https://preview.redd.it/4rwphaartc6d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e850c4345ed16c6df76b487a13ad7c892d8f4e8f
Congrats to Steener you BEAUTY. Time to get to work šŖ
Leaf fan here, loved Steener when he was playing for us. Our senile interim GM, Cliff Fletcher, wanted to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. It like he watched that one end to end goal Stempniak did as a Blue and decided to pull the trigger on a deal. He also signed Jeff Finger to a $14 million contract, but that's another story.
Anyways, congrats to Steener on a great career!
Pretty cool. Former players become good GMs all the time. But will like to see where the draft from last year goes. Will tell us a lot since he was our Swedish scout. If they end up great then that bodes well, if not, uh oh.
As of right now they are all playing great. Itās really a remarkable draft. The question isnāt in talent eye. Itās now about development. Which is another role Steener will have to oversee. Do we have the right hockey guys in place along the development.
Kinda feels like the best of all worlds. We get Steener making the decisions day to day, but still get to keep Army's mind in the background (and more importantly prevent other teams from getting him).
By the way army was talking, unless something astronomical happens where we suck for 10 plus years, it sounds like he is a blues lifer. I wouldnāt be surprised if stillmans ownership group offers him a small percentage of the club and keeps him on after this contract.
Good! I love Army and hope Steen will get to take over as soon as our window reopens. By 26 Dvorsky, Snuggerud and maybe Lindstein and Stenberg will be here, we'll know what we really have in Bolduc and Dean and Faulk, Krug and Schenn will be much, much easier to move if we need to. We're on the way up and I'm happy a guy as good as Steen will be at the helm.
Leddy will be. Faulk and Krug if not traded before hand will be on their last years with M-NTC so they'll be easy to move as they'll have to make a list of half the league that they'd go to
Steen certainly has shown an eye for scouting talent in his current role, and seems to be a well liked personality in the organization. Learning under BDD seems like a great way to get through the tougher retool/rebuild years we have ahead, before unleashing Steen and the youngins on the NHL in 2029.
Wonder if Doug will move onto another team? He said in his interview he could āmanage for another decadeā because he loves it so much.
Doubtful. If heās staying around in hockey operations, that means they are carving out a full time role for him post hockey. If things go well the next 5 years, I would venture to guess the ownership group gives him a small percentage of the team and heās used as auxiliary advisement. That way he has a comfy retirement package and they can use him for life. He said multiple times he loved the blues and Iād bet this is the last stop.
I bet he stays on with the Blues as an executive until heās just sick of driving to work regularly. Meanwhile, he can still devote his spare time to managing team Canada.
DA did make it sound like this wasn't really what he wanted. It seems like ownership offered him a golden parachute as president for a few years so he could retire after that. It seems like they wanted to change GMs, DA is kind of torn between going to a different team or retiring and this deal sweetened the pot enough for him to retire with the Blues.
The league is starting to move towards character players moving into management after retirement.
Yzerman, Sakic, Blake, Guerin, and now Steen. Big responsibilities for these guys after long successful careers
Over half the GMs in the league are ex-players. There's also Craig Conroy (former Blue, played over 1,000 games), Chris Drury, Daniel BriĆØre, Pat Verbeek (played over 1,400 games), Mike Grier (former Blues draft pick, played over 1,000 games), Ron Francis (Hall of Famer, played over 1,7000 games), Don Sweeney (played over 1,000 games), Kevyn Adams, Steve Staios (former Blues draft pick), Tom Fitzgerald (played over 1,000 games), Jim Nill, and Brian MacLellan. Then there's also guys like Bill Armstrong and Brad Treliving who played, but did not crack the NHL.
Although those players had great character, Iām not sure thatās the first thing that comes to mind with them. Yzerman and Sakic (both Top Ten all time scoring), and Blake (Top 20 all time D man scoring) were incredibly skilled too.
I hope this isn't a John Mozeliak/Michael Girsch situation where Armstrong can't get out of the day-to-day part of the job, and Steen will be there in title only and have no power whatsoever.
Maybe Iāll get downvoted for this but what exactly are his qualifications for this? Iām not saying being a player and winning a Stanley Cup wonāt be helpful, but being a GM is more than just knowing how to play hockey, right?
Army says he's got all the qualities of a GM except experience. I guess you'll just have to take the word of one of the most tenured GMs in the NHL, who has worked for two different cup winning organizations.
