Changing of the Winds, The Coaching Moves in the NHL

If you haven’t been paying attention, this season has started really bad for quite a few teams.

If you were paying attention insert “DUUUUUH BRO” <- Yeah kinda like that.

So who’s gotten the Musket Squad this season?

The Blues who were supposed to be the Big Time Winners! In the Jaroslav Halak trade and instead are looking for third stringer in Ottawa Elliot to take the load and he’s doing phenomenal.  Meanwhile Halak has looked like a Sieve.  I want to say I saw this coming because one hit wonders in the playoffs has been the common thing since the NHL took its name to full form back in the day.  When I say back in the day I really mean non rap song but like 100 years ago “Back in the day” Days.

Great talented players, a few greybeards like Langenbrunner and Arnott signed to go with a few rugged vets the team had already to go with the core of youth and this team is supposed to dominate.  Instead Halak flopped, in every game he played basically, way to rep those sweet Brian’s Pads man.  No hard feelings I loved you in Montreal but I’m a realist.   So the Blues struggle, instead of making a trade, or skating the teams into submission until they got who was in charge the players then turned their head on the coach instead of turning their heads and looking at each other. 

Out goes Davis “Major” Payne.  He couldn’t throw enough grenades for training to save his job.  In Comes Ken Hitchcock who takes over as a cup winning coach, a defensive minded leader who allows his offensive players to run amok and lets the grinders pitch in while pinching back.  Got him a Cup got him conference finals runs in Philly prior to the lockout.  Got him nothing when he coached the Siberia of hockey known as Columbus.  But Columbus is that drunken ugly girl you had sex with in high school.  Someone you deny you know and never should have touched.

Which in all honesty, how the hell the Blue Jackets have survived so far blowing really hard and still have the same coach and management staff intact shocks even me. It takes a lot to shock me, just sayin.

Recently in the same span of a week we saw a few more coaching changes. 

Scratch that! Make it ONE DAY!!!

First we’ll go with the Big team with the 100 Million Dollar marketing machine.  The Washington Capitals.  They fired Bruce Boudreau.  If recent statistics don’t fail me, which they have shaking fist lousy Internets, Boudreau (who is not French f.y.i. Habs fans demanding a French speaking coach, we’ll continue that talk later) was the fastest coach to reach 200 wins.  200 wins!!!  That’s more than some of the coaches lately.  Unfortunately for Bruce this record did not go into the playoffs March.  Bowing out to the Flyers, Penguins, and the “lowly” Canadiens who came back to beat them in Game 7.  And who can forget their playoff squeak in and Meltdown in the 2011 playoffs?  The losing streak magnified by the HBO series.  Of course, who can forget those awesome rants with the F-Word being utilized in some hilarious donut and Ice Cream rants. 

"I don't know what ta tell you dawg"

Humor aside Boudreau was the scapegoat because the team fell into a funk where his “important” 9.5, and 6.5 million dollar sieves couldn’t get their Asses going.  You would think if someone paid you that much you would work hard as hell to earn that cash (looking at you my fellow Mexican).  And it’s much easier to get rid of the captain of the ship than the 100 Million-Dollar Marketing Machine. 

So? Out with Bruce.

So? Who’s In?!

Dale Hunter!   If you don’t know who Dale Hunter is, then please punch yourself.  Dale Hunter is one of the most Toughest and hardest working players from the 80s and 90s, the guy would fight his own brother Tim just because of the jerseys he played for.  Dale was the heart and soul of the Capitals in the 90s, the Captain, and one of the dirtiest players too.  Go look up Dale Hunter hits Pierre Turgeon. (Click on the sentence for the video if you're lazy)

 Now, How about Dale Hunter Scores in OT?  More after the jump, Goal is at about :21 seconds






 This guy was a legend, a fighter, hard working player and one of the angriest guys in the league.  In the 90s the team was based around him.  Scoring, hard working grinders, puck moving hard hitting defense.

It makes you wonder, how long until the team bites into his play, and how long until someone rebels?  So far the team has not won a game, and is having trouble adjusting to his play.  For those of you calling Hunter a rookie to coaching please take a look at his resume.  He has coached the OHL London Knights for a LONG time. And did win some championships.  He’s produced NHL players who say great things about his ability to work with players.  It’s only going to be a matter of time before you see the Caps change it up. 

My friend quoted this and I’ll quote this again.  “Alex Semin won’t fit in.  Alex Semin, future KHL All Star”

Paul Maurice.

One of my favorite coaches, and one of THE CLASSIEST coaches in the NHL!  He could have been bitter and said some things and wished death to the new staff.  Instead he leaves that note!  Click on the link.  What a classy guy! This guy coached the Whalers until they moved to Carolina, led them to the finals on a scrappy roster, then was let go, went to coach the Toronto Marlies and had the unfortunate task of being Hired by the Maple Leafs and expected to put out a winner on ice with a team that had such exciting superstars like Tie Domi and Aki Berg.  Maurice never had a chance and got hung out to dry.  He made an honest effort but when you’re given some really shitty players who rely on Mats Sundin to carry the load you’re pretty screwed.

