Poulin also coached at the college level for a decade.
The same people complaining about best in class need to ask:
- was Cooper best in class when Tbay hired him,
- Was Brindamour best in class when Car hired him,
- Was Berube best in class when StL hired him,
- Was Montgomery best in class when Dallas or Boston hired him,
- Was Bowness best in class when Wpg hired him,
- Was Bednar best in class when Col hired him,
- Was Tochett best in class when Van hired him,
- Was Sullivan best in class when Pens hired him,
- Was Cassidy best in class when Bos hired him,
- Was Keefe best in class when Tor hired him,
- Was Gallant best in class when Florida hired him?
There are some guys like DeBoer, Maurice, Laviolette, McLellan and Tortorella who have been around forever, and are still top candidates, but alot of "best in class" guys are either only fairly recently considered such, or have been with the team that brought them into the league the entire time. It begs the question, do you really get best in class coaching by going with a guy established as such, or do you get if by finding a candidate that suits your needs, and have them develop that reputation by winning with you?