Todd McLellan: Savior for the Future?

(Photo courtesy of Sharkspage.com, LOLcaption courtesy of the magnificent Gray)

New coaches are a curious things in sports. Often they are a sign of desperation when a team is doing poorly enough that they must change direction (see: Barry Melrose). Sometimes they are a sign that management is crazy and just hates the coach (see also: Barry Melrose). Other times a new coach is the product of a hiring or a firing that makes no sense (see again: Barry Melrose). Todd McLellan, I would argue is a different kind of coach and, so far, he is proving to be just what the Sharks need.

My first full season as a Sharks fan the team went 28-37-9-8 for 73 points (just a year after going to the 2nd round of the playoffs) and Darryl Sutter became my mortal enemy. I was annoyed that Mark Smith wasn't getting playing time and neither were many of the younger guys. Sutter had become so stuck in his ways of only playing veterans, the team never improved, and Sutter was fired halfway into the next season. A similar situation happened to Ron Wilson, Sutter's replacement. Wilson's slightly adversarial method of player motivation worked well for some, but ended up destroying some (Patty Marleau, Christian Erhoff) and alienated others (pretty much the rest of the team). Therefore it came as no surprise to Sharks fans that Wilson was fired over the summer.

A new coach is like a wrapped package: the anticipation of opening it is often more exciting than what you actually get. But so far, Todd McLellan has been a wonderful present. Gray and I have remarked several times during the young season that we have no idea who these Sharks are. We have always been told that they are a fast, but this year they look astoundingly fast. Even when they aren't playing well, they aren't playing the dull, uninspired hockey that we saw at the end of the playoffs last season. The players have bought into McLellan's system in a way that I never really saw them do with Ron Wilson. And as much as I miss the Ron Wilson press conference, this level of player buy-in is a welcome sight.

The McLellan hiring has paid off big so far. The Sharks have the best record in the NHL going into today's games with an amazing 29 points (out of 36). Patty Marleau is playing like a man possessed and is using his speed in ways I haven't seen in several seasons. Christian Erhoff is a completely different player, making lots of quality shots and playing really responsibly defensively. All in all, the players have elevated their games and results have been exciting. It's not all perfect though. The power play, which was supposed to McLellan's specialty, is only at 18.8% (though it got much better Thursday night against the Flames). Then again, it's hard to argue with a team that has only one OT loss at home and 14 wins 18 games into the season.

Will the team always be doing this well? That's pretty unlikely. What will happen when the honeymoon is over? No one really knows. All I know is that this fast start has helped to to stop worrying and learn to love the cephalopod.

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Stars Head Coach: Dave Tippett

Hello there. I know it's been awhile since HLOG has gotten some Dallas Stars news - forgive me, as it's hard to write when your normally good team is playing under .500 hockey. I've spent most of my time cowering a corner, using a Matt Niskanen jersey as a blanket while clutching a Marty Turco jersey in one hand (I use it instead of tissues) with some sort of alcoholic beverage in the other hand. My liver won't forgive me OR the Stars this season.

That said, here's what I think of head coach, Dave Tippett. This is a coach who has been with the Stars since the 2002-2003 season. The numbers are okay - with the Stars he is 87-48-27. At the end of the 2006-2007 season, he led the Stars in two back-to-back 50-win seasons (according to Wikipedia, also on the list of coaches with that honor are Mike Babcock, Scotty Bowman, Tom Johnson, and Mike Keenan). He's a nice guy, and appears to have a good working relationship with his players.

So what the hell is going on NOW?

So far in this young season, the Stars are 5-8-3. In the beginning it was blamed on a sluggish start - no reason to hit the panic button just yet. The problem wasn't the scores. The problem was how the team was playing. Everyone looked sluggish and confused. Granted, the team was without veterans Jere Lehtinen and Sergei Zubov, both of whom seem to have an incredibly calming influence on the team, but the Stars were without those guys for parts of last season and still managed to get close enough to taste what a Stanley Cup Final MIGHT taste like.

The blame was placed on Marty Turco, who wasn't playing as his usual self. The blame was placed on Sean Avery, who "messed up the chemistry" of the team. The blame was placed on a lot of people - including Dave Tippett. I adore Dave Tippett. I think he's a good coach, despite what the people on the Stars official message boards might say. Look, I can speculate all day long about what goes on in that locker room and what Tippett says to his players, but at the end of the day, I have no idea. I'm not granted access to that part of it.

Some people are saying that the team "won't play" for Tippett anymore. I think that's a load. From all I've seen of post-game interviews and whatnot, the players are equally as upset as Dave Tippett, if not more so. Poor Brad Richards looked like he wanted to cry during his post-game interview after a loss to the Kings at home on Thursday night. I have my problems with what Tippett does - mostly, the juggling of lines. It seems as though a line never plays together longer than a game or two, if that. How can there be any chemistry built between players if they never play on the same line? You have to actually play with a guy to learn what he does and what he's capable of. The only people that seem safe in their spots are Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro on the top line - everyone else gets juggled around. Matt Niskanen, who (usually) plays well on a defensive pair with Sergei Zubov, got benched for the entirety of the third period on Thursday night (not that he didn't deserve to get benched, but that's an entirely different post). Mike Modano, who was playing like a much younger man on a line with B.J. Crombeen and James Neal, now gets in on the shuffling as well, with Neal sent to the minors (which was a business decision, but it still sucks).

