Articles

[hockeygod]

More drama for the Capitals

Paul Waldie, Globe and Mail, November 23, 2011

The last thing the Washington Capitals needed was more drama, but they got it.

The Caps have already endured a sluggish start from Alex Ovechkin and the benching of high-priced forward Alexander Semin, who was scratched from Washington’s game Monday because of poor play. Now the team has had to scratch forward Joel Ward for Wednesday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Why? Ward overslept and missed a team meeting Tuesday. Under team rules, that means he can’t play.

“You don’t want to do it, he’s a good player, but the rules have got to be the rules for everybody,” head coach Bruce Boudreau said after the Capitals went through a pre-game skate Wednesday morning. “It’s an unfortunate thing. He overslept. He understands the rules. He’s a good team guy.”

Ward will be missed. He has four goals and four assists so far this season in 19 games.

He looked contrite Wednesday, acknowledging his dumb mistake and taking his punishment.

“I forgot to set my alarm,” he told reporters sheepishly.

As for the Jets, Boudreau knows his players have to play a lot better than they did last week in Winnipeg, when the Jets won 4-1. Evander Kane was a particular problem for the Capitals, getting two goals in that game.

“I think that’s the third two-goal game against us for him,” Bourdreau said. “Hopefully it will be [noticed]. They all know about it,” he added referring to players. Kane is “a good player I mean there’s no doubt about that. But some teams, some players, they love playing against some teams and I wish players didn’t like playing against us. Evidently he does.”

Boudreau said he team just didn’t play well last week. “Sometimes you say that and [the opponent] gets offended because they thought they were really good, but they were really good, but we weren’t very good at the same time.”

As for Semin, who hadn’t been benched since his rookie year and is getting paid $6.7-million (U.S.) this year, Boudreau said: “I expect him to be a good player tonight.”

Ovechkin backed up Semin saying all the players have to work harder. “He knows it and everybody knows it,” Ovechkin said after the pre game skate.

He added that “of course [Semin] was upset” over the benching. “He’s a big boy…He’s not going to cry about it. “

His advice to the fellow Russian? “I just told him, don’t think about it. It’s going to be hard. Of course it’s hard when you are healthy and you feel pretty good about yourself and you are not playing, it’s pretty hard. But it’s done. It was yesterday.”

Ovechkin agreed that there was one silver lining in Semin’s troubles. It deflected attention from his own poor play. He still has just seven goals and 15 points this season.

“Yeah probably,” Ovechkin said with a smile when asked if he was relieved to be out of the lime light at least for a few days.

He added that the Caps 4-3 win Monday against Phoenix, brining their record to 11-7-1, has given them some momentum heading into Wednesday’s game.

As for the Jets, coach Claude Noel isn’t taking the Caps lightly, although he feels his players have a lot more confidence coming off three wins at home.

“When I watched pre game skate today, I’m thinking you know what, guys are more confident, guys have got on the board offensively, they feel better about themselves winning games and I think they are just a little bit more loose,” Noel said. “And you could see more tape to tape [passes], less bobbling, less shrapnel flying around, let’s put it that way. About a month ago there was a fair bit of it and I was like ‘Come on’.”

He also agreed that Washington didn’t play its best last week. “I don’t think we saw their complete A game, I know that it’s there because I’ve seen it before…They are a team that can be very dangerous. You can’t play these guys lightly.”

The Jets will get one player back tonight. Veteran defenceman Ron Hainsey is expected to be back in the line up after missing 16 games due to injury.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Dilemma of discipline in junior hockey –
Not an easy job trying to mete out fair punishment while trying to maintain consistency

By RYAN PYETTE, QMI Agency, Nov 23 2011

LONDON, ONT. – Ontario Hockey League discipline does not, as has been suggested, consist of commissioner David Branch spinning a Wheel of Fortune replica while Vanna White applauds in the background.

There is no roulette table in sight at league headquarters in Toronto.

Though one might picture a poorly lit punishment chamber or dungeon, the decisions that cause so much confusion, amazement, outrage and eye-rubbing originate from a rather standard boardroom outfitted withfourPVR s, aneditingsuite and a viewing screen that covers an entire wall.

It is here that Branch and vice-president Ted Baker reached such conclusions as Niagara's Tom Kuhnhackl deserving 20 games for nailing Kitchener's Ryan Murphy, while London's Ryan Rupert required a five-game sitdown for a much-debated slash of pesky Soo Greyhound Nick Cousins.

The OHL has more technology than ever to make these decisions — it posts videos explaining the rationale behind decisions and has had lots of practice, with 10 suspensions of 10 or more games so far this season. But the prevailing attitude has been the league is as inconsistent as it was in the past.

"Obviously, there's been a focus on checking to the head this year," Baker said. "The floor is at a higher level than it was last year. Teams understand.

"We find it's the three-to-five game ones that are often the most argued about, that there could've been a game or two more or less, not the bigger ones."

The past few seasons, the league pushed to improve its TV offerings and increase viewership. Another result has been improved visuals with which to judge suspendable actions.

But even then, it can be a head-scratcher. On Saturday in Owen Sound, London's Max Domi hurt Attack import Artur Gavrus with a staggering body check that sent everyone filing into the "clean hit or not" camps.

When you watch something over and over and still aren't positive it's a head check, you start to gain an understanding for what Branch and Baker have to dissect.

"Our intent isn't to re-referee games," Baker said. "Discipline isn't the most pleasant part of David Branch's job, nor mine. We want to create a better environment for our players. It's about learning and teams have already instituted that by taking our videos and studying them."

The first thing learned is there's a precedent for everything.

Branch and Baker have, at their disposal, a video catalogue of every five-minute and game-misconduct penalty handed out. They can compare and contrast on the big screen.

"There are similar plays that come up and it helps to look at them," Baker said, "but you quickly find no two are the same.

"You'll come across something you've never seen before and that's part of what makes this business, and hockey, so great."

Though the OHL's rules of play have a big-league feel, they stop short at suspensions.

When NHL justice minister Brendan Shanahan meets with Branch, they don't discuss conforming their disciplinary measures.

"The NHL has its own standard," Baker said.

And there are different aims in play. The NHL is a destination; the OHL is a pathway. The OHL doesn't only need to protect its players, it needs to convince the parents of minor hockey kids that safety concerns are front and centre.

The Canadian Hockey League is in a recruiting war with a U.S. college hockey system also vying for the top teenaged talent.

