Journalist John U. Bacon discusses the Red Wings’ interim general manager, one Shawn Horcoff, while speaking with Michigan Public’s Caoilin Goss:
CG: Former Michigan State hockey star Shawn Horcoff is the new interim general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the Wings have hired a search firm to find a permanent replacement for Steve Yzerman… What do you make of the interim pick and what does the team need in a GM?
JUB: Actually, the interim pick might be better than a full time one they might get. Horcoff was an All-American at Michigan State, also Academic All-American, studying finance and economics. Two very good background majors for a future general manager. He played 15 years in the NHL. He was a captain for three years, so he’s a good leader. He’s also been the GM for the Red Wings top Farm team in Grand Rapids. And as an aside, his son plays for Michigan. I don’t know how that worked out at the kitchen table, but there you are. So Horcoff has a great background. I’m not sure if he’ll be the permanent GM or not, but the Wings could surely do worse. A general manager has got to be a talent scout, a deal maker, and the hardest piece? They have to build a team with an identity and a culture that free agents actually want to play for. So sadly, it’s almost impossible to say who can do those many things until they already have the job. So good luck Wings! Here we go again.
Continued; my best guess is that Horcoff will remain an assistant GM and GM of the Grand Rapids Griffins as the Red Wings look outside the organization for their next GM and/or president of hockey operations, but we just won’t know until the process is finished.
