I've often wondered what would possess a coach to take over the Arizona Cardinals, LA Clippers or a manager to take over the Washington Nationals or Chicago Cubs.  While the rewards could be potentially staggering, the odds of turning around a horrible franchise or winning with a perennial loser are pretty great.  There are a lot of things that go into that, but by in large, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's usually a duck.

When someone comes in and is successful in turning a team around (Ken Whisenhunt with the Cardinals, Joe Torre with the Yankees, Mike Holmgren with the Packers) everyone in the organization should share the credit.  It might be a coach who turns it around, but often it is done in concert with a GM, player personnel people, scouts, trainers, assistants, etc. who all contribute to the effort.  No one person, no matter how gifted can turn a team around on their own.

Teams have different ways of handling success.  When the White Sox won the world series in 2005, nothing really changed.  Kenny is still Kenny and Ozzie is still Ozzie.  In some teams, friction develops between the GM and the coach, each wanting credit for what they did. In some cases, the coach decides he can repeat his success somewhere else, leaves and tries to lead another organization to victory (how did that work out for you, Mike Holmgren?) 

The point is it is about winning.  Once a team wins, fans come to the games.  People talk about the team.  Fans empty the shelves of jerseys and other merch. Everyone is now a part of this team because the organization is clicking, the coach, the GM, the scouts, everybody.

In some organizations, there are some who want the credit more than the wins.  It's not about winning to them, it's about acknowledged.  It's about their ego, their vision and their way or the highway.  These are people who love the spotlight even though they shouldn't be in it and people that put their own gratification over the well being of the team.

They are people like Chicago Blackhawks President John McDonough.

John McDonough is a great marketing guy.  He proved that by taking a hundred year old dilapidated stadium and turning it into a shrine.  He helped sell out the dump by making the Cub experience something a religious experience.  Even though the Cubs have only gone as far as the Knowledge one time and haven't been to a world series in over sixty years, McCartney was able to fan the flames enough to make the Cubs and Wrigley field the yuppies holy grail.

So, with the Cubs on the block and the Tribune Company teetering, McDonough accepted employment with Chicago's long dormant hockey franchise.  The Blackhawks haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1961.  They hadn't been to the playoffs in several years and interest in this once proud franchise that once cast a giant shadow over the Bulls in the 70's and 80's had flat lined.

McCartney arrival at the United Center happened to coincide with the Hawks brining in some of the best young players they had in years.  So, with or without him, the Hawks were poised to get better anyway.  Dale Tallon was the man responsible for getting those players.  A man who truly understands and can judge talent, Tallon assembled the most competitive Hawk team in years last season.  A team that made it all the way to the conference finals for the first time in years.  A team that captivated and excited not only the loyal Hawk fans but most of Chicago as well. All due to Tallon and his staff's hard work.

Everyone gave Tallon credit for a great job.  Which iced McDonough.  He didn't hire Tallon.  He didn't earn Tallon's respect and his confidence.  Tallon probably figured that as GM he'd handle hockey issues and McDonough could worry about bobblehead night and other such nonsense.

Tallon found out early that this was not going to be a normal relationship.  When Tallon hired a trainer, clearly the province of the GM, McCartney was irritated because he hadn't been consulted.  Like McDonough knows anything about trainers.  But it didn't matter.  McDonough clashed with Tallon because, as he eluded to in the press conference Tuesday, the two had different styles: Tallon was old school and believed a GM should run the hockey operation and McDonough beloved that as team president he needed to have his finger in every pie.  At the end of the day, Dale Tallon was fired because he didn't feel like consulting McDonough every time he bought a roll of stick tape and because the two headed monster known as the Bowmans was clearly looking over his shoulder, waiting to pounce given the opportunity.

Now that McDonough has succeeded in purging Tallon, he can receive full credit for installing Stan Bowman if the Hawks are successful, which was his goal all along.  Of course there's no telling how McDonough will accept credit if the team wins a championship.  None of his teams ever have before.

Lightning Round

• Marty Havlat says Dale Tallon was robbed
• Dale Tallon has handled his demotion with a great deal of class.  Loosely translated his comments mean "If these boys want to pay me a GM salary to play golf all day , I'm okay with it.  What time am I teeing off?"