This is the first part of my look at the Montreal Canadiens upcoming playoff series with Lada Togliatti. In this writing I look at the coaching matchup. I will also be doing write-ups on the goalie, defense, and forward matchups in the next day or two in anticipation of Thursday's vote.
Coaching
Jacques Lemaire has been an NHL head coach for 15 years. During that time his teams have finished …,
In first place in their division four times
In second place in their division three times
In third place in their division twice
In fourth place in their division once
Six times in his coaching career Jacques Lemaire has had his team’s miss the playoffs.
And while Lemaire has been praised for his defensive, trapping style it has been his team’s inability to produce even an average offensive attack that has been his undoing more seasons than not. During his fifteen year career as a coach only two of his team’s finished above the league median in regular season goal scoring; the 1993-94 New Jersey Devils and the 1997-98 Devils.
Further compounding the offensive problems was that a Jacques Lemaire coached team has never increased its goal scoring once the playoffs started.
1983-84 – 3.58 goals per game, 2.8 goals per playoff game
1984-85 – 3.86 goals per game, 3.58 goals per playoff game
1993-94 - 3.64 goals per game, 2.6 goals per playoff game
1994-95 - 2.83 goals per game, 2.8 goals per playoff game
1996-97 - 2.81 goals per game, 2.6 goals per playoff game
1997-98 - 2.74 goals per game, 2 goals per playoff game
2002-03 – 2.41 goals per game, 2.39 goals per playoff game
2006-07 – 2.87 goals per game, 1.8 goals per playoff game
2007-08 – 2.72 goals per game, 2 goals per playoff game
Now on the other end of the ice his defense has always been full value, especially in the following years.
1983-84 coached the Canadiens to the semi-finals.
Scored 3.58 goals per game, 2.8 goals per playoff game
Allowed 3.69 goals per game, 2.13 goals per playoff game
While the Habs goals scoring dropped, it was their goals against, of more than a goal-and-a-half better in the playoffs that propelled them that spring to within two games of the final.
1993-94 coached the Devils to the semi-finals.
Scored 3.64 goals per game, 2.6 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.62 goals per game allowed, 2.45 goals per game allowed
One has to wonder if the Devils could have won the Cup that year if they could have stemmed their one goal drop in the post-season.
1994-95 coached the Devils to a Stanley Cup championship.
Scored 2.83 goals per game, 2.8 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.52 goals per game allowed, 1.7 goals per game allowed
This is the closest a Lemaire coached New Jersey team came to maintaining their regular season goal scoring and coincidentally it’s his only Cup winner. Furthermore the Devils never tightened up their defense more in a post season under Lemaire. As a side note it would also be the last time a Lemaire coached team allowed on average less goals in the post season than it had in the regular season. In the next five playoff seasons, the goals against average rose in the post season.
2002-03 coached the Wild to the semi-finals.
Scored 2.41 goals per game, 2.39 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.17 goals per game allowed, 2.33 goals per game allowed
The Wild walked a tightrope in this particular post season, winning two seven game series by the slimmest of margins. However, in the conference final the Wild could only score one goal in the four-game series setting an inglorious league post-season record. Ironically, the coach who bested Lemaire in that post-season sweep was Mike Babcock.
……
So in four years out of a fifteen-year career Jacques Lemaire has enjoyed a successful post season. As we have stated before in six other years his team failed to qualify for the playoffs, including the year after winning the Cup in New Jersey. That leaves us with the following five post-seasons.
1984-85 coached the Canadiens to a first place finish in the Adams Division (sixth overall), lost to the Quebec Nordiques (finished 3 points behind Montreal in the regular season) in the second round.
Scored 3.86 goals per game, 3.58 goals per playoff game
Allowed 3.28 goals per game allowed, 3.42 goals per game allowed
A gap between goals for and goals against on average dropped from .58 to an uncomfortably close .16 as the Habs goals against rose in the post season while their goal scoring slightly dropped.
1996-97 coached the Devils to a first place finish in the Atlantic Division (second overall), lost to the New York Rangers (finished 18 points behind New Jersey in the regular season) in the second round.
Scored 2.81 goals per game, 2.6 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.22 goals per game allowed, 2.3 goals per game allowed
Similar story to the 1985 Canadiens and a similar result.
1997-98 coached the Devils to a first place finish in the Atlantic Division (second overall), lost to the Ottawa Senators (finished 24 points behind New Jersey in the regular season) in the first round.
