Following this team this season will do that to a person.
Confirmed with Link: Devils Fire Lindy Ruff - Travis Green is an Interim
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Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
- May 1, 2011
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I still think Green may have been an even bigger problem than Ruff with this year.
Guy is a complete joke coach. Not sure why he's so popular and highly renowned in the hockey world.
But fortunately, Fitz gave a bit of the backstory on how he get here. Said he reached out to him in the 2022 offseason and asked him for advice on what he needs to do when he gets another chance in the league. Then Fitz circled back to him after Brunette was plucked away by Nashville and probably liked that he had head coaching experience in the league before this and made him Ruff's deputy.
Fortunately, I didn't get the idea that he had any plans beyond this year to involve him as the head coach and even said something about how who knows what coaches will be let go by the end of the year.
Guy is a complete joke coach. Not sure why he's so popular and highly renowned in the hockey world.
But fortunately, Fitz gave a bit of the backstory on how he get here. Said he reached out to him in the 2022 offseason and asked him for advice on what he needs to do when he gets another chance in the league. Then Fitz circled back to him after Brunette was plucked away by Nashville and probably liked that he had head coaching experience in the league before this and made him Ruff's deputy.
Fortunately, I didn't get the idea that he had any plans beyond this year to involve him as the head coach and even said something about how who knows what coaches will be let go by the end of the year.
I just got off the phone with Fitz. He is hoping to extend Toffoli for 8 years. He’s also hoping to bring back Smith. His goal is to extend Green to a long contract behind the bench and after today’s comments about his health he’s convinced this offseason is the time to bring Blackwood home to NJ to stabilize the goaltending. Just thought you’d want to know.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Spittin Chiclets dudes can be really annoying and off base, but they were right that the constant failures to start games on time falls squarely on coaching.
Any truth to the rumors of bringing Geoff Ward or Mark Recchi back to run the PP, and Nasreddine to coach Luke and Nemec?
Man, I would bring Ward back in a split second. I'd even consider him for the HC position.
Normal Devil
Registered User
- Mar 16, 2014
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I'm disappointed with Fitz. He is lollygagging way too much. Super slow to react to things. Should have acquired a goalie at least a month ago .. same with firing Lindy. Waited to long to act and now they are basically out of the playoff hunt before the trade deadline. He probably should have acquired another Dman when Dougie went down .. nothing. The treatment of Holtz seems out of line when there are lots of other players that are turning it over with regularity (L. Hughes). It's just a shit show this year. Fitz should now be clearly on the hot seat. If he doesn't sell on Toffoli that's another black mark on a terrible season. Throw in the fact they lost two players to a sex scandal and that seat is extremely warm.
- Dec 20, 2018
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I realized I have to retire this cup now, it was good run.
You forgot the main man behind the scene. Lorne Henning was the man who built that roster. He started in 2013-14 with the in season acquisitions of Cal O'Reilly and former Stanley Cup winner Kent Huskins. During the 2014-2015 season he added and subtracted during the season to make them most ready to make a playoff run. The addition of Markstrom and the strong play of 1B Joacim Eriksson made for a strong defensive team. All Green had to do was run practices and hand in the game night roster.
Cal O'Reilly and Kent Huskins were the leaders on the ice. There were also other locker room leaders besides Cal and Kent. Alex Biega, Bobby Sanguinetti, Darren Archibald, Dustin Jeffrey/Cory Conacher, and AHL lifers Carter Bancks and Wacey Hamilton, who wore the team's heart on their sleeves and teamed up with homegrown Mike Zalewski formed unquestionably the league's #1 shutdown line, were all strong leaders. All the other necessary pieces were put in place to form a strong lineup that gave you everything they had night in and night out. That was a key factor
Green ran a 200 foot in your face, hard forecheck/backcheck, puck denial system that had to be bought into by every single player as it is an exhausting 60 minute/night system. They bought it and a much lesser talented group of scoring players defeated teams with more gifted scorers who couldn't gain an inch of ice to work their skills.
It caught up to them when they arrived at the finals. Manchester had waltzed to the Finals. In a hard fought 5-game conference 1/4 fianls they won 3 games to 2. They made quick work of their next 2 opponents winning the semis 4-1 and the conference fianls 4-0.
The Comets path was a much more strenuous climb.
- They won the conference 1/4s 3 games to 2.
2 OT games (1-1)
1 2OT game victory.
- They won the semis 4 games to 3.
They lost the opener 2-1 in 4 OT.
They won game 2 in OT.
-They won the conference finals 4 games to 2
only 1 OT game
It took Manchester 9 games to reach the Finals in their last 2 series
It took Utica 13 games.
They had also gone to OT 7 times, 1 of them went 2 OTs and another 4 OTs. They had played a whole lot more games and every on w was a tooth and nail grinder.
Then in the finals they keopt upthe battle only to lose the first 2 games both in OT and came home down 3-0 having lost all 3 by a single goal.
