Not a great day to be an NHL Coach
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 3:12 pm
Boudreau and Maurice both fired today.
Too little, too late for Gabby, which is too bad. You can't make hay as an offensive-minded players coach and then flip the switch at the last minute and expect it to work. It was all but over when the Caps were swept by Tampa last year and OV quitting on Gabby was pretty much the death knell. I like Bruce, great coach and great guy. But he played fast and loose with the stars (namely OV and Semin) for too long and then you're gonna try to play hardass with them at the last minute? You'll never win that battle. Bruce will certainly be hired for another NHL gig and I'm sure he'll get them to the playoffs and have great success (maybe not playoff success, but success in general).
Here's a lesson Dale Hunter can learn from Gabby: Coaching the Caps is like being in prison. Either kick someone's ass on the first day or become somebody's bitch. Hunter should immediately strip OV of his captaincy and then make him spend 45 minutes doing suicides. For the entire week.