Speculation: Head Coach Hunt 2021

[Mosby]

Also disagree that Quinn was fired for missing the playoffs. He was fired because everyone else was fired. NYR cleaned house. If playoffs were the goal this season in New York, then that was too optimistic considering their division and their situation.

 

[RemoAZ]

It's easy to be a manager and a leader of one restaurant, quite another to be promoted to general manger and control 20 restaurants and have the same success. Not saying it can't be done, but I don't want my coach needing training wheels on my dime. Of all the names talked about, Quinn seems the most qualified but he was fired for missing the playoffs which may or may not have been his fault as we don't have any inside info. Interesting times.

First, it's not "easy" to manage at any level. Some people simply can't do it. They are good workers that can't manage or lead others. Pretty common. Also, it's a completely different job to manage one location and several. I've done both for many years. They aren't the same job. Not even close. The way this analogy doesn't work with your statement above is that the coaches will be doing the same job, just with the added pressure that comes from the higher-level league. The coach is going to bring his system and coaching style. It's not like he's going to be starting from scratch just because he's in the NHL. The only way to see if he can handle that is to give him a shot. Armstrong can still evaluate his system, style and character and decide if he believes he can be affective in the NHL.

 

[rt]

This board wants to build a monument to Dave Tippett. Well, in 2002, Dave Tippett became a first-time NHL head coach at 41 years old. He took the job with 3 years experience as an NHL assistant coach and 4 years experience as a minor-pro head coach. As a first-year NHL head coach, he then led the Stars to 111 points and the second round of the playoffs.

Check mate.

Someone call an ambulance, the old guys just hit the floor.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Just because you managed a business or restaurant and had some success, it doesn't mean you are a good leader, there is a big difference. I agree, if you had success on a smaller scale, it doesn't translate to success at a higher level. Leadership skills do transfer though, I would look for that in a hire.

I went to high school with a guy whose dad started my hometown's Pontiac dealership in the 70s, and later expanded it to include Datsun/Nissans. 20 or so years ago my classmate 'inherited' the business after the dad retired...and hey, people still want Nissans. Did he really do anything? Is he a great leader of men? I find that difficult to believe. Is he successful? Certainly. Luck can be more important than skill.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

This board wants to build a monument to Dave Tippett. Well, in 2002, Dave Tippett became a first-time NHL head coach at 41 years old. He took the job with 3 years experience as an NHL assistant coach and 4 years experience as a minor-pro head coach. As a first-year NHL head coach, he then led the Stars to 111 points and the second round of the playoffs.

He should have gone further with that roster. He did not, but went further with a lessor roster, after he learned more.

 

[RABBIT]

I like Quinn. I think he’s who I want

 

[rt]

I like Quinn. I think he’s who I want

If you're worried about getting your hopes up and being disappointed, I recommend going over to the Rangers board and reading posts from around the time Kris Knoblauch took over for COVID reasons, then reading some posts from the time between JD and Gorton being fired and the time Quinn was fired, then read posts right when he was let go. It might cool you off on Quinn a little. A lot of what I read from fans made me a little wary. More formal analysis from media members and other articles I've read made me feel a lot better about him. I also like the guy. He seems really cool and his background is super interesting. But then I remember how all the media members like Tocchet and how complimentary all the articles about him are, and how he's a really cool guy and how I like him a lot, too. LOL. The main difference is Quinn's resume and the way he himself speaks.

Since Gallant, Bourdreau, Tortarella, and Julien are obviously not on the table, I'm thinking my ranking is shaping up like this:

1. Thompson
-
-
-
2/3. Quinn/Nelson
4. MVR
5. Laxdal
-
-
-
-
6/7/8/9/10. Knoblauch/Tourigny/Vincent/Leach/Carbery
11/12. Larsen/Leaman
13. Lambert

^ but this will change 763 times in the 8 weeks between now and the time BA hires somebody in two months. LOL.

 

[Jamieh]

What is Don Granato's contract situation? He seems to be well respected and successful everywhere he's ever been. Might not cost big bucks either.

 

[rt]

If someone had a gun to my head and told me I had to predict the next head coach, and I was only allowed to pick three names, I'd choose Quinn, Leaman, and Van Ryn as the three most likely.

 

[Jakey53]

First, it's not "easy" to manage at any level. Some people simply can't do it. They are good workers that can't manage or lead others. Pretty common. Also, it's a completely different job to manage one location and several. I've done both for many years. They aren't the same job. Not even close. The way this analogy doesn't work with your statement above is that the coaches will be doing the same job, just with the added pressure that comes from the higher-level league. The coach is going to bring his system and coaching style. It's not like he's going to be starting from scratch just because he's in the NHL. The only way to see if he can handle that is to give him a shot. Armstrong can still evaluate his system, style and character and decide if he believes he can be affective in the NHL.