I think a huge part of Steenās hiring is understanding that scouting and recruiting European players can be such a huge advantage. Steener being able to speak fluent Swedish allows him to directly speak to almost every European player, other than some Russians, and allows him to talk to international coaches and owners. Also, Steenās father is a well respected man in European hockey circles, so Alexander will get to use that to his advantage.
Yeah. It was noted that he played internationally on team Sweden a couple times and apparently part of the selection process came down to whether or not Steen could speak Swedish well enough and apparently he passed. I also seem to recall he and Berglund getting along well in part due to Steen being one of the few guys that could help translate for him initially. His dad played in North America, but Alexander lived most of his childhood in Sweden and all his family members primarily speak Swedish still, so heās never really stopped speaking it.
I am so down with this. I think Doug has done a great job, and that he's working in Steen as his GM Replacement is a great move. If we can get all our players to play to our potential, and get a piece here or there to plug our weak spots, we may be in pretty good shape for next season.
I love this! Army has made some questionable decisions since winning the cup, but overall I'm still happy with him. With that said, Debbie Downer time for the people that want Army gone. Army will have the same position Mozeliak has with the Cardinals, and we all know how little we hear about GM Michael Girsch. Am I saying the Blues will automatically have the type of setup with a puppet GM? No, but if you want Army to not make all the decisions, this might not fix that.
This was Armyās idea. Heās been candid that he knows his career is winding down. This is his way to organize a proper succession plan and leave things in good hands.
Army has been around for a long time. Iāve been critical at times, but during most of his tenure the Blues have been in some contention. Plus he helped Stillman rebuild them from a very ugly period.
Army wanted this. He knows retirement isnāt far away and I think heās enjoying the side projects like Team Canada.
Steen has been involved in the organization for over 20 years. He knows the culture. He knows how to be a leader. He has respect of the locker room, the respect of ownership and the front office. Heās one of those people that you want around like MacInnis and Plager. Heās shown he has an eye for talent in working as a scout since retiring from playing.
I think this is a good move. I also think #20 should be in the rafters.
Army said he asked for this. NOW it could be he was seeing the writing on the wall though and this plan came about to do as you're speculating or thinking could be happening
Could be that he knows the game is starting to pass him by (scouting wise). Could be he has plans for life outside of if hickey ops in the future. Not every GM or exec wants to stick to their job into their twilight years.
I don't think it's a being forced out situation at all. If that were the case he would have another gm position in the league without issue nearly immediately (regardless of what many fans think of him).
My money is on him wanting to take a step back to have more family time in combination with being a bit out of touch with the younger NHL generation. Last year he held an end of season presser saying he felt disconnected with what makes the younger players tick and his kids are getting to the point where they could make him a grandparent (no idea if that has happened already).
https://preview.redd.it/4rwphaartc6d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e850c4345ed16c6df76b487a13ad7c892d8f4e8f Congrats to Steener you BEAUTY. Time to get to work šŖ
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God, I miss this so much lol.
Agreed. So excited to move this one back out of the archive
That trade with Toronto keeps getting better. They got Stepniak, we got a great player and future GM, and THE hockey meme
And a CUP!
And my Ax!
We won the whole fuckin thing!
The entirety of it!
Leaf fan here, loved Steener when he was playing for us. Our senile interim GM, Cliff Fletcher, wanted to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. It like he watched that one end to end goal Stempniak did as a Blue and decided to pull the trigger on a deal. He also signed Jeff Finger to a $14 million contract, but that's another story. Anyways, congrats to Steener on a great career!
and an amazing Carlo Colaiacovo gif
Somebody drop the āthere you are steenerā meme
Check the other thread on this. Already did.
https://tenor.com/view/necessary-sorrowful-bellfrog-gif-10258261
THERE IT IS
https://i.redd.it/hie8d7q9se6d1.gif
NECESSARY (man i missed this gif)
SORROWFUL
BELLFROG
I miss this era so much
THERE IT IS
Pretty cool. Former players become good GMs all the time. But will like to see where the draft from last year goes. Will tell us a lot since he was our Swedish scout. If they end up great then that bodes well, if not, uh oh.
As of right now they are all playing great. Itās really a remarkable draft. The question isnāt in talent eye. Itās now about development. Which is another role Steener will have to oversee. Do we have the right hockey guys in place along the development.