And when those stars suit up in major junior hockey, it's important the league does its part to reduce the risk of career-threatening injury. It doesn't serve the OHL at all if, say, Sarnia sniper Nail Yakupov is hurt by a head check, can't play a bunch of games, an NHL GM gets scared and he ends up being picked fourth instead of first overall.

There's money and status as the best developmental league in the world at stake.

There's also a tug-of-war between equity and common sense. The OHL brass admits this — they have been relatively busy.

"There was a couple weeks back where we didn't have any (video) to look at," Baker said, "but that hasn't been the norm."

They might not be spinning a wheel, but the discipline game is forever changing.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Struggling Flames face culture shift

Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald, November 23, 2011

For not the first time, Brent Sutter led reporters through his career arc.

No doubt, he’s proud of having walked the team-first walk.

And, right now, there’s an urgent need to get the message out — loud and clear — to his skaters.

“I went from the second line to the first line to the second to the third, and I finished my career as a fourth-line player,” the Calgary Flames coach said after Tuesday afternoon’s practice at Joe Louis Arena. “But I was able to play 18 years and I had some success. I went to the Stanley Cup finals four times, won it twice — and my role was different every one of those times. It always what’s best for the environment of the hockey club.

“As you get older, the sooner you can accept change in your game, the better off you are. You have to sacrifice a little bit for the betterment of the team.”

Take Olli Jokinen, who, for years, served as the go-to forward of the Florida Panthers. Now, centring the Flames’ second unit, he’s a different cat.

“A perfect example,” said Sutter.

Another illustration? Also quite handy?

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings, tonight’s opposition.

“Datsyuk is a Selke Trophy candidate almost every year, but he’s one of the most skilled guys in the National Hockey League,” said Sutter. “These guys are committed to that team game. When you look at . . . why teams are successful year after year after year, it’s because everyone’s bought in. I don’t know if you guys all understand that? But it’s so important for success.”

Reporters get it. But do all of his players?

Notice Jarome Iginla’s reaction when asked about transformations — specifically, Steve Yzerman’s from point-producer to two-way fixture.

The captain, no fool, caught the drift of the question and did not dig it.

Not one bit.

“I don’t think that’s a fair comparison,” said Iginla, who quickly pointed out that the Wings back in the day were high-flying, with the likes of Sergei Fedorov, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brendan Shanahan. “So when (Yzerman) switched to that role . . . that’s what the team needed.”

The kicker?

“If I turned into a pure defensive player, I don’t think you’re going to say that that’s exactly what our team needs.”

Oh.

Player and coach may be reading from the same book. But the same page? Not exactly.

Neither is getting what he wants. Neither can be happy. Lose-lose so far.

Because if Iginla is bent on total offence, it’s not evident — judging by the points (nine).

Because if Sutter wants three-zone toil from Iginla, that’s hardly apparent — judging by the rating (minus-12).

“I do know that you have to be good on both sides of it, but I still think that our team will need some offensive production,” said Iginla, 34. “As far as my game, this has been a tough stretch. But I’m going to remain positive. I don’t think it’s helpful. . . to feel sorry for myself or get too frustrated or get negative.”

Even if his boss never names names, Iginla, slumping grandly, is finding himself under an increasingly warm spotlight.

This, in many ways, is expected.

“Nothing new, is it?” said Brendan Morrison. “It was the same way last year, right? That’s the way it always has been in sports. That’s the way it will always be in sports. If your team is not playing up to its capabilities, the first guy they look to is your best player, your star players.

“If we were a team that had a different record — say, we had a winning record right now — it would be swept under the rug. It wouldn’t matter. But because we’re not winning games and we are under .500, it comes to the forefront. That’s just the way it is.

“He’s a grown man. He’s been through it before.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Coaches at work: Flames friction, rematch in Buffalo, Bylsmaspeak and more

Stu Hackel, SI.com, Nov 22 2011

Coaches are hired to be fired, as the saying goes. But what happens in between cements the perception we have of the guys who stand behind the bench in the NHL, the ones who prepare their teams in long hours of meetings and video study. It’s a hard job, especially when fans, the media and even the players believe they know better than the coach what a team should be doing.

That seems to be the situation in which Flames coach Brent Sutter finds himself vis a vis his captain Jarome Iginla. Sutter believes his team won’t be the consistent force it can be unless everyone buys into his scheme, and that Calgary will continue to play as a bunch of individuals and not realize the potential of its collective talents. Specifically, he wants Iginla — the 15-year NHL veteran who has topped the 1,000 point plateau and is only 11 goals away from 500 — to concentrate on his defensive game.

Right now, the 34-year-old Iginla is minus-12, with only five goals and four assists — not vintage Iggy.

Sutter points to a couple of models from the Red Wings’ past and present – Steve Yzerman and Pavel Datsyuk – as examples of the kind of player he thinks Iginla could be, a force for both creating and preventing goals. Yzerman’s case is especially relevent, Sutter believes, as the Wings’ Hall of Fame captain went from offensive powerhouse to Stanley Cup champion by buying into coach Scotty Bowman’s responsible defense mantra, and in the process, he earned a Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward.

Seems to make sense — except that Iginla is apparently not entirely on board. The Flames are next to last in the West and 28th in the league in goals scored (only 42), and Iginla told Steve MacFarlane of The Calgary Sun that he doesn’t believe it helps the team for him to focus on his play without the puck. “I do know you’ve got to be good on both sides of it,” he said. “But I still think our team will need some offensive production. That’s hurt us. I haven’t been good enough. And our line hasn’t been good enough.”

The comparisons with Yzerman don’t hold up for Iginla. “I don’t think the situations are quite similar,” he said. “When he switched, the Wings were an offensive powerhouse. They had (Sergei) Fedorov and (Luc) Robitaille and (Brendan) Shanahan. That’s what the team needed, and he took that role on. If I just turn into a pure defensive player, I don’t think you’re going to say that’s exactly what our team needs.”

MacFarlane writes that Sutter is “demanding” and not “asking” his players buy in. He looks to his own situation, as a center who played different roles during his 18-year NHL career, from first line to fourth line and everything in between, depending on what his team needed. He won the Stanley Cup twice by doing it. “My role was different every one of those times,” he said. “But it’s always what is best for the environment of your hockey club, of your team.”

This one bears watching.

Rematch:

The Bruins visit Buffalo on Wednesday night, their first return engagement after the Milan Lucic-Ryan Miller incident. The aftermath and the coaches are in the spotlight as much as the players.

Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff was furious about his club’s lack of physical response to the B’s and he met with each Sabre the next day to go over what he expects of them in that sort of situation. But when it comes to the rematch, revenge could take a back seat to the need for the banged-up Sabres to get two points. They don’t match up well against the Bruins in the fisticuffs department, and asked whether he thought there would be any retaliation, Ruff said on Tuesday, “I don’t know what to expect. I mean, we’ve got to try to win a game, obviously. They’re playing well….We’re playing the best team in the league right now.”

Boston coach Claude Julien seemed like-minded. “To be honest, I don’t know. We’re not looking for revenge….We handled teams that have tried to push us around. We’re not going to lose any sleep over it.’’

Asked what he saw going down in Buffalo, Lucic also downplayed the significance of the last game’s incident, saying his club was more interested in keeping their league-best nine-game winning streak going.

Quite often, those who attend games hoping for inevitable fireworks come away disappointed. This could be one of those games — but you never know.

What’s he saying?:

Sometimes a coach speaks plainly and matter-of-factly like Brent Sutter, and sometimes he sounds like he isn’t speaking any recognizable language at all. The game has become so technically sophisticated and detailed that its jargon can befuddle even the most dedicated long time fan.

Here’s Penguins coach Dan Bylsma addressing his team before their game on Monday against the Islanders, the one in which Sidney Crosby returned. See how much of this you can decipher.

http://www .youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KGAObyIixQk

He’s got Jack’s back:

There’s been some sentiment that the losing coach in Monday’s night’s marquee game, the Isles’ Jack Capuano, could be the second bench boss this season to get the axe, but GM Garth Snow put the kibosh on that rumor when he told Arthur Staple of Newsday, “I have no intention to replace our coach.”

Snow had no further comment on his woeful team, which has been outscored 11-0 in its last two games and sits in the Eastern Conference basement with a 5-10-3 record.

Another honor:

Tuesday marked the 44th anniversary of the start of Scotty Bowman’s NHL coaching career as he took over for Lynn Patrick behind the Blues’ bench for a 3-1 loss to Montreal, the team he would eventually guide to five Stanley Cups in eight years. He won another in Pittsburgh and three more in Detroit and holds every NHL coaching record there is.

Before his run of championships, Bowman took the Blues to the Cup final in their first three seasons, making them the top team of the NHL’s first modern expansion. They didn’t win a game in those three trips, but that hasn’t diminished Bowman’s popularity in the town where he got his start and met his wife, Suella.

Along with former Blues forward Garry Unger, Bowman was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame last week. Here’s an interview with Scotty over KMOX radio (audi0) –

http:// stlouis.cbslocal. com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcbsstlouis.files.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F11%2Fscotty-bowman.mp3&podcast_name=Sports+Open+Line&podcast_artist=Wheeler&station_id=87&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.STL.

He reminisces about his days in St. Louis and discusses new Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who he praises for his preparation and ability to change as the game has changed.

Asked by coach Kevin Wheeler for his advice on handling players, Bowman said, “There’s a personal side of coaching and player relationships, and there’s a professional side. You have some tough decisions to make, but when you make a tough decision, it’s professional, it’s not personal…It’s basically to separate the personal side and the professional side and that’s the most difficult task anyone would have because you can get very friendly with your players or you can also keep them at arm’s length, but professionally, you have to really be on the same page.”

He acknowledged that different coaches have different style, but Scotty was one who kept his players at arm’s length. It worked pretty well for him.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Sex and the Grey Cup

David Ebner, Globe and Mail, Nov. 23, 2011

As the coaches presser trundled towards its end Wednesday morning, the most important question was asked by Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones (whose career was just honoured by Hockey Hall of Fame): Jones vaulted out the big Q about sex-before-the-big-game.

Does intercourse sap the strength of football warriors? Would Bombers' coach Paul LaPolice police his players' love and lust? Does Wally Buono have sex rules?

Jones called it the Jim (Shaky) Hunt memorial question. The Toronto Sun man used to be the long-time asker of the pressing question.

LaPolice, at his debut Grey Cup as a head coach, gamely answered first, saying he had thought about it, and had been told to expect the Q (from prying dirty-minded media).

"Everything in moderation" was LaPolice's first thought. He floated the importance of not broadcasting any private moments to Facebook or Twitter. He concluded, regarding any unclothed off-field activity: "I don't really want to be clued in."

Buono, ever dry with his humour, said he thought the question was stated as coaches' thoughts about "sex with players."

Then he segued into a kind-of zen koan: "The thing is, what you do, you do."

Buono provided further enlightenment with this hard-to-believe statement: "Some players enjoy sex, some players don't."

Then he finished on a pragmatic note, like the veteran he is: "If sex is an excuse, it's a bad excuse." Lastly (regarding the game on Sunday, not sex): "When it's time to play, let's go play."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Wild sign 51-year old goaltender

The Associated Press, Nov. 23, 2011

Paul Deutsch's pals in his recreational hockey league needed to find a replacement goalie Wednesday night. The 51-year-old embroidery shop owner was going to be suiting up for another team: The NHL's Minnesota Wild.

The Wild signed Deutsch to an amateur tryout contract to serve as an emergency backup to starter Josh Harding for Wednesday's game against the Nashville Predators.

“Actually giving up my Wednesday night game,” Deutsch said. “We play at Bloomington Ice Gardens at 9:45 p.m. till they turn the lights off. Tonight's the night. I can't make it.”

Deutsch was signed after Niklas Backstrom was declared out for personal reasons.

Matt Hackett was recalled from Houston, but his flight wasn't scheduled to land in the Twin Cities until about 6:30 p.m. and, with the holiday traffic, Minnesota couldn't take any chances of being short a goaltender.

Deutsch's improbable shot at playing in an NHL game ended almost as quickly as it started, though. Hackett arrived at the arena just before the 7 p.m. game time and Deutsch was scratched.

Wearing a pair of former Wild goaltender Manny Fernandez's pads, Deutsch participated in pre-game warmups.

“Pretty nervous and I just want to make sure I don't do anything stupid,” Deutsch said. “Stay out of their way and do what I'm supposed to do, give Harding a break when he needs one and let the guys fire away.”

Deutsch's signing was not as unlikely as it seems for someone who last played in a competitive league in 1978, when he was a junior varsity defenceman for Minneapolis Roosevelt High School.

He is a good friend of former Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey and has been used as a fill-in goalie at Minnesota practices.

And because of NHL rules, the Wild wasn't allowed to sign a goaltender with professional experience. Deutsch's amateur tryout contract fit within the rules.

