Posts Tagged ‘Bob Gainey’

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A few tips for your Stanley Cup Riot

May 13th, 2010

I suppose I can only get away with a blog like this if I first congratulate the Montreal Canadiens on their series clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Congrats, Montreal). How hilarious would it be if the Philadelphia Flyers win tomorrow night, seeing the 7th and 8th seeds playing in the Eastern Conference Finals? Actually, I really want to see that happen now.

Anyways, in celebration of Montreal’s big win and the town riots that ensued after, I figured it would be somewhat appropriate to post a few tips for the next “celebration.” A celebration that will probably happen in less than two weeks when the Canadiens defeat the Flyers (or Bruins, but who knows??) in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Here are a few tips for your Stanley Cup Riot:

  • Only riot in cities that legitimately care about hockey. So cities like Montreal or Philadelphia… or Tampa Bay.
  • Wearing a Canadiens jersey when rioting is encouraged, however, crowds may turn on you if Bonk, Latendresse or Gainey nameplates are etched on said jersey.
  • Try to assemble the craziest group of people possible for optimum destruction. A few suggestions include John Muckler and Glen Sather (two crazy bastards), Mike Milbury (proficient in obscure violence with non-traditional weapons) and James Duthie (mostly because he was the only person crazy enough to bet on Montreal in the 2nd round of the Playoffs after they were down 3-1 in the series. And partly because he’s been known to talk/hang out with monkeys macaques).
  • If you are going to destroy local business property, make sure it’s a really bad business like that “Fleury’s School of Clutch Goaltending” on Expired Street.
  • If ever you are concerned with the quality of your rioting now or in the last 15 years, just refer to rioting successes from 30+ years ago.
  • You want to have a strong destruction percentage when rioting. Be selective and look for objects that can smash in one attempt or less to increase destruction percentage. By doing this, you’ll be feared for your lethal accuracy, just like Mike Cammalleri.
  • The city of Montreal might try to reduce rioting by inviting fans into the Bell Centre to watch the Canadiens road games. But it’s really an opportunity to strategize and get drunk for 3 hours before the party really starts.
  • If I’ve learned anything from Montreal, 2-1 odds are a good thing, so don’t worry if there are twice as many police as there are rioters. Just wear a Habs jersey and things will work out fine!
  • When picking a team leader for your riot squad, try to pick someone that won’t quit half way through the task. Chances are s/he will wipe their hands clean should failure occur. That or s/he’ll reappear months later to take credit if you succeed.
  • Finally, do your best to avoid damaging the sports stores that sell those Habs jerseys that when turned inside out are actually Leaf jerseys…

Stay classy, Montreal Canadiens.

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The Good UFAs

May 4th, 2010

Close to 1 million search results come up when you Google “Worst NHL contracts“. I know – ouch.

Upon clicking through the first few links (Puck Daddy has a good one, as does NHL Snipers… and so does a little site named Stayclassy.net), it’s apparent a fair chunk of these so called “worst contracts, ever” were signed on July 1st. I know – ouch, again.

I’m not all that surprised, and I’m guessing you aren’t either. For all the crappy (and I mean really crappy) contracts July 1st seems to breed, there are some good ones, too (I stress some). Today, I want to look at two UFA signings from last summer that are fair in length and dollars that have made a very big impact on their respective teams.

Mikael Samuelsson - one of the good UFA signings in 2009!

Mikael Samuelsson – Vancouver Canucks
For whatever reason, Mike Gillis seems to have a knack for getting Swedish born players to put on a Canucks jersey (Sedins, Mats Sundin, Samuelsson and others). Gillis has signed some great deals for Vancouver, but perhaps none better than Mikael Samuelsson’s 3-year $7.5 Million contract last summer. That’s a cap hit of $2.5 Million per season for a player who scored 30 goals and registered 53 points in 74 games this year. $2.5 Million for a top 6 forward who brings leadership, a Stanley Cup ring and the ability to score clutch goals is an absolute steal. Money and contract aside, this was a great signing because Samuelsson gives the Canucks different options on line combo’s and is very responsible defensively – a nice trait many Canuck forwards have. He’s a great fit with the team and an excellent UFA signing by the Vancouver Canucks.

Mike Cammalleri - one of the good UFA signings 2009!