Scored 2.74 goals per game, 2 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.02 goals per game allowed, 2.16 goals per game allowed
The Devils lack of scoring was never more pronounced in this series where with the exception of Doug Gilmour’s seven points and Steve Thomas’ three points, no New Jersey player had more than 2 points in the six-game series.
Just for the record the Ottawa goalie was Damian Rhodes and the Senators defense consisted of Igor Kravchuk, Janne Laukkanen, Jason York, Chris Phillips (19 years old), Wade Redden (20 years old), Lance Pitlick, and Stan Neckar. In six games, the Devils scored 12 goals on this group.
2006-07 coached the Wild to a second place finish in the Northwest Division (eleventh overall), lost to the Anaheim Ducks (finished six points ahead of Minnesota in the regular season) in the first round.
Scored 2.87 goals per game, 1.8 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.33 goals per game allowed, 2.4 goals per game allowed
While the Wild were able to maintain a solid goals against it was the loss of almost a goal scored per game that would prove to be their undoing. Anaheim would go on to win the Cup becoming only the second team to beat a Lemaire coached team on their way to capturing the Cup.
2007-08 coached the Wild to a first place finish in the Northwest Division (seventh overall), lost to the Colorado Avalanche (finished three points behind Minnesota in the regular season) in the first round.
Scored 2.72 goals per game, 2 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.66 goals per game allowed, 2.83 goals per game allowed
Once again, a Lemaire coached team was unable to offset a drop in post season goal-scoring and once again eliminated in the first round.
In closing,
Jacques Lemaire was never a consistently successful NHL head coach once the playoffs began. In 1994 the Devils made it to the semi-finals, in 1995 they won the Cup, before missing the playoffs in 1996, losing in the second round in 1997, and the first round in 1998. Also keep in mind that New Jersey was able to win 2 Cups soon after his departure just as the Canadiens did in 1986 the year after he left.
Furthermore, as a coach he tended to have problems and disagreements with his biggest offensive stars, first Guy Lafleur in Montreal and then with Marian Gaborik in Minnesota. Simply put he was a system coach who popularized the trap but seemed unwilling and unable to adjust his system to suit his personnel or changing times in the league.
In looking over his playoff record one is struck by the fact that he only had four out of fifteen seasons one could term as being successful. For a coach who prided himself on playing a defensive system it is ironic that it was his inability to exploit the opposition doing the same that quite often led to his playoff demise.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Babcock is now in his sixth season as a head coach in the NHL. During that time his teams have finished …,
In first place in their division four times
In second place in their division once
In fourth place in their division once
Only once in his career has his team failed to make the playoffs.
Unlike Lemaire who only did it twice, Babcock has had his team finish above the median in regular season goal scoring in four of his six seasons coaching. At the same time his teams have also finished above the league median in goals allowed in four of his six seasons coaching. Like Lemaire, Babcock’s team’s have been extremely good on the penalty kill finishing in the top ten four times in his six years. In addition, in four of his six season’s he has also had a top ten power-play, two of which were the league’s best.
Here are Babcock’s five playoff team’s …,
2002-03 coached the Ducks to a second place finish in the Pacific Division (eleventh overall), lost to the New Jersey Devils (finished thirteen points ahead of Anaheim in the regular season) in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Scored 2.47 goals per game, 2.14 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.35 goals per game allowed, 1.90 goals per playoff game allowed
Although Anaheim’s goals for decreased in it was exceeded by the decrease in goals against. As a side note Anaheim’s 1.90 goals per playoff game allowed was only bettered once by a Lemaire coached team; the 1994-95 Cup champion Devils.
2005-06 coached the Red Wings to a first place finish in the Central Division (first overall), lost to the Edmonton Oilers (finished twenty-nine points behind Detroit in the regular season) in the first round.
Scored 3.72 goals per game, 2.83 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.55 goals per game allowed, 3.17 goals per playoff game allowed
A decrease of almost a goal per game and an increase of half-a-goal allowed per playoff game spelled a first round upset. The fact that Edmonton made it to within a game of the Stanley Cup championship later that spring dulled the initial shock of this defeat.
2006-07 coached the Red Wings to a first place finish in the Central Division (first overall), lost to the Anaheim Ducks (finished three points behind Detroit in the regular season) in the Western Conference Finals.
