On February 2nd, the Ottawa Senators fired Craig Hartsburg after leading the team to a 17-24-7 record. Hartsburg is one of many coach firings in the NHL so far this year. With the firing of Hartsburg many questions were raised for the Sens, primarily, do you break up the so called ‘Big Three’? Or do you tank the season and look for an early first round draft pick to rebuild around? One question, though, stands out in many minds - who is the next coach to get the boot?
All season, good teams have been slumping due to a lack of morale in the change-room and less emotion and effort on the ice. Of course, the coach of the last place team in the league, the New York Islanders, Scott Gordon has to be considered. Their record is a paltry 16-29-5, however, recently the team has played with an extra spark, winning four straight games last week. With the scoring power of Ilya Kovalchuk, John Anderson has to be thought of as on the hot stove as well. Nine home wins is unacceptable for any team, but when you can’t win with one of the league’s best scorers, there is a real problem. Likewise, the Colorado Avalanche have always been a team to be in the Stanley Cup hunt, but are last in their division with only 49 points. Tony Granato, then, is a big candidate for the dubious honor of Next Coach Fired.
While these coaches could be let go without much fanfare, one coach stands out more than the others. The Pittsburgh Penguins should be an annual Cup contender – with two of the league’s top three scorers in Malkin and Crosby, sitting just above .500 is unacceptable. Coach Michel Therrien has somehow failed to produce a team in playoff shape. The Penguins currently sit two points out of a playoff spot and their recent play (losing four of six) doesn’t show any sign of improvement for a team that had the forth best record in the NHL last year.
Michel Therrien’s inability to produce wins form a team that is highly capable shows that there could be possible tension in the dressing room. A lack of effort from the Penguins in recent play could be what sends Therrien to unemployment. One thing is for sure, coaches aren’t safe in the NHL right now - if you do not produce wins you will walk the plank.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Keep Therrien for the rest of the year, hope Pat Burns recovers from cancer for next year if Therrien blows it.
February 13th, 2009 at 9:01 AM
That sounds like a probable plan, but can the franchise afford to have a subpar year if Therrien doen’t improve. Right now the Pens are sitting in a spot where they aren’t going to get a super low draftpick and they aren’t going to make a Stanley Cup run.
February 13th, 2009 at 9:21 AM
I think he’s got to go. You can replace him with an interim if you want to hold out for Burns, but being a .500 team with two of the best three players in the league is unacceptable.
Poor Eddy O is stuck doing color work on Versus…
February 13th, 2009 at 9:28 AM
Look at the leafs last year though, didn’t they try having an interim coach last season? They ended up keeping him for this season as well, look how well they’re doing.
February 13th, 2009 at 12:41 PM
You really can’t look at the 2007-08 Leafs as the benchmark for managerial decisions, nor can you even compare the situations - the Leafs are going to lose regardless of their coach, and the Pens should be a Cup contender in perpetuity. Therrien isn’t getting the job done, and replacing him now at least gives you the chance of turning things around in time - if not, it sends a clear message that .500 play won’t be tolerated.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:03 PM
true the leafs need a new roster, not necessarily a new coaching staff
what I was trying to say with that point is that coaches can take a long time to get into a certain way of coaching for a specific team with certain players, and interim coach may not be the best suited option at the moment.