Confirmed with Link: Sabres Hire Dan Girardi in a Player Development Role

[Zman5778]

Good solid veteran Dman. Hopefully he proves to be a good coach.

 

[Old Navy Goat]

Good solid veteran Dman. Hopefully he proves to be a good coach.

At the very least he's a good example of working hard and reaping the fruits of your labor

 

[Samsonite23]

Sam Girard? Little young to be a coach if you ask me.

 

[Buffaloed]

They must have exhausted the supply of former Sabres with no experience.

 

[flashsabre]

Wasn’t he at HarborCentre a couple years a go and everyone thought the Sabres were signing him? Probably was more about laying groundwork for this type of position.

 

[SundherDome]

Cool

 

[SundherDome]

Makes sense, you what they say about Welland "it's basically Niagara Falls"

 

[Shootica]

Wasn’t he at HarborCentre a couple years a go and everyone thought the Sabres were signing him? Probably was more about laying groundwork for this type of position.

I believe he lives right across the border so HarborCenter was probably the most logical spot for off-season training.

 

[toomuchsauce]

Good golfer, I assume?

 

[Chainshot]

Wasn’t he at HarborCentre a couple years a go and everyone thought the Sabres were signing him? Probably was more about laying groundwork for this type of position.

He worked out there.

 

[cybresabre]

Good golfer, I assume?

Maybe not--143 career playoff games in 13 NHL seasons

 

[beerme1]

Thank God it's not Matt Ellis!!

 

[Jacob582]

Thank God it's not Matt Ellis!!

Matt hired Dan.

 

[beerme1]

Matt hired Dan.

Yes but it's one thing that Matt won't be doing so I'm happy about that. Plus, it's been a long time.

 

[sabremike]

I goofed above because I was feeding my giraffe and wasn't paying attention.

 

[flashsabre]

Can we please change the title to Girardi, I had know idea who Girard was.

 

[brian_griffin]

Can we please change the title to Girardi, I had know idea who Girard was.

He went to the Cup finals a few years ago ( lost to LAK for their 2nd Cup) when the Rangers had a Cinderella playoffs. Their D-men were pretty healthy that season; MacDunnah, Strawlman, etc. 5 of them essentially played a full season >75 games. Dan Boyel didn’t join the Rangers until after their Cup final. Only 1 NYR 20-goal scorer that year, Rick Nasch. Matt Zuckarella led them in scoring.

 

[Buffaloed]

Maybe not--143 career playoff games in 13 NHL seasons

Girardi won a World Series and American League championship too.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I'm not sure how Friedman, or anyone for that matter, can call hiring Dan Girardi a "great" hire. I mean, what has Girardi done as a coach to make that assumption?

 

[Der Jaeger]

I'm not sure how Friedman, or anyone for that matter, can call hiring Dan Girardi a "great" hire. I mean, what has Girardi done as a coach to make that assumption?

he’s not being hired as a game coach. He’s working player development. I’d say Girardi’s work going from an unstaffed player to playing top 4 minutes in the NHL for over a decade qualifies him.

4 years in the OHL as well. He’s a poster child for “hard work getting you there.”

 

[jc17]

Right, but we know someone who did something as a player doesn't necessarily make them good at coaching others, even if they had to work for it.

Obviously he seems like a good person for the job, but it is funny how many "great hires " there are according to the analysts at times.

 

[Buffaloed]

In depth look at what goes into player development
The Overlooked Importance of Player Development - The Hockey Think Tank

 

[Old Navy Goat]

In depth look at what goes into player development
The Overlooked Importance of Player Development - The Hockey Think Tank

That was a great article

 

[Aladyyn]

he’s not being hired as a game coach. He’s working player development. I’d say Girardi’s work going from an unstaffed player to playing top 4 minutes in the NHL for over a decade qualifies him.

4 years in the OHL as well. He’s a poster child for “hard work getting you there.”

I understand that point of view, but the fact that he was never actually a good player has to be held against him, no?

 

[Der Jaeger]

I understand that point of view, but the fact that he was never actually a good player has to be held against him, no?

I don’t think calling him “never a good player” is accurate. He played over a decade in the NHL.

I think a player development director needs to be experienced at all the levels and know the process, plus know what the demands are to advance. Girardi has certainly done that.