John Tortorella on Brandon Dubinsky not at training camp:"It is stupid, I am not going to get into negotiations but it is stupid."
My favorite (via Steve Zipay):
I thought Glen (Sather) was very honest with Dubi a couple days ago---I was privy to that conversation---as a general manager and man-to-man as a friend."
Excuse me but Coach while Brandon Dubinsky, his agent Kurt Overhardt and the Dubinsky family are going to take the high road; what you said about Dubinsky is a bunch of bullxxxx plain and simple.
If Glen Sather really truly cared about Brandon Dubinsky and his future in hockey then Brandon would have had a contract deal signed sealed and delivered back in July. Excuse me for remembering John Tortorella's words from the end of last season when he talked about how important Dubinsky was to this season.
Excuse me for remembering that even Glen Sather said at the post-Scott Gomez conference call that Dubinsky had a future as a first line center. Of course to this day I remember that when asked who was going replace Gomez, Sather first had a lengthy pause and then mentioned Dubi as if someone had to tell him who to say.
So here is a question that nobody seems to want to ask the Rangers: If Dubinsky is worth so little to you in terms of dollars then why in the same breath are you thinking of putting him with Gaborik and Prospal?
Dubinsky is not asking for a 3 year 9 million dollar deal like they gave Ales Kotalik who has a reputation for being an older version of Zherdev. He is not even asking for 1.4 million like the Rangers gave to Donald Brashear so he can play 5 minutes a night.
Tortorella's remarks were uncalled for there was no need to toss gasoline onto this fire. Yes I understand that Tortorella wants his team together in camp but the name calling is not needed.
Calling Dubinsky and his agent stupid is the same as calling the Dubinsky family stupid in my book. For starters, there is no way in hell that Kurt Overhardt would be Brandon's agent if Brandon's family did not think he would represent Brandon's best interests.
I have known Brandon and his father since 2004 so yes I am biased here but I also know that Bill Dubinsky is no "Little League" father either. Clan Dubinsky are hard working good people who want the best for Brandon but most of all they want Brandon to be treated fairly.
What is being forgotten here is that there is a human side to all of this and the emotional cost that Brandon is paying here. We are talking about someone who since the day he was born has wanted nothing more than to wear the Ranger's uniform.
One day Tortorella is talking about how there would be no grudges and then the next he is calling Brandon "stupid". Brandon is just 23 so he as a young man is the one who we should be expected to be making rash and immature statements.
Now John Tortorella is 51 but his behavior is the one which has shown the immature side to it. After all this is the coach who curses the media for doing their job, who embarrassed the franchise by getting himself suspended during the most important time of the year, the playoffs.
Yet Brandon is the stupid one here? No here is the one thing that seems to be misunderstood is that Brandon is being called a holdout but in truth he is being locked out. Under the current CBA Brandon is not allowed to attend training camp unless he has a signed contract.
Brandon wants to be in camp but unless he signs for the Ranger's weak offer then he is barred so how does that make him a holdout? Blame the CBA but not Brandon for this part.
And can we go look at Glen Sather here for a minute too as this is not the first time that Sather has lowballed one of his more promising young players. Go back to his days as Oiler GM and go check to see how many times Sather played this game with the Oiler youth.
Yet too many people are buying into the nonsense that Brandon is to blame here; just remember who is the Ranger GM and the kind of job he has done.
In the meantime while Brandon and his agent hold on to the hope that a deal can be struck with Sather but the longer this goes on I am sorry to say the less hope I have of Brandon remaining a Ranger.
And we all lose here.
(Dubinsky courtesy of the Portland Winterhawks)