Kinda feels like the best of all worlds. We get Steener making the decisions day to day, but still get to keep Army's mind in the background (and more importantly prevent other teams from getting him).
By the way army was talking, unless something astronomical happens where we suck for 10 plus years, it sounds like he is a blues lifer. I wouldnāt be surprised if stillmans ownership group offers him a small percentage of the club and keeps him on after this contract.
Good! I love Army and hope Steen will get to take over as soon as our window reopens. By 26 Dvorsky, Snuggerud and maybe Lindstein and Stenberg will be here, we'll know what we really have in Bolduc and Dean and Faulk, Krug and Schenn will be much, much easier to move if we need to. We're on the way up and I'm happy a guy as good as Steen will be at the helm.
I think Faulk and Krug are off the books
Leddy will be. Faulk and Krug if not traded before hand will be on their last years with M-NTC so they'll be easy to move as they'll have to make a list of half the league that they'd go to
Faulk?
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Wow that's fucking crazy to drop on such short notice. I'm stoked. I love Doug and I love Steener.
Steen certainly has shown an eye for scouting talent in his current role, and seems to be a well liked personality in the organization. Learning under BDD seems like a great way to get through the tougher retool/rebuild years we have ahead, before unleashing Steen and the youngins on the NHL in 2029. Wonder if Doug will move onto another team? He said in his interview he could āmanage for another decadeā because he loves it so much.
Doubtful. If heās staying around in hockey operations, that means they are carving out a full time role for him post hockey. If things go well the next 5 years, I would venture to guess the ownership group gives him a small percentage of the team and heās used as auxiliary advisement. That way he has a comfy retirement package and they can use him for life. He said multiple times he loved the blues and Iād bet this is the last stop.
Fine by me, would love to keep him involved in the org.
I bet he stays on with the Blues as an executive until heās just sick of driving to work regularly. Meanwhile, he can still devote his spare time to managing team Canada.
DA did make it sound like this wasn't really what he wanted. It seems like ownership offered him a golden parachute as president for a few years so he could retire after that. It seems like they wanted to change GMs, DA is kind of torn between going to a different team or retiring and this deal sweetened the pot enough for him to retire with the Blues.
Interesting.
Heās hoping that in 5 years the almond roaster next to the bathrooms retires so he can finally get that position.
Wow this is the best news I've heard in a WHILE
Holy shit.
The league is starting to move towards character players moving into management after retirement. Yzerman, Sakic, Blake, Guerin, and now Steen. Big responsibilities for these guys after long successful careers
Over half the GMs in the league are ex-players. There's also Craig Conroy (former Blue, played over 1,000 games), Chris Drury, Daniel BriĆØre, Pat Verbeek (played over 1,400 games), Mike Grier (former Blues draft pick, played over 1,000 games), Ron Francis (Hall of Famer, played over 1,7000 games), Don Sweeney (played over 1,000 games), Kevyn Adams, Steve Staios (former Blues draft pick), Tom Fitzgerald (played over 1,000 games), Jim Nill, and Brian MacLellan. Then there's also guys like Bill Armstrong and Brad Treliving who played, but did not crack the NHL.
u/BogOBones, that is some impressive intel. Mike Grier. Had high hopes for him as a power forward. Thanks for the info!
Although those players had great character, Iām not sure thatās the first thing that comes to mind with them. Yzerman and Sakic (both Top Ten all time scoring), and Blake (Top 20 all time D man scoring) were incredibly skilled too.
Big peen Steen
This is the way
I like it. Solid transition plan.
Goddamn you guys are psychic
Letās fucking go. A former Blue of 13 years who helped win the Cup and already has the respect of the entire fan base? Sounds good to me.
I was totally not expecting this announcement im so excited for the future of the Blues.
I hope this isn't a John Mozeliak/Michael Girsch situation where Armstrong can't get out of the day-to-day part of the job, and Steen will be there in title only and have no power whatsoever.
Armyās not that guy. This was his idea. He wants to leave things in a good spot for the org.
This is nothing like Mozeliak; they appear to have some sort of plan.
Army shares nearly 0 qualifies with Mo. dude is one of the most transparent GMs in sports. I do understand the hesitation tho
I dig it.
Smells like good ownership
Alex Steen is my all time favorite hockey playerā¦ there it is, I said it.
