Salary Cap: Chris MacFarland - Record as Avalanche GM (Updates In First Post)

[Pokecheque]

Q will most assuredly not settle for an assistant's role. He'll be a head coach somewhere, guaranteed. And it'll likely be soon.

Also, any of you wanting to hire Q to fix the power play clearly did not ever watch Q-coached teams in the past.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Q will most assuredly not settle for an assistant's role. He'll be a head coach somewhere, guaranteed. And it'll likely be soon.

Also, any of you wanting to hire Q to fix the power play clearly did not ever watch Q-coached teams in the past.

I remember him getting more out of our lineup than anyone should expect.

I also remember him deciding not to renew with the Avs because he felt the team needed a rebuild and the Avs were trying to keep patching shit together on the fly.

 

[forsbergavs32]

I could very well be wrong, but I have a gut feeling that tonight might be Mittelstadt's last game with the Avs

 

[Foppa2118]

Speaking of coaches not adjusting, I also remember Q trying to make everyone on the team play a playmaking from below the goal line style in the O zone, even though it wasn't working.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

I could very well be wrong, but I have a gut feeling that tonight might be Mittelstadt's last game with the Avs

Why such a feeling?

 

[forsbergavs32]

Why such a feeling?

It’s either intuition or the chipotle I had for lunch.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

It’s either intuition or the chipotle I had for lunch.

Either way a strong feeling inside.

 

[Pokecheque]

I remember him getting more out of our lineup than anyone should expect.

I also remember him deciding not to renew with the Avs because he felt the team needed a rebuild and the Avs were trying to keep patching shit together on the fly.

Yeah he left because he knew that team wasn’t competing without Theodore in net.

Yes, he did get the most out of that lineup (though Sakic brilliantly holding off Father Time helped) but he also made no adjustments whatsoever when the power play struggled. And the power play in Chicago struggled for long stretches under him too.

 

[Foppa2118]

Yeah he left because he knew that team wasn’t competing without Theodore in net.

Was that the reason or was it because he and management disagreed on whether to play the young players? That's kinda what we heard at the time.

I liked Q as a coach at the time, and was happy they brought him in, but I remember being underwhelmed by his tenure.

 

[Pokecheque]

Was that the reason or was it because he and management disagreed on whether to play the young players? That's kinda what we heard at the time.

That’s not what I heard. He simply didn’t believe the team could win as constructed. Apparently anyone else they talked to about the HC vacancy said the same thing. Only one guy said he could win, Tony Granato. And we all know how that went.

 

[Foppa2118]

That’s not what I heard. He simply didn’t believe the team could win as constructed. Apparently anyone else they talked to about the HC vacancy said the same thing. Only one guy said he could win, Tony Granato. And we all know how that went.

Hmmm, I don't remember that, but maybe. Feels pretty unlikely that word would get out of coaches turning down a team because they didn't think it could win, let alone multiple coaches.

Granato said yes because he had no business being an NHL head coach with so little experience, and he didn't want to wait.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I remember Q feeling very different about the future of the curent core as it was constructed than management.

He didn't feel there were enough horses in the stable to warrant exiting the rebuild yet. Hell, they hadn't even acknowledged they were rebuilding until much later and I think that is where the riff with Q came. He saw they needed it, and Avs management was either blind or indifferent to it at the time.

 

[Foppa2118]

I remember Q feeling very different about the future of the curent core as it was constructed than management.

He didn't feel there were enough horses in the stable to warrant exiting the rebuild yet. Hell, they hadn't even acknowledged they were rebuilding until much later and I think that is where the riff with Q came. He saw they needed it, and Avs management was either blind or indifferent to it at the time.

Maybe we're saying similar things, but slightly different on the main part of the disagreement between Q and management?

As in Q was ok staying, and thought they could win if he could play the players he wanted to, but not by playing the young players. That's how I remember it. He was very old school in his approach back then.

I kind of view that as management being the one that thought the team wasn't ready to win yet, not Q.

I think management wanted to see what they had in the young players while they completed their rebuild/retool, and Q not wanting to do that, he wanted to play the vets instead. Even though neither way would have helped them win.

In a way it was similar to Roy leaving. It was just mutual with Q and he didn't have a year left.

