Thrilled Slats breaks out one-liners
LOS ANGELES — Long before Jim Dolan brought in a championship-winning coach named Phil Jackson to run the Knicks, he hired someone with a similar resume of leading all-time great players to multiple titles to head the Garden’s hockey operations.
It took 14 years as general manager of the Rangers for Glen Sather to reach the Stanley Cup Final, but there he was Tuesday basking in the glow of his first run to the championship round since coming to New York. The 70-year-old GM and team president knows his job for this series is reduced mostly to that of a spectator, and he appeared Tuesday to be relishing that behindthe-scenes role.
“It’s really complicated,” a loose Sather quipped during a rare press conference on the eve of Game 1 against the Kings at Staples Center.
“It took us three hours to figure out which golf course we are going to play at this afternoon. Later on this evening, you have questions about dinner and what you’re going to watch on TV tonight. Is ‘Game of Thrones’ on? It’s tough.”
That reference, of course, is an apt one for a series being billed as The King (Henrik Lundqvist) vs. The Kings, but it also showed that Sather is thoroughly enjoying the Rangers’ playoff run this spring after more than a decade of criticism over poor personnel decisions and postseason failures.
Sather was hired by Dolan in 2000 a decade after coaching or managing Edmonton (with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, et al) to five titles in seven seasons from 1984-90.
He notably even deflected credit Tuesday for what many consider his finest trade with the Rangers — the 2009 acquisition of defenseman Ryan McDonagh and others from Montreal while shedding the unproductive Scott Gomez and his bloated contract.
“He was certainly the key piece we wanted in the deal. I had never seen him play. That was entirely our scouting staff,” Sather said.
“(Assistant GM) Jeff Gorton had seen him. (Director of player personnel) Gordie Clark. I had no idea other than seeing (McDonagh’s) name on the paper. You don’t give the managers credit for that. It’s the people that work in the field that do those things for us.”
Asked if he feels any satisfaction i n the Rangers finally reaching the Stanley Cup Final this deep into his oft-rocky New York tenure, Sather responded: “I don’t think it’s been rocky. Every year there’s only two teams that fight for the Stanley Cup and there’s one that wins. It takes time to get in this position. Anyone that’s been in the hockey business knows what it can be like, and it’s complicated. I don’t see any great personal satisfaction.
“I’m satisfied that the team is here. But I think the job is partly done.”
While Dolan has meddled with several Knicks front-office decisions through the years, Sather painted a positive picture of his relationship with the Garden chairman.
“I enjoy him,” Sather said. “I think he’s an interesting, complex, caring human being that is probably a little bit apprehensive at letting himself be known by the media. Most people like that are. You have your own private life, your own world that you live in. I get along with him fine.
“Somebody wrote that I manage him well. Well, I wouldn’t say I’m a particularly good manager. I like to be friends with the people that I work with. I like to be friends with the coaches, the players. At the same time you have to be respectful. I do respect him. I like him. I get along with him. It’s about that simple.”
Keeping it simple also appears to be Sather’s approach to watching the team he constructed compete for its first title since 1994.
“We’re fortunate to be here. Anybody’s fortunate to be in this position,” Sather said. “It’s not every team in the league that gets a chance to play for the Stanley Cup. I’ve been around for a little while, couple years. I know what it’s like. I know how hard it is to get here. We’re appreciative of the opportunity.”