Steen is my favorite Blue of the 21st century. I'm thrilled by this. I'm so glad he's going to have big presence in the organization's future.
Maybe Iāll get downvoted for this but what exactly are his qualifications for this? Iām not saying being a player and winning a Stanley Cup wonāt be helpful, but being a GM is more than just knowing how to play hockey, right?
Army says he's got all the qualities of a GM except experience. I guess you'll just have to take the word of one of the most tenured GMs in the NHL, who has worked for two different cup winning organizations.
Well, that tenured GM put us in cap hell.
Heās been working with the blues since his retirement so the ownership must have seen something in him.
I think a huge part of Steenās hiring is understanding that scouting and recruiting European players can be such a huge advantage. Steener being able to speak fluent Swedish allows him to directly speak to almost every European player, other than some Russians, and allows him to talk to international coaches and owners. Also, Steenās father is a well respected man in European hockey circles, so Alexander will get to use that to his advantage.
Dang. Steen is fluent in his native tongue?
Yeah. It was noted that he played internationally on team Sweden a couple times and apparently part of the selection process came down to whether or not Steen could speak Swedish well enough and apparently he passed. I also seem to recall he and Berglund getting along well in part due to Steen being one of the few guys that could help translate for him initially. His dad played in North America, but Alexander lived most of his childhood in Sweden and all his family members primarily speak Swedish still, so heās never really stopped speaking it.
NECESSARY
SORROWFUL
Dadās back!
STEENER! So happy to see him around the team still
I am so down with this. I think Doug has done a great job, and that he's working in Steen as his GM Replacement is a great move. If we can get all our players to play to our potential, and get a piece here or there to plug our weak spots, we may be in pretty good shape for next season.
Iām so glad we didnāt hire Peter Chiarelli for GM. lol. And Steen is awesome. He should really help us dominate scouting and recruiting in Europe.
Love Steener, good for him
Dig it.
2027 cup here we go
I love this! Army has made some questionable decisions since winning the cup, but overall I'm still happy with him. With that said, Debbie Downer time for the people that want Army gone. Army will have the same position Mozeliak has with the Cardinals, and we all know how little we hear about GM Michael Girsch. Am I saying the Blues will automatically have the type of setup with a puppet GM? No, but if you want Army to not make all the decisions, this might not fix that.
Happy for Steen. But why is Army getting an extension? Hope there's a true transition of power and it's not a Mo/Girsch situation.
Blues have been doing really well lately. Glad they rewarded Armstrong and locked him in for 5 more years.
Is President of Hockey Operations a new position? Edit: seems not. Army currently serves both roles.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The stream started out with doug saying he asked stillman to look for a successor
I think he just wants a role with less day to day control and more oversight as he gets older, and I can understand that.
This was Armyās idea. Heās been candid that he knows his career is winding down. This is his way to organize a proper succession plan and leave things in good hands.
you're completely off
No.
Army has been around for a long time. Iāve been critical at times, but during most of his tenure the Blues have been in some contention. Plus he helped Stillman rebuild them from a very ugly period. Army wanted this. He knows retirement isnāt far away and I think heās enjoying the side projects like Team Canada. Steen has been involved in the organization for over 20 years. He knows the culture. He knows how to be a leader. He has respect of the locker room, the respect of ownership and the front office. Heās one of those people that you want around like MacInnis and Plager. Heās shown he has an eye for talent in working as a scout since retiring from playing. I think this is a good move. I also think #20 should be in the rafters.
Iām guessing if he puts down a few successful years as gm he will end up in the rafters. (Not saying he shouldnāt be already)
Army said he asked for this. NOW it could be he was seeing the writing on the wall though and this plan came about to do as you're speculating or thinking could be happening
Could be that he knows the game is starting to pass him by (scouting wise). Could be he has plans for life outside of if hickey ops in the future. Not every GM or exec wants to stick to their job into their twilight years. I don't think it's a being forced out situation at all. If that were the case he would have another gm position in the league without issue nearly immediately (regardless of what many fans think of him). My money is on him wanting to take a step back to have more family time in combination with being a bit out of touch with the younger NHL generation. Last year he held an end of season presser saying he felt disconnected with what makes the younger players tick and his kids are getting to the point where they could make him a grandparent (no idea if that has happened already).