They kicked ass in game 4, but purely burned out in a 2-1 loss in game 5. They lost all 4 games by 1 goal an 2 in OT.
Marksrtom was stellar throughout the entire playoffs and stood on his head in the fianls, but it wasn't enough. His mates gave all they had but were gassed and didn't have enough fire power to overcome the scoring talents of so many of the Monarchs. They couldn't stop them all and the
Manchester goaltending was also fine itself.
I do not believe the current Devils could ever play that system and thus, Green is not the man for the job. He did get a few games from the Canucks with that style, but those guys were not about to do that night after night for a season and he couldn't coach another style. He lost them and was just a march to his demise. The things you listed were the methods he resorted to in trying to win.
The Green system worked for the workhorse Comets, but an NHL team filled with a lineup of guys who had never played that kind of system, but were used to using their goal scoring talent in different systems didn't buy in and he lost most of them. I don't believe the Devils could actually play that kind of system. They don't have a semblance of that kind of physicality on their entire roster. They are also young and the idea that he has a record of having helped develop young guys comes from somebody blowing smoke up somebody's wazoo.
He is an interimand that's where it should end. His horrid PP should illuminate the fact he doesn't know offense at all.
WTG
December 5th
If you want to dig up old arguments about Green, we can. You mentioned that they brought in AHL vets to push the Comets toward a playoff run. What you conveniently omit is that under Green's tenure, McCann and Hutton were sent home and apparently were not good enough for the playoffs. Virtanen barely got a sniff in the AHL either that run. All in favor of guys like the aforementioned 35-year-old AHL vet Kent Huskins, Travis Ehrhardt (ECHL tweener), and 25-year-old Brandon DeFazio. McCann never even got a game in the AHL to see how he'd do. Meanwhile less than 6 months later, all three of these players play nearly full seasons with the Canucks as regulars.
They TRADED for Cory Conacher, who was a big flop, to then just remove Shinkaruk from the powerplay. Utica traded FOR AHL vets so they did not have to play prospects.
The reality is Travis Green did his utmost job not to try and develop players, but rather to win now to get to the NHL. You see it here with the Devils, the first thing he does is put a young player that the Devils want to develop in the pressbox to "send a message." Oh, shucks, where have I seen that before?
Imagine having a farm team, then having the guy running the farm send all your young, close-to-NHL-ready prospects home to play his veteran AHL guys. Meanwhile, the Monarchs gave a guy like Adrien Kempe, a 17-year-old fresh from Europe, on the team, and he scores 4 goals in 5 games in the finals. You'd bet your ass that Kempe NEVER would have got that opportunity under Green because Green does not like playing young players. Green took advantage of Benning's incompetence by "winning on the farm." Meanwhile, he refused to give the young players a substantial amount of ice time.
You and I both know this: we watched the same playoffs. We watched the same Green. Soon enough, Devils fans will see this as well, as people in Vancouver did. Nemec is the first pin to drop, expect more Devils fans. If there isn't a franchise goaltender for him to fall back on, he flops, he has no system, it's not even dump and chase, it's dump and change.
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I think I said basically the same thing.
Virtanen did get 10 games early on and, sorry, sucked. Took the shortest shifts I have ever seen. Up the ice back and to the bench. He was in terrible shape. Later in his career he was reassigned to Utica for most of the season. Came here again out of shape and acting like he was owed special treatment. he got it all right. he was skated into the ground in practice at sprint time and got zero sympathy from the rest of the team. When he did what he was supposed to, worked like everyone else , quit screwing around in the drills, and became a team member the team did his up and back bag skates with him. It was a lesson in team building.
As to Hutton and McCann you hit that nail,on the head. I sat with them for a minute or two while they sat out practice in the Aud. I too wondered why they didn't at least work out with the team and stick around even as Black Aces, but they were shipped out without a sniff and the word was they were wanted back in Vancouver. BS.
Conacher was acquired in a trade with Jeffrey. I thought it was a bad trade and the numbers he put up away from Utica then and the following season proved it. Conacher promptly re-signed with Tampa.
I have to say the D-corps that skated every playoff game was stellar. The defense they played every game was proven by the scores. Combined with Marky and the defensive game played by the forwards that team was the best to play in Utica up to then and ever since.
Green said he was going to attack the Playoffs with the team that got them there. They earned it and would be there's.
The issues we both stated in terms of Green's coaching are mostly true. However, he didn't shit on the young guys here like he did in Vancouver.. They all played regular shifts all season long including Shinkaruk his rookie season when his skating was severely hampered by his hip (? I don't remember exactly) injury that he had not recovered from. He played every game and the hip eventually came around and he put up real good numbers the last 1/3 of the season. The following season he led the team in goals and points until he was traded in February. He still finished 3rd in the final stats after only having played 45 games. He was given the word that the kids play and they did. The exception was those guys that arrived just before the 2015 playoffs.
