Bruno Sucks - The Coaching Thread

[Legionnaire11]

I actually don't know how Brunette got hired in the first place. His only other head coaching experience was with the Panthers during a season in which Q was let go early and Brunette was promoted as interim and ran Q's system. Sure the Panthers were good that year, but it's telling that they didn't bring him back. Now in Nashville he's had a chance to run his own system and outside of one outlier streak, it's proven to be a dud. Yet Trotz is willing to firmly cement his own GM tenure to this guy?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Brunette is probably a "hockey-talkin'" guy who could have been a successful used-car salesman?

Barry is kind of that too. Based on all his media clips so far.

I guess if two guys like that get together, they can just "vibe" off eachother or something? Brunette is probably just a "hockey talkin' guy"...

 

[Preds Partisan]

I actually don't know how Brunette got hired in the first place. His only other head coaching experience was with the Panthers during a season in which Q was let go early and Brunette was promoted as interim and ran Q's system. Sure the Panthers were good that year, but it's telling that they didn't bring him back. Now in Nashville he's had a chance to run his own system and outside of one outlier streak, it's proven to be a dud. Yet Trotz is willing to firmly cement his own GM tenure to this guy?

I don't know why either of the last two coaches got hired, but I wish they hadn't.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I don't know why either of the last two coaches got hired, but I wish they hadn't.

Tbh, I think Hynes was a "hockey-talkin' guy" too. He and Brunette both seem like guys who think they have it all figured out and are able to project a gung-ho attitude and confidence in their wondrous visions.

It would be nice if our management had a little bit of ability to discern any holes in that kind of projection?

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I actually don't know how Brunette got hired in the first place. His only other head coaching experience was with the Panthers during a season in which Q was let go early and Brunette was promoted as interim and ran Q's system. Sure the Panthers were good that year, but it's telling that they didn't bring him back. Now in Nashville he's had a chance to run his own system and outside of one outlier streak, it's proven to be a dud. Yet Trotz is willing to firmly cement his own GM tenure to this guy?

Would have to troll back through the discussion a few years back but seemed to remember a bit of optimism/excitement because he managed the part season in Florida and won President's Trophy and their first series win in a decade, then assisted with the Devils for a bit and was believed to have been a help in developing/unlocking some of their young offensive players.

 

[Armourboy]

I think Brunette is probably a good assistant, but he needs someone to filter the stupid out as a head coach.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I think Brunette is probably a good assistant, but he needs someone to filter the stupid out as a head coach.

I also find it just weird how his lineup decisions seem to run counter to his own gameplan? He wants defensemen to skate and pinch, he wants attacking with speed, etc... but instead of using some of our better-skating young assets who might be able to execute that game better (or at least be able to learn to over time), he chooses the older grinders and filler type D who can't. It's not all just Trotz handing him those players. It seems like Brunette has ample leeway for lineup decisions and distributing icetime within games, and he STILL chooses to use the grinders. The whole situation is just weird. Especially when we saw it just repeated over and over and over again all season and never get any better or changed up. Usually when something is so clearly Not Working, changes are made.

 

[Kat Predator]

I also find it just weird how his lineup decisions seem to run counter to his own gameplan? He wants defensemen to skate and pinch, he wants attacking with speed, etc... but instead of using some of our better-skating young assets who might be able to execute that game better (or at least be able to learn to over time), he chooses the older grinders and filler type D who can't. It's not all just Trotz handing him those players. It seems like Brunette has ample leeway for lineup decisions and distributing icetime within games, and he STILL chooses to use the grinders. The whole situation is just weird. Especially when we saw it just repeated over and over and over again all season and never get any better or changed up. Usually when something is so clearly Not Working, changes are made.

Perfect match though. Blockhead and Blockheader. GM who can't evaluate things because he's never wrong and HC who can't change anything because he's never wrong.