In the end, I think it's kind of unfair to place the entirety of the blame on the coach. It's his fault just as much as it is the players' fault. The only problem is, the coach is the easiest to fire.

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Terry Murray, Kings Head Coach

I didn't know anything about Terry Murray before he was appointed the new Kings Head Coach. Although, I guess I should admit, that while I think I know a lot about past and present hockey players, I hardly know anything about hockey coaches, save for the famous ones (Bowman and Melrose). When the Kings canned Marc Crawford I didn't really know who should take over the job because of my limited knowledge of potential candidates. My podcast partner in crime, Connie, kept rattling off all these names, guys who coached in the minors, had experience with World Juniors Teams, etc. and why he should or should not be head of the Kings. I just sat there smiling, politely nodding my head because I had nothing to contribute to the conversation.

When the Kings announced Terry Murray as the head coach all I really thought was, at least he's not Marc Crawford. I learned a wee bit about the guy before the start of the season and my overall impression was, at least he's not Marc Crawford. Over a month into the season and I'm still not ready to make any hard judgment about Murray, but like with any coach, there are things that I see that impress me and others that irritate me.

My biggest pet peeve that is a continuation from last season: the constant mixing of the lines. The only pairing that has remained the same is Kopitar with Brown on the first line. Other than Mr. Capitain and his $7 million sidekick, it's anyone's guess who will be playing with them and which remaining players will be on the next three lines. I don't understand why Raitis Ivanans, the lone enforcer has yet to be a healthy scratch and why Kyle Calder has seen an enormous amount of minutes playing alongside Kopitar and Brown. Other questionable roster movements, in my humble blogger/fan opinion, include benching Tom Preissing for several too many games, using the less than stellar defenseman Peter Harrold as a forward, sending Matt Moulson back to the Manchester Monarchs, and starting Jason LaBarbera for 10 straight games, despite the obvious need to shake things up in net. But with all of my complaints, which of course are amplified during losing streaks, I do have some praise for Mr. Murray.

The Kings defense is much improved over last year. The team is allowing significantly fewer shots and the penalty kill is actually respectable. Considering that defense was a huge question mark coming into the season, it's a relief to see that it's doing pretty well. Murray was a defenseman during his days as a hockey player, which could only help in the quest to improve the Kings defense. He's also a much calmer person compared to Crawford. I can't even count how many times last season the camera would pan over to the bench and Crow would look like he was about to burst an artery in his neck. On the other hand, every time the camera focuses on Murray, he looks like he could be at the symphony; maybe a little shake of the head will occur when something does go well, but usually a pensive expression will overcome him. The guys are obviously responding to Murray and his coaching staff and it's refreshing to see the Kings play good hockey.

Some hockey analysts criticized the hiring because they expected the Kings to pick someone without any NHL coaching experience but with success in the AHL. But Murray has experience with teams in rebuilding years and coaching them into successful seasons. So far, his positives outweigh the negatives and, considering he wasn't the first new coach to be fired, I say he's doing the job well enough.

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Flyers coach John Stevens

During the season that shall not be named, the Flyers waited eight games for eight straight losses, then revamped the GM and Coach. John Stevens moved from the Phantoms, our AHL team, across the parking lot to the big team.

For many, this seemed to be good move due to his history with the organization as 1.) a player for our AHL teams the Hershey Bears and the Philadelphia Phantoms, coincidentally with the latter as the captain during their 1998 Calder Cup championship win, and 2.) as a coach, when he led the Phantoms to their second Calder Cup in 2005.

Currently, I'm of two minds with regard to Johnny for one simple reason: he's too freakin' steady behind the bench! Why is this a problem?

Well, let me start with why I like Coach Stevens being so steady. Last season was awesome for Flyer fans! (Um, until February when everything when further south than an ice cube at midday in the Sahara.) While much of that success came from the guys wearing the equipment and uniforms, another part was due to Stevens' consistency and support. Line shuffling, injuries, and - yes - suspensions happened, but Johnny stayed on-message. He reaffirmed the skills that needed to be developed and the areas that were strong.

But, darn it, he needed to call a few guys out for suckitude! In my view, that only happened once last season. And this is becoming more of my attitude for whatever is going down with the team this year...going down being the operative part of the description.

Honestly, getting the puck in the goal isn't our biggest issue at this point, if the scores from all those seven losses at the start of the season are anything to go by. (And, yes, they are!)

No, our issue is far more ironic than that: defense. Ironic for two simple reasons.

1.) It was our sticking point last season and it's playing out that way yet again.

Right as we headed into the regular season this year, we lost two players who I think could be key to our defense being successful during the 08-09 campaign: Ryan Parent and Randy Jones. And it's not like we lost them for a short time, a la Tiny!Briere. Nope, Parent is out 12-14 weeks and Jones was scheduled for 6-8 weeks.

Also, our defense not playing up to par in terms of positioning, speed, and sheer gutsy-ness means that our goalies are working harder and not as smartly.

2.) John Stevens was a defenseman.

X-posted to Flyers.Femme blog.

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Coach Lemaire vs. Mr. Lemaire

I know, right? I'm posting something not the Friday Five!