Mike Cammalleri – Montreal Canadiens
In my opinion, the biggest reason the Calgary Flames missed the 2010 Playoffs was due to a lack of goal scoring from an underrated forward named Mike Cammalleri. Essentially, the Flames chose Jay Bouwmeester over Cammalleri last summer and are now paying the price. Meanwhile, Cammalleri has been one of the Canadien’s top goal scorers, hitting the back of the net 26 times in a shortened 65 game season. Cammalleri is more than capable of being a consistent 40 goal scorer in the NHL if healthy. People have said a lot about Bob Gainey this year, but this was one the better signings he’s made in years. Cammalleri will be a Montreal Canadien for at least 4 seasons and carries a cap hit of $6 Million (the same cap hit Alex Sem0n carries…). Cammalleri is helping lead the Canadiens on and off the ice in a somewhat surprising Playoff run this year. Cammalleri is a dynamic forward, very versatile and doesn’t give up on plays. It’s also worth noting Cammalleri’s willingness and availability for interviews (good ones – not crusty Scott Gomez interviews) and the way he’s embraced the city of Montreal by tweeting everything in French and English. A solid signing last summer by the Montreal Canadiens.

Aside from Cammalleri and Samuelsson, players like Brian Gionta, Taylor Pyatt, Todd Bertuzzi and Craig Anderson have been key signings from last summer as well. Who are your top UFA signings from 2009?

Stay classy, Mikael Samuelsson and Mike Cammalleri. There are such things as good UFA signings… sometimes.

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A few things you don’t know about Lou Lamoriello

February 9th, 2010

The hockey world is still buzzing after last Thursday’s trade that saw Ilya Kovalchuk moved to the New Jersey Devils. Many experts, pundits and creepy classy basement bloggers were blown away by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello picking up a world class superstar for “nothing“. Virtually no one saw Kovalchuk going to the Devils. Everyone predicted the Kings or Bruins to land the Russian star. And since trading for a star rental player isn’t Lamoriello’s style,  it begs the question, what else don’t I know about Lou? To help, I’ve compiled a brief list for you.

  • Lamoriello refers to the Eastern Conference playoff race as “the Eastern Conference trap”.
  • The main reason Lamoriello re-hired Jacques Lemaire is beacuse he likes Jacques hair cut.
  • Lamoriello actually informs Eklund about Devils trades months before they occur. He knows no one believes Eklund anyways.
  • Despite popular belief, Lamoriello does not watch Jersey Shore. Although, he’s had the nickname “The Situation” for years.
  • Contrary to denying reports that he “dumped” Patrice Cormier in the Kovalchuk trade… he did. And he’s pretty happy about it too.
  • Despite the Devils record being 6th best in the NHL, there’s a relatively good chance Lemaire will be fired with approximately 2-3 games remaining in the regular season. Just sayin’.
  • Lamoriello made Bob Gainey step down as the Montreal Canadiens GM.
  • Lamoriello knows you are reading this article and potentially laughing at him.

Stay classy, Lou Lamoriello.

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Montreal sacks Georges Laraque

January 22nd, 2010

In case you didn’t hear, the Montreal Canadiens decided to part ways with Georges Laraque this week. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey broke the news to Laraque on Thursday, basically telling him that their coach, Jacques Martin, had no confidence in him. Ouch! According to Gainey, Laraque will not play another game with the Habs this year, and will be bought out of the final year of his 3 year contract this summer (that final year would’ve been next season).