Maurice was let go instead of the team being traded and the management team fired.  Immediately he was rehired by the Hurricanes his original team and he took them into the March of the conference finals only to lose and not make the playoffs for two years after that.  Since then the coach has not had it easy, but does any coach have it easy?  It was time to go.  With Carolina losing almost every game this season, he was finally released of his duties.

So? Who’s in?

Kirk Muller!  The guy the Canadiens made the mistake to allow leaving to pursue a coaching career.  A proven winner in the NHL.  A proven leader in the League knows what it takes to win and knows what it takes to come short to pursue it more the next year. 

When Jacques Martin was hired for Montreal he led them to the Conference Finals in his first year, the right combination of grinders, scorers and playmakers.  A hot goalie, and hard work ethic and a lock down defense after giving up a 3-0 series lead always worked the first two rounds. Of that year that is…

The Coach all the players responded to the most on the bench? Muller, if you ever saw a Canadiens game the one guy who was stone cold quiet on the bench was Martin, maybe he’s embarrassed of his disgusting tie choices.  The player who delivered the messages, and line changes and combinations?  Muller, who was told by Jacques and turned and delivered it to the players.

Muller made it known he wanted the helm of the bench.  Pierre Gauthier made it known that he will not and allowed him to leave.  Will this choice come back and haunt Montreal?

I highly believe so!  Montreal has been struggling, worse than the “norm”.  The defense keeps getting injuries and just faltering.  The offense has too many grinders and is barely starting to light up.  It took Eric Cole almost two months to pick up the play he’s paid to do.  There’s a lot of upside, but with a coach who prefers defense when this is a speedy short offensive team it just doesn’t work too well.  Remember some of these guys are the same guys who lit up the league two years ago with an open offense attack.

Some of the players are out there working hard but Jacques doesn’t seem to be doing much to help them light it up.  No motivation on the bench.  No movement on his part.  I understand some players will have mental lapses, but the system he makes them employ in defense those lapses should be fine, instead it’s brought struggles.  This is a familiar scenario.  Some coaches don’t have a lasting battery power with their teams.

It’s on you now Jacques.  This team has been struggling since last year pushing the Bruins to the OT of game 7 and losing but in that series there were some fumbles on your part in line changes.  Mistakes kill a team and the goalie can only do so much to save the team before its too much and too late. And right now the team is almost to the “Too Late” Scrap the Season, point of the first half.  After those dark years, this is a scary time for the fans and the team with such a heavy tradition in winning. Right now the team is taking leads and just completely slipping up and letting the other teams come back, tie late in the game and win

So who, I know everyone already has been screaming for Jacques to be fired, I know I have.  WHO!!! WHO? Should come in.

Randy Carlyle is the best choice.  Recently let go, off a losing team, giving him a fresh chance.  Six years in Anaheim, one cup, two conference finals, and a few others second round entries.   He has the ability to work with tough aggressive players. Then mixing them with rookies and grooming them into scoring self-defending machines.  He knows how to mix the right amount of grit, with skill and turn it into a winner.  Let alone a team that is hard to come over to and beat because they have only small players.  Travis Moen can thank him for his status as a checker and grinder and a winner.

A Norris Winning defenseman, a former player of course by that.  A tough defenseman of course, and his ability to work with kids is easy to see what he can do to shape players.  Getzlaf, Perry, Fowler and the list goes on!

Carlyle is not afraid to mix in young players, into top minutes to give them the experience and force them to work hard and work consistently to stay on the team let alone in the league.  Something Jacques Martin is NOTORIOUS for not doing.  He is known for sitting rookie players on the end of the bench and letting them rot until their fifth year. Prime example, Jason Spezza, couldn’t buy playing time with the Sens back before the lockout.  When the senators were losing to New jersey to go for the cup finals he benched the most creative player and most energetic offensively that entire night, Spezza, to play fourth line grinders to go and grind a puck into the net?  New Jersey won the cup.

Doing the same thing now with Montreal.  This doesn’t bode well for LeBlanc and others.

What’s the issue? The ignorance of people wanting French-speaking coaches?  Why? My friends in the province, the ones with common sense, can’t help but shake their heads that the most important thing to the fans is a French speaking coach.  NO! It’s a coach who can turn the team into a winner. It’s a coach who can grab the team by the throat and make it do what he wants it to and have fun and win.  Carlyle is known to give his guys short and long leashes.  Expects a strong hard working effort and if they don’t like it they can be shipped out.  But Pierre Gauthier is too ignorant trying to play it safe, instead of trying to improve the skilled team and move up.

After all this? Tonight the Canadiens went back and forth with the San Jose Sharks, took the lead, and due to more blundering from the players and the Coach, the Sharks not only tied it.  But won it in the Shootout.  The Streak is at 6.  It's on you Jaques, and we want you gone already!

Well?