I have kind of a love/hate thing going on with Jacques Lemaire, the head coach of the Wild. When I was in junior high, I met him. He was super gracious and friendly, he twinkled at me and let me practice my French. He waited patiently while I searched for the words I wanted , and then told me my accent and French were very good. (I'm sure at least the second half was a gracious lie, fast forwarding 6 years finds my French MUCH improved) He then signed something for me in lovely, flowing script. He was like a super awesome, Canadiens dynasty grandpa. He got to play with Jean Beliveau. I shook hands with greatness.

As a coach...it's different. He frustrates me with his style, there are days when I think that the team has improved to the point where he should great a style to fit the players, not find players to fit the style, but then I remember that he has 11 more Stanley Cup rings than I do, and that I was taught to respect my elders, so I mostly keep my mouth shut and wait to see how it turns out. I really can't decide if I love him or hate him, but for the most part he knows the game, he's funny, and he got to play with Jean Beliveau (and Guy Lafleuer, and you know everyone in basically the most amazing dynasty EVER) and score two Stanley Cup winning goals. Really what more do you need? Besides less hatred of Mark Parrish, please...

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The TOM RENNEY Quiz

Are you a good coach? Could YOU coach the New York Rangers? Take our quiz and find out!

:With a special shout out to Lucky 13 for her editing and pep talk.:

Note: These following situations are purely hypothetical.

Situation A:

Player P has always had one of the best work ethics on the team, and still is a bit of a fan favorite. He dives in for pucks, he creates chances in front of the net, and he works hard on the boards, but he had difficulty scoring last year. The Rangers will start the 2008-2009 season in Prague, Czech Republic his home country, but there are many similar type "fringe" players looking for a go. You need to decide who gets scratched. Do you…



A) Play Petr Prucha Player P! He works harder than anyone on the team, and how often will he get to play in front of his home crowd? The substitutes aren't better in any stretch of the imagination; they are almost like interchangeable parts anyway. If this third liner winger spot makes or breaks the team, the Rangers have more serious problems than we'd hope.

B) Play Player P, only after Ranger fans and beat writers throw a collective fit. Tell Player P he will be the healthy scratch, but then go back on it when some New York beat writers say how unclassy that move is.



Situation B:

You have always supported Defenseman M. Despite what the boo birds at MSG, Defenseman M (usually) makes good plays and is a part of the Rangers first pair defensemen, so he's playing against the best of the best night in and night out. After being a healthy scratch for a couple games, and is never told why he was being scratched in the first place, he finally gets back in the lineup. One game later, Marek Malik Defenseman M gets scratched to let Jason Strudwick play in front of his home crowd (but notice how Player P in Situation A almost didn't get the same courtesy). In anger, Defenseman M doesn't shake your hand after the game. Do you…

A) Get over it. The guy is frustrated, and really, who wouldn't be with the way Ranger fans treat him? He's been having a rough go, and you really didn't give him a fair description on why he was sitting. A handshake is no big deal.

B) Freak. Scratch him for the next few games due to "insubordination." Let the media have a field day with asking questions and trying to get inside "the drama" which is the New York Ranger locker room.



Situation C:

Matt Cullen Center C comes to you from the previous Stanley Cup champions via free agency. He scored a career high 25 goals with his previous team, mostly from goals scored on the point on the power play. He isn't playing the point here, but New York's power play is struggling. Do you…

A) Put Center C on the point! He had much success there with Carolina the Stanley Cup Champions. It's worth a shot!

B) Don't put Center C on the point. Because the Rangers normally only play defensemen on the point. Center C never works out with the Rangers, and gets traded back to Carolina.



Situation D:

All Star S is a brilliant hockey player. He has an amazing shot, over 600 goals, and is considered a great leader, although he was never the best skater. He signs with the Rangers over free agency from the Detroit Red Wings another Original Six team, where he won a couple Cups. After a year, it is clear All Star S is feeling his age; being 38 in the NHL might do it to you. Put that with a serious concussion after a run in with Mike Knuble , and Brendan Shanahan All Star S is looking pretty tired. Do you…

A) Limit All Star S's time. Don't play him on the PK, because the Rangers have a great PK with a lot of capable players. Maybe give him a couple days rest. The Rangers need him in tip-top shape when we get to the playoffs.

B) Play All Star S on the power play, the penalty kill, and give him second line minutes. Watch his point production drop and drop as the Rangers struggle to get goals. Maybe if you increase his penalty time, he'll score more goals?



Situation E:

My boy Prooks Player P is back. He was a rookie in 2005-2006, right after the lockout, where he posted 30 goals, 16 of which came on the power play. When Shana... I mean, All Star S signed with the Rangers over the off season, Player P lost some valuable ice time, and some PP time. Player P still pots 22 goals. In his third season, the Rangers power play is dismal. His goal scoring struggles have continued, and is given no power play time. The power play doesn't get better; it might even get worse. There is no production. Do you…

A) Try Player P on the power play again. The kid needs some confidence, and some PP time might get him going. Nothing could hurt this awful power play. He had a lot of success there before, let's see him get going again.

B) Don't put Player P on the PP. Don't do… anything. Keep banging those square pegs into the round holes. Watch the power play suck all season. Watch Player P rot on the bench, watch him not produce, and watch his trade value plummet.



Situation F:

The New York Rangers can't score. Do you…

A) Push a more aggressive forecheck! Dump and chase, use scott Gomez for what you pay him 7 million dollars to and have him carry it up ice alongside speedy wingers who can keep up (READ: Not Jaromir Jagr or Brendan Shanahan). Keep the pressure down low. Don't forget about defense, but being in the offensive zone is the best defense. And mix up the god-awful PP, please!