Scored 3.10 goals per game, 2.67 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.43 goals per game allowed, 1.94 goals per playoff game allowed
Once again the Red Wings decrease in goals scored in the playoffs was matched by their decrease in goals allowed. This marked the second time that Babcock had lost a series to the eventual Cup champion in only his third playoff appearance.
2007-08 coached the Red Wings to a first place finish in the Central Division (first overall), and a Stanley Cup championship.
Scored 3.13 goals per game, 3.27 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.24 goals per game allowed, 1.82 goals per playoff game allowed
In last years playoffs Babcock’s team accomplished a rare feat, in that they not only decreased their goals allowed in the post season but increased their goals for. To give an idea of hard this is to do … the 1976-77 Canadiens saw their average goals scored in the playoffs drop from 4.84 to 3.92, and the 1983-84 Oilers saw their average also drop from 5.58 to 4.95.
2008-09 (in progress)
Scored 3.60 goals per game, 3.80 goals per playoff game
Allowed 2.98 goals per game allowed, 2.20 goals per playoff game allowed
Sitting only one game away from a repeat visit to the finals the Red Wings once again have lowered their goals against and amazingly increased their goals for, despite the loss of Pavel Datsyuk, a nominee this year for the Hart trophy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In looking at the two coaches resumes there are some startling similarities. Like Lemaire, Babcock has missed the playoffs the year after being in the finals and like Lemaire he has suffered an embarrassing first round exit after a first place season. As of this writing each possesses one Stanley Cup championship and both have won their division four times.
However, there are some key differences;
Lemaire – one visit to the Finals in a fifteen year NHL coaching career.
Babcock – on the verge of his third in a six year coaching career.
Lemaire – regular season winning percentage .556, playoff winning percentage .536 (interestingly enough if you remove his Cup winning season, his playoff record is four games under .500)
Babcock – regular season winning percentage .645, playoff winning percentage .659
For me the difference between Lemaire and Babcock is the latter’s willingness to adapt his methods and teachings to the team he has in front of him; something I would think would be hugely valuable in the ATD and something very apparent in the Red Wings current series against the Blackhawks. Put him alongside Bun Cook, winner of seven Calder Cup championships, as his assistant and I think you have a well rounded coaching staff.
I saw it described above where Babcock might have trouble dealing with moody Mahovlich and Kovalev. In response I would only say that he seem's to have dealt with Chris Chelios and Dominic Hasek fine.
Random quotes about Mike Babcock.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/OPINION03/806060403/1341/SPORTS0103
"He had all the ingredients to work with: Great passion, great work ethic. He has a plan -- he doesn't make it up on the fly -- and the first thing he does is he makes the team accountable." Ken Holland
http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/04/espns_lebrun_mike_babcock_wont.html
Yes, I do believe Babcock is among the very best coaches in the NHL, which is why I think he'll be coaching Team Canada in February 2010. No one will consider the fact the Wings appear to be the first Cup champion in a while to fight off the hangover (see Tampa, Carolina and Anaheim after their Cup wins) and deliver another 100-plus point season and eighth consecutive Central Division title. Pierre Lebrun
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...t-another-great-coach-who-goes-unfeted/page/2
Yesterday, Mike Babcock became the first coach in NHL history to win 50 games in the first four years with a new team. He joins Scotty Bowman, no less, as the only other coach to win 50 games four times in a row, period. Babcock displayed his coaching genius in last year’s playoffs when he sat goalie Dominik Hasek down in a 2-2 first round series. It was a bold move, predicated on the belief/hunch that Chris Osgood gave the Red Wings a better chance to win, at that moment. Babcock may have won the Stanley Cup for the Red Wings with that decision — one that very few coaches in the league would have had the cojones to make.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/615426
More than anything, however, it may come down to style. Babcock has the most offensively talented team in the league with Detroit, and they play an attractive style of attacking hockey combined with stingy defence. Canadians just want to win, first and foremost. But they won't want a team that checks and plays a passive neutral zone trap. They will want to see a squad with an all-around game that highlights the skills of Canadian players, and Babcock is the coach who best fits that job description.
http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=3bd33c66-ab22-410f-859a-dea4a4e4521e
Scotty Bowman, considered the best bench manager in hockey history, lauds Babcock for his diligent approach to the game. "He's very thorough," Bowman said. "He uses his staff well. I just think he touches all the bases all the time."