News Article: Sather Speaks: Lack of Puck Possession Had "A lot to do" with Torts' firing

[nyranger61494]

Sather also danced around the issue that Tortorella's firing happened because "multiple players," including some "top guys," wanted the coach out, as a source told the Daily News on May 29.

"I interviewed every player at the end of the year," Sather told the Daily News. "I don't sit there and say, 'Do you have a complaint about the coach?' I say, 'Is there anything you want to talk to me about?' They talk about conditioning. (But) they shouldn't complain. They may say, 'I didn't have a very good year, I didn't play as well as I should have.' But they don't say, 'I don't like the assistant coach, I don't like (for example, goaltending coach) Benoit Allaire. I'd tell them to get the f--- out of the room if they did that."

"That's the job of that person to find out without players coming to you and telling you," Sather said. "I have lots of other people that work for me, and what makes you think that I wasn't observing things myself? I'm around all the time. You don't have to have somebody tell you something. You know when things change."

He also knew that the Rangers' style of play needed to evolve to contend with other top NHL teams, or in his words, "the game has changed."

"If you look at these playoff games (like the Stanley Cup Finals matchup) you're gonna see tonight, the style that they play, I mean there's not a hell of a lot of dump-ins," Sather said. "I mean, (if) you have to dump the puck in, you have to dump it. But there's a lot of puck control and hanging onto the puck and moving the puck out, and there's not stopping behind the net to gain control. There's a lot of things that are done differently than what we were doing. So you have to look at the style of play. That had a lot to do with (the decision to fire Tortorella), too."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/h...-torts-sather-article-1.1377043#ixzz2WgvFkYM8

Sather is full of it here. Absolutely full of it. As Strang reported, Slats gave Torts an extension THIS season. So all of this stuff about the Rangers' style of play and the game changing is absolutely revisionist history. I think it was True Blue who said that Slats always runs the bus over his coaches after they've been axed and gives the appearance that he is in full control. Vigneault is now the Rangers' sixth coach in Slats' thirteen years. All a failure in his own words.

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[Thirty One]

Could anyone make sense of this?

But Sather would not say that no one approached him to complain about Tortorella.
"I'm not saying that," Sather said. "I'm just saying no player approached me to say something about him."

 

[nyranger61494]

Could anyone make sense of this?

Hahaha. I read that part four times. Gave up and thought I was having reading comprehension problem. Glad I am not only one.

 

[RGY]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/h...-torts-sather-article-1.1377043#ixzz2WgvFkYM8

Sather is full of it here. Absolutely full of it. As Strang reported, Slats gave Torts an extension THIS season. So all of this stuff about the Rangers' style of play and the game changing is absolutely revisionist history. I think it was True Blue who said that Slats always runs the bus over his coaches after they've been axed and gives the appearance that he is in full control. Vigneault is now the Rangers' sixth coach in Slats' thirteen years. All a failure in his own words.

I disagree. I don;t think he is completely full of it. I think a lot of this was clouded by last year's deep playoff run. I think a lot of the discrepancies with this team and style of play were covered by the smoke screen that was a roster that catered to that style of play enough to make it to the ECF. However, that team still played dump and chase with little offensive creativity, they had a very mediocre PP, and lacked clutch goals in tight games in the playoffs. There was no reason we should've went 7 games against the Senators and the Capitals. This year exposed the style of play completely.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Could anyone make sense of this?

No players approached him to complain I.E. other organizational people such as maybe Sullivan or Allaire etc. did in fact approach him to complain.

 

[nyranger61494]

I disagree. I don;t think he is completely full of it. I think a lot of this was clouded by last year's deep playoff run. I think a lot of the discrepancies with this team and style of play were covered by the smoke screen that was a roster that catered to that style of play enough to make it to the ECF. However, that team still played dump and chase with little offensive creativity, they had a very mediocre PP, and lacked clutch goals in tight games in the playoffs. There was no reason we should've went 7 games against the Senators and the Capitals. This year exposed the style of play completely.

Ok, while that might be true...but if you see these problems within the team, why give Tortorella an extension then?

 

[RGY]

Could anyone make sense of this?

I think some players said something. I think Sather does not want to reveal that out of respect for Tortorella. Because it is done with and time to move on. No need for bad press about bad blood in the lockerroom.

 

[stan the caddy]

What is he talking about? There's a ton of dump-ins. On several occasions the Blackhawks have skated the puck all the way up to the blueline to dump it in.

 

[nyranger61494]

I think some players said something. I think Sather does not want to reveal that out of respect for Tortorella. Because it is done with and time to move on. No need for bad press about bad blood in the lockerroom.

He also doesn't want it to sound like he doesn't have pulse of the team and/or made a move only after his players forced it on him.

 

[RangerBoy]

Sather is saying the a player never sought him out to talk about the coach during the season. The players complained about Torts when Sather asked them how things were going in the exit meetings.

Who cares about the contract extension? It was a 1 year extension. Torts had a year left and they made it two. If Dallas or Vancouver hires Torts,the Rangers are off the hook for the remaining money.

Looking at the way the Rangers play and the other teams play,the change was necessary. The team came out flat in game 3 against Boston. They were flat in game 4 until Rask fell down. The players didn't respond to him anymore.

