Player Discussion Gerard Gallant

[cwede]

Pure revisionist history. We were out skilled and outmuscled in that series. It was the absolute worst matchup for us. We win the cup that year if we played Chicago.

NYR win that Cup Final if they don't blow multiple multi-goal leads. Or lose 3 times in OT.
I do hold AV as responsible as anyone for that.

And the '17 upset to Ott.
Or the 2 consecutive ECF shutouts at home.

It just seemed he didn't know how to adapt, in the moment, to win.

 

[alkurtz]

One thing is certain: there will come a time when these boards will be bashing GG. It happens to every coach and with every fan base. Let’s just hope we can win a Cup before that happens.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

No. If NYR actually had a competent, offensive coach leading them in 2014, NYR would've won the Cup. Everyone and their mother learn how to counter AV's stretch pass and then his team is cooked. After all tendencies and discipline to defend the net were gone from Torts, the team was cooked.

There's a reason AV never won a Cup. His strategy isn't good enough and implodes as soon as his strategy is read like an open book. Fine in the regular season, a disaster once the opponents can hone into you in multiple games.

The reason we never won the cup with AV was that our defense was decimated with injuries, our best asset became crippled and we didnt have any depth to deal with it.

 

[JimmyG89]

This team is at a new level with Gallant. They have that north south game going while still being creative within it.

That old style with tons of east west passing is gone.

Not to mention they are very active on the forecheck and backcheck. The defensive play overall is more attentative. They are finally controlling the games, no holding on and Shesty bailing them out. That was the first days of a new system, this is much more refined now.

Gallant is unlocking players. Lafreniere's physical game that was seen in juniors. Kakko becoming confident in himself, and Miller going up a notch, especially in his own end. Chytil looks night and day better than under Quinn. He's assertive and more consistent. Gauthier is finding his game.

The team looks looser in the sense it isn't just the top guys showing things and the kids are nervous about demotion. You're seeing fight out of the young guys. Panarin asked for a dump in last game where he chased it down. That's buying in. Gallant has that happening.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

This team is at a new level with Gallant. They have that north south game going while still being creative within it.

That old style with tons of east west passing is gone.

Not to mention they are very active on the forecheck and backcheck. The defensive play overall is more attentative. They are finally controlling the games, no holding on and Shesty bailing them out. That was the first days of a new system, this is much more refined now.

Gallant is unlocking players. Lafreniere's physical game that was seen in juniors. Kakko becoming confident in himself, and Miller going up a notch, especially in his own end. Chytil looks night and day better than under Quinn. He's assertive and more consistent. Gauthier is finding his game.

The team looks looser in the sense it isn't just the top guys showing things and the kids are nervous about demotion. You're seeing fight out of the young guys. Panarin asked for a dump in last game where he chased it down. That's buying in. Gallant has that happening.

All those players are a year older, not sticking up for Quinn because im happy Gallant is here but this was always gonna be the year we took a step ahead, bad contracts were gone, the kids were into their 20s, Shesterkin looks like a Vezina finalist....this was always the year were were gonna come ahead.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

This team is at a new level with Gallant. They have that north south game going while still being creative within it.

That old style with tons of east west passing is gone.

Not to mention they are very active on the forecheck and backcheck. The defensive play overall is more attentative. They are finally controlling the games, no holding on and Shesty bailing them out. That was the first days of a new system, this is much more refined now.

Gallant is unlocking players. Lafreniere's physical game that was seen in juniors. Kakko becoming confident in himself, and Miller going up a notch, especially in his own end. Chytil looks night and day better than under Quinn. He's assertive and more consistent. Gauthier is finding his game.

The team looks looser in the sense it isn't just the top guys showing things and the kids are nervous about demotion. You're seeing fight out of the young guys. Panarin asked for a dump in last game where he chased it down. That's buying in. Gallant has that happening.

Don't they have bathrooms at UBS arena?

 

[NickyFotiu]

No. If NYR actually had a competent, offensive coach leading them in 2014, NYR would've won the Cup. Everyone and their mother learn how to counter AV's stretch pass and then his team is cooked. After all tendencies and discipline to defend the net were gone from Torts, the team was cooked.

There's a reason AV never won a Cup. His strategy isn't good enough and implodes as soon as his strategy is read like an open book. Fine in the regular season, a disaster once the opponents can hone into you in multiple games.

We were not even expected to make it out of the first round in 2014. This board wanted to tank the season after a dozen games in 2014. AV helped us overachieve for a few years. Zooks was our leading scorer at around 55-60 points.