Here are a few thoughts that came to mind when I first learned of this news…

  • Didn’t Jacques Martin learn anything in Ottawa? If by some miracle Montreal do qualify for the playoffs, they’re going to get roughed up and there isn’t much they can do about it. Finally, Habs fans can share something in common with Sens fans: an early first round exit.
  • Also, Habs fans and Sens fans can unite and celebrate the frustration of cheering for an undersized team with no muscle. We know what that’s all about. Martin disputed the notion that he doesn’t believe in toughness but admitted that he did not think that a team needed an enforcer to be successful.
  • Montreal must fire Bob Gainey. Wasn’t the Laraque signing one of their most “high profile” signings of the 2008 offseason? Didn’t they sign him to add some toughness to their lineup because they were easily outmuscled in the 2008 playoffs? Doesn’t Gainey remember how much trouble they had handling Milan Lucic?
  • Given that Laraque’s parents were both born in Haiti, could this decision not have been delayed? I mean, since Montreal are going to pay him regardless, why not make him a healthy scratch for a few more weeks? Why dump another problem on his lap now? This doesn’t sound very classy to me…
  • Is Georges Laraque’s value so low that they couldn’t even find a single team in a 30 team league willing to trade for him? I wonder if Bob Gainey even explored this alternative. My initial thought is no, despite him saying otherwise.
  • On Thursday, Jacques Martin described the situation by saying, “It’s a hockey decision. We felt that he was not helping our team to win games.” Maybe, but isn’t that true of virtually every player on Montreal’s team this season? Names like Scott Gomez, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Carey Price come to mind.
  • Another thought on Martin’s quote from above. Can you really say that Montreal’s 23-23-5 record is all Laraque’s fault? The guy averages between 6-8 minutes per game. The fact that the Habs have given up 12 more goals than they’ve scored this season suggests that perhaps the goal scorers could do more to help the team win games or the goalies could give up fewer goals.
  • And finally, I find the timing of this decision to be pretty ironic and amusing. The day following Carey Price’s decision to ‘drop the gloves’ against Buffalo, the Habs go and sack their resident tough guy. Ha – I bet nobody saw that coming. I guess this settles Montreal’s goaltending debate once and for all. With this in mind, I guess Montreal have to keep Price and trade Halak, right?

I get the feeling that perhaps there is more to this situation than what’s been reported in the media. The timing of this decision is bizarre, as there wasn’t a single, defining incident that led to Laraque’s banishment from his team. It’s also strange because while Laraque may have played his last game as a Montreal Canadian, he’ll still collect a regular pay cheque for the rest of the season. Aren’t we in the midst of slowly recovering from one of the deepest recessions in recent history? Where can I sign up for this kind of deal?

Since Montreal have played roughly 60% of their season, this decision means they are willing to pay Laraque 40% of his salary (close to $600,000) to stay away from the team for the rest of the season, and another million or so for next year’s bought out season. I’ve never really been a big fan of Georges Laraque, but everything about this strikes me as unusual. The only question I have for Montreal, is what could Georges have possibly done that was so bad that the best solution was to immediately kick him off the team?

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Has Guillaume Latendresse turned it around in Minnesota?

January 16th, 2010

What were you doing on November 23rd? If you were Guillaume Latendresse, you were probably going through several different emotions like excitement, confusion, fear, and even anger. It was on this day that Montreal apparently gave up on their big francophone player and traded him to Minnesota for another struggling youngster, Benoit Pouliot.

Guillaume Latendresse has had a classy rebound to his career in Minnesota | Stayclassy.net

Guillaume Latendresse has had a classy rebound to his career in Minnesota

Up until the trade, I think it’s fair to say that Latendresse had been, for the most part, a disappointment. I still remember that training camp he had in 2006 where he was awesome and you thought for a second that Montreal had a major power forward on the rise. His first season, he showed good promise, scoring 16 goals and 29 points as a 19 year old. I figured that once he put on some more muscle, could potentially be the next Todd Bertuzzi, when Big Bert was in his prime. I’m sure many Canadians fans felt the same way back then.

However, you know it’s not a good sign when your career season continues to be your rookie season. Latendresse’s point total declined in his sophomore season, where he scored only 27 points, and it dropped again in his third season to just 26 points. Follow that up with his first 23 games this year where he had 2 goals and 1 assist. Ouch. Clearly, the relationship between Montreal and Latendresse was broken and Bob Gainey decided he’d had enough and shipped him out of town. In fact, Latendresse’s season in Montreal was going so badly this year that he failed to register a shot in 10 of his 23 games. By mid-late November, he was playing only 6-7 minutes a game too, which makes sense, seeing as how he didn’t score a single point in his final 8 games as a Montreal Canadian, and only took 3 shots on goal in that span.

Fast forward to January 2010, where he appears to be a completely different player in Minnesota. He’s routinely playing around 17 minutes a game with the Wild, where seems to play a vital role on the team and is having fun again. Here’s the real interesting part. In the 23 games he’s played for the Wild since the trade, he’s scored 10 goals, 6 assists and is +5. He was -4 in Montreal this season. He’s also put together a serious hot streak as of late. As of Saturday, his last 6 games have seen him score 4 goals and 5 assists.

