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Confirmed with Link: DJ Smith fired, Jacques Martin in as interim, Alfie as assistant

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Big Muddy said:
OK, after reading the first two paragraphs, I wasn't sure where you were going. But, the 3rd & 4th paragraphs make it clear. I think there's lots to fix on this team including goaltending. But, even with better goaltending, I'd still really wonder how this team would do compared to the upper echelons teams. There's a bunch of things imho that need to get fixed if we want to be a contender (versus just squeaking into the playoffs), but I'm not eager to get into a debate about it.
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About a week ago I posted on here that we were 9th (at that time) in expected goals against and said no coach is going to win without getting some saves.

I did not listen to DJ's radio spot but I'll try to get to it. But someone posted a summary of it and he brought up xGA and being 9th. Someone else just brought up the body language after the 3rd Arizona goal.

On this road trip we blew a 2 goal lead (twice actually) and a 3 goal lead. I went to bed after the first last night so I'm taking other posts on the board for the weak 3rd goal as accurate. So that's two games, two big leads, against two decent hockey clubs and piss poor goaltending sunk us. It just can't happen all the time and it is.

We talk a lot about running around in our end. Absolutely. But that happens both ways every game. And if we're 9th in xGA, we're running around less than others.

Anyway without a major improvement in net, there's no salvation coming
 
JD1 said:
About a week ago I posted on here that we were 9th (at that time) in expected goals against and said no coach is going to win without getting some saves.

I did not listen to DJ's radio spot but I'll try to get to it. But someone posted a summary of it and he brought up xGA and being 9th. Someone else just brought up the body language after the 3rd Arizona goal.

On this road trip we blew a 2 goal lead (twice actually) and a 3 goal lead. I went to bed after the first last night so I'm taking other posts on the board for the weak 3rd goal as accurate. So that's two games, two big leads, against two decent hockey clubs and piss poor goaltending sunk us. It just can't happen all the time and it is.

We talk a lot about running around in our end. Absolutely. But that happens both ways every game. And if we're 9th in xGA, we're running around less than others.

Anyway without a major improvement in net, there's no salvation coming
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I agree that the goaltending on most nights has been brutal, but yesterday it was different.

This team collapsed well before the 3rd goal (and it was a softie) and were getting dominated by Arizona for a good 20 minutes prior to it. Arizona!

If anything, Korpisalo was the reason we stayed ahead for as long as we did.
 
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DaveMatthew said:
I agree that the goaltending on most nights has been brutal, but yesterday it was different.

This team collapsed well before the 3rd goal (and it was a softie) and were getting dominated by Arizona for a good 20 minutes prior to it. Arizona!

If anything, Korpisalo was the reason we stayed ahead for as long as we did.
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Have you watched Arizona! much this year? I suspect if you had, you probably wouldn't be acting as though it's shocking they can dominate another team. Would you have been less shocked if say NJD, TBL or heck even Car that had done so?

Heck, we've dominated teams for 20 mins this year, it's a league of parity, if you aren't paying attention to the details, pretty much any team can dominate against you. Thinking that it's just Arizona! is the kind of complacency that allows teams to get dominated.
 
JD1 said:
About a week ago I posted on here that we were 9th (at that time) in expected goals against and said no coach is going to win without getting some saves.

I did not listen to DJ's radio spot but I'll try to get to it. But someone posted a summary of it and he brought up xGA and being 9th. Someone else just brought up the body language after the 3rd Arizona goal.

On this road trip we blew a 2 goal lead (twice actually) and a 3 goal lead. I went to bed after the first last night so I'm taking other posts on the board for the weak 3rd goal as accurate. So that's two games, two big leads, against two decent hockey clubs and piss poor goaltending sunk us. It just can't happen all the time and it is.

We talk a lot about running around in our end. Absolutely. But that happens both ways every game. And if we're 9th in xGA, we're running around less than others.

Anyway without a major improvement in net, there's no salvation coming
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Our goaltending has sucked for so long it's hard to even get a pulse on what a team looks like with a competent tender.

Its a shame that 20 million this summer only got us more of the same.
 
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PoutineSp00nZ said:
Not crazy about that interview.

Maybe DJ is trying to look good for his next opportunity .. . but not owning up to any of the shit he was clearly at fault for makes me wish he had been fired a lot earlier
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I felt the same. Probably hasn't had a chance to step back and take inventory. Still making excuses and adding too many voices to that list.
 
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Sens of Anarchy said:
I felt the same. Probably hasn't had a chance to step back and take inventory. Still making excuses and adding too many voices to that list.
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Pretty sure he thinks "section 323" are a bunch of dicks. Having to go through those chants after all he did for the team as they went through a rebuild with some thin pickings was not easy.

The losers on twitter that made fun of him for the last few years surely left some bitter memories of Ottawa.

It's not his fault the organization didn't move on from him at the onset of this season. DJ did would he could.

Hope he bounces back.