B) Don't change the PP, but shuffle lines constantly. Keep telling them to play better defense. Because it's more of a problem if you let in a goal, then it is that you can't score more than one. Goal: To win every game, 1-nothing. Make Rangers fans look like hypocrites after all their years of blaming the Devils for everything wrong with the NHL.



If you picked mostly A… you're me.

But congratulations if you picked mostly B's! You're Tom Renney! You are a coach who many players love because of the respect you show them. You are a really, really nice guy, who likes defense way more than offense. You play favorites, and like to give the fourth line of the offensive dynamo's Colton Orr and Blair Betts power player time. Veterans get more ice time than goaltenders, and you enjoy low goal against averages. You don't enjoy scoring any more goals then necessary, and you'll hold the team back from forechecking just to "take the point" for overtime. (Forget that you're also GIVING a point). And beware if your name is Petr Prucha, Tomas Polk, or anyone else who might not be on Tommy's good side; you'll learn to look good in a suit and tie.

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Schultzie here, one of the Carolina Hurricanes reps at HLOG, but if you've read my personal site, you see I focus more on my local major junior team, the Tri-City Americans. As a result, I'm going to pulling sort of double duty, at least for a while. So I'll start with Peter Laviolette and then discuss Don Nachbaur.


The 08-09 season is Lavi's 5th behind the 'Canes bench, 7th as an NHL coach. Prior to joining the Hurricanes he coached the New York Islanders for two seasons. He ranks third on the list of U.S.-born NHL coaches with 232 career wins.

The Hurricanes lost a chance at the playoffs on the final night of the 07-08 regular season, marking the 2nd season in a row of not making the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. There were questions about whether Lavi would get the axe or whether GM Jim Rutherford would remain confident in the man that got the 'Canes to the Cup in '06. In all fairness to Laviolette, the two bad seasons after the Cup year the Hurricanes were decimated by injuries as well as an ineffective defense. Laviolette didn't have much to work with.

But Rutherford hemmed and hawed all summer, not giving any indication whether Lavi was staying or leaving. As a 'Canes fan who like Lavi's style, it was more than aggravating.

Finally in September (srsly!) Rutherford says all is well. From the News and Observer:

With the Carolina Hurricanes fast approaching a new hockey season, general manager Jim Rutherford has given some assurances to coach Peter Laviolette.

In short, Laviolette's job will not hang in the balance from game to game nor will the coach be given a short leash by management.

This fan was ecstatic. I am a huge Lavi fan. I love his style of coaching, it's what drew me to watching the 'Canes and narrowing them down as my team of choice. He has 'em play with a very aggressive forecheck, stressing offense. This is risky because when you're pressuring up front, you're leaving that back end vulnerable to odd-man rushes the other way. So when the system works, it works great (see, Stanley Cup season). But it's a gamble and if your defense sucks it's even worse (see, 2 seasons since winning the Cup).


I also believe he's a pretty good motivator because the 'Canes have a way of being able to come from behind more often than would be expected. So I don't know what he says to them, but it seems to get through. He will also switch out goalies if they're losing, not always because it's the goalie's fault (sometimes it is) but to wake up the team in front of the net to play better.

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Criss Angel on Ice: The Magic of Ted Nolan

Let's start by saying that if I ever lose my mind, marry, and defy eugenics by procreating, two of my acursed brood may just have to be named Ted and Nolan, regardless of gender or species. That is of course, if the Isles continue improving and stunning the haters under the coach's steady, motivating hand.
Ted Nolan, an Ojibwa Native (like Shania, except he actually is!), was hired over an eventful summer by Islanders owner and loopy billionaire Charles Wang. For those unaware of the circus on the Island, newly hired GM Neil Smith, was fired after 40 days in office, Isles legend Pat LaFontaine quit the organization, and Garth Snow, who used to carry Rick DiPietro's water bottle, was named the new GM. And then the franchise paid for the college education of Rick DiPietro's grandchildren by offering him an unheard-of 15-year contract.
But we never should have doubted the awesome, unearthly powers of Ted Nolan. The Islanders are winning, Alexei Yashin is playing excellent hockey, and, absorbing some of the Nolan-luster, Garth Snow has made some intelligent moves to make way for a marquee deadline trade.
Ted Nolan is a veteran of two seasons in Buffalo and winner of the Jack Adams Trophy for Coach of the Year. I won't get into detail about the Nolan's clashes with Dom "Flopinator" Hasek or John "Who Needs Zdeno Chara?" Muckler that led to his break with the Sabres. Nor will I detail the perceived racism and GM-killer rumors that precluded him from getting an offer to coach in the NHL for the better part of a decade despite his unquestioned success.
Let's talk instead about how Nolan, like Siegfried & Roy and Oprah Winfrey's make-up artist, can perform miracles. While with the Sabres, Nolan took a squad of no-names (save the Flopinator) deep into the playoffs. Now, he's taking a squad of no-names (plus the hardest-working albino in the NHL) and shaping them into contenders. Hey, I'm not saying they should start scheduling their day with the Stanley Cup, I'm just saying they are a legitimate challenge to any team (except for Ottawa, for some reason).
If you want an example of just how dazzling a magician Ted Nolan is, look no further than Alexei Yashin. Yashin has always seemed like a lazy pretty boy. All talent, no gumption. I don't know what Ted Nolan did (besides cast powerful spells), but all of a sudden Yashin is finishing his checks, moving his feet to chase the puck, and carefully setting up his teammates. For further empirical evidence please note that (Saint)Jason Blake has almost reached his career goal total for the year and it's not even the All-Star Break; Arron Asham, mostly a grinder and goon, is now a legit scoring threat; Brendan Witt, Sean Hill, and Mike Sillinger, all left for dead by previous teams, are playing great hockey and acting as leaders in the dressing room. Nolan is a master motivator and calm, unflappable leader. Any one of his players would bust through a wall for him. Trent Hunter would bust through three, because that's the way he is.
Also magical? His fashion sense. From the Hawaiian print tie he wore in Ottawa, to the lavender get-up he donned for his Isles debut, Ted Nolan has tremendous style. His artfully moussed hair and serene pout out-Zoolander most coaches in hockey.
I hope Ted Nolan stays in the land of malls and mallrats for years to come. It's comforting to look behind the blue-and-orange bench and see him Blue-Steeling until his boys win. Any more magic and he'll need a staff and pointy hat.