“It's very nervous,” Deutsch said. “Practice is one thing. I have to tell you the game faces are on. I don't see that very often with these guys. At practice it's calm, laughing and ha-has. Game day is different.”

Deutsch runs a screen printing and embroidery store in a St. Paul suburb and plays recreational hockey. He didn't even start playing goalie until he was 37.

“When you play senior men's hockey and there is no goalie, there is no game,” Deutsch said. “That's how I started. I was tired of coming into the room and saying ‘Oh rats, there aren't two goalies.’ Guys would literally go home. So I said, ”You know what, I'm going to play.“

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Men coaching women a balancing act

Danny Rode, Red Deer Advocate, November 19, 2011

When Trevor Keeper took over as head coach of the RDC Queens hockey team this season, he was stepping into a new world.

He is coaching women for the first time. And while he wasn’t about to change his coaching philosophy, he knew he couldn’t go in with his eyes and mind closed to the new challenges.

“Personally my coaching philosophy and psychology is the same as with the boys — they’re elite athletes and they want to be treated the same. They want to be taught and work on relationships and team building,” he said. “But there are some subtle differences. Little things can be demanding. If you’re too hard on them they take it more personally than male athletes. The boys may hold a grudge, but they want to go out and prove you wrong and will perform, while the girls take it a little more personally.

“They’ll take feedback if it’s constructive, but you can’t make them feel they’re at fault.”

Longtime RDC Queens volleyball head coach and Alberta Sports Hall of Fame member Cor Ouwerkerk knows what Keeper is talking about.

Ouwerkerk took over as the Queens head coach in 1974 and coached full time until 1999, when Talbot Walton took over. Ouwerkerk is the winningest coach in Canadian colleges women’s volleyball history and was the only coach to win a national title outside of Quebec between 1978 and 2007. The Queens won gold in 1984 in Quebec and won seven silver and four bronze medals in other trips to the nationals.

“I remember the first tournament we went to after I took over, we finished in last place,” said Ouwerkerk. “Later that week at practice, I got the message that the players weren’t happy with that. I asked them if they wanted to work like the men and they all said yes.

“They wanted to work hard and they never complained. They learned quickly and played as a team, more so than the men, who always had one, two or three guys who were more interested in their stats. The girls worked hard as a team and complained less.”

Ouwerkerk found it easy to motivate the players as long as he gave them appropriate direction.

“Overall, they were more self-motivated than the men,” said Ouwerkerk, who coached men for two years at SAIT and four years at RDC before taking over the women’s program.

“But the main thing was you can’t be a bully type coach. You have to be democratic and when you emphasize the negative, there has to be a positive reinforcement. You give credit where credit is due, but you also have to be honest with that. You can’t be positive all the time. You overdo it and it becomes meaningless.”

Keeper knows that the relationships on the team are an important aspect in team building.

“The importance of relationships and team cohesion are important at any level, but more so with the girls,” he said. “I find that the girls don’t want to step up at times in case it may offend someone else. Sometimes guys can execute and perform even if they’re not getting along 100 per cent, but the girls’ relationships off the ice relate directly to how well they play. That’s something that’s interesting to me.”

But Keeper is excited above the challenge.

“Definitely. It’s a new challenge I need as a coach,” he said. “(Assistant coaches) Erik (Lodge) and Brandon (Cote) and myself have always coached boys and we saw right away how coachable the girls are in terms of team systems and individual skills. They ask more questions than guys and if you teach them something that will make them better, they’re quick to apply it.

“Guys rely on their athleticism and cut corners. If you teach the girls something, you can see them trying to do it right away, whereas guys you have to reinforce it more before it shows in a game.”

Notre Dame Cougars volleyball head coach Chris Wandler has been involved in coaching girls since he got out of high school in 1989. He coached junior high after high school, but did coach the boys at Notre Dame after graduating from university in 2000. He got back into coaching the girls in 2008, but has always been involved with the club and provincial girls’ teams.

“I’ve always been a teacher at heart and I found with women they love to learn and you see the benefits of that learning and I like that in athletes. The guys seem to be focused on the results while the girls were focused on the process, which drew me into it.”

Wandler, who has spent nine years as an assistant coach with the Queens, will add to his repertoire next year when he takes over as head coach of the Olds College women’s volleyball team.

“It’s new and exciting,” he said. “It’s a challenge in starting a program from scratch and recruiting the type of athletes that fit my systems. The time I spent with Talbot and the Queens enabled me to get a grasp on the type of skills needed to play at the college level and the mental training needed to play at the elite level. They execute at a higher level and are advanced physically and more mature.

“But you’re also still teaching.”

Wandler believes women are closing the gap on the men when it comes to athleticism.

“Their athleticism has come a long way in the last 10 years,” he said. “The opportunity to train is better and they’re starting to close the gap. I know the girls want to do well and have the motivation and drive to be their best.”

Ouwerkerk always set team goals, sometimes higher than what you’d expect.

“We set high goals, which forced us to work that much harder,” he said. “The main thing I always tried to do was to be honest. You don’t over emphasize the positive, but not the negative either.

“I always had a saying that ‘You might play like an idiot but you’re not an idiot. You’re a good young lady and it bothers me when you play like an idiot’.”

Ouwerkerk said the players came to him with more issues than the men.

“When there was tough situations I always thought about it a day or two to make sure to find the right solution.”

Keeper hasn’t been around long enough to see everything, but he does realize players at the college level are mature enough to handle a lot of situations.

“At this level they have been through the minors and understand what commitment is needed. It’s six days a week and they have to balance their time between hockey and school.

“All we ask is that they put in a full effort to get better. Not to just put in the time, but put in quality time and to improve as a group week to week.”

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Caps? Brooks Laich ready, willing and able
Count on versatile center to get job done for Washington

Stephen Whyno, The Washington Times, November 24, 2011

At 19 years old, Brooks Laich had to choose a path. Playing in juniors for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, Laich?s coach, Dean Chynoweth, told him to make a decision.

?I could either be a 100-point American League hockey player, or a 50-to-60-point NHL hockey player,? Laich recalled. ?He said, ?You make the choice.? ?

When Laich saw Chynoweth last year, he gave him a signed jersey with a simple message: ?This jersey wouldn?t have been possible without you.?

It?s hard to put a number on how valuable that moment was ? maybe $27 million, the amount on the six-year contract the Washington Capitals signed Laich to last offseason.