He always loved good bounces.
 
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AchtzehnBaby said:
Pretty sure he thinks "section 323" are a bunch of dicks. Having to go through those chants after all he did for the team as they went through a rebuild with some thin pickings was not easy.

The losers on twitter that made fun of him for the last few years surely left some bitter memories of Ottawa.

It's not his fault the organization didn't move on from him at the onset of this season. DJ did would he could.

Hope he bounces back.

He always loved good bounces.
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Can't wait for the book to come out. DJ Smith and the Bad Fans
 
It's pro sports and twitter. It's not Ottawa exclusive, it's just a part of the business. DJ knows that.

But the on ice results just were not there, I don't see how he could feel wronged by the fans asking for change, like other fan bases do just the same. Even TSN and Sportsnet were posting articles leading up to it basically with the tone of, "are these guys gonna f***ing fire this guy or what!" Lebrun put it best, this was basically a mercy firing they obviously didn't want to have to do, but there was almost no other choice at this point.

I liked what Berube had to say about his dismissal. Basically, the results weren't there, what're you gonna do, I obviously wasn't getting it done regardless of the other circumstances. Got the sense as the losses piled up that it could be coming. Results based business.

Still wish him all the best either way. Pretty cool to see from that Ian article that DJ was not willing to placate Melnyk's pettiness and it was probably a bit unfair to send him out as basically a dead man walking before the season even started.
 
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Kastelic doing a fly by and Alfie telling him to finish his check was awesome

DJ made these guys soft as hell esp for a 4th liner with size whose job it is to finish checks and provide energy
 
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HSF said:
Kastelic doing a fly by and Alfie telling him to finish his check was awesome

DJ made these guys soft as hell esp for a 4th liner with size whose job it is to finish checks and provide energy
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*** KASTELIC DOESN'T HAVE 1 SINGLE POINT ON THE SEASON *** How is he actually ... like idek

HIM
KELLY
CHARTIER
MACEWAN

ALL GOOD FOR NOTHINGS.
 
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Micklebot said:
Have you watched Arizona! much this year? I suspect if you had, you probably wouldn't be acting as though it's shocking they can dominate another team. Would you have been less shocked if say NJD, TBL or heck even Car that had done so?

Heck, we've dominated teams for 20 mins this year, it's a league of parity, if you aren't paying attention to the details, pretty much any team can dominate against you. Thinking that it's just Arizona! is the kind of complacency that allows teams to get dominated.
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A) I’m not on the team, so what I think doesn’t have an impact on how the team plays.
B) It was more a comment about how, in the timelines of both team’s rebuilds, we shouldn’t have looked so far behind the Coyotes. But it just goes to show what good coaching and focused players can do. They’re sitting in a wildcard spot and we’re in the basement.
 
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Obviously DJ didn’t want the guys to play soft, and they used to not play soft and were known as being hard to play against.

The problem as I see it is that he was friendly and protective development coach for years, like a father to the youngsters. He was unable to change into a task master, and the guys started to take advantage of the close and comfortable relationship.

We have seen this kind of thing before with Paul McLean. He tried to change from nurturer to disciplinarian (for simplicity’s sake) and the players tuned him out. I suspect DJ didn’t have it in him to even try.

Like many said earlier it really does look like the team needed a different type of coach to match the different expectations and different goals that came with development.

Enter a vastly experienced head coach who preaches defence and details, along with 200 foot HHOF star player and local hero to embody how they need to play as individuals to go with JM’s team play.

It looks like a perfect evolution to the fundamentals that DJ had the guys doing in all previous years but this one. Chemistry, working hard, being hard to play against, and playing for each other. Now they need to add a professional game to the mix, and it’s high time.

Once JM is settled in Cap will be gone and they can add another voice to the mix. Would love to somehow get Chara into the fold again, he could really show our D how to play the game.
 
Wtf was DJ talking about during that interview lol.

“If someone mad at my coaching was so good they’d be in the nHL!”

Bro I didn’t suggest the sens replace you with me. I suggested they replace you with a better coach. Does he not grasp that concept? But he probably doesn’t. Still talking about f***ing health. Dude you’re missing a second pairing d man and your team is playing horrendous hockey. Last year post trade deadline you were missing your second line Center. He really expects 100% health.


Nice guy. Treats others with respect. And that counts for something in life. Definitely a bit of a bozo tho and clear where tkatchuk and stutzle get some of their dumbass attitude towards the fans and towards the game in general.

Also he did not sound happy about Martin being brought in as advisor.

Then do your f***ing job better.
 
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PoutineSp00nZ said:
Not crazy about that interview.

Maybe DJ is trying to look good for his next opportunity .. . but not owning up to any of the shit he was clearly at fault for makes me wish he had been fired a lot earlier
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I like how he threw in there that they’re 1-5 since Jacques joined….i want to like DJ but damn if this doesn’t epitomize his time, I don’t know what does. Coaching Change was way overdue
 
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