 

[tomobson]

All those players are a year older, not sticking up for Quinn because im happy Gallant is here but this was always gonna be the year we took a step ahead, bad contracts were gone, the kids were into their 20s, Shesterkin looks like a Vezina finalist....this was always the year were were gonna come ahead.

I think every young forward on the team, except maybe Howden, felt the same way about Quinn as Kakko has expressed about him in interviews. He was way too strict with his young forwards. They were playing scared. At the end of the day, Quinn lost the room so there was no salvaging that situation anyways.

 

[Chimpradamus]

The reason we never won the cup with AV was that our defense was decimated with injuries, our best asset became crippled and we didnt have any depth to deal with it.

I do realize I'm not being reasonable when it comes to AV, but I can't stand the man with his smug face and constant chewing gum.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

I absolutely love Gallant but I feel like half of it is just because he replaced Quinn who I despise

 

[eco's bones]

I very much get that a coach can sometimes take a team only so far. That there comes a time when you may have to cut bait. It happened with Renney. It happened with Torts. It happened with AV. It happened with Quinn. I just don’t get all the anger and animosity. The need to run them into the dirt. In the case of Quinn—yeah there were veterans and Panarin can be a spectacular player and Fox has turned into one but Quinn inherited a depleted lineup that had just gone through the first stage of a purge and throughout his tenure there were always kids—Chytil, Andersson, Howden, Georgiev, Hajek, Lindgren, Fox, Kakko, Sheshterkin, Lafreniere , Miller, Kravtsov etc. in one stage of development or another. Some were excellent right away—some are still working at it and some just haven’t got there yet or just might never.

The team was making a playoff run in 19-20 before Covid shut everything down—which is to say that even with some iffy decision making by Mr. Quinn as a whole the team was making progress. Last year was a clusterf*** of unexpected shit—Mika with Covid, the DeAngelo affair, Panarin taking weeks off to deal with his Russian issue, Trouba and Lindgren injured at the end and then the bs with Wilson and Panarin out again. Not saying we should have kept Quinn but his legacy isn’t as bad as people make out. For one he’s got Kakko on the right track to becoming a complete player. Fox, Sheshterkin, Lindgren have all developed very well. Miller looks like he’ll be solid.

 

[Larrybiv]

I want to run through a wall for him and I'm not even on the team. He is spot on with answers, very passionate and the team is buying in.

If you are a Rangers fan, YOU are ON the team. Figuratively speaking.

 

[Ola]

I especially think that Gallant is the right coach at the right time.

There have been many PO series won or lost in the NHL by one coach simply out-coaching the other guy the last 30 years.
* The trap, it just tilted the odds heavily in favor of a trapping team vs. a team that had not adopted and it took 5-6 years for teams to pick that up.
*In the early 00's teams started to play an extremely disciplined game designed to simply avoid being "trapped". The big benefit with this style was that you could utilize talent in the offensive zone, but you avoided being fancy before you got into the offensive zone at all costs. The trapping teams never learned to score against these teams.
*After the 05' lockout, many teams were stuck in trap-mode or a mode designed to beat the trap, it took a good 5-10 years for many teams to adopt (Tort's still hasn't).
*The best teams for a period of 5-10 years after the lockout were the teams that played a puck possession style of hockey, which included typical elements of not giving away pucks in the wrong areas of the ice, making sure that you get it deep before you take it to the net so that you slow the other team down. Typical LA style. This way was overtaken by teams that loosened the handbrake, start to take bigger risks and hence increased their sh% by creating better chances. Took a long time for teams to adopt.

Would Gerrard Gallant have been at the forefront of these changes, and made sure that we avoided fighting an uphill battle in the POs because the guy behind the other bench had a smarter game-plan? Or even given us an edge in that regard? I don't know, but I wouldn't have banked on it. To put it like this, he hasn't proven that he would in light of his work here. This can of course be super important.

With that said, right now the NHL game is very homogenic. Of course there is a significant difference between the most extreme teams, but ultimately everyone is trying to find the right balance between taking risks offensively, without giving up too much possession, while playing tight defense, without sinking too deep. Under these circumstances, I think Gallant becomes a coach for this team that gives it what it needs to get right now.

 

[Ola]

If anyone is looking for a team having an edge in one PO series due to coaching, I am not sure if there is any clearer example than our PO series against the Atlanta Thrashers in 07'. Tom Renney had us playing an extreme puck possession game.

