Demers: I'm illiterate
 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes

Ex-NHL coach discloses inability to read and write

MONTREAL (AP) -- Jacques Demers, who coached the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in 1993 and was later a general manager in the NHL, admits in a newly released biography that he is illiterate.

"I could read a little bit but I can't write very well," Demers said at a party for the book's launch. "I took to protecting myself. You put a wall around yourself. And when I was given the possibility of talking, I could speak well and I think that really saved me."

In the book Jacques Demers: En Toutes Lettres, which roughly translates to All Spelled Out, Demers said his inability to read and write was the result of an abusive and impoverished childhood.

"All I wanted from my father was to treat me with love," Demers said. "Not to beat me up when I did something wrong. Not to beat up my mom. It really hurt me because he took away my childhood.

"The other thing I wanted to say was that if I could not write or read, it was because I had so much of a problem with anxiety because of the things going on in the family. I couldn't go to sleep at night. I'd go to school and I couldn't learn anything."

The book, which was released Wednesday, was written by Canadian journalist Mario Leclerc.

Demers coached the Quebec Nordiques, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal and the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was also general manager in the late 1990s.

He was able to hide his illiteracy from all but a few people by asking secretaries and media relations people to write letters for him, claiming his English wasn't good enough.

Even his wife Debbie didn't know until he told her after he put off writing checks to cover household bills for several days.

When he was a general manager, he brought in Cliff Fletcher and Jay Feaster as assistants to handle contracts he couldn't read.

"I never really was a GM," he said. "I hired Cliff Fletcher and Jay Feaster because I knew I couldn't do that."

Since leaving the NHL coaching ranks, Demers has worked as a hockey analyst at the French-language RDS network for the last four years.

For now, he is happy that he has gone public with his illiteracy.

"I have no problem saying what I wanted to say. That's what I needed," he said. "I've been carrying this all my life. I succeeded, and I'm telling people `you're capable of doing something in your life even if you have some big handicaps."'

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Took a lot guts to come out with that. Jacques is a great coach, hopefully his book will do well and he will get back behind the bench where he belongs.

lol, kid can't even read.

T T T T Today junior. hahaha

Think after this he will ever get a bench job? after saying when he was a GM he let others do it, because he couldn't read?

No, he wont get another hockey job, but he'll make plenty off his book.

I'm not sure it took guts, took guts would be at a press confrence while still head coach or GM.

Saying it in a book that you're selling for profit... dunno, just can't give him that much credit.

How did he write a biography if he can't read or write?

oh

He was a sucessful coach. As a GM, he still made the decisions and what not. If he made himself available to coach, he would be considered a top candidate anywhere.

I doubt he'd get a job, he deceived his teams/owners... especially the GM part.


He'll stay on TV and enjoy his book sales, you'll never see him behined the bench again.

He's not gonna make a dime off the book. The profits are going to "Le Portage", a Montreal center for women victim of violence.

So yeah, it took a lot of gut. He didn't deceive anybody. He was hired because he had a great mind for hockey. They asked him to coach teams to the top, and he did.

Wasn't aware he's gettong ZERO from this book. That does change it.

However, he was a GM who couldn't read, that will leave a bad taste with owners.

LOL damn, can't even read his own book. :(

It doesnt matter, he's happy doing his RDS gig. He doesnt need to go searching for another job, he's made his dough. Good on him for that, and good on him for overcoming alot of the BS he had to go through in his life.

Decieved them to a Stanley Cup, deceived them to two Jack Adams awards. Yeah VEL, he was a terrible person.

If you found out that Belichek and the Pats GM were illiterate would you say that they should be fired?

Pioloi? Yeah, cause he's the one reading/signing the contracts and I'd worry something would get past him.

Wow, still see you got the talent of making things up people never said (while I have you're attention for a moment, before the next shiney object passes by, check out the old MLB thread, some unanswered questions directed your way).

Anyway, end result isn't the issue. The issue was he never should have taken the GM job if he couldn't read, plain and simple.

Why should he have refused the job? They hired him because he had a great mind for hockey. Other GMs admitted that the job mainly requires making decisions regarding the team. Lawyers are always present during contract negociations, so he doesn't have to handle that, and the secretary types everything that is needed to. There was no reason for him to refuse the job.

VEL doesn't get it... Sadly.

Because he hid a defficancy from his boss. Something like "I can't read" should have been disclosed, plain and simple.

