Around the League - 2023 Offseason Edition

[Ceremony]

Seems a bit odd talking about non playoff teams in the playoffs thread. If you need a catchup:

- The Flyers are a joke.
- Chicago and the NHL are a joke, but not a funny one.

Click to read more...

 

[S E P H]

AI Reimagines Mascots For All 32 NHL Teams

After doing the same thing for the NBA and NFL, former World Series of Poker final tablist Garry Gates asked AI to create mascots for all 32 NHL teams.

news.sportslogos.net

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

 

[henchman21]

AI Reimagines Mascots For All 32 NHL Teams

After doing the same thing for the NBA and NFL, former World Series of Poker final tablist Garry Gates asked AI to create mascots for all 32 NHL teams.

news.sportslogos.net

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

Blue Jackets is straight nightmare fuel

 

[Avs91]

Blue Jackets is straight nightmare fuel

Quite a few that aren't 'anything', like a bear or whatever lol but some are really good. Philly is just shaved Gritty

I'm also all for 'Nip' for the NYI.

 

[The Moops]

Big fan of the Preds one

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

I loved the Chicago one, the mascot looked as depressed as you would expect for a mascot of that shitty team.

 

[McMetal]

AI Reimagines Mascots For All 32 NHL Teams

After doing the same thing for the NBA and NFL, former World Series of Poker final tablist Garry Gates asked AI to create mascots for all 32 NHL teams.

news.sportslogos.net

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

Thanks, I hate Shaved Gritty.

 

[Gruyeriev]

I like Keith Jones. I wish Philly picked Olczyk just so I wouldn’t have to hear or see him on tv.

 

[Gruyeriev]

AI Reimagines Mascots For All 32 NHL Teams

After doing the same thing for the NBA and NFL, former World Series of Poker final tablist Garry Gates asked AI to create mascots for all 32 NHL teams.

news.sportslogos.net

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

So the Lightning is a creepy muppet of Stamkos?

 

[BaconNater]

Said it in the other thread, hope the coaches hired this year aren't the same ones just recycled.. bring back Roy

 

[Alienblood]

Patrick Roy to the Rangers ? Hmmm

 

[John Mandalorian]

Said it in the other thread, hope the coaches hired this year aren't the same ones just recycled.. bring back Roy

If you were Drury and keeping your job depended on this hire, would you hire Roy?

 

[Hennessy]

If you were Drury and keeping your job depended on this hire, would you hire Roy?

Drury or Sather or whomever. Rangers makes splashes. I legit 50% expect Roy behind the bench next season.

 

[Chiarelli]

Said it in the other thread, hope the coaches hired this year aren't the same ones just recycled.. bring back Roy

Oh so the exact thing you’re saying you don’t want

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Hire one of the best Euro coaches already. Every season worse coaches are recycled time and time again while some excellent ones overseas get nothing. It's kinda like the Euro's are soft and can't survive agenda back in the day, only on coaches.

 

[henchman21]

Hire one of the best Euro coaches already. Every season worse coaches are recycled time and time again while some excellent ones overseas get nothing. It's kinda like the Euro's are soft and can't survive agenda back in the day, only on coaches.

There will eventually be a European coach that is hired, but the reservation is less on the coaches being European as it is tactically. The game is played different on small ice. Teams don't want to take a risk on a guy whose tactics may not work as well on small ice. They'll need to cut their teeth at a lower level or as an assistant first. Sturm in Ontario having mixed results isn't helping. Guys like Jalonen and Gronborg are not going to want to start from the AHL or assistant ranks... which makes it risky to an industry that is risk averse.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

There will eventually be a European coach that is hired, but the reservation is less on the coaches being European as it is tactically. The game is played different on small ice. Teams don't want to take a risk on a guy whose tactics may not work as well on small ice. They'll need to cut their teeth at a lower level or as an assistant first. Sturm in Ontario having mixed results isn't helping. Guys like Jalonen and Gronborg are not going to want to start from the AHL or assistant ranks... which makes it risky to an industry that is risk averse.

I say it's riskier to hire an inept North American coach than it is to get Jalonen for example. Teams just don't have the balls to do it.

 

[BaconNater]

Oh so the exact thing you’re saying you don’t want

Is Roy the same as Gallant, Lavi, BB and the others?

 

[Pokecheque]

Said it in the other thread, hope the coaches hired this year aren't the same ones just recycled.. bring back Roy

I’m perfectly fine with other teams doing the same stupid things over and over again. I just don’t want the Avs to do it.

Roy wants a level of managerial control no one is willing to give him.

 

[henchman21]

I say it's riskier to hire an inept North American coach than it is to get Jalonen for example. Teams just don't have the balls to do it.

It really isn't.... look at the retreads in last year's cycle:

Monty - best regular season in history (disappointing playoffs obviously)
Cassidy - Pacific division champs, in a fight for a move to the conference finals
Maurice - playoffs, and in the midst of their best playoff run since 95-96
DeBoer - turned a non-playoff team into one that has a legit chance at a Cup
Torts - TBD... thought I'd say Philly outperformed expectations this year
Bowness - got them to the playoffs, but are the issues his or leftovers from Maurice? TBD
Quinn - IMO clear failure, but I think he sucks as a coach

So ~4/7 success... maybe arguably 5/7. Over 50% success rate though.

