, I think they will be even more so with the arrival of Mathieu Darche.
New York Islanders: Mathieu Darche is named GM of the New York Islanders (10 Viewers)