Laich has said that he doesn?t play for the money, and his story about misplacing checks in his trunk and line going into free agency that ?Saskatchewan is a pretty cheap place to live,? makes the talk easy to believe.

And even though Laich?s mind isn?t on his money, that doesn?t mean he didn?t warrant the deal.

Laich won?t score 30 goals or pile up 100 points; he has never put up more than 59 points in NHL career. But he?ll earn $6 million this season, his seventh, largely for his ability to do so many things so well.

?I take a great deal of pride in being able to be on the ice in every situation,? Laich said. ?I never want the coach to look down the bench and say, ?OK, in this situation, I can?t put him on.? So it?s something I work hard at.?

Making of Laich

Laich, 28, learned the value of work ethic as part of a humble upbringing in Wawota, Saskatchewan, from parents Harold and Jane. But he became Brooks Laich the hockey player thanks to Chynoweth.

Laich knew how to score, putting up 103 points in 57 games in midget AAA hockey a few years earlier. But he stepped back and thought about it what his coach was saying, and it all clicked.

?I had to learn how to kill penalties, I had to learn how to pick up assignments, chip pucks out, do little things ? learn the game more than just the offensive side of it,? Laich said. ?It?s advice that I?ve never forgot, that I?m very thankful for, and it actually amazes me how spot-on he was.?

Laich always jokes with Chynoweth that he?s going to run the New York Islanders? defense, the unit his old coach is in charge of now. But he remains eternally grateful for the priceless words.

?That was a major point in my life that determined my career path,? Laich said.

All-around hockey player

Laich did just what Chynoweth said, making Canada?s world junior team and becoming a second-round pick of the Ottawa Senators. George McPhee pulled off what turned out to be a heist by getting Laich for the past-his-prime Peter Bondra in February 2004.

Laich just appears to be hitting his prime now, blossoming into a complete player. He?s a natural center but has been able to adjust to left wing and right wing. Recently, he was even used as a defenseman when injuries crippled the Capitals on the blue line.

He?s happy to do it whatever he?s asked.

?I love it. I don?t know why I love it. But I do,? Laich said. ?It?s something that keeps it interesting for me; you never fall into just a solid routine where maybe you get complacent with this or that. The game?s always changing, you?re always learning. ? I think it helps you learn a lot more about the game, which ultimately makes you a better player.?

Karl Alzner flashed a wide smile when talking about Laich the defenseman and his new appreciation for defense. Forwards and defensemen constantly rib each other about their positions, but now Laich knows how the other half plays.

?I think when he signed his contract, they had no idea he was going to play defense,? right wing Troy Brouwer quipped. ?I don?t think we need to worry about that. It?s not a regular thing ? you pay D-men to play D, not forwards to play D.?

But the Capitals pay Laich to do everything, which includes blocking shots, backchecking and scoring. He said his role depends on the game and the situation. If his team is down 3-1, he knows his job is to score; if his team is up 3-1, he switches into defensive mode.

?Sometimes I have to sacrifice my personal goals of maybe trying to get an offensive chance or whatever, because you understand consequence and you understand the moment in the game,? he said.

Label-less leader

Laich doesn?t wear a ?C? or ?A? on his chest. Those honors belong to Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble.

But anyone who thinks Laich isn?t a leader doesn?t know the Caps and doesn?t know him. Assistant coach Dean Evason called him ?an extension of the coaching staff? ? a player who can take messages to the group at-large with the certainty they?ll get through.

Some players are better leaders without a label, and that?s Laich.

?He just goes out, plays hard every night, practices hard every day, he trains hard,? Evason said. ?He does all the right things, says all the right things.?

Seemingly equal parts vocal and example, in a room full of players who have had varying levels of individual and team-oriented success, Laich fits in perfectly.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Tom Thompson: Mario Lemieux comeback still greatest of all-time
Mario Lemieux had 690 goals and 1,723 points in 915 career NHL games.

Tom Thompson, The Hockey News, 2011-11-26

Like all hockey fans, I was thrilled by Sidney Crosby's comeback to the NHL. I have witnessed some of the frustrations encountered by world-class athletes as they try to recover from the effects of concussions. They must hurdle many obstacles before they can spy light at the end of the tunnel. In typical Crosby fashion he "shot the lights out" in his return game, registering two goals and two assists, and deserves all the credit he has received.

All of it, that is, until one specific comparison was made. Some commentators compared this comeback to the one made by Mario Lemieux two nights after Christmas in 2000. By any objective standard, there is no comparison. Lemieux's comeback was the most remarkable feat of its kind in my lifetime. All others must play second fiddle.


Crosby is 24 years old. His last game before his injury took place slightly less than 11 months prior to Monday night's game. Although Crosby has had some groin problems in the past, he has suffered no major injuries requiring surgery. The concussion was the first major roadblock in his NHL career.


Lemieux was 35 years old at the time of his comeback. People have a hard time believing me when I point out that more than 44 months elapsed between the time of his "retirement" in April, 1997 and his comeback in December of 2000. Prior to that time, he had played 12 seasons in the NHL. He missed major portions of three seasons with a back injury that required surgery. Unfortunately, infection developed following the surgery that delayed his recovery. He also missed a considerable part of another season undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's disease. His body was ravaged to the point where he sat out the entire 1994-95 season. His first comeback actually took place in the fall of 1995 when he played two more seasons, winning the scoring championship and being named to the first all-star team both years and winning another Hart Trophy as MVP of the league. When he retired in the spring of 1997, it truly looked like the end of the road for Mario. The big guy had squeezed every ounce of performance from his body.


Crosby's comeback was eagerly anticipated by the hockey world. Fans had agonized with him at each stage of his recovery. Debates ensued about the forms of treatment and there were always rumors about the projected date of the comeback as well as any setbacks on the road.


Lemieux's comeback stunned the hockey world. Until the last few days prior to his comeback game, there were not even rumors of what was to take place. He had periodically worked out with the team of which he was now part owner, but few people foresaw the seriousness of his intentions.

Crosby is undoubtedly focused on returning to his position atop the hockey world. Debates concerning his abilities compared to those of such players as Alex Ovechkin can rage long into the night, but at the top of his game, Crosby does not have to take a back seat to any other hockey player. A comeback to any level of status below the top of the hockey mountain will not be judged as successful.

At the time of Lemieux?s comeback, the hockey world realized standing atop the hockey mountain was not a realizable goal for him. Playing at a respectable level where he would not tarnish his previous reputation was ambitious enough. Hockey fans remained nervous throughout his second comeback that the next collision or twist could end his career for good. Over the next five seasons, Mario played just 170 games as he encountered two serious hip injuries before retiring for good in January of 2006 at the age of 40. During this time, he scored a remarkable 229 points and captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2002 Olympics where he scored six points in five games.