Now the new names:

Lalonde - TBD, but Detroit has looked to take strides
Woodcroft - Success IMO
Richardson - Failure IMO
MSL - TBD leaning to failure as a coach, individuals took some strides
Lambert - what's new is old? Worse than Trotz IMO, but team was in the murky middle.

1/5 is a success... that might get to 2/5 or 3/5 in time, but a big IF. The previous cycle is much the same story.

Teams go with re-treads because they work. Gallant will almost always give you a great first season (somewhere in years 2-4 it will fall apart). Maurice is great at getting his team to a playoff level and holding that. Ruff has a system that will almost always get a team to a high level of play (not typically enough to get a Cup though). DeBoer will get the most out of a team and his system is difficult to play against, he works his players to death though. Sullivan was a retread that got the absolute most out of the late prime Penguins.

Saying that, new blood typically has a longer lifespan if they make it past the first 2 seasons.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

It really isn't.... look at the retreads in last year's cycle:

Monty - best regular season in history (disappointing playoffs obviously)
Cassidy - Pacific division champs, in a fight for a move to the conference finals
Maurice - playoffs, and in the midst of their best playoff run since 95-96
DeBoer - turned a non-playoff team into one that has a legit chance at a Cup
Torts - TBD... thought I'd say Philly outperformed expectations this year
Bowness - got them to the playoffs, but are the issues his or leftovers from Maurice? TBD
Quinn - IMO clear failure, but I think he sucks as a coach

So ~4/7 success... maybe arguably 5/7. Over 50% success rate though.

Now the new names:

Lalonde - TBD, but Detroit has looked to take strides
Woodcroft - Success IMO
Richardson - Failure IMO
MSL - TBD leaning to failure as a coach, individuals took some strides
Lambert - what's new is old? Worse than Trotz IMO, but team was in the murky middle.

1/5 is a success... that might get to 2/5 or 3/5 in time, but a big IF. The previous cycle is much the same story.

Teams go with re-treads because they work. Gallant will almost always give you a great first season (somewhere in years 2-4 it will fall apart). Maurice is great at getting his team to a playoff level and holding that. Ruff has a system that will almost always get a team to a high level of play (not typically enough to get a Cup though). DeBoer will get the most out of a team and his system is difficult to play against, he works his players to death though. Sullivan was a retread that got the absolute most out of the late prime Penguins.

Saying that, new blood typically has a longer lifespan if they make it past the first 2 seasons.

Jalonen would be one of the better coaches in the league imo. Certainly much more deserving of the chance than someone like MSL who barely even had coaching experience. He won't get the opportunity though.

 

[henchman21]

Jalonen would be one of the better coaches in the league imo. Certainly much more deserving of the chance than someone like MSL who barely even had coaching experience. He won't get the opportunity though.

There is a decent chance he might be, but there is a risk his system, tactics, and methods of dealing with players doesn't click and it blows up. There is just a lot of unknown and risk there... whereas hiring Q, you know what you're going to get and odds are he gets you in the playoffs with upside (you just have to get Gary on board).

Frankly, Krueger set back the whole idea of European coaches back a number of years. I know he's Canadian by birth... but his hockey (and soccer) life and coaching has mainly been European. His tactics were a major failure for all to see, and until somebody takes the risk and it succeeds, the floodgates won't open.

 

[Pokecheque]

There is a decent chance he might be, but there is a risk his system, tactics, and methods of dealing with players doesn't click and it blows up. There is just a lot of unknown and risk there... whereas hiring Q, you know what you're going to get and odds are he gets you in the playoffs with upside (you just have to get Gary on board).

Frankly, Krueger set back the whole idea of European coaches back a number of years. I know he's Canadian by birth... but his hockey (and soccer) life and coaching has mainly been European. His tactics were a major failure for all to see, and until somebody takes the risk and it succeeds, the floodgates won't open.

Man I certainly HOPE guys like Jalonen and Gronborg aren't like Krueger. Ol' Ralph makes even Guy Bouchard look like Quenneville. Choked the life out of the game at every level, including the World Cup where he really started to make a name for himself.

And yeah, retreads wouldn't get retreaded unless it worked. No doubt Peter Laviolette knows he's getting another shot somewhere, that's why he bailed on Washington before they had a chance to fire him. And when the day comes for Jared Bednar to leave Colorado, he'll get a few gigs himself. It isn't until they crash and burn a few times that the offers finally dry up and/or the failure is pretty high-profile. Ron Wilson, who bounced around the league like a damn pinball, never got another sniff at an NHL job after falling out with Burke and getting axed in Toronto. Randy Carlyle, who may go down in history as the very worst coach to win a Stanley Cup, had a disastrous stint in Toronto. He limped back to Anaheim for a time but IMO the damage was done. I'd be very shocked if either ever got another shot. Both guys are 67 I believe so that as much as anything might have something to do with it...they can't all be Bones.

 

[Ceremony]

Patrick Roy is also box office and should be hired for that alone.

 

[S E P H]

Quinn - IMO clear failure, but I think he sucks as a coach

I think he's a better college coach, but him being horrible is actually good for the Sharks.