Virtanen did get 10 games early on and, sorry, sucked. Took the shortest shifts I have ever seen. Up the ice back and to the bench. He was in terrible shape. Later in his career he was reassigned to Utica for most of the season. Came here again out of shape and acting like he was owed special treatment. he got it all right. he was skated into the ground in practice at sprint time and got zero sympathy from the rest of the team. When he did what he was supposed to, worked like everyone else , quit screwing around in the drills, and became a team member the team did his up and back bag skates with him. It was a lesson in team building.
As to Hutton and McCann you hit that nail,on the head. I sat with them for a minute or two while they sat out practice in the Aud. I too wondered why they didn't at least work out with the team and stick around even as Black Aces, but they were shipped out without a sniff and the word was they were wanted back in Vancouver. BS.
Conacher was acquired in a trade with Jeffrey. I thought it was a bad trade and the numbers he put up away from Utica then and the following season proved it. Conacher promptly re-signed with Tampa.
I have to say the D-corps that skated every playoff game was stellar. The defense they played every game was proven by the scores. Combined with Marky and the defensive game played by the forwards that team was the best to play in Utica up to then and ever since.
Green said he was going to attack the Playoffs with the team that got them there. They earned it and would be there's.
The issues we both stated in terms of Green's coaching are mostly true. However, he didn't shit on the young guys here like he did in Vancouver.. They all played regular shifts all season long including Shinkaruk his rookie season when his skating was severely hampered by his hip (? I don't remember exactly) injury that he had not recovered from. He played every game and the hip eventually came around and he put up real good numbers the last 1/3 of the season. The following season he led the team in goals and points until he was traded in February. He still finished 3rd in the final stats after only having played 45 games. He was given the word that the kids play and they did. The exception was those guys that arrived just before the 2015 playoffs.
I'd like to see start of game possession numbers. First 5 minutes, first 10 minutes stuff.
I don't think the issue is as bad as "first goal" numbers makes it seem.
Normal Devil
Registered User
- Mar 16, 2014
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Was listening to the Runnin' With The Devils pod on youtube. He mentioned that during the interview pregame with Bryce and one of the gals, that Fitz mentioned that Green asked for full autonomy with the roster. Is that something that Lindy didn't have? The dude on the pod found it concerning that Lindy maybe didn't have that previously. Is it typical of GM's to meddle with the lines during the season? Not sure. The guy on the pod seemed to think it is Fitz that has it in for Holtz, and maybe wasn't as much on Lindy as we all thought. Any thoughts?
glenwo2
JESPER BRATWURST
eh.
I would believe that if Holtz wasn't parked on the 4th line almost every f'n game.
Lindy was the head coach.
He could've put Holtz on any other line for extended time AT ANY TIME but he didn't.
Maybe Fitz shared his sentiments on Holtz but I just don't see Fitz being the Jerry-Jones Meddling type.
- Dec 20, 2018
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No way Green has more power or independence than Lindy.
I assume this means Green was only going to take the Interim HC job if he got a chance to really coach the team for 20 games.
This Holtz stuff is off the rails.
ChicksDigTheTrap
No quick fixes, no cutting corners and no cheating
In the presser when Fitz got his extension he said that he watched film and discussed systems on a daily basis with the coaches.
Normal Devil
Registered User
- Mar 16, 2014
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So, he might be a meddler? I would think this would make acquiring a really good head coach more difficult, but who knows? I'm more used to the NFL system where the GM acquires the players and puts together the roster (obviously with some input from the coaching staff), but then gets out of the way and lets the coach manage the roster during the season.
NJDevs26
Once upon a time...
- Mar 21, 2007
- 69,096
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Just the fact Fitz REALLY prioritizes being a 'partner' with the head coach to the degree where he has to have an existing personal relationship with them is a bit of a red flag. I didn't realize his connection to Green till he himself detailed it at that presser yesterday. Unless we luck into Mike Sullivan (who probably would want more autonomy) I doubt we get any big-name coach assuming Fitz stays on type.
If Fitz thinks the swarm is a good defensive system for a young mismatched roster I will be disappointed
HoliksGhost
Registered User
- Oct 24, 2007
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The season feels like the valet kid crashed my Ferrari into a cement wall, while I was stumbling out of a restaurant drunk as chit.
No I don’t have a Ferrari
No I don’t have a Ferrari
I was a valet parking attendant at a country club and one of the guys actually did that. Not me thankfully. Ejected himself through the windshield.The season feels like the valet kid crashed my Ferrari into a cement wall, while I was stumbling out of a restaurant drunk as chit.
No I don’t have a Ferrari
Andre Palot
Registered User
I'll have to see how long I'm stuck with this one.
DEFINITELY TAKING SUGGESTIONS
- May 1, 2011
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Green’s bull frog neck.
But hopefully you’ll need to change that one soon enough too.
