Miscellaneous NHL Discussion XCIX: We're Gonna Party Like It's 99

[freakydallas13]

Does lack of success allow for complaining? Because, boy, do I have news…..

I'm interested in this "The young players didn't like Cassidy's coaching style, so the players got him fired" angle. It sounds like Cassidy was preaching a good 'ol fashioned Torts style school of hard knocks coaching method. Afterall, we've been told it's a good thing when lazy young players feel alienated from the coach, right?

What if a hypothetical team, let's call them the _hiladelphia _lyers, also had young players that were frustrated with their coach. What should the response to multiple struggling young players being at odds with their coach be in that case?

 

[Beef Invictus]

Name me a HC who doesn't have issues with players in the course of a season.

Sanheim flat out sucked last year after he got his big pay day, what HC wouldn't be frustrated? Now I can see where they would have problems, Sanheim is a bit fragile and probably would be better served by a HC who'd coddle him (and Briere did try to move him).

York was fine when he returned, Torts only complaint was he wants York to be more assertive on offense - if that's the biggest problem they have between them . . .

Farabee was a balancing act, Trots admitted Farabee was hampered by not having an offseason, but also didn't want that to be an excuse - that's a tough balancing act. How much slack do you cut v how hard due you push?

Frost didn't play well to start the season, it's wasn't about points, it was primarily his play without the puck. Torts rode him, and guess what, Frost played better, was more responsible defensively, got more PT with better wings and played far better than at any point since he turned pro.

Torts took over a team that had floated through two bad seasons, and historically had a "country club" atmosphere. This team needed a good kick in the ass. He may go overboard at times, but last season you didn't see a team that gave up when it was down a couple goals, looking to get the game over with so they could hit the bar.

I can name multiple HCs who don't deliberately create issues for no reason

 

[deadhead]

So how did those young players fare in the playoffs without Cassidy suppressing them?

And that young Boston team that suffered under Cassidy?
MacAvoy (25), Pastrnak (26), Carlo (26), De Brusk (26), Zacha (25), Federic (24).

A bunch of rookie and second year players who couldn't handle tough coaching - I think not!

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

Ah, we're doing the thing where we make a big deal out of a small sample size again.

Trying to make a point about how a team fared when they had the most points ever for a team in the regular season is a decision.

 

[freakydallas13]

So how did those young players fare in the playoffs without Cassidy suppressing them?

And that young Boston team that suffered under Cassidy?
MacAvoy (25), Pastrnak (26), Carlo (26), De Brusk (26), Zacha (25), Federic (24).

A bunch of rookie and second year players who couldn't handle tough coaching - I think not!

Help me understand, was Cassidy alienating his young players good coaching, or poor coaching? And while we're at it, was firing him for mishandling the young players the right move?

You're pointedly not answering my questions, I just want to know where you stand.

 

[Curufinwe]

 

[Striiker]

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

"Babcock legitimately went out of his way to make guys feel uncomfortable"

Hmm... sounds familiar.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

Brayden Schenn is the new captain of the Blues.

 

[Striiker]

Always liked and defended Schenn when he was here.

Another example of a guy who was never used properly, then produced better as soon as he left.

 

[BillDineen]

"Babcock legitimately went out of his way to make guys feel uncomfortable"

Hmm... sounds familiar.

Torts' lucking out not going for option b) last summer and going through York's phone

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Torts' lucking out not going for option b) last summer and going through York's phone

"You're smiling too much in all your photos. You're not supposed to be happy. Leave."

 

[Flyerfan4life]

"Babcock legitimately went out of his way to make guys feel uncomfortable"

Hmm... sounds familiar.

Dinosaur handbook...

page 3.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

How is that supposed to make you a better hockey player?

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

How is that supposed to make you a better hockey player?

If you got T&A or alcohol/drug use in your photo album it means you're not committed to hockey.

 

[Magua]

I would want Babcock to be deeply uncomfortable with the amount of dog photos on my phone.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I get why everyone has the immediate reaction of this being over the line, but after thinking it through, I could see some situations where it makes some sense.

Maybe Babcock once had a player with something so psychotic in his photo gallery that he checks up on everyone to ensure the safety of the staff and players. I mean something really crazy. Something like a pillow of a faux painting of Ivan Provorov as a 16th Century Royal.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

I get why everyone has the immediate reaction of this being over the line, but after thinking it through, I could see some situations where it makes some sense.

Maybe Babcock once had a player with something so psychotic in his photo gallery that he checks up on everyone to ensure the safety of the staff and players. I mean something really crazy. Something like a pillow of a faux painting of Ivan Provorov as a 16th Century Royal.

 

[ponder719]

I get why everyone has the immediate reaction of this being over the line, but after thinking it through, I could see some situations where it makes some sense.

Maybe Babcock once had a player with something so psychotic in his photo gallery that he checks up on everyone to ensure the safety of the staff and players. I mean something really crazy. Something like a pillow of a faux painting of Ivan Provorov as a 16th Century Royal.

Babs was at risk of coaching Columbus. They could have even had photos of the actual Ivan Provorov. You can't take chances with something like that.

 

[Audible Velvet]

The NHL is a microcosm of everything wrong with the world. Bunch of wealthy old stubborn assholes making life as miserable as possible

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

 

[Beef Invictus]

But how can mere amateurs possibly know more than professionals!?

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

So it sounds like Biz’s original source was a former player that played under Babcock in Toronto. Babcock did the phone thing there as well & this player had party pictures on his phone camera roll & from that point on Babcock just ran the guy down every chance he got. The player would eventually ask out.

So guess someone else told this former player it’s happening again to which he told Biz & told Biz to check it out.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

So they explained part of Babcock’s method is doing this phone thing with everybody included even people in the front office that’s part of his manipulation & to give himself cover. For the guys he feels is on equal footing or even superior to him it is innocent & friendly like it sounds. But for people lower than him it’s a way for him to gather intel so he can exert his dominance over the player.

Biz said his friend in Toronto for example when he first met Babcock there his face to face meeting Babcock just took his phone out of his hand. He didn’t ask or anything & eventually found party pictures on it. To which I guess Babcock in his mind surmised this guy didn’t care enough about hockey so he just rode the guy until the guy just asked to get traded wherever. That was essentially an easy to get rid of the player I guess in Babcock’s mind.

So they said that’s probably why Jenner & Gaudreau said what they said because they got the pleasant/friendly version of that shtick.

Biz made it sound after the podcast more players were willingly to speak up which I guess led to the NHLPA investigation. He said the investigation reviled more stuff that they didn’t even know.

 

[Magua]

Biz said his friend in Toronto

$10 on Lupul.