Fridays with Mac: "Still Super Joe"

William Paul McCartney grew up in Detroit a sports fan from day one. I’ve documented this before but the only coach to ever lead the Colorado Buffaloes to a national football title bellows, “I knew I wanted to coach since I was seven years old!??Raised in the Motor City back in the 1950’s? It meant being a Red Wings fan and its stars like Gordie Howe.

So this Friday with Mac your scribe was curious as heck concerning his take on something I had read about Colorado Avalanche general manager, Hall of Fame player and captain Joe Sakic. The NHL hockey playoffs are underway. The Avs are a Stanley Cup favorite. Sakic, an incredible player, excellent leader and two-time Cup winner in his stellar 13-year career, as general manager, is architect of this talented team.

The story sparking interest to get McCartney’s take on things was written by the Denver Post’s Mike Chambers, the paper’s long-time hockey writer. The story focused on Sakic’s keen ability to draft players who might not be future stars for the big-league club but were solid collegiate hockey players with great leadership skills. Most of them captains on their respective collegiate teams.

Sakic likes to pick fellas like this for many reasons, including, in the minor-leagues they do a good job of setting the tone, spirit and culture of the organization. Captains are usually big-time team guys and, in the minor leagues, Sakic and his staff know they’re drafting guys who demonstrate the Avalanche philosophy and foster it. Even if that player never makes it to the excellent ice of Ball Arena and other NHL venues. The value these leaders bring to the organization is priceless, at least in Sakic’s eyes. I’d agree 100%

When reading this article about Sakic’s passion for plucking team captains from the collegiate ranks, it immediately made me think of Coach Mac and a personal phrase the exhorter extraordinaire loves to use often: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Amen buddy. Sakic and McCartney think a lot alike.

This much I know about Sakic from days as a CBSDenver sports guy and covering the franchise since the incredible start. The team moved to Denver from Quebec City, Quebec, changed the name from Nordiques to Avalanche and with Sakic, Forsberg, Roy and many other greats won the Stanley Cup in the franchise’s first year in the Mile High City. It was Denver’s first major sports championship. The Broncos have won three Super Bowls since but the Avs’ 1995-96 Stanley Cup title was the city’s first chance to throw a ticker-taped parade.

Sakic and McCartney are leaders. “Mac, what did you look for in developing leaders? At CU? Promise Keepers?” It didn’t take a nano second for the guy fighting the good fight against Alzheimer’s to announce, “They have to be respected by their teammates and walk the talk.” Amen.

A side note on Sakic. Long ago your scribe used to run marathons. My second of three, Boston was the last, was in Vancouver. Beautiful city. Great place to trot 26 miles and change. Sakic’s from Barnaby, a Vancouver suburb. I ran this marathon in 1996, it was the 25th anniversary of the race and when Sakic was playing for the Avs. They were a big story and much time was spent with the club covering its exploits. We knew each other. He knew I was running the marathon in his hometown, made several great restaurant suggestions and set up me and running buddy, Dr. Andy Johanos. How about this? The 13-time All Star arranged massages from Vancouver Canuck trainers in the team’s locker room at the Rogers Center, where the race ended. Thanks to “Captain” Joe, we finished and went straight to showers and massages inside the arena. Awesome. Nice way to start the recovery progress.

McCartney was beaming ear-to-ear learning of Sakic’s generosity. “Great leader and good dude!” Then Coach Mac added, “Good leaders need respect and passion but also need what Sakic showed you. A humble heart in helping others.” McCartney was just warming up: “TEAM: Together Everyone Achieves More. That’s why everyone called him “Super Joe!”

Still do.