Kreider scored the GWG in the last game Torts won as Ranger coach. Ironic.

 

[Bluenote13]

I had posted this in another thread:

"Remember that people have egos..." Sather


It's sad that he doesn't even understand how much that statement has to do with his record the last 20 years.

Then it's even sadder when you realize that HE is just realizing this now about the NHL and coaching.

And even sadder than that ? He was ready to keep Torts until the players woke him the **** up !

 

[GAGLine]

Ok, while that might be true...but if you see these problems within the team, why give Tortorella an extension then?

The extension might have been done very early in the season. Things can change pretty quick.

 

[GAGLine]

I'm sure some will still defend Torts and say there was nothing wrong with his system lol.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I'm sure some will still defend Torts and say there was nothing wrong with his system lol.

I don't think anyone will say his system is perfect. I will say that he's not nearly as bad as some of the ridiculous drama queens like to pretend he is.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

"The game is changing"

That so ****ing rich. The game has changed 4 or 5 times since the last time Glen Sather was relevant and actually had a grasp of it.

 

[nyranger61494]

I'm sure some will still defend Torts and say there was nothing wrong with his system lol.

There will be but in my mind, that's not even the issue here. The issue is Slats continuing to give the appearance that he is a competent GM with a plan when in fact, he does not. And he was not fired because Slats had issues with his system, it's the players that did.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Looking at the way the Rangers play and the other teams play,the change was necessary. The team came out flat in game 3 against Boston. They were flat in game 4 until Rask fell down. The players didn't respond to him anymore

This, to me, was a much bigger issue than any wayward complaints about the system.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

"The game is changing"

That so ****ing rich. The game has changed 4 or 5 times since the last time Glen Sather was relevant and actually had a grasp of it.

I wonder if Sather realizes that we have these newfangled color TVs, now. Don't even tell him about the internet. His mind would implode.

 

[OverTheCap]

Sather speaks in riddles sometimes. Is he insinuating that the players complained that the conditioning was too tough for them? I have absolutely no sympathy for players who show up to camp out of shape. It was so obvious that players like Boyle and Richards did not keep up their conditioning level during the lockout. The players better be in the best shape of their lives come training camp this fall.

 

[nyranger61494]

Sather is saying the a player never sought him out to talk about the coach during the season. The players complained about Torts when Sather asked them how things were going in the exit meetings.

Who cares about the contract extension? It was a 1 year extension. Torts had a year left and they made it two. If Dallas or Vancouver hires Torts,the Rangers are off the hook for the remaining money.

Looking at the way the Rangers play and the other teams play,the change was necessary. The team came out flat in game 3 against Boston. They were flat in game 4 until Rask fell down. The players didn't respond to him anymore.

Kreider scored the GWG in the last game Torts won as Ranger coach. Ironic.

I agree with you and know that one year may not seem like much but am just saying, if Slats had the pulse of the team all along as he professes, why offer an additional year? Why wasn't Torts' job in the balance all season long? Slats came out and said that Tortorella was essentially safe at the end of the regular season/beginning of playoffs. He fires Torts a month later. Something doesn't add up for me.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Sather is saying the a player never sought him out to talk about the coach during the season. The players complained about Torts when Sather asked them how things were going in the exit meetings.

Who cares about the contract extension? It was a 1 year extension. Torts had a year left and they made it two. If Dallas or Vancouver hires Torts,the Rangers are off the hook for the remaining money.

Looking at the way the Rangers play and the other teams play,the change was necessary. The team came out flat in game 3 against Boston. They were flat in game 4 until Rask fell down. The players didn't respond to him anymore.

Kreider scored the GWG in the last game Torts won as Ranger coach. Ironic.

With all due respect RB that is incorrect. The context of what he is saying implies that some one did approach him but it was some one OTHER than a player.

 

[nevesis]

I'm sure some will still defend Torts and say there was nothing wrong with his system lol.

The system was an issue, but don't think for a second with a different system you're going to start seeing us score 5 goals a game.

We still don't have enough top end talent to put pucks in the net, and that will continue to kill us until we address the issue.

 

[Bluenote13]

The system was an issue, but don't think for a second with a different system you're going to start seeing us score 5 goals a game.

We still don't have enough top end talent to put pucks in the net, and that will continue to kill us until we address the issue.

They need to up the scoring chances/pressure they put on opposition offensively.

If they do that and keep the puck out in a similar fashion to what we've seen the last few years then ya got something to work with.

 

[stan the caddy]

The Rangers players had had enough of the coach and they said so during their exit meetings on Monday. Sources have confirmed Sather had no intention of dismissing Tortorella in the wake of the team’s second-round elimination by the Bruins until a critical mass of players informed the GM that the coach’s overbearing personality had become a roadblock to success.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rang...6KKllcqh1K?utm_medium=rss&utm_content=Rangers

Between Larry and Glen, no one gets a straight answer. Bs stacked on top of more bs.

 

[Clown Fiesta]

Torts was extended during the season, at which time play wasn't as tight and his system wasn't exposed as much. In the playoffs when we literally dumped it in 95% of the time is probably what Sather is referring to.