Pierre Dorion gives D.J. Smith the curse of public support
Pierre Dorion has given head coach D.J. Smith his backing despite the team's five-game losing streak but will the Ottawa Senators general manager stay true to his word?
Video Transcript
JULIAN MCKENZIE: And people are wondering if DJ Smith should be on the-- should be fired. Actually, I don't know if you guys want to tackle this. There's a quote, I want to find from Pierre Dorion about DJ Smith and about his head coach.
Because I don't know. To me, when I heard this quote from Pierre Dorion, like, it was very-- like, he used his name in the first person. That's how wild the quote is. That's how wild the quote-- he said, like, Pierre Dorion is a loyal person.
Here's the quote from Jimenez. Here, this is what he said when he was asked about DJ Smith, about all the work that he's done behind the bench. This is Pierre Dorion saying this. "Pierre Dorion is very loyal. I think DJ has done a good job. He's shown that he can win. DJ is our coach. He's going to be our coach."
Again, when the first line says "Pierre Dorion is very loyal--" that's not someone saying that. Pierre Dorion, referring to himself in the first person, said that.
AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Is he the Rock?
[LAUGHTER]
JULIAN MCKENZIE: That's what I was about to say.
OMAR: No, I mean, that's kind of weird.
JULIAN MCKENZIE: Can I just say that-- before I let everyone get into this. Some people will say, you know, if the team gets worse and they lose more games, maybe Pierre Dorion will have no choice but to actually fire DJ Smith and go back on his word.
You see how we all laughed at that quote? If he fires DJ Smith, dude will be memed until eternity for going back on that and also saying, in the first person, how loyal he is. It might not be on the same wavelength as "we're a team," but that's just going to be another quote or meme attached to Pierre Dorion. And I think that matters.
OMAR: I mean, Canadian teams though, like didn't Kenny-- didn't your boy Kenny [? Holland ?] do that last year? Saying like, oh, well, we've been firing too many coaches so we're not going to do it. And then they fired him.
So I don't know, man. I feel like-- but that's--
JULIAN MCKENZIE: [INAUDIBLE]
OMAR: That's an Ottawa thing, too. I could have sworn Dorion did it to Guy Boucher. I could have sworn--
JULIAN MCKENZIE: He did?
OMAR: I could have sworn he did it to Guy Boucher--
JULIAN MCKENZIE: I've got to find this.
OMAR: --and said that they had confidence in him. And then they fired him. Hold-- I need to find this. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure Dorion did the same thing.
Yeah, he said he voiced confidence in Guy Boucher. And then they fired him. And then they had an interim for the rest of the season. And then they hired DJ Smith over the offseason when he left the Leafs. I'm like-- I'm so-- OK, yeah, yeah, someone else jump in.
SAM CHANG: I just don't understand how Dorion's been GM for so long.
AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Yeah. That's a great question. Dorion has been GM since, what, like 20-- like the 2017, 2018 season, I think?
JULIAN MCKENZIE: Oh my God.
OMAR: Something like that. He has to be, right?
JULIAN MCKENZIE: He's been around there quite a bit of time, huh?
OMAR: Yeah. I mean--
JULIAN MCKENZIE: Gosh. Yeah, 2016, I think. Yeah.
OMAR: Yeah, man, it's been a while. But it's weird. Because when you look at the stats-- and, you know, I know a lot of people don't like the fantasy stats. But when teams are bad, especially at the beginning of the season, I like looking at fantasy stats because it always puts things in perspective.
There was one year where everyone was saying, oh, Winnipeg is so bad. But they're winning games. And then I looked. And the Winnipeg Jets, I think it was like three years ago, were giving up like the most high-danger chances. Connor Hellebuyck just snapped. He was just like, no, I'm not allowing anything.
So when I'm looking at Ottawa, it's like, they're not that bad. They don't give up too many high-danger chances. Like, they have an even goal differential. So it's like, I don't know, it's very interesting. It's very interesting to think about like, why-- yeah, they're not like unlucky or anything. Their PDO is pretty good as well.
You know what I think? You know what I think it is?
JULIAN MCKENZIE: What?
OMAR: I think-- and this is my opinion. I think that the hockey gods said hey, Ottawa, have you met my friend karma?
JULIAN MCKENZIE: What?
OMAR: Because listen, hold on. Just let me do this, OK?
JULIAN MCKENZIE: OK.
OMAR: Because a certain thing happened over the offseason, which is huge for Ottawa, right? The Alex DeBrincat trade, right? Robbed Chicago, it was a horrible trade. And as soon as that happened, every Ottawa Senators fan-- I shouldn't say all of them. I'd say maybe, like, 85%, decided to pick up a device, whether it was a phone, tablet, a Mac, and start tweeting, hey, Leafs fans, we're coming for you. Oh, Leaf's fans.
JULIAN MCKENZIE: I was waiting for you to make this about the Leafs. I swear to God. I swear to God--
OMAR: Listen, all I'm saying is-- all I'm saying is--
JULIAN MCKENZIE: It's not about the Leafs.
OMAR: Walk before you can run. Walk before you can run.
JULIAN MCKENZIE: Omar, don't do this.
SAM CHANG: Omar?
OMAR: No-- yes? Yes?
SAM CHANG: Who is your pick to win the Cup this year?
OMAR: Yo, can we have that, like, permanently deleted? Like, as soon as I said that--
AVRY LEWIS-MCDOUGALL: Yes, who is your pick, Omar?
OMAR: They had, like, some moments. And then just, like, the walls--
SAM CHANG: Let's just cut in his prediction after "walk before you run."
JULIAN MCKENZIE: Walk before you run.