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I Like How He Says "Spezza"

Meet Bryan Murray, the fifth head coach of the Ottawa Senators. Known for his extremely Irish name and lisp, Murray is a very passionate coach with an extremely dead-pan sense of humour. Therefore, you can tell I'm a fan already.

Murray was born in 1942 in Shawville, Quebec. It's a tiny town in the Ottawa Valley in Quebec that is dead proud about their Anglo-Saxon heritage. Meaning that they speak English there and I'm frankly not convinced it even exists.

Murray is the fifth winning-est coach in the NHL although has never won a Stanley Cup in his career. Unlike many other coaches who have played in the NHL, even for a brief period of time, Murray has never played hockey past junior. He played for his hometown Shawville Pontiacs at age 14 with men a dozen years older than him and his junior team was the Rockland Nats of the Central Junior Hockey League.

He's one of those people that earned his NHL career through hard work and starting from the bottom up. He attended McGill University where he also became the coach of their hockey team and their athletic director. Afterwards, he moved back home to Shawville, Quebec and opened up a sporting goods store and ran a local hotel. He also taught for a couple of years at the local high school and was probably going to end up being a businessman. It's like bizarro world!

Nonetheless, the Regina Pats of the WHL came calling and like any good husband should do, he asked his wife for permission first. He went on to lead the Pats to a Memorial Cup and then went on to coach the Hershey Bears of the AHL where he won coach of the year. The year after that, he made his NHL debut as the head coach of the Washington Capitals where he would be for the next eight and a half years. He won the Jack Adams Award in 1984 and brought the team to the playoffs every year he was there.


He's very good at building cup contenders although always falling short of, you know...actually WINNING the cup. He was the head coach and GM of the Detroit Red Wings in 1990 and during his four years there, the team had mixed results although they say he was the one who helped build the team that would be so successful in the late '90s. He was the GM of the Florida Panthers in 1996 and helped the very young expansion team to the Stanley Cup Finals. He also has quite the eye for talent as he gave some dude named Lindy Ruff his first coaching job as the assistant behind the Panthers' bench. That year he was also selected as the NHL Executive of the Year. In 2002 - 2004, he was the GM of the Anaheim [Mighty] Ducks and also helped them reach the Stanley Cup Finals. After that, he surprised many people by resigning from his post to take the head coaching position behind the Senators bench.
He loves the Sens. He bursts with Senators love. He even said that when he took the Panthers to the finals in '96 that he sort of wish it was with the Senators. Something about hometown pride I guess. He admits to being a small town guy and the SoCal lifestyle just wasn't for him. This article gives you a very nice impression of what type of person he is. Apparently he sucked as a hockey player but rocked pretty hard as a coach. He's not afraid of confrontation and expects a lot out of his players.

So, if Murray's so great, why have the Senators been so pitiful as of late? Well, that's anyone's guess but I think the evidence points to the fact that he's clearly a better GM than head coach. Maybe he's just getting old? I mean he WAS born in 1942...that's like math I can't even do.

I also happen to love his sense of humour. However in this instance, I don't think Antoine Vermette found it particularly funny. Who could forget during the playoffs last year when asked who would be his starting goaltender, he said with the most serious look on his face: "Dominik Hasek". The air literally drained out of the room before he finally started laughing and said it would be Ray Emery. Wishful thinking on EVERYBODY's part I guess.

I'd like him to stick around and I really want him to be able to win the cup with the Senators. He's worked so hard the past two decades and I think he deserves it. Given the combined ages of both him and our GM John Muckler...that's alot of years and what should be alot of hockey experience. I've grown a little bit concerned that he's no longer effective as a head coach...but Mucks is hitting retirement age [more like years past it] and Murray's got a great track record as a GM. Know what I'm sayin'? Right? Right?

Now for some expletives. I have no idea what's going on here, but for some reason I have the urge to go "Awww! He swore!"

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Hugs-a-Lot Bear

I'm on a bit of a Caps-win-and-cold-medicine-induced high, so I figured I'd truck on over to the HLOG and introduce you all to the coach of the Washington Capitals, Glen Hanlon.