 

[glenngineer]

I also find it just weird how his lineup decisions seem to run counter to his own gameplan? He wants defensemen to skate and pinch, he wants attacking with speed, etc... but instead of using some of our better-skating young assets who might be able to execute that game better (or at least be able to learn to over time), he chooses the older grinders and filler type D who can't. It's not all just Trotz handing him those players. It seems like Brunette has ample leeway for lineup decisions and distributing icetime within games, and he STILL chooses to use the grinders. The whole situation is just weird. Especially when we saw it just repeated over and over and over again all season and never get any better or changed up. Usually when something is so clearly Not Working, changes are made.

What the GM says and what the coach does are the complete opposite. I remember hearing Trotz say we need to work the younger guys into the lineup more and Brunette kept playing McCarron and Smith 17 minutes a night. You're playing guys who aren't part of the future to the detriment of the young guys who will be.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

What the GM says and what the coach does are the complete opposite. I remember hearing Trotz say we need to work the younger guys into the lineup more and Brunette kept playing McCarron and Smith 17 minutes a night. You're playing guys who aren't part of the future to the detriment of the young guys who will be.

Trotz definitely sold us that line. But I don't think he even believed in it himself. He could have imposed it. He didn't have to liquidate some of the younger assets the way he did. So tbh, I believe his thinking is actually a lot more closely aligned with Brunette's on that front than his early days words might have suggested. He fooled us, yes he did. But now we know.

 

[glenngineer]

Trotz definitely sold us that line. But I don't think he even believed in it himself. He could have imposed it. He didn't have to liquidate some of the younger assets the way he did. So tbh, I believe his thinking is actually a lot more closely aligned with Brunette's on that front than his early days words might have suggested. He fooled us, yes he did. But now we know.

He was saying this throughout the season and that's the frustrating part for me. He'd say, yeah, we need to get the young guys more time and then Brunette did the opposite. I was like, do these guys actually speak with one another?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

He was saying this throughout the season and that's the frustrating part for me. He'd say, yeah, we need to get the young guys more time and then Brunette did the opposite. I was like, do these guys actually speak with one another?

I probably started tuning him out, then. The guy sure does like to talk. At first this was a refreshing change from Poile. Now we know it's all BS.

 

[ShagDaddy]

The reason that Zito didn’t keep Brunette as the head coach was Brunette’s inability to make adjustments.

Marchessault and Stamkos were both reiterating Zito’s opinion in different words in their end of season pressers.

 

[Armourboy]

I probably started tuning him out, then. The guy sure does like to talk. At first this was a refreshing change from Poile. Now we know it's all BS.

Heck he was saying it after the trade deadline and Brunette still wasn't doing it. The only reason we saw some of the younger guys get a few more minutes is because of injuries and Brunette just flat had no choice.

And other than actual answers, like he is not firing Brunette, I don't listen to a word that comes out of his mouth anymore. 90% of the time it's BS, and there is so much of it you don't really know what the 10% that isn't is anyways.

 

[GoldOnGold]

I don't know why either of the last two coaches got hired, but I wish they hadn't.

For John Hynes, the answer is depressing (link):

• He was teammates and roommates with assistant general manager Jeff Kealty at Boston University.
• Poile said Hynes came highly recommended by Devils GM Ray Shero, who worked for the Predators from 1998 to 2006, and assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, who was the Predators’ first captain.

Also, while trying to verify the above, found this old reddit thread on when Hynes was hired: link.

 

[Armourboy]

For John Hynes, the answer is depressing (link):

• He was teammates and roommates with assistant general manager Jeff Kealty at Boston University.
• Poile said Hynes came highly recommended by Devils GM Ray Shero, who worked for the Predators from 1998 to 2006, and assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald, who was the Predators’ first captain.

Also, while trying to verify the above, found this old reddit thread on when Hynes was hired: link.

Still blows my mind why you take a recommendation from a guy who just fired him

 

[hockey diva]

It seems to be about who you know rather than what you know with our hockey ops.

 

[NSH615]

It seems to be about who you know rather than what you know with our hockey ops.

Unfortunately that's the case for alot of jobs regardless of industry.