Jones on Chris Snow in Esquire

Jones is just working his courners.

 

Jonesy, if it makes you feel any better, you're definitely the second biggest insufferable bastard ever to wear maple leaf boxer shorts.

 

Who's the first?

 

Great story, CJ. As always, a must read.

 

Aren't they more like frayed, rounded edges?

 

I am waiting for my fiddy-cent issue of said magazine to determine its merit... so please, no spoilers...

It better be damn good, Mr. Fuckity-fuck...

 

Sirs, Madames, Mr Jones,

I went out walking with Doug R in Sweden--few players in NHL history ever took more of a shit-kicking than he did, so walking is about the only exercise his joints can take. He is just about the best person you could meet in the game or any game. (In my youth, I once staggered into breakfast with Risebrough and two other guys who went on to become GMs, with cigars and screwdrivers in hand because we had emptied out the mini-bar beers. In Finland, this is purely acceptable behavior.) Anyway, we did about 12k along the road outside of Leksand and about halfway in he told me about Mr Jones's Esq story on Chris Snow. Back in August or so I had written a piece featuring Chris Snow (and his flight to the Wild being perhaps a telling commentary on the sorry state of the sj bizness). I knew that backstory. I bet DR a beer that the envelope story would be in there. He said, "What envelope?" It is the perfect anecdote, all you really need to know about Chris and his family. I've tried to take that tack with my daughters--to encourage them to find work in something they love rather than take a job of convenience.

A lot of scribes have talked about making the jump (in hockey, Red Fisher said that he could have had a spot--I think it was the Blues but I might be wrong--and Al Strachan went around with the same claim). He better do a good job. He's representing our kind.

All this said, a couple of things might have been noted. 1. Even though he's an old-time hockey guy, Risebrough thinks way outside the box on a lot of things. He's maybe the least conventional GM around. 2. A quick survey of hockey scouts, personnel directors and the like indicates that they think CS is in a "Joe job" ... I'm not saying that's what it is, or what Doug Risebrough intends, but rather that hockey folk tend to disdain someone that young coming in out of the cold into that sort of position with a franchise. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out in a few years time.

YHS, etc

 

If it was the Blues for Fisher, it must have been long after the Salomon family unloaded the team. Seems to me Red butted heads with either the old man (Sid Jr.) or his son (Sid III) in relation to a story or a series that won him his first NNA in '71.

As for Strachan, well, there isn't a team in the NHL that wouldn't give him the keys to the kingdom. Just ask him.

 

I bet Burke wouldn't hire Strachan.

 

to change the subject a little bit, i, too was impressed with risebrough when i was in the business and interviewed him several times. and the wild organization overall is progressive. but they're not showing much on the ice. that run to the conference finals in 2003 was basically a fluke. the team needs to start winning, although as long as they keep selling out that jewel of an arena maybe it doesn't matter.

 

My newest new favorite word.

 

The first story I've read on hockey in a long, long time. Thanks to Jones, it was a good one. Now if only the New York Mets would call me to run their team ...