The Thrashers simply had -- a loaded -- roster. Prime Hossa and Kovalchuk. Slava Kozlov was a PPG and they added Keith Tkachuk who still was a top PF in the NHL.

But Bob Hartley employed exactly the same system designed to beat the trapping teams before. Their Ds were not allowed to be fancy with the puck. Their centers' prime role was to balance the team and win board battles. At center, they had Slava Kozlov, Holik, Rucchin and Erik Belanger IIRC. Guys like Shane Hnidy, Garrnet Excelby and the likes were brought in to clear the crease. They chipped pucks out of their own end to isolated forwards high up ice, we won it back and acted in concert as a team.

I think Atlanta only scored 6 goals over 4 games, Hossa, Kovalchuk, Kozlov and Tkachuk combined for 1 goal. We dominated them completely over 240 minutes.

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

I think he worn out his welcome during the playoffs we went to the SCF. You just saw how much he couldn’t make any in game adjustments. I liked AV at first but it was quickly noticeable how stubborn he was. Especially the Tanner Glass love.

Yeah. When the Rangers were right in AV's first two seasons they looked invincible.

However I cannot forget how in the Kings series repeatedly our guys would get the lead, and then start to play differently, shift to kind of a "prevent defense." Every game save one we gave up the lead. We let LA occupy our zone in the late stages of the game. Not good.

 

[hackeyman]

It's too early to compare GG to other Rangers coaches with longer tenures. The fact is though he is one of the best coaches out there and there is some evidence the players are buying in. Remove his Columbus record where he was promoted too early to head a very poor team and his record leading developing teams is second to none. After Columbus he worked hard at different levels of hockey and grew into a great and winning coach. This guy is full of character and it rubs off on the guys that play for him. GG and the team still have lots of work to do but lets give him a fair chance and a reasonable time frame to do it in.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

This thread: "I've been watching for 15 minutes, and we've never had a better coach. The preceding 94 years were nothing."

Also seen around these parts: "I know I said I wanted a coach who'd yell, but I didn't like when he yelled at Mika."

 

[TominNC]

It's good to see a coach who can be patient as necessary with young players, get on a vet immediately when necessary and taking no crap from a ref. And having the time in the league that the ref had to stand there and take if for a bit.

All that and the team won games while learning the system.

 

[JimmyG89]

Don't they have bathrooms at UBS arena?

I'm guessing he did this at barclays too, just to see if they could hit the SUV

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

the fact that GG is coaching a team to success without having to bring along and heavily depend on marchessault and reilly smith has got me board to say that this is the right guy.

 

[NYblades]

Gallant breaks Phil Esposito's record for most points in his first 20 games.

Rangers' big third period propels matinee win over Bruins

 

[Gordon Bombay]

He is teaching this team how to win. It's exactly what this group needed.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Nice to see a team that is not afraid of its own shadow. Drury brought in some toughness. Gallant brought in the attitude.

 

[bobbop]

What I am seeing is a team coming together. Much more than talent alone. In fact, there are still some real talent deficiencies but right now, I really like where this is headed. This feels a lot like the 2012 Black and Blueshirts team.

NHL coach of the year.

 

[BroadwayStorm]

If anyone is looking for a team having an edge in one PO series due to coaching, I am not sure if there is any clearer example than our PO series against the Atlanta Thrashers in 07'. Tom Renney had us playing an extreme puck possession game.

The Thrashers simply had -- a loaded -- roster. Prime Hossa and Kovalchuk. Slava Kozlov was a PPG and they added Keith Tkachuk who still was a top PF in the NHL.

But Bob Hartley employed exactly the same system designed to beat the trapping teams before. Their Ds were not allowed to be fancy with the puck. Their centers' prime role was to balance the team and win board battles. At center, they had Slava Kozlov, Holik, Rucchin and Erik Belanger IIRC. Guys like Shane Hnidy, Garrnet Excelby and the likes were brought in to clear the crease. They chipped pucks out of their own end to isolated forwards high up ice, we won it back and acted in concert as a team.

I think Atlanta only scored 6 goals over 4 games, Hossa, Kovalchuk, Kozlov and Tkachuk combined for 1 goal. We dominated them completely over 240 minutes.

I remember Marcel Hossa scored the first goal

I also remember Sean Avery won us game two with a lucky shot that ricochet off the boards in mid ice and somehow beat their very large goaltender whose name escapes me right now.

I loved Garnett Exelby. He came out when his type was becoming extinct but he was a nice little goon.