Dubbed "Hugs" by fans here in DC for his gentle approach and guiding hand, Hanlon is possibly the best thing that could have happened to this Caps team. Hanlon coached the Portland Pirates for three years before joining the Caps behind the bench as assistant coach to Bruce "Butch" Cassidy in 2002. After a season and a quarter of Cassidy's antics he was thankfully removed and Hanlon took over as bench boss.

The poor guy was given the unenviable task of coaching Jaromir Jagr and a roster of overpaid and underachieving players before watching the team be dismantled in a pre-lockout fire sale. He was left with a skeleton of his former team and the promise of a relatively unknown Russian superstar as the league headed into a year of uncertainty.

The Caps returned from the lockout in full rebuilding mode with Hanlon at the helm for his first full year. It was a group of young, mostly unknown players and one rookie sensation, with a few veterans sprinkled throughout. They weren't supposed to accomplish anything; many even predicted their record would rival that of the inaugural Caps team - an illustrious 8-67-5 in that first season. (Yup, that's a rich hockey heritage we've got here in the District...)

But Hanlon demanded hard work from his players and stressed the importance of team chemistry, a combination that soon made the Caps a very tough club to play against. Their never-say-die attitude when a game was seemingly out of reach endeared them to fans and other teams alike, and they could often punish the team that took them lightly. Although they finished the season at the bottom of the league, many NHL insiders praised the Caps and Hanlon for what they had accomplished.

So another year, another offseason of critics saying the Caps were going nowhere - yet here we are almost halfway through the season and the scrappy Caps are right in the middle of the fight.

And it's not hard to see why - Hanlon's style of coaching has been the perfect fit as he helps guide this young team to their best start in years. He is a big part of Ovechkin's continued evolution as a complete hockey player and is a key reason why so many players are showing more confidence in their game. While the emphasis in the locker room is now on winning, Hanlon continues to teach at every opportunity - he uses the timeout more than any coach I've ever seen and has an affinity for the wipeboard that is often the target of many a good-natured joke.

Glen is usually soft-spoken with the media, praising his players individually when they deserve it and acting like a proud papa when the team comes together. When the performance is bad, it's not anger but rather disappointment on Hanlon's face. He won't single out an individual player on a bad night or call out someone for not adhering to the system. Like a parent he knows what this team is capable of and is visibly upset when they fail to live up to their potential.

He also is not afraid to stand up to anyone pushing his boys around. Hanlon became infamous following that well-known brawl against Atlanta last month, not only for using his enforcers to send a message but also for flapping his arms like a chicken at Atlanta coach Bob Hartley and having a shouting match with him in the hall after the game. His antics cost him $30,000 in fines but won him the respect of every single Caps fan.

In my opinion, Hanlon is one of the classiest coaches around because of his obvious love for this team and everyone on it. When he talks about a solid team win you can see the emotion and pride in what his young squad has accomplished, and he has a real desire to make the Capitals a contender for years to come.

Many have speculated that the performance of the Caps so far even makes Hanlon a potential candidate for Coach of the Year. While he may have to wrestle that one away from Lindy Ruff in Buffalo or Randy Carlyle in Anaheim, I think you'll find many people here in DC who would nominate him in a second.

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Wings coach Mike Babcock

Sorry about the lack of posting from me, I've been crazy busy. Since I don't have much time right now, I'm going to post a little feature I had written up on the Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock when he first signed with the Red Wings at the end of the lockout:

Holland thinks Babcock is exactly what the organization needs at this important time. “He has tremendous passion for the game. He has tremendous energy,” Holland said. “He's got specific ideas in mind on how he wants to the team to play, how he wants the players to play. He's the boss. He'll give the players the parameters whereby they can do whatever they do, and if they step outside the boundaries Mike will deal with it.”

As a team with a lot of veterans (we’ll see how the CBA effects that number), Babcock refuses to let them take it easy.

"I believe in leadership. I believe in being the best in the world at what I do...When you don't make people accountable, it leads to a superstar mentality where not everyone on the team is important...Maybe the most exciting thing is that I'm coming here to join a family in Detroit that's philosophy is based totally on a passion for winning," Babcock said.

Babcock received a degree in physical education from McGill University in Montreal and later performed graduate work in sports psychology. His education background helps him coach the players’ mental and emotional aspect. Babcock focuses on how the mental and emotional state of a player affects his game.

"Jimmy (Devellano, vice president of the Wings) and Ken (Holland, general manager) got a competitive, fiery guy, who can kick over a garbage can or slam a door," said ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, a former NHL coach with the Los Angeles Kings. "He's a motivator and a passionate guy. He got more out of those guys in Anaheim than other guys could have, and to me that's a sign of a good coach. Do the same with Detroit's lineup and you'll win a Stanley Cup."

Babcock loves to use a grinding style of hockey to physically beat the opponent when their on the defensive. This brand disrupts the opposing team’s offensive flow and creates offensive opportunities for his team. This style fits the Wings’ style of play – grittiness and hard work as seen in the “Grind Line.”

“He's a very intelligent coach who I think has been unfairly portrayed as a defensive-only coach,” said Al Strachan, a columnist for the Toronto Sun and a regular contributor on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada telecasts.

“He's a coach who has that ability to see what's needed to win and he has a subsequent ability to take advantages as they exist.

