#36 ⋅ NJD @ ANA ⋅ 5:00 PM PST

[freikugel]

Completely agree. But Verbeek didn’t hire a guy like Cronin to make the Ducks more fun to watch.

That would be crazy to me as a business strategy since hockey is just entertainment and the fans are paying his check, it'd be like making an intentionally boring movie. Sure, while you may have artsy fartsy types praising it for being "deep" or finding some meaning in it that doesn't exist, the only thing deep about Cronin's coaching are the pucks every possession.

 

[Deuce22]

That would be crazy to me as a business strategy since hockey is just entertainment and the fans are paying his check, it'd be like making an intentionally boring movie. Sure, while you may have artsy fartsy types praising it for being "deep" or finding some meaning in it that doesn't exist, the only thing deep about Cronin's coaching are the pucks every possession.

What gives you the impression that Verbeek/Cronin care about a business strategy?

 

[duckaroosky]

Completely agree. But Verbeek didn’t hire a guy like Cronin to make the Ducks more fun to watch.

Then Samuelis might want to ask Verbeek to reassess that thought process because dump and chase loser hockey isn't going to put butts in the seats. This franchise won't survive an over extended rebuild. And I fear we may be in one already.

I can only speak personally but I've had very little desire in spending my discretionary income on hockey despite several friends and family saying we should go to a game. In years past I'd immediately snatch up tickets to the next home game, spend way more money on snacks/beer at the game than I care to admit, then hit up the store after the game. But this year I've yet to even go to 1 game.

Plus if other things are going in during game time that I'm invited to I don't really care if I miss the game. Where before I was like "nah, can't go, the game is on".

These past 2 games have been fun but the overall trend of shit hockey (some out of Cronins/Verbeeks/Samueli's control and some within their control) is driving good fans away.

 

[TheDarkWingThatDucks]

To be clear, I’m not a fan of a lot of things Cronin is doing. Favoring vets over young players in a rebuild, doing nothing to address the sorry PP, playing Johnston. But the reduction in shots against and penalties taken are positives. When Ducks play well and the explanation is always “the goaltending,” the critics lose me. I hope Cronin isn’t the coach moving forward because his style doesn’t fit our young talent, but he is doing what I think he was hired to do. Instill a disciplined, defense oriented system.

I’d argue favoring vets over young players is kinda the point of rebuilding. Like Dumo and Trouba were out there closing the game yesterday, should it have been Minty and helleson just for the experience, or is part of rebuilding, watching vets perform while you gain the strength, confidence, experience to be the one closing out games ?

There is definitely a balance, but I think Cronin is doing fine, and if he wasn’t doing a good job developing the players he would be fired and someone brought in to match verbeeks vision of how to develop players properly.

And clearly he is a coach, who has years of experience at multiple levels, I am sure this is not the first time the PP has struggled. But I am 100% sure If what you said true, it’s the first time him and his staff have tried ZERO things to improve it.

 

[SmokeyDuck]

The PP is what it is at this point. How many different coaches have we tried for that thing? I dont think its a coaching issue.

 

[CrazyDuck4u]

The PP is what it is at this point. How many different coaches have we tried for that thing? I dont think its a coaching issue.

It's definitely a coaching issue. They refuse to simplify it