No, saldy Hero you don't get it. You're strickly looking at W-L, not the big picture of not informing your boss/owner of a diffiencency that can effect your job. If had those other 2 guys in place to "do the job" then he shouldn't have been there, he was a waste of payroll if nothing else.

How dare I use his win-loss record as a measure of his success or not... How terrible of me.

No, "how dare" you make things up I never said.

"how terrible" of you, not to understand being a GM is not just about W/L, it's about money, contracts, the list goes on.

He lied to his employer, plain and simple.

Maybe you should ask your boss about it, how he would feel having an employee who lied to him and delegated out parts of his job because he was unable to preform them.

His "coming-out" really helped organization that try to fight analphabetism. I don't know if you were aware, but it's 20% of the population that is either illiterate or has severe reading/writing problems. They are not all on welfare too. Lots of them successfully work and hide their handicap. It is a big problem which is more present than you think, and it's not that kind of attitude that will change things. I don't know anybody stupid enough to go see their boss and say "I'm illiterate" when they know they're gonna lose their job.

That's all fine, but your missing my original comment.

Which was, he will never get another "hockey job" either behined the bench or in the front office.

So, your point being if they told their boss they can't read/write they'd loose their job, goes along with what I was saying.

We saw that he did a good job despite his problem, and he will keep his job at RDS. If people who don't know how to read lose their job despite being competent, it's because of prejudice in the minds of people, not because they are incompetent.

I advise that everyone just give it up when it comes to arguing with VEL, because in his mind, he already won the arguement before the topic was even posted.

LMFAO again... are you off your meds or something?

1) What I said was he wouldn't get another job after this, because he mislead his previous employers, and weather you find what he did ok or not, it's not something another employer would most likely be willing to accept.

2) "competent" in doing their job, well, that's debateable. Here's an example, he's a GM, he can't read the contract, he hires someone and trust them to read it, they lie, he as GM then signs a contract with a player for 3yrs 8million instead of 1yr 2million.

Yes, I understand how very unlikely it is that would happen, but it's a chance. If the job you has requires you to be able to read, and you can't read, you shouldn't have that job. You might be able to fake your way, guess and get by, but if the job requires you to be able to read and you can't, then you can't fill the position.

Now, let's say your job is to dig a hole, your boss gives you the shovel, points at the spot and just says "dig till I tell you to stop" and you do your job fine and one day your boss hand you a newspaper and you can't read it and he fires you. Then yes, I agree, reading was not required for the job and hence being fired for not being able to read, would be like fireing an accountant because they can't fly a plane.

:love:

weather, VEL?

I think you better let your boss know you don't know the proper 'whether' to use.

GMs don't write contracts, lawyers do.

:lol:

I love the VEL impression.

*yawn* so rather then respond to the question I asked you pick on a type-o.

Spelling, isn't a requirement of my job and when I do need it I use a spell checker, which I'm sure you see as the same thing as having someone else handles the deals as a GM.

He even said, he wasn't a GM, he couldn't do it.

Anyway, when you're done picking out type-o's, you still have a question to ask your boss.

Let me know what he says.

yeah, we all know, I'm a horrible person and a horrible poster because I don't agree with you and think you're right all the time.

Anyway, I'm bored so hopefully you'll have another hissy fit like you did in the NFL thread, that was funny.

Yah because we all know thats what i said right? Seriously stfu.

*scratches head*

VEL, if this thread has taught us anything. It's that you would be pissed if an employee of yours, who does a great job and in fact wins awards by his peers because he's so good, came out of the 'proverbial closet' to let people know he has a handicap that you would condemn him instead of praising him for being able to do such a great job while having obstacles in his way.

I thank you for that insight,btw.

Yes, and what this shows is you would be ok with an employee of yours, lieing to you, wasting payroll on hiring others to do the job he is being paid to do and is not capable of doing, while leaving himself and his company at risk.

I thank you for that insight,btw.

Do you think other NHL or other sports GM do not have assistants?

A RED SOX fan speaking about wasted payroll, that's rich :lol:

Key word there "Assistants".

He didn't have "assistants" he hired people to do his job because he couldn't do it and he knew it and he even admits this.

They were still his assistants, VEL. The assisted him.

I know your argument will be they didn't assist him, they did the work. That isn't really here nor there though now is it. He makes the final decisions, therefore they were the assistance. If all he does is sign his name to a piece of paper, then he is still the one giving final approval. It's not like he's a retard, he's a great hockey mind that simply can't read. The lawyers and assistants do all the grunt work. Which is his bidding. He then approves it with a signature or a hand shake, the deal is approved.