Confirmed with Link: Crawford as an Assistant/Associate Coach

[YouGotAStuGoing]

http://www.todaysslapshot.com/nhl-west/marc-crawford-on-learning-auston-matthews-and-analytics/

It was an interview from about a year ago.

I am thrilled about this. Really happy that it's out there that they've chosen coaches who put emphasis on things that matter in todays NHL. We see more and more teams take that route and it's obviously for a reason.

Also, an interesting tidbit I hadn't realized about Crawford in that article: he's a Belleville native. Gives the AHL liaison job a bit more context if the B-Sens do end up moving to Belleville.

 

[StefanW]

I think this is a great hire.

 

[topshelf15]

Got a good laugh from that. Gretzky on the bench for the shootout in the '98 Olympics was priceless!

Gretzky actually sucked in shootouts tbh

 

[StefanW]

Gretzky actually sucked in shootouts tbh

Gretzky played in an era prior to the shootout. He was 1/4 in the regular season and 1/1 in playoffs for penalty shots in his entire career.

 

[Micklebot]

Gretzky played in an era prior to the shootout. He was 1/4 in the regular season and 1/1 in playoffs for penalty shots in his entire career.

To small a sample to really give any indication, but % wise, that probably qualifies as not great.

 

[TrueGrit]

To small a sample to really give any indication, but % wise, that probably qualifies as not great.

40% would be a top shooter in the shootout era.

 

[topshelf15]

Gretzky played in an era prior to the shootout. He was 1/4 in the regular season and 1/1 in playoffs for penalty shots in his entire career.

Yep,even on breakaways ,it just seemed like it wasnt natural to him for whatever reason .He was a hockey genius on the ice though

 

[Frank8]

Oddjob.

About 3 minutes later and I'm still laughing... Well done.

 

[Micklebot]

40% would be a top shooter in the shootout era.

Goalies are far better today than the were back then though. Sv% have gone from sub 900 to around 915 since his playing days.

 

[TrueGrit]

Goalies are far better today than the were back then though. Sv% have gone from sub 900 to around 915 since his playing days.

Regardless, it's not a skill he practiced, nor any other player practiced at that time, unlike today. It was and remains a bizarre decision.


I mean, he's Wayne ****ing Gretzky

 

[StefanW]

To small a sample to really give any indication, but % wise, that probably qualifies as not great.

1 lucky bounce and he would have been 60%. There are small sample sizes and then there are small sample sizes.

At the time I do remember people knocking Gretzky on breakaways and things like that, but no one really counted such things so I have no idea what his rate would be.

In any event, Crawford rolled the dice and lost. I think he learned a lot from those types of experiences in the NHL, and I suspect he will come back a much wiser coach for them.

 

[MarkStone]

I just hope the Crawford/Boucher situation doesn't become a Cameron/Maclean situation where Crawford undermines Boucher in some fashion.

 

[TheNewEra]

dunno if it was posted earlier but apparently crawford has embraced analytics, so i guess thats good news

 

[Do Make Say Think]

From what I'm hearing, this is Boucher's choice. Having Crawford on board was part of his 5 hour presentation to the Sens.

Sounds like Boucher is going to go hard on the whole "try things they do in European leagues where the neutral zone gets clogged up", makes sense to bring in someone who was also immersed in it.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Regardless, it's not a skill he practiced, nor any other player practiced at that time, unlike today. It was and remains a bizarre decision.


I mean, he's Wayne ****ing Gretzky

Gretzky was never a breakaway guy. Does anyone remember the 5 shooters we used? I remember Shanahan went last, and Bourque was in there, which Crawford was criticised for.

I honestly don't think anyone was going to beat Hasek. He was unreal.

 

[Stylizer1]

Boudreau > Boucher

Boucher/Crawford > Boudreau

 

[BonkTastic]

Does anyone remember the 5 shooters we used?

In order...

Theo Fleury
Ray Bourque
Joe Nieuwendyk
Eric Lindros
Brendan Shanahan

 

[SawyerFord]

Who do you think will be the other assistant coach?

 

[Icelevel]

Who do you think will be the other assistant coach?

Randy Carlyle

 

[Boud]

Boudreau > Boucher

Boucher/Crawford > Boudreau

I'm not sure how you can sincerely be saying that.

First, it's possible that Crawford would've taken an assistant position with Boudreau if that's what he desired and otherwise I'm confident that Boudreau would've chosen a very good assistant. Boudreau would not have been alone behind the bench ... I mean the guy would've had assistants too so it's not as simple as saying Boucher/Crawford > Boudreau.

I really don't see how you can compare two coaches, especially two coaches that we haven't seen in the NHL for years and we have no idea what type of system they will implement and how they will do it and how good they will be with the players to Boudreau alone. We have no idea what will be the role of Crawford at this point either.

Evaluating a coach is so complex, that I really can't take a comment like that seriously. Unless you can give me a detailed rundown of the 3 and then explain to me how they would concretely impact the team, but that's very unlikely since we have no idea how Boucher will even coach and he said it himself that he constantly changes coaching style to adapt and the same can be said with Boudreau who coached totally different styles in Washington and Anaheim and will certainly coach very differently with Minnesota.

This is the type of thing where you really cannot know unless you'd give both a shot and then look at the end result and compare.

 

[These Are The Days]

I have no dog in the fight but I find it strangely ironic that the first thing Boucher did when he came to the Lightning was hired an almost entirely Francophone staff. Looks like he's set on doing it again.

 

[JessicaN]

Who do you think will be the other assistant coach?

Think they're going to 2-man it since Boucher said he'd handle the power play.

 

[Knave]

I have no dog in the fight but I find it strangely ironic that the first thing Boucher did when he came to the Lightning was hired an almost entirely Francophone staff. Looks like he's set on doing it again.

Marc Crawford speaks French? I'm almost certain he speaks little to no French.

 

[Tragedy]

Marc Crawford speaks French? I'm almost certain he speaks little to no French.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/marc-bergevin-keep-coaching-options-open/

"Crawford learned French to take on the head coaching job of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994. He had rededicated himself to the process in 2012 before interviewing with the Canadiens, going as far as to hire a tutor in the lead up to discussions with Bergevin."

 

[Langdon Alger]

Think they're going to 2-man it since Boucher said he'd handle the power play.

I think they will add one more guy. I don't think I've ever seen just two coaches behind the bench. I would imagine another assistant will be named soon.