When he was in college hockey, he was very offensive-minded. And if the rules are changed to reward offense (the NHL is considering changes ahead of the 2005 season), he's smart enough to institute a system that will take advantage of it.”

Strachan also believes that Babcock could put fear in his players where they’ll produce. Lewis couldn’t do that after being with the organization so long especially as assistant coach.

“People were terrified of Scotty," Strachan said. “Players will tell you fear is a good thing -- that being afraid of losing, afraid of a coach, motivates better players to play as well as they can. I don't think anybody was afraid of (Lewis). He was just too nice of a guy. But Babcock can be tough, he can be very sarcastic. He can put guys in their place. He has almost a Hitchcock-like (current Flyers coach Ken) ability to be a friend and a psychotherapist. He's a modern coach and that's a good thing to have in Detroit.”

Babcock will be responsible in this upcoming transition season where he must develop younger players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler, Jiri Fischer and Niklas Kronwall while pushing the veterans. These players will be whom the Wings rely heavily on over the next season.

“There are some great, great players here. Unbelievable passers. I think on the backend that you have some guys who can really get the puck going upfront,” Babcock said. “You have so much skill and obviously the leadership of Stevie Yzerman. You can't say enough about that. We want to play an uptempo game, we want to get after the other team and we want to be entertaining, but we want to win.”

Scotty Bowman has called Babcock a “passionate man.” While living in Cincinatti, Babcock grew close with the neighborhood kids who he’d spend time with whether it was hockey, football, etc. His neighbors’ son, Jeffrey Hayden, was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Jeffrey died in September of 2003 where upon Babcock delivered the eulogy at the funeral. Along with Jeffrey’s parents, they created a website, www.jthf.org, to try to increase awareness of pediatric brain tumors. “He's been a great friend of our family,” Tim Hayden said. “He gave a wonderful eulogy that people still talk about today.”

Babcock also lost his mother, Gail, to cancer. “Mike and his mom were extremely good friends,” Mike Sr. said. “When she died, I would say that was the biggest loss of his life.” Babcock’s agent’s brother and his friend’s son both died of brain cancer. With so many close ties to brain cancer, Babcock has remained involved in the Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation since its start 10 months ago. “There were some kids in California that were going through some bad times,” Hayden said. “Mike gives the parents his cell phone and says, ‘Tell the kids to call when they're feeling down.’ And Mike ends up calling and asking how they're doing." He doesn’t mind giving his phone number to so many kids because “if I can talk to someone on the phone for five minutes and make their day, I’ll do it.”

During the lockout, he worked with the foundation, which hopes to give parents a place to share experiences and a safe place to disclose medical information with families who can’t travel far for a second opinion. Babcock then met with several cancer organizations and then got the NHL involved. "I'm not surprised," Hayden said. "That's Mike. It's his thing. What he dedicates his free time to, this is it."

The Haydens are excited for Babcock to move closer to Cincinnati and believe that Mike will appreciate Detroit. “He's not afraid to be in Hockeytown,” Tim Hayden said. “I think he's going to like it a lot better than Hollywood. Detroit's a hockey town, and he's a hockey guy. The guy breathes hockey. I hope the people take to him.”

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Hey, Lindy.... Yeah, Marty?... Nothing.

Lindy Ruff, currently in his 10th season behind the Buffalo bench, is the longest tenured coach in the NHL and one of the longest tenured coaches in professional sports. Lindy was a Buffalo boy long before becoming the head coach however. Drafted by the Sabres in the second round of the 1979 draft, he played 10 years in Buffalo. He had a solid if unspectacular career and was known as a gritty, hard-working guy. Lindy even wore the captain's "C" for a time. His attitude as a player is best seen in the much played (in Buffalo) clip of goaltender Billy Smith, swinging his stick at Lindy as Lindy skated by. Lindy promptly turned around and tackled Smith, "tackled" not being any exaggeration at all in this case. (I looked for the video online but couldn't find it. I'm definitely sorry because it's pretty funny.) Off the ice, Lindy is married and he and his wife Gaye have four children.

Despite his long history in Buffalo, when Lindy first took over as head coach, it was under a cloud of controversy, not so much because no one wanted him in particular but because no one wanted anyone not named Ted Nolan. I had just started dating my husband around that time and I clearly remember he and his brothers ranting over Nolan's rather harsh and sudden dumping. Well folks, that was then, this is now. Lindy has been here so long now that it's hard to picture anyone else pacing behind the players, barking at the refs, and while he does have a few detractors, I think it's safe to say that he's won over most of Buffalo.

Reasons I love Lindy:

He's adaptable. Known primarily as a defensive coach, he had to swtich gears last year when he found himself with a fast, offensively gifted team. He was able to change his own style to fit the players he had and not every coach can do that.

He's tough. He expects his team to work hard and he expects everyone to play on both ends of the ice. It doesn't matter if the back of your jersey says PETERS or BRIERE, if you're not busting your ass, you will find yourself on the bench. The best example of Lindy's toughness is his benching of Thomas Vanek during the playoffs last year. TV had a very good rookie year but he was looking slow and half-hearted during the beginning of the playoffs. Many coaches - most coaches, I think - would've thought, "You know, he's young, he's never played a full season before, he's probably tired... We really need his potential offense." Lindy, concerned that TV was showing a lack of effort and conditioning, had a long talk with him and sat him down. TV was definitely unhappy about it, but there's no doubt that it made an impression. He came to training camp this year noticeably thinner and stronger and with a passion and toughness that he didn't have last year. He's been our most consistent two-way player this year and was horribly overlooked on the All-Star ballot in my opinion. Maybe Thomas would've grown into that kind of player anyway, but I think it's fair to give Lindy some credit for it happening so quickly. He saw a situation where a talented young player might be developing some bad habits and stepped in and did what he could to put the kid on a better path.

