Dallas – Francois Giguere was completely at home Wednesday night.
The Avalanche general manager was shaking hands, receiving congratulations and sharing stories with friends he had made in his three and a half years in Dallas as assistant GM of the Stars.
Of course, Giguere’s real home is with the Avalanche organization, where he worked in various roles from 1990-2002. But he said he wouldn’t be as ready to take over his new job if it hadn’t been for his sabbatical in the Lone Star State.
“There’s no doubt it was the best thing for me,” he said. “To get out and see new people and new ideas, it helps you grow. It was something I needed to do.”
Giguere was vice president of hockey operations when he left the Avalanche, so his was a lateral move. It’s easy to imagine that had he stayed with Colorado, he would still be GM today. But he said he wouldn’t be the same man. While Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix will always be Giguere’s mentor, he said it was good to learn from Stars GM Doug Armstrong.
“When I left, I needed to see different things, not only how people did things, but to do things myself that I hadn’t done,” Giguere said. “Doug is great to work for. As a boss, he was terrific for me. He listens to your input and he gives you a chance to grow. I hope I’ll be able to listen to my staff and allow them to grow the same way.”
Giguere had a role in helping the Stars’ AHL affiliate get up and running, and he said he felt completely familiar watching Dallas’ NHL players on the ice Wednesday – a 5-3 Colorado preseason victory. He said he has come a long way from being a businessman who happened to be working in hockey. Now, he feels like a full-fledged hockey guy.
“There are things I don’t know, because I wasn’t in the locker room, and I respect people who have been there,” Giguere said. “But there are things that I have learned through experience and through my own work. I don’t think anyone ever told Bob Gainey he couldn’t negotiate a contract because he didn’t go to business school.”
Giguere said he is enjoying the pressure of the job and the fact his decisions are scrutinized. He said he is over the trepidation that he might make a few mistakes.
“There are a few moments you appreciate being an assistant,” he said. “But you learn from your mistakes. You can’t second-guess yourself or you’ll go bananas. If you make decisions based on not wanting to be wrong, you’ll be paralyzed.”
Footnotes
A scrappy lineup missing several injured players dominated Dallas. Andrew Brunette had a goal and two assists and rookie hopeful Paul Stastny contributed two assists in the Avs’ victory. … Jose Theodore surrendered three goals on six shots in 30 minutes of ice time, while Peter Budaj stopped all nine shots he faced. … Coach Joel Quenne- ville said Joe Sakic (hip) could play in the final preseason game Saturday, but the team would continue to carry extra players right up until the NHL cutdown Monday.
Colorado 3 0 2 – 5
Dallas 3 0 0 – 3
First period – 1, Dallas, Jokinen 3 (Modano, Zubov), 1:23. 2, Dallas, Modry 2 (Boucher, Halpern), 9:16 (pp). 3, Colorado, Hejduk 2 (Stastny, Brunette), 9:47. 4, Colorado, Arnason 2 (Brunette, Hejduk), 12:44 (pp). 5, Colorado, Brunette 1 (Clark, Liles), 16:31 (pp). 6, Dallas, Modano 2 (Modry), 19:18 (pp).
Second period – None.
Third period – 7, Colorado, Laperriere 1 (Stastny), 3:58 (pp). 8, Colorado, Laaksonen 1 (Liles, Clark), 13:24 (pp).
Shots on goal – Colorado 10-10-10-30. Dallas 4-3-8-15. Goalies – Colorado, Theodore, Budaj; Dallas, Smith. A – 16,614.
