Saturday, January 20, 2007

Remembering the Odjick-Messier saga: What Gino said.

I'm posting all this Odjick stuff because of a great fansite that I came across. After reading the articles about the Mike Keenan-Mark Messier saga and what Odjick said after the Canucks traded him to the Islanders, I figured I'd post them for you. This is also inspired by Isabella's hate-on for Messier posts from yesterday and from her post entitled Decision 2006 from last September.

Here was Gino's take:

By Ralph Vacchiano, Daily News 4-3-98

Never one to back down from anybody, new Islander Gino Odjick took on a heavyweight yesterday and delivered some crushing blows to a former hero of New York.

Odjick blasted his former Vancouver Canuck teammate Mark Messier in an article published in yesterdays Vancouver Province. He accused the ex-Ranger of running the Canucks into the ground by controlling everything from trades to the hiring of Mike Keenan as coach.

"He just wants to destroy everything," Odjick said, "so he gets the power. He didn't break a sweat for the first ten games and just waited for (former coach) Tom Renney and (former GM) Pat Quinn to get fired. He talkes to ownership all the time and he's responsible for Keenan, and he's part of most of the trades."

"Look what happened with (ex-Canuck and current Islander) Trevor (Linden) when Keenan gave him (hell). Did (Messier) come over to him and say, 'Look, Trev, were with you'? He didn't say a word. How can you be captain like that? How can the team be together that way? He's not with the players. He's the one who control everything."

"I don't blame Keenan for what's happened. Everything he does, he does in the name of winning. But everything ... Messier does is for more power. They signed him to help us, but all he wanted was most of us out of there so he could bring in his own people. He just wanted to tear it apart and do it his way".

Odjick was not available for comment, but Isle spokesman Chris Botta said Odjick stands by his remarks.

Now, think of where the Canucks are right now, and be thankful that they don't resemble the shitshow that they were in the late 90's! They've come a long damned way haven't they?

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4 Comments:

At January 20, 2007 at 5:49 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who could forget those fatal days. Days when it hurt to be a canucks fan! I loved gino, and was so proud of him for what he said !!!!

I couldn't agree more, of course I've always hated mark messier, and always will !

dark days in the canucks history to be sure !

a few good things have came and went since, worst signing of all time thats for sure... mark messier 6 million dollar man ! WHATEVER !

 
At January 20, 2007 at 6:17 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

To be honest with you, I thought that Messier would put the Canucks over the top, as they seemed leaderless and without direction at the time. The poor Nucks had the wrong personnel on board in those years.

 
At January 20, 2007 at 7:33 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, that infamous article.

Gino never backs down from anyone, or any issue. He gave an inteview over the summer with the NW and he still, still, still refuses to forgive Messier and Keenan for those years. I don't blame him, because I certainly haven't. I'm still amazed at how much those years affected one guy, because 10 years later, Gino still wants to get Messier for Trevor, Bure, Quinn and the 94 boys.

 
At January 20, 2007 at 9:34 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always found that Messier's time in Vancouver spoke just as much to his "so-called leadership abilities" as did anything he'd done in a Ranger uniform.

"Greatest captain of all- time", my ass. He one heck of a self promoter, though.

Whatever happened to that oh-so-dubious "Mark Messier Leadership Award" that caused the hockey world to smirk. I haven't heard a word on it since it's first recipients was announced. Has it been quietly burried?

I expect a tonage of anti-Messier diatribes as his retirement ceremony approaches.

 

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Waiting For Stanley was created in June 2006.