Has Latendresse turned his career around in Minnesota? It’s hard to say. 16 points in his first 23 games is a great start and is far higher than the production he ever generated in Montreal. Yet, the question surrounding Latendresse is whether or not this kind of play can be sustained. Remember back to the training camp in 2006 where he looked dominant? Remember back in junior how he was a star player in the QMJHL but looked lost when playing for Canada at the World Juniors in 2005? According to Brent Sutter, who was the coach of the Canadian squad that year, Latendresse didn’t listen to the coaching staff and always went his own way. If you didn’t realize that Latendresse was on the WJ team that year, don’t feel badly – He was benched for most of the tournament anyway. This was also the WJC team that featured Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, Jeff Carter, Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Barker, Corey Perry, Mike Richards and Dion Phaneuf, among others. Thank you, NHL lockout. Actually, now I’m wondering how Latendresse even made this team in the first place. Anyway, the point here is that Latendresse is one of those players who so far in his professional career, has only really been able to play well for short periods of time.

Time will tell if he can keep up this kind of play for Minnesota. 23 games is a good quarter of the season and he’s been especially hot lately, so I hope for his sake he can keep his strong play up. It’s worth noting that even though he’s in his fourth year in the NHL, he’s only 22 years old. Some players, especially the power forward types, take a little longer to develop and it does feel a little harsh to write off a 22 year old kid as being washed up. So maybe we should give him a little more time before disregarding him completely. Hopefully, Minnesota can help him develop into the player many of us thought he would have already become by now. If they can do so, they may have found a real diamond in the rough, as Benoit Pouliot wasn’t getting much done for them. For what it’s worth, Pouliot has 5 goals in his first 10 games as a Hab.

In conclusion, I think Guillaume Latendresse has got a great opportunity to become a solid 3rd line player in the NHL, with the ability to play 2nd line minutes if necessary. I think he could potentially be a 40 points per season player with Minnesota. What do you think – will Latendresse turn his career around? Or is his recent hot streak just more of the same from him? You tell us.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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What’s the real value of Jaroslav Halak?

December 28th, 2009

On a day the Montreal Canadiens play the Ottawa Senators, I figured it’d be topical to discuss Jaroslav Halak’s trade value. Of course, this is all speculation on my part. I’m merely putting two and two together.

Jaroslav Halak makes a save on Jeff Carter... classy

Jaroslav Halak makes a save on Jeff Carter... classy

It’s clear something has to give with the Montreal Canadiens having two NHL caliber starting goalies in Halak and Carey Price. Things thicken quickly as neither goalie has a contract beyond this season. Both are set to become RFAs on July 1, 2010 thanks in large part to Habs GM Bob Gainey and his no mid-season negotiations policy (nice one, Bob).

We all know the story with Halak. But here’s a quick timeline in case you forgot:

  • November: Halak’s agent – Alan Walsh – blasted Price on Twitter, suggesting Halak deserved more starts than the struggling Price. It should be noted there were some rumours suggesting Walsh was pushing Gainey to resign or trade Halak. Nice to see Walsh playing the subtle card…
  • December: Gainey confirms he’s looked into trading Halak to the Flyers. Gainey indicated he’s looking for a top 6 forward in return for Halak, but might not be able to get it. Gainey later commented that the Huet trade to Washington a few years ago got him a 2nd round draft pick and is comparable to the Halak situation.
  • Mid December: In an interview, Halak says he’s a team player, likes Montreal, but wants to be a starting goalie – in Montreal or elsewhere.
  • Late December: Halak goes from playing well to flat out nuts. In his last 4 starts, Halak is 4-0 with a goals against average of 1.50 and an incredible save percentage of .970.

Halak’s Real Value

So what’s Halak’s real value? It’s not the 2nd round pick mentioned back in October and it’s probably not a top flight star the stats above might get you at this very moment. Let’s be real, no goalie finishes a season with a save percentage of .970. Having said that, Halak’s stats do merit top 6 forward consideration. Add in the pressure of playing for Canada’s hockey team (had to throw that in there, Leafs fans) and Halak’s future potential (the kid is 24 years old). Halak could easily be one of the more sought after commodities this winter. Simply put, he’s a rising star and probably the best available goalie in the NHL right now.

While it seems no NHL team is willing to let go of a top 6 forward (now or at any point in the season), the oft mentioned Flyers have the depth to do it. Again, me speculating here, but a Jeff Carter for Jaroslav Halak trade seems pretty reasonable. I think that’s the level of Halak’s real value. Now before Flyers or Habs fans jump all over me, hear me out.