 

[Pokecheque]

Keep in mind (at least this is my take on it) that Q played a not insignificant part in the Avs Era of Suckage lasting longer than it should have. He hated a young prospect named Johnny Boychuk so much, he wouldn’t even play him on defense, just put him at forward in the preseason. He got dealt for future Oilers legend Matt Hendricks and was a top four defenseman and Cup winner for the majority of his career.

I also still blame Q for single-handedly derailing that miracle run to the playoffs where they ended literally ONE point short. And yes, I was insanely bitter about these things long before the whole mess that temporarily ended his career came out.

 

[Foppa2118]

I think the playing style I alluded to with the below the goal line setups, versus a rush attack game also played a factor.

This kind of goes hand in hand with management wanting to play the younger players over the older vets too.

Here's some quotes I found at the time that reinforce that a bit.

"We've always been an organization that's been a puck possession, upbeat, high tempo, high energy, attacking [team]," said Giguere, whose franchise captured the Cup in '96 and '01. "That's the way the Avalanche have always played and I think that's the way I foresee this team continuing to play."

"Joel Quenneville has an outstanding reputation in this business," Giguere said. "When I was hired as a GM, I was a big believer in Joel. I still am a big believer in Joel. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, you need to go in separate ways. It doesn't mean you're not a good coach."

Avalanche, Quenneville part ways after 3 seasons

Joel Quenneville and the Avalanche mutually decided to end their relationship Friday, a week after Colorado was swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings.

www.espn.com

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Keep in mind (at least this is my take on it) that Q played a not insignificant part in the Avs Era of Suckage lasting longer than it should have. He hated a young prospect named Johnny Boychuk so much, he wouldn’t even play him on defense, just put him at forward in the preseason. He got dealt for future Oilers legend Matt Hendricks and was a top four defenseman and Cup winner for the majority of his career.

I also still blame Q for single-handedly derailing that miracle run to the playoffs where they ended literally ONE point short. And yes, I was insanely bitter about these things long before the whole mess that temporarily ended his career came out.

And Bednar also did a bunch of shit that could have gotten him canned for not getting past the 2nd round sooner.

I agree Q had warts. Even bigger ones cutting to his character after he left here. But I do believe he was capable of having lines that played the game differently so that each line had an identity and could play to it and fulfill a purpose within the game. I hated what he did with Johnny B as well as his three headed goalie monster that basically destroyed any chances that any one of the three could find a groove. But every coach has player(s) they hate. Bednar can't stand anyone with physicality to their game. He absolutely LOATHED Zadorov. Neither Colton nor Wood play with any type of an edge anymore.

So putting aside the baggage surrounding Q, I do believe he's a better coach than Bednar. I've seen Q coach different types of teams. I've seen him adapt in game to what another coach was doing to us. Do I think he's god's gift to green earth? No!! But do I think he could be an upgrade? Yeah, I really do. And it would be somewhat hypocritcal of me to preach second chances but not be willing to be the guy to extend one.

Just my final $0.02.

 

[Pokecheque]

And Bednar also did a bunch of shit that could have gotten him canned for not getting past the 2nd round sooner.

I agree Q had warts. Even bigger ones cutting to his character after he left here. But I do believe he was capable of having lines that played the game differently so that each line had an identity and could play to it and fulfill a purpose within the game. I hated what he did with Johnny B as well as his three headed goalie monster that basically destroyed any chances that any one of the three could find a groove. But every coach has player(s) they hate. Bednar can't stand anyone with physicality to their game. He absolutely LOATHED Zadorov. Neither Colton nor Wood play with any type of an edge anymore.

So putting aside the baggage surrounding Q, I do believe he's a better coach than Bednar. I've seen Q coach different types of teams. I've seen him adapt in game to what another coach was doing to us. Do I think he's god's gift to green earth? No!! But do I think he could be an upgrade? Yeah, I really do. And it would be somewhat hypocritcal of me to preach second chances but not be willing to be the guy to extend one.

Just my final $0.02.

Oh yes, Quenneville is an elite coach, and may go down as the winningest of all time once he gets back in. I am an avowed fan of Bednar, but I don’t know if I’d call him elite. Very good, yes, but not elite.

But I disagree that he cost them directly in the playoffs. He certainly wasn’t perfect but I just don’t think any of those teams were good enough. They most certainly didn’t have the goaltending.

Q just had some tendencies that drove me absolutely batty. I realize it’s nitpicky when it comes to a coach of that caliber but I can’t help it. Nowadays, I still think he’s a phenomenal coach, just a horrid human being.