He's loyal and fair. Lindy never hesitates to reward hard work with a bump up to another line or more time on special teams. A perfect example of this is Paul Gaustad getting more time on the power play and being promoted from the fourth line during the last few games. Goose leaves it all on the ice and Lindy loves that. He doesn't seem to play games with the players either. A very large part of the credit for the goalie situation never blowing up into a controversy goes to Marty Biron and his unselfish, team first mentality, but some of the credit goes to Lindy as well. I think he's always been very clear with both guys about their role on the team and he never tried to pit them against each other. I don't know if this is why, but for whatever reason, the players on his team would go through a wall for Lindy. They love him and I think they play for him as much as they do themselves. When Lindy had to miss a few practices and a couple of games last season while his 11-year-old daugher Madeleine was undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, there was a noticeable pall over the whole team. (Note: I'm happy to report that Madeleine seems to be on the road to a full recovery.)

He's funny and plain-spoken. Lindy has a fabulous, dry, teasing sense of humor. I know he rubs some fans and coaches of other teams the wrong way sometimes, and I hate to say you'd understand if you knew him better, but in some ways I think it's true. That's just Lindy. He's not mean-spirited, but he'll say what he needs or wants to say. He's not afraid to poke at people a bit, and I think he's probably more than a little tickled when he appears to be getting under people's skin (see Ken Hitchcock and to a lesser degree, Peter Laviolette during last season's post-season). That said, Lindy will also scrap the humor and lay it out there. As an interviewer once said about him, "If something needs to be said, Ruff doesn't shy away. He's to the point, with humor. If that doesn't work, he's to the point, without humor." Personally, I really love this about Lindy. Most coaches are boring and that's okay, I guess. But I like my guy having a discernible personality and a little zest.

Lindy was voted the Jack Adams winner as Coach of the Year last season and I (of course) think it was well-deserved. He led a very young, very inexperienced team to the conference finals. Between owner Tom Golisano, GM Darcy Reiger, and head coach Lindy Ruff, I think Buffalo has one of the smartest, most stable ownership teams in the NHL. I could be biased but hey, that's what fans are for, right?

I'm officially on vacation and leaving town tomorrow so merry Christmas to you all! May your holiday season be filled with lots of goals and wins unless you're playing the Sabres in the next week in which case I hope you'll have to settle for a stocking full of coal.

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Springtime for....

Dave Lewis. What can I say about Dave Lewis?..

He came to the Boston Bruins this season after we fired the coach, and the GM, effectivley clearing the barn. Chara came in, Savard came in and Boyes and Bergeron were signed for big bucks.

One thing doesn't change this fact though. Our coach. Looks a lot like Hitler.



It's rather terrifying. Very terrifying.

I'm still out on Lewis, I know very little of him, because he's so new to us, and he doesn't seem all that interesting on paper.

Rubber biscuit had a funny segment of him, cooking and talking with the two assistant coaches he brought in for the team.

My only issue with lewis so far, Is his reluctance to play Boyes, Bergeron and Sturm on a line together when they were already a proven quantity. It wasn't until things got very very bad that he relented and sadly It could already be a cause of the damage is done for the season. Lets hope not!

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Coach Jimmy and his style

The Calgary Flames have a new head coach this year after Darryl Sutter moved into being the GM full-time. Jim Playfair spent 3 years as Sutter's assistant, spending the 3 years prior to that being the head coach of the now defunct St. John's Flames (now in Omaha with former Kootenay Ice main man, Ryan McGill heading up the team).

Drafted 1st round, 20th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1982 Entry Draft, Coach Jimmy only played in the NHL for 21 games with his draft team and then with the Chicago Blackhawks. A retinal injury forced early retirement for Playfair in '91-'92 season. Jim's brother, Larry, had a more illustrious career playing 688 games in the NHL.

Coach Jimmy faced criticism early this year when the Flames had a bad start to the season and many fans questioned his abilities as the bench boss. Once the team picked it up and started winning, everyone seems to be okay with the decision of putting him there.

What I find most intriguing about Coach Jimmy is his choice of ill-fitting suits and outdated hair style. Photo exhibits to follow...




On the day of the announcement from calgaryflames.com:

“I consider Jim Playfair as one of the top young coaches in our league today with more experience than the majority of that group,” said Sutter. “Jim has won at every level, both as a player and a coach, he is well prepared and well deserving of this opportunity. I think we have a great team and I think now we have a great coach."

Playfair said the Flames will remain the Flames. In other words, he won't be changing the style of play. He will be reinforcing what Sutter has instilled since arriving in Calgary. "Our team is hungry. Our team is focused. I like the mind set of our players," said Playfair.

What was said had the best intentions, I'm sure, but there have been some kinks that are working out. Even though he is trying to keep that Sutter style of hockey, he's doing it in his way and the players are adjusting to it. The first few games were a little shaky but I believe Coach Jimmy is becoming more confident in his role as head coach.

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