Go get them, Sidney! The hockey world definitely needs all of its marquee performers going at full throttle. All fans of the game admire your dogged determination in pursuing your comeback. But be fair to Sidney. Let his exploits on the ice rank him with the greatest of all-time. Lemieux performed the greatest comeback of all time. This is not challenged.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Before I made it: Jason Garrison
Jason Garrison leads all NHL defensemen with eight goals.

With Kevin Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2011-11-26

I went though all the levels from house league to AAA in Aldergrove, B.C. That was when I had the best time in minor hockey. I remember I was in either atom or peewee and we won the league championship and that was for sure the highlight of my young career.

I had some great coaches growing up. One guy I remember was John Blessman. He played professional hockey and he was our idol – he was the guy we all wanted to be like because he could shoot the puck hard and he was big. Whenever he spoke everyone listened.

My parents were also really involved. They drove me to the rink and got me the equipment when I needed it. I actually still have one of those Gretzky Easton aluminums back at home. I remember never wanting to break that stick. I remember using those until the bitter end and it was all cracked on the bottom and stuff.

When I was younger I collected hockey cards and was into roller blading and skateboarding. These days I still like to be outdoors, but I prefer golf and camping and more relaxing activities to pass the time like reading. I was big into the Dan Brown books and a lot of guys read on the road so you kind of just pick up on what other guys are reading and try it. It`s a nice escape.

At times I thought it was a long shot to make it to the NHL because I was a late-bloomer and I honestly didn't think I was going to make it as far as I have. That?s the reason I went to school. Somewhere down the road I wouldn't mind being a strength and conditioning coach for a pro team, just to keep me around the guys and stay involved in hockey.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

The Canadian who saved the Dallas Stars

JAMES MIRTLE AND DAVID EBNER, Globe and Mail, Nov. 25, 2011

Only two hours before Tom Gaglardi was to be officially introduced as the new owner of the Dallas Stars this week, he walked into the team?s dressing room and spoke for the first time to the players themselves.

His message was simple, but it was one the Stars had waited more than two years to hear.

?The uncertainty?s over,? Gaglardi told them. ?I?m here and you?ll get my full support.?

Then he asked for their help.

Later that night, with their new Canadian benefactor looking on, Dallas won for the first time in nearly two weeks, beating the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-1. Two days later, the Stars put together an impressive comeback against the Los Angeles Kings, taking out one of the better teams in their conference in overtime to remain among the playoff teams in the West.

It might have been only two wins, but for a Stars team that has missed the playoffs three seasons in a row, they were part of a surprising 13-8 start for a franchise with the NHL?s fourth lowest payroll and second worst attendance.

And Gaglardi?s arrival, after two years of bankruptcy court proceedings, has played a role in that on-ice success.

?He just brings stability,? said Stars defenceman Stephane Robidas, who has been through the franchise?s highs and lows going back to 2002. ?Not having an owner, there?s always this uncertainty. We knew the team wasn?t going to move, we weren?t in a situation like Phoenix is and like Atlanta and all those teams. We know it?s a good market. But just to have a passionate owner, it?s a great thing.?

Passion won?t be a problem for Gaglardi, a self-described hockey nut with pockets almost as deep as they come in the NHL.

The 43-year-old president of Northland Properties, Gaglardi runs a hotel and restaurant empire that has made the Vancouver-based family ? headed by Tom?s father, Bob ? the 39th richest in Canada and fifth richest in B.C.

Reclamation projects are nothing new for the Gaglardis, either, as they?ve been through a near-bankruptcy in the 1980s before amassing a net worth of $1.6-billion with a series of smart business decisions.

The family?s main assets consist of 145 restaurants (mainly Moxie?s and Denny?s), 45 hotels (Sandman chain) and the WHL?s Kamloops Blazers, a team Gaglardi bought for $7-million in 2007 with NHL players and alums Mark Recchi, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla and Darryl Sydor.

In Dallas, Gaglardi has already helped to bring some good vibrations to a market that for years was considered the NHL?s shining success story in the U.S. sunbelt.

Step 1 was to rehire Jim Lites as team president, bringing back the man who helped lead the business side of the franchise?s growth in the early years after arriving from Minnesota.

Step 2 was reassuring players and fans that Gaglardi would spend enough to win, putting success on the ice and at the gate above the type of bean counting that has hurt the franchise the past few years under troubled former owner Tom Hicks.

?This isn?t a franchise that?s never been up,? Gaglardi said in an interview with The Globe and Mail this week. ?It?s been up for most of its existence, and it lost its way in the last three years.?

Gaglardi?s connection to NHL players via the Blazers, meanwhile, has proved important in the early days in Dallas. When his name first began to surface in ownership talks, Stars players Vernon Fiddler and Michael Ryder spoke with former teammates Doan and Recchi and came back with optimistic scouting reports on just who this Gaglardi fellow was.

?All we?ve heard is positive things,? Robidas said.

Robidas added that what he finds the most encouraging is Gaglardi?s passion for hockey, something Hicks lacked and that may have had a role in the franchise essentially being abandoned the last two years.

There are also similarities between the situation with the Blazers and the Stars, as the junior team that was a dynasty throughout the 1980s and early ?90s before fading away has slowly been rebuilt the past few years.

His partners credit Gaglardi for Kamloops? rise in the standings.

?I think he?s going to be incredible for the NHL,? Doan said. ?The four of us, we?ve all learned so much from him and just enjoyed being around him. He loves the sport so much ? and he?s someone who makes everyone around him feel comfortable and want to be better.?

?The league?s lucky to have him,? added Recchi, who many believe is in line for a hockey ops role with the Stars.

Doan added that Gaglardi has been talking about his dream of owning an NHL team for a long time, something he first pursued in a failed bid for the Vancouver Canucks that turned into a high-profile court battle.

By 2009, Gaglardi had turned his attention to Dallas, where he has family connections ? he refers to himself as ?half-Texan? given his mother grew up in nearby Longview ? and sees an opportunity to bring the fans back by giving them something to cheer for.

He knows the numbers ? including all the sellouts not long ago ? and has seen the long row of banners in the rafters at the American Airlines Center that ends suddenly in 2005-06.