When coaches graduate to the NHL they are put up against the best coaches and best hockey minds in the world, all have different mind sets, different strategies etc. Coaching and leading your team in the WHL or NCAA etc. is quite different than coaching and leading your team in the NHL, and that is why so many fail, and the one's that lead and have success get hired again and again and again. If BA wants to hire a young coach with no NHL HCing experience, that's his decision to make, and I think a very dangerous one.

 

[Jakey53]

Just because you managed a business or restaurant and had some success, it doesn't mean you are a good leader, there is a big difference. I agree, if you had success on a smaller scale, it doesn't translate to success at a higher level. Leadership skills do transfer though, I would look for that in a hire.

Leadership skills do transfer, "sometimes". In my eyes, if you manage a restaurant or any business for that matter and had success you are a leader plan and simple, but that leadership may not transfer when a bigger role presents itself. I think everyone has leadership capabilities, but that leadership caps out differently for different people for various reasons.

 

[Mosby]

I just listened to another podcast (Win City Sports) interview with Rocky Thompson. Fairly recent, from March. Impressive again. Way better than the others I've listened to.

One funny takeaway - after he was fired by the Oil Kings in 2010, he still had a year left on his contract so he was collecting the cheques but still wanted to work so he called up his buddy Scott Howson, GM of the Blue Jackets at the time, and offered to be an assistant coach of their AHL team. To do so, he needed clearance from the Oilers (they own the Oil Kings). The Oilers balked and instead made him an assistant with their own AHL team in Oklahoma City.

 

[Jamieh]

When coaches graduate to the NHL they are put up against the best coaches and best hockey minds in the world, all have different mind sets, different strategies etc. Coaching and leading your team in the WHL or NCAA etc. is quite different than coaching and leading your team in the NHL, and that is why so many fail, and the one's that lead and have success get hired again and again and again. If BA wants to hire a young coach with no NHL HCing experience, that's his decision to make, and I think a very dangerous one.

IMO winning and leading along the way proves that you deserve to be in the conversation and running for NHL coaching jobs. The interviews and background checks should then be used to determine if you have the qualities needed to have that success at a higher level. Obviously nothing is ever guaranteed.

 

[Mosby]

What is Don Granato's contract situation? He seems to be well respected and successful everywhere he's ever been. Might not cost big bucks either.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres just take off the interim tag and keep him.

 

[Jamieh]

Wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres just take off the interim tag and keep him.

Me neither but the longer they wait....

 

[rt]

When coaches graduate to the NHL they are put up against the best coaches and best hockey minds in the world, all have different mind sets, different strategies etc. Coaching and leading your team in the WHL or NCAA etc. is quite different than coaching and leading your team in the NHL, and that is why so many fail, and the one's that lead and have success get hired again and again and again. If BA wants to hire a young coach with no NHL HCing experience, that's his decision to make, and I think a very dangerous one.

Who's the best coach in the NHL?

Barry Trotz? When the Predators hired him, he'd never coached a game in the NHL, not even as an assistant. He never even played professional hockey. He was a WHL enforcer as a kid. That's it. He was 36 years old when the Preds hired him to run their expansion team.

Maybe it's Joel Quenneville? He hadn't been a head coach in the NHL when St Louis gave him the job in 1996. He was 38 years old.

Or is it Rod Brind'Amour? He was in his 40s when Carolina named him head coach. He had also never been a head coach anywhere else.

The point is that all coaches were once first time coaches, and many of them were very young when they got their first shot. Now, none of those examples ended up winning a Cup for those teams (RBA TBD) but they were all good coaches out of the gate and helped turned their teams around.

It's a trite point. But no more than the idea that it's "dangerous" or a "mistake" to be the team to give a guy his first chance.

 

[Jakey53]

IMO winning and leading along the way proves that you deserve to be in the conversation and running for NHL coaching jobs. The interviews and background checks should then be used to determine if you have the qualities needed to have that success at a higher level. Obviously nothing is ever guaranteed.

I hope our ownership knew what they were doing when they hired BA, and I hope BA knows what he is doing when he hires a coach, because like BA said himself, it will be the most important hire for him and the franchise. I really don't care who BA hires, I just want to win. I want to be in the playoffs most every year. I want "at least" a chance at the SC. So tired of losing.

 

[rt]

I hope our ownership knew what they were doing when they hired BA, and I hope BA knows what he is doing when he hires a coach, because like BA said himself, it will be the most important hire for him and the franchise. I really don't care who BA hires, I just want to win. I want to be in the playoffs most every year. I want "at least" a chance at the SC. So tired of losing.

