GR-Martin Did Not Go To Rochester as Reported
 

GR corrected his story that Martin went to Rochester in the performance of his GM duties. He is in an Unknown location considering his options and not, at this time, performing GM functions.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/flapa...ment-of-c.html

From the accounts I have been reading, it seems JM is looking to see if there is ANY OPPORTUNITY to land a coaching position and that remaining as Florida GM is his fallback position ONLY if nothing else works out. It certainly doesn't seem that he is enthusiastic about being Panthers GM and if that is the case would you want someone in that job who feels that way?

Martin isn't enthusiastic about anything....lol

But yea I wouldn't be surprised if he left us.

Well said Hoax

For once, GP, I have to agree with you. It sounds like his heart is in coaching, and if Cohen doesn't want Martin coaching the Panthers, then he wants nothing to do with the Panthers.

I think we need a new coach. I'm one of Martin's biggest proponents as GM, but I think we need a new coach. If not for any other reason than it's never worked before, and it's not working here. I like the job he's done as GM better, personally.

If he doesn't want to stay, perhaps allow Sexton to take over completely and have him continue where Martin left off. He's been here assisting in Martin's plan and should be able to continue with it. That's change with at least some stability. Have him look for a coach, and hopefully he'll bring in Hartley or Cunneyworth. I guess Robinson and Burnes are out there as well.

Sexton has always said the right thing in interviews and what not, wonder how he would do being GM

Well, it's good to see that we can get Randy Cunneyworth without any problem if we choose to go that route.

:shakehead i don't think so or at least wouldn't count on it. the guy's got no experience. for all we know, he could just be the mouthpiece and the one doing the contract gruntwork.

in any case, if JM leaves, the only way this organization is rescued is if cohen puts someone else in charge of hockey operations. cohen can't be left to make decisions like this.

I'll agree there. I don't honestly know too much about Sexton, just that he's been here helping Martin with the GM duties. This is one more reason why the duel roles are dumb and don't work.

Cohen said at the State of Team the other day that he doesn't know hockey and will stay out of the day-to-day, but here he is supposedly caught up in all of it.

I was merely just throwing out the possibility, I myself do not know much about Sexton either.

:laugh: are you serious? did he really say that? and now he's floating names of potential coaches while the guy he asked to stay as GM is considering what to do? OMG. is he waiving around a stack of paper with printouts of comments on the sports web sites to back up his suggestions? :sarcasm:

cohen, you are a joke.

How do you know his assistants or any friend to the organization didn't give him a list? You jump to conclusions way too fast. The fact that Cohen came out and spoke to everyone is great!

his assistants? what do they know about hockey? friend of the organization? please.

in any case, you miss my point - this is the WRONG way to go about this whole endeavor. it's completely inappropriate for cohen to be speculating about hockey strategy or hirings ("both the fans and i feel we need a new coach"? since when do fans or layman owners pick coaches?) or float coaching names when he's still got a GM under contract. think about it.

IF you agree that we needed a change at coach, there was a much more professional way this all could have been handled. let me propose just one: first of all, you don't call a meeting with the fans until you have ironed out the situation with JM. then, if JM stays, you meet the fans with JM, publicly give him your support as GM and say "we'll be working together to find a replacement behind the bench that will continue to foster the development of our younger players while allowing jacques to focus on acquiring and developing talent" (or whatever). you get all your ducks in a row, figure out who's coming, who's going. you present a unified face to the public and appear professional. nobody's publicly embarassed and the organization looks at least somewhat "organized". instead what do we get? press all over the continent reporting various stories about JM being rochester scouting, that he will stay, that he might stay, that he's out as coach. he can't be reached for comment leading to all sorts of speculation. the owner hints at several possibilities at his town meeting then starts floating coaching names. newy quits. i mean, c'mon - it's worse than an embarassment, it's an unmittigated PR disaster. this team comes out looking like a joke and it's all, imo, on cohen and co.

sure, it's a great idea to come and talk to the fans. you can answer questions honestly, take the pulse of the fans, really show that you are involved and love your team. you have to have your act together tho. these are not opportunities to undermine management and/or players (he did both). you give the impression that you are listening and sympathetic but you have to remember that you have professionals running the show and you have to defer to them, at least until YOU or the person you've put in charge of operations (hint, hint) no longer trust them (at which point, you make a change - you don't bad mouth them or side with players over them in public...:shakehead). to any objective outsider, he's gotta look like a flailing clown.

i know this sounds harsh. sorry.

Wasn't Sexton an early GM of Ottawa when they were just terrible?

did someone really suggest sexton??? the ugy was out of hockey for years, working in a ice rink until his good buddy jacques called him

all he is an overpaid secretary for a crappy GM

He's still crappy? Still no reasons to follow...?

"Martin hired Sexton as his assistant GM in January 2007, but Green said that was a case of cronyism, pointing out Sexton had been out of the NHL for 11 years and was running an ice rink in Ottawa at the time."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/panther...hers_0406.html

Green is a joke, look into his background and you will see where his loyalties lie. Anything out of his mouth about the Panthers will be jaded.

Green has no right to say anything, how long as he been out of the league for.

Hey Martin, if you dont want to be here and help contribute to the teams success, then get lost. Id like to see him stay as GM, but if you dont want to be here, leave. I want people here that want to be here. Maybe its time for him to leave, a whole new freshness wouldnt be such a bad thing for us.

Nice to see people turning on Jerk Martin finally.

Im not really turning on him. Id like him to stay here as GM, but if his heart is in coaching and not in to being the Panthers GM, then its best we just part ways.

Cohen went on the panthers board and said the following:

Someone asked:
Do you think JM will take the job?
and
Do you care who JM hires as coach?

And he responded:
So the media is once again wrong. You guys can stop overreacting about Cohen now.

Really why the hell would we want a guy as our GM who doesnt even want to GM???

When did he ever say that he didn't? Just because he is taking a long time to consider does NOT mean that he doesn't want to be here. If he didn't want to be here he would have been gone a long time ago! The reason why he is taking a while is because Coaching has always been his #1 thing he wanted to do and he wants to make sure that he wants to be a GM. Thats it.