?It?s tough for a fan to get excited about a team owned by 40 banks and going through bankruptcy,? Gaglardi said. ?To commit [their] time and money? Now we have certainty, and we?re stable. We?ve stated ?We?re here to build a winner.?

?This market is too good for me not to get involved.?

*****

Big number: 10,648

Average number of fans per game for the Dallas Stars this season, second last in the NHL and ahead of only the Phoenix Coyotes. Dallas had announced crowds of 17,215 fans a game as recently as two years ago.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Boudreau's row with Ovechkin cost him his job

Tim Wharnsby, CBC Sports, November 28, 2011

The season had been going along magnificently for Bruce Boudreau.

His fifth season behind the Washington Capitals bench began with seven wins in a row. Then after a couple of difficult losses in Western Canada to the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, the Capitals returned home to score, what was considered at the time, a monumental come-from-behind 5-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks in overtime.

You may remember that game. Boudreau wanted to show superstar Alex Ovechkin and his fellow countryman Alexander Semin who was boss this season. And he did. Boudreau didn't like the way the not-so-great eight had been playing, so with his team down a goal he benched Ovechkin late in regulation time and kept his seat planted for the first handful of shifts in extra time.

Ovechkin was not happy. He uttered two words that began with the letter 'F.' The first word was fat, and this outburst toward his overweight coach was shown on highlight shows around North America.

Boudreau's ploy worked to perfection that night. The Capitals tied the game late and won in overtime with Ovechkin on the ice.

After that, however, Ovechkin pouted. He scored only three times in the next 12 games and the Capitals record was a poor 3-7-1. Boudreau had lost his team. He no longer had the support from the Capitals ownership nor general manager George McPhee.

Ovechkin is easy to blame in this episode in the firing of Boudreau. He hasn't been the same player since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Semin has been missing in action even longer. But how did the Capitals punish Semin for his indifferent play? McPhee sign him to a $6.7-million US extension last January.

Rather than stand up to Ovechkin and Semin and back Boudreau, McPhee took the easy way out and got rid of his affable coach. Yes, Boudreau is popular in media circles. He's honest and usually up-front. He's a good story because he spent so many seasons as a player and later coach in the minor pro ranks.

The bottom line, however, is that the Capitals needed to improve defensively under Boudreau in order to have some playoff success. These two rounds and out were not cutting it. Last year, McPhee stuck with Boudreau despite an eight-game losing streak in December. The Capitals rebounded to finish first in the East, but then bowed out in the second round after being swept by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There just hasn't been improvement since the Capitals went out in the first round in 2010 after winning the Presidents' Trophy. This time around, it was hard to ignore the fact that the Capitals were 29th in goals against at 3.27 and it didn't help matters that offensive defenceman Mike Green has missed significant time in the past month.

Hunter gets his shot

But McPhee decided to bring back a player from the past in Dale Hunter. He has been a candidate in the past, and now gets his shot after 10-plus seasons in junior behind the bench of the London Knights.

Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have been and will continue to be compared to each other over their careers. Crosby won with his third coach in the NHL, maybe so can Ovechkin.

There are no recent success stories of junior coaches going straight to the NHL and having success. Usually, the path traveled is like the one Stanley Cup-winning coaches like Ken Hitchcock and Mike Babcock took. They went from junior to the AHL to the NHL or at least gaining experience as an assistant coach in the NHL.

But unlike most of the coaches who went straight from junior to the NHL (Tom Renney, Peter DeBoer, George Burnett), Hunter has more than 1,400 games of NHL experience as a player. Yes, we know Brent Sutter went from junior to the NHL with plenty of NHL experience as a player, too, and has yet to make an impact at the pro level. But Hunter will have plenty of star power to work with.

In the 51-year-old Hunter, the Capitals gain a respected figure from the past. He has won at the junior level (his .766 win percentage is the best in OHL history) with a Memorial Cup title in 2004-05. He also has a history of working well with top players in London like Corey Perry, Patrick Kane and Capitals current blue-liner John Carlson.

Hunter should be good for Ovechkin. But how long will it take to get him and the other Washington malcontent in Semin playing consistently well? Hunter's first game behind the bench is against the St. Louis Blues, 7-1-2 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach. Then two nights later, in comes Crosby and the rival Pittsburgh Penguins to pay a visit.

Sometimes, timing is everything. And we'll see later this spring whether the time was right for this move.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Is Ovechkin a coach killer?

Mike Milbury, CBC Sports, November 28, 2011

Alexander Ovechkin and his sidekick Alex Semin killed their coach.

Chalk one up for the bad guys. Bruce Boudreau had no chance after he benched Ovechkin in the waning minutes of a recent game and the "Great 8" muttered an unflattering description of his coach. The clock began to tick for Boudreau at that moment and his team's recent poor play made it easy for GM George McPhee to fire the coach on Monday.

Boudreau's failing might have been in waiting too long to try to break the talented but undisciplined star. God bless him, he did try in the end, and it did him in. Whatever blame falls on the coach pales in comparison to the responsibility Ovechkin must shoulder. (I will not bother to talk Semin here. He is a lazy, overpaid talent not worthy of the time). It is time for the brilliant but playoff-challenged Ovie to grow up.

When the Caps signed Ovechkin to a ludicrously long-term contract, I am sure they expected that he would mature. He has not. And perhaps the very length of the deal as well as the dollars made him immune to change. In the light of playoff failure, of swirling rumours that his off-ice behaviour is questionable, and of his recent mediocre play, Ovechkin will now have to face up to the fact that he got the coach canned.

If he is smart, and I am very skeptical that he is, he will change. First to the room for practice. Last off the ice. Look at the video (and I don't mean Call of Duty) Stop with the goofy commercials for a while. Try a move other than cutting across the middle from the off-wing. Study the power play and opposing defences. Keep shifts to a minute or less. And don't be seen in a bar until the season is over.

For Dale Hunter's sake, I hope Ovechkin gets it. For every fan's sake, I hope he gets it. If not, he will become a serial coach killer and the Caps will be trapped with a fatally flawed captain and team.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Hurricanes can coach Maurice, hire Muller

The Associated Press, Nov 28, 2011

The last-place Carolina Hurricanes fired coach Paul Maurice for the second time in less than a decade Monday and replaced him with former all-star Kirk Muller.

Muller begins his first NHL head coaching job with a slumping team that has made one playoff appearance since 2006 and has lost 10 of 13 games.

He was in his first season coaching the Nashville Predators' AHL affiliate in Milwaukee after spending five seasons on the Montreal Canadiens' staff. He played 19 seasons in the NHL, made six all-star teams and led the Canadiens to their most recent Stanley Cup in 1993.

