Well here comes a mini-rant. I might be one of the few left but I cannot subscribe to the theory that a coaching change won't change much. Or that we WANT Mike Sullivan to keep coaching this team because they can bottom out. Eff all of that.
Enough of this loser mentality (aka Boston Red Sox mentality). A coaching change does not solve all, and I believe everybody knows this. Does not mean it is not the most obvious, necessary and no-brainer move to make right now. This team is too old. Even my 13-year-old niece could figure this one out. So fire the damn idiot that refuses to play younger players. The guy who decides to sit the two latest call-ups that the GM made so that they can watch and learn the culture of this team. WHAT? The culture sucks. The team is going nowhere fast. Fire his ass and get some younger, fresher legs on the ice (instead of in the press box). And if you have to sit (or waive or trade) a few vets along the way, perhaps even a few Boston U products (you know, the Grzelcyk's and Nieto's of this world), oh well.
This team is nowhere near as bad as pre-Mario Penguins. Nowhere near as bad as pre-Sidney Penguins. They just have a fossil behind the bench who is ruining basically everything, because the trickle-down effect of having him still coaching this franchise is massive right now. It sure does not help that we have a GM that seemingly has no balls. It would be nice if he found them sometime between now and my next mini-rant, which I guess is now bordering on maxi-rant. But whatever.
Fire his damn ass. I cannot watch this any longer. I sat through the entire Carolina game. All of the Rangers game. All of the Minnesota game. But last night, I simply could not. It is now to the point where my Penguins are reaching my Jets (NY not Wpg) in terms of futility. But I still believe it simply does not have to be this way.
Washington is basically doing what Dubas said he wanted this team to do, but is not. So it can be done. And, our four veterans are better than theirs. In fact, two of their four are basically retired now because of injury. So Washington might have been even better than they are currently with a healthy Oshie and a healthy Backstrom. The Caps realized the ship was sinking way earlier than the Penguins have (have the Penguins even realized it?). They kept more firsts than we did. Some of