Same!

 

[rt]

I just listened to another podcast (Win City Sports) interview with Rocky Thompson. Fairly recent, from March. Impressive again. Way better than the others I've listened to.

One funny takeaway - after he was fired by the Oil Kings in 2010, he still had a year left on his contract so he was collecting the cheques but still wanted to work so he called up his buddy Scott Howson, GM of the Blue Jackets at the time, and offered to be an assistant coach of their AHL team. To do so, he needed clearance from the Oilers (they own the Oil Kings). The Oilers balked and instead made him an assistant with their own AHL team in Oklahoma City.

Yeah, he's really the man!! So cool to here a bit about him winning the Golden Gloves. And his family's wrestling and boxing background. If I'm not mistaken, he's a Cree Indian. Or I guess, First Nations (?) up in Canada. Cool background story.

 

[Jakey53]

Who's the best coach in the NHL?

Barry Trotz? When the Predators hired him, he'd never coached a game in the NHL, not even as an assistant. He never even played professional hockey. He was a WHL enforcer as a kid. That's it. He was 36 years old when the Preds hired him to run their expansion team.

Maybe it's Joel Quenneville? He hadn't been a head coach in the NHL when St Louis gave him the job in 1996. He was 38 years old.

Or is it Rod Brind'Amour? He was in his 40s when Carolina named him head coach. He had also never been a head coach anywhere else.

The point is that all coaches were once first time coaches, and many of them were very young when they got their first shot. Now, none of those examples ended up winning a Cup for those teams (RBA TBD) but they were all good coaches out of the gate and helped turned their teams around.

It's a trite point. But no more than the idea that it's "dangerous" or a "mistake" to be the team to give a guy his first chance.

I understand what you are saying, I really do and every situation is different, but I just feel that the fans, organization and especially the players are a very fragile group and hiring a proven coach gives us a little more of a chance of success. That's just my opinion, and it doesn't mean I'm right, and the way it sounds, it's a moot point because we are heading for a young, cheap, inexperienced coach.

 

[Kaizen]

First, it's not "easy" to manage at any level. Some people simply can't do it. They are good workers that can't manage or lead others. Pretty common. Also, it's a completely different job to manage one location and several. I've done both for many years. They aren't the same job. Not even close. The way this analogy doesn't work with your statement above is that the coaches will be doing the same job, just with the added pressure that comes from the higher-level league. The coach is going to bring his system and coaching style. It's not like he's going to be starting from scratch just because he's in the NHL. The only way to see if he can handle that is to give him a shot. Armstrong can still evaluate his system, style and character and decide if he believes he can be effective in the NHL.

Fixed - most grammatical/typos I leave alone but that one I had to fix.

 

[RemoAZ]

Fixed - most grammatical/typos I leave alone but that one I had to fix.

That kind of stuff bugs me too. I missed that one obviously. Never proof read posts. No patience.

 

[cobra427]

Leadership skills do transfer, "sometimes". In my eyes, if you manage a restaurant or any business for that matter and had success you are a leader plan and simple, but that leadership may not transfer when a bigger role presents itself. I think everyone has leadership capabilities, but that leadership caps out differently for different people for various reasons.

Disagree, managing people and being a leader are completely different skillsets. Leadership skills are something you have, and it does transfer. Management skills may not transfer if you have to manage something different or much larger, it does and can cap out. Not everyone has leadership skills, I have seen many decent to good managers that do a great job but are not leaders.

If it were me, I would hire a vet coach Torts/Gallant etc... BA likely hires a less experienced coach, thats ok but as you say it has more risk. The new coach needs to be a leader 1st and a manager 2nd.

 

[Mosby]

I understand what you are saying, I really do and every situation is different, but I just feel that the fans, organization and especially the players are a very fragile group and hiring a proven coach gives us a little more of a chance of success. That's just my opinion, and it doesn't mean I'm right, and the way it sounds, it's a moot point because we are heading for a young, cheap, inexperienced coach.

For sure. I'd rather have no search and just hand a $5 million cheque to Gallant, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. So let's find the next Gallant.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

When coaches graduate to the NHL they are put up against the best coaches and best hockey minds in the world

North American hockey fans would like to think that, but that's not true or, indeed, provable. Like all sports, when you get to the top level you still get the same mix of great, good, fair, and poor talents. It's so much more about opportunity than it is about skill or competence.

Coaching and leading your team in the WHL or NCAA etc. is quite different than coaching and leading your team in the NHL

How? There are some tactical and strategic differences, but those are generally minor.