"It's very simple: you've got to get guys to believe in the system," Muller said. "You've got to get them to believe in being accountable for each other. And if you can come every night and you create that culture, and you give them something, a way to believe in how they play and why you're going to win that night, I think that's what players want."

Carolina dropped to 8-13-4 following Sunday night's 4-3 loss at Ottawa, its third in a row. The Hurricanes are 14th in the Eastern Conference — but only five points out of the No. 8 spot — and play Southeast Division leader Florida on Tuesday night to begin a three-game homestand.

"You certainly don't give up on the season at this point in time, and as bad as we've been over the last five weeks or six weeks, we're really not far out of being in the thick of things," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "A new coach can't come in and just put his new system in in a morning skate and all of a sudden make things better.

"We may win tomorrow night, we may not, but really what I want to see is on a consistent basis, we have that work ethic," he added. "And when we get to that consistent basis, the wins will come and they will come in streaks."

Rutherford said he began considering changing coaches roughly a month ago during the team's slow start and reached his decision following the Hurricanes' listless 4-0 loss at Montreal on Nov. 16.

Rutherford said he and Muller — whom he said was the top name on his short list — had been in contact for little over a week, and he discussed the job with Jeff Daniels, coach of the Hurricanes' AHL team in Charlotte but ultimately preferred to go outside the organization.

Not alone

Maurice became the second coach in his division to lose his job Monday. His firing was announced about 90 minutes after the Washington Capitals fired Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Dale Hunter. That means every team in the division except Tampa Bay — which hired Guy Boucher in 2010 — has changed coaches since last spring.

Maurice's assistants — Rod Brind'Amour, Dave Lewis and Tom Barrasso — were retained and will work for the 45-year-old Muller, a star centre picked behind Mario Lemieux in the 1984 NHL draft who went on to score 30 or more goals five times and post seven 70-point seasons.

He has been asked to revive a Carolina team that ranks 28th in the league in goals allowed, giving up an average of 3.24, and has one of the worst power-play units in the NHL, scoring on just 12.2 per cent of its chances with the man advantage.

"I'm just honest, straightforward," Muller said. "I believe in accountability. I believe that it's a tough league, you've got to work hard, and if everyone's accountable to each other, everyone buys into a system, it's amazing what you can accomplish."

There may be more changes ahead for the Hurricanes. Rutherford wants to add a top-six or top-nine forward and could try to deal a defenceman.

"We're a long ways away from being the team we need to be," Rutherford said.

Maurice, who helped shepherd the club's move from Hartford to North Carolina in the late 1990s, returned to the Hurricanes in December 2008 when Peter Laviolette was fired. He guided their run to the 2009 Eastern Conference final, the club's only post-season berth since they won the Cup in 2006.

Before that, they hadn't reached the playoffs since Maurice led them to the 2002 Stanley Cup final — the highlight of his first stint with the team. He was first fired by Carolina in 2003-04 following an 8-14-8-2 start.

Maurice received a three-year contract in 2009 that ran through this season. His combined record with the team was 384-391-145, and his career record of 460-457-167 includes two years with Toronto sandwiched by his stints with Carolina.

Maurice did not immediately return a text message left Monday by The Associated Press seeking comment.

Maurice holds the Hurricanes' career coaching record with 25 playoff victories. The 2009-10 team set a club record with a 14-game winless streak, last season's group finished one victory shy of making the post-season when it lost the finale on home ice and this season's team has shown virtually no consistency.

"When you put a group of guys together at the start of each season, you watch to see the team come together and to jell," Rutherford said.

"Some teams do, and some teams don't. And at this point in time, this team hasn't — for whatever reason. … From a team-concept point of view, even in years we haven't made the playoffs … we've been very fortunate with real character guys that wanted to win at all costs. And at this point in time, this group of guys don't. Haven't.

"So that's what we'll see here. Can Kirk pull these guys together and get them to step their game up? And if he can, that's good for this group."

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

[hockeygod]

Kennedy: Maurice firing a necessary move
Paul Maurice is out as the Carolina Hurricanes coach for the second time in his career.

Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News, 2011-11-28

Paul Maurice seems to have a certain shelf life as an NHL coach. Today in Carolina it expired. Maurice, who led the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup final in 2002, was fired and replaced by Kirk Muller, formerly an assistant with the Montreal Canadiens and the head coach of the American League’s Milwaukee Admirals until the hiring this morning.

Maurice had a reputation as a players’ coach with a high hockey IQ, but those credentials rarely translated into success. In 13 prior seasons as an NHL coach, his teams missed the playoffs eight times, including the past two campaigns. This is the second time he has been fired by the Hurricanes.

The allure of Maurice was his ability to capture a team’s imagination for unexpected playoff runs. In his second stint with Carolina (after an unsuccessful sojourn in Toronto), he took over the team midway through the season from Peter Laviolette and marched the Canes into the Eastern Conference final, where they fell to the Penguins.

With the Hurricanes floundering, this was definitely a move that needed to be made. Even though Muller himself is no chair-thrower, the shakeup will be good for a moribund Carolina dressing room. This is a team that features a Conn Smythe-winning goaltender in Cam Ward, a Calder Trophy winner in Jeff Skinner and a Canadian Olympian in Eric Staal, yet sits last in the Southeast Division with one of the worst records in the conference. On some nights, the Canes have looked like an AHL squad.

Staal in particular has struggled and it’s not crazy to think it stems from the fact his brother Marc has been on the shelf with post-concussion syndrome due to a hit Eric threw at the Rangers rearguard last year.

That’s one important player, but he’s not the only one flagging. Tomas Kaberle and Alexei Ponikarovsky both played under Maurice in Toronto, but the ex-Maple Leafs have done little to help the Canes night in and night out and Kaberle was even scratched over the weekend. Another free agent from the summer, Anthony Stewart, has been a press box visitor lately as well.

It may be too late to salvage this season for Carolina, but Muller is regarded as one of the brighter young minds yet to helm his own NHL team and is well-suited for the Canes, who have several high-profile youngsters still learning the ropes.

"Not knowing what it was like to be a pro, he helped me so much," said Milwaukee Admirals rookie center Michael Latta. "He's very positive, he doesn't get too down on guys. He jokes around with the guys, but he's serious, too."

While Muller's tenure with the Admirals was a short one, his NHL future was obvious to those around him.

"All the guys knew from Day 1 he wouldn't be here long," Latta said.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."

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