Flyers fans: Halak is a solid starting NHL goalie. He’s a better goalie than anyone the Flyers have had in the last 5+ years (that includes Ray Emery, despite pretty good play prior to injury). The Flyers have talented young forwards like Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk that could absorb the loss of Carter. The trade would also free up significant cap space as Carter makes $5 Million this year and $5.5 Million next year. I’m guessing Halak could be signed to a 3-5 year deal with a cap hit of $3-$4 Million per season. (Purely speculation from me, but I think it’s reasonable).

Habs fans: I don’t expect much arguing from Habs fans; this would be a huge acquisition for the Canadiens. A 6’3 Center with proven goalscoring abilities… actually, I’d like to hear any arguments from Habs fans on this.

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As I said at the top of this article, this is all my speculation. Maybe they keep Halak and trade Price, but I doubt that. The Habs certainly have a high quality asset to move between now and the March 3rd trade deadline (or between the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and July 1st) and it’s probably going to cost a top 6 forward (or a seriously high draft pick/top prospect). Whether or not this includes Jeff Carter, my sense is Gainey will get his asking price. The question is when.

Stay classy, Jaroslav Halak.

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NHL Christmas Wish List

December 24th, 2009

It’s that time of year where kids all across the world have spent weeks perfecting their Christmas Wish Lists before sending them straight to the North Pole. Well, the NHL community is no different, as players, teams, and General Managers have been busy doing the exact same thing. At Stayclassy.net, we’ve obtained wish lists from some of hockey’s best and brightest. Enjoy!

  • Ilya Kovalchuk: To be traded
  • Montreal Canadians: Centennial Anniversary season mulligan
  • Ottawa Senators: Some powerplays
  • Jim Balsillie: Three-way cage match with Judge Redfield T. Baum & Gary Bettman
  • Stan Bowman/Chicago Blackhawks: A copy of the NHL’s CBA and a calculator to figure out remaining team cap space
  • Patrick Kane: Calculator to compute proper tips for future cab rides
  • Jason Spezza: Dany Heatley back
  • Alexander Ovechkin: Oven mitts to handle hot sticks
  • Stayclassy.net: More accurate Ottawa Senators Game Day predictions
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: No more games against Buffalo
  • John Tortorella: New GM, season-ending injury to Wade Redden, and for James Duthie to stop talking about him
  • Sean Avery: Congratulate Martin Brodeur with a handshake for his 104th career shutout
  • Ron Wilson: Howard Berger to get fired
  • Boston Bruins: Taylor Hall
  • Vesa Toskala: A bigger glove
  • Carey Price: A glove without a whole in it
  • Brian Elliott: Ditto for what Toskala and Price wanted
  • Bob Gainey: Players to stop asking me about their contracts before the summer
  • Craig MacTavish: For James Duthie to stop asking me about Dustin Penner
  • Phil Kessel: For Geico to stop hiring Kessel lookalikes in their caveman–themed TV commercials
  • Brian Burke: My 1st Round pick back
  • Phil Kessel: For Brian Burke to stop asking for his 1st Round pick back

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays hockey fans!

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Is Tomas Plekanec really that good?

November 26th, 2009

If you take a look at all the players who are currently scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, big names like Marc Savard, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrick Marleau come to mind. However, if you watched TSN’s broadcast between Columbus and Montreal on Tuesday night, you might be wondering if Tomas Plekanec’s name belongs with the ones above.

Is Tomas Plekanec classy enough for $5 Million/season?

Is Tomas Plekanec classy enough for $5 Million/season?

Throughout the game, Plekanec was constantly mentioned as a potential UFA this summer and while he’s guaranteed to get a raise on the $2.75 Million salary he’s making this year, is he really worth $5 Million per year or more? I think I even heard Gord Miller saying that Plekanec could be in line to double his salary next season! Whoa! Let’s take a closer look at this, because something doesn’t sound right

Plekanec has scored 20+ goals in each of the past three seasons and his best season was in 2007-2008 where he scored 29 goals and 69 points. He’s also had a strong start to the season and is on pace for 82 points. All this sounds good and you might be able to make a case that he’s worth $5 Million a year, especially if he continues his strong play this year and can hit 80+ points.

But here’s the catch – when you pay a centre $5 or $5.5 Million per season, he’s going to be your #1 centre. Unless you’re Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Having said that, can you really see Plekanec as a first line centre? I can’t, and that’s not meant to be insulting. I see Plekanec as a solid second line player who can be counted on to score around 50 points a year, maybe 60 or 70 if he gets really hot. Outside of his career year, Plekanec’s next best season was a 47 point effort. Plekanec’s playoff record is mediocre at best too. He’s put up 13 points in 21 games, but is -4 during those games, including being held off the scoresheet in all three of his post-season games last April. That’s not worth $5 Million a year.

In terms of comparables, when you look at other centres who are of similar age to Plekanec, 26, the picture becomes much clearer. Ryan Getzlaf has a current cap hit of $5.3 Million, while Mike Ribeiro has a $5 Million cap hit. Daymond Langkow has a cap hit of $4.5 Million and Brad Boyes salary comes in at a cap hit of $4 Million. All of these players have scored more than 69 points in a season, and I’d take any one of these players at their current salary than Plekanec at $5 Million. In my mind, these players are all a notch above him.

The bottom line is that Plekanec is probably worth $3.5-4 Million per season but I’m sure there’s a team out there willing to pay more than that. The big question now is how much is Bob Gainey willing to shell out to keep his #2 centre. If it were me, I wouldn’t be willing to go above $4 Million per season. If you do, you’re basically setting this guy up to fail because the expectations will be way too high. Plekanec is a good player, but he’s not a $5 Million kind of player. He’s not that good.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Coaching changes in the NHL

November 16th, 2009

It’s been a terrific start to the year for the NHL and there have been a number of fresh and interesting themes that have surfaced this season.

One of the most common themes that typically arrives around this time of year is that of change. Ownership and General Managers take a look at their teams and identify areas of weakness and opportunities for improvement. Is there a trade that can be made to improve a team’s offense? Do the defense need another top-4 player?

However, from a management perspective, oftentimes the easiest change to make is the coach. When a team comes out of the gates slowly, it’s very easy to lay blame on the coach and make him the skape-goat.

For example, last season, the Chicago Blackhawks stumbled to a 1-2-1 start and quickly replaced Dennis Savard with Joel Quenneville as head coach. Clearly, management in Chicago were serious about icing a winning team and weren’t willing to see if Savard could get it done or not. Did it work? Well, Joel Quenneville put together a 45-22-11 record in the regular season and helped the Black Hawks advance to the Western Conference Finals.

A similar situation occurred in Pittsburgh where expectations were high following their loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2007-2008 season. With 25 games remaining in the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were 9th place in the Eastern Conference and the team seemed to be waiting for a change to happen. Out goes Michel Therrien, in comes Dan Bylsma, and the rest is history.

But the question is, do mid-season coaching changes really work? In the cases of both Pittsburgh and Chicago above, the answer appears to be yes. It’s worth noting that both teams were extremely talented and could’ve arguably turned their seasons around with any coach, including their existing coach. Here were the other coaching changes that occurred last season, and what the end result was:

  • Tampa Bay Lightning – Fired Barry Melrose on Nov. 14’08 and replaced him with Assistant Coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet finished the season with a 19-33-14 record and Tampa, while a much better and improved team, missed the playoffs.
  • Carolina Hurricanes – Fired Peter Laviolette on Dec. 2’08 and replaced him with former ‘Canes coach Paul Maurice. Carolina finished 33-19-5 under Maurice, including a red-hot 12-3-2 finish to the regular season. They stunned New Jersey and Boston in the playoffs before bowing out to Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Finals.
  • Ottawa Senators – Fired Craig Hartsburgh on Feb. 1’09 and replaced him with Cory Clouston. Ottawa were 17-24-7 under Hartsburgh and 19-11-4 with Clouston as head coach. Ottawa still missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons.
  • New York Rangers – Fired Tom Renney on Feb. 23’09 and replaced him with John Tortorella. The Rangers finished 12-7-2 in the regular season and despite their first round exit to Washington, it appeared that Torts was bringing a new level of accountability to the Rangers – until Sean Avery’s meltdown.
  • Montreal Canadiens – Fired Guy Carbonneau on Mar. 9’09 and replaced him with current GM Bob Gainey. Carbonneau guided Montreal to a 35-24-7 record, while Gainey finished the Habs season with 6-6-4 record. The tailspin that was the Canadiens season finished in a first round loss to Boston in 4 quick games.

So do mid-season coaching changes really work? The results are mixed. The change definitely worked for Pittsburgh, Chicago and Carolina. You could probably throw Tampa Bay into that category too, although that’s more because Barry Melrose should have probably just stayed in the broadcast booth. In the case of Ottawa, yes, they played better under Clouston and appear likely to make the playoffs this year, but Clouston was part of the reason for Dany Heatley’s trade demand.

When you look at the Rangers and Canadiens, I don’t think the coaching changes helped either team. Both teams struggled to hold on to their playoff spots and they both lost in the first round of the playoffs, though the Rangers put up a much better fight than the anemic Canadiens did. Ultimately, I feel badly for guys like Carbonneau and Renney because their teams basically performed at the same level before and after their dismissals. To me, that says that coaching wasn’t the problem. Renney had notched at least 42 wins in each of the previous 3 seasons as head coach of the Rangers, earning playoff births in each season. Carbonneau was a good coach as well, and was a finalist for the NHL’s Coach of the Year award the season before he was fired.

The reality is that sometimes, change is needed for struggling teams and that’s the reality of all professional sports leagues. If your team starts sinking around or near playoff time, that’s never a good sign for a head coach. While I don’t always agree with it, it’s much easier to fire a coach than to fire an entire team of players. It’s a quick way to send a message and make an instantaneous change to your team. Creating a salary cap has made coaches more expendable.

Fortunately, there haven’t been any coaching changes yet this season, but you get the feeling that this might change soon. Teams like Carolina, Florida, St. Louis and Anaheim are the obvious picks to make changes, but only time will tell if those changes will push these teams back into the playoff hunt or not.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Montreal’s ultimate revenge on Stayclassy.net?

July 6th, 2009

Since Stayclassy launched earlier this year, the Montreal Canadians have been an easier target to make fun of than Lindsay Lohan.  And rest assured – we’ve made many jokes at their expense.   But as loyal Ottawa Senators fans, it looks like the joke’s now on us.

For anyone who didn’t hear, Bryan Murray signed unrestricted free agent Alexei Kovalev to a two-year contract today.  I guess this was Option B (or perhaps Option D or E) in the plan to replace Dany Heatley and/or his offense.   When I read about this online, I actually re-loaded the website to see if this was true.

Does Alex Kovalev look good in red?

Does Alex Kovalev look good in red?

Hockey fans worldwide know of Kovalev’s skill.   In fact, fans in Montreal went so far as to name him “L’artiste” (French for, the artist) because of his awesome stick-handling moves and crazy skills.   Hundreds of fans even waited outside the Bell Centre yesterday in an attempt to convince Bob Gainey to resign the enigmatic Kovalev.   Haha – way to go Gainey, way to listen to your fans.

I have to say that while I’m very interested to see how this plays out, I’m not a big fan of this.   I would’ve rather seen Ottawa go after an older Mats Sundin personally.   I know the Sens need more offence and Bryan Murray has been looking for a Top 6 forward for a while now (before Heatley’s trade request), but is Kovalev really the answer here?

When he’s on his game, he can be hands-down one of the best players in the league.   I’ve seen games where Kovalev was the best player on the ice and nobody could touch him.   The problem, however, is that ‘Kovy’ doesn’t have those kind of games with any consistency and that’s why Gainey let him walk as a UFA.  In fact, in four seasons in Montreal, Kovalev had only one truly memorable season, coming in the 2007-2008 season where he scored 35 goals and 84 points. On the flip side, Kovalev scored only 65 points last season, with many of those coming near the end of the season to help Montreal limp into the playoffs.  He often looked lost with the team last year and really didn’t step up to the plate when his team needed him to.

You can’t blame all of last year’s problems in Montreal on Kovalev, but he was a big part of their collapse.   It’s hard to win when your best players aren’t your best players.   Regardless of who was Montreal’s captain, it was pretty clear that many of the Habs players seemed to be on the same wavelength as Kovalev.  The trouble is that it doesn’t say much about your team or your leadership when the General Manager has to step in and send its most talented player home for a few games to “figure things out”.

At the end of the day, the true value of this signing will depend on the chemistry that Kovalev and Spezza can amass together.   If it’s anything like what Spezza and Heatley were able to do, then it will be a success and will help Sens fans forget about Heater.   For now, it’s hard to label the Sens a winner with this pick-up.   Instead, I’d label the Kovy fans in Montreal as the real winners.   When Bob Gainey announced that he wouldn’t be resigning Kovalev, I suppose him signing only 200 KM’s away is the next best thing.

Your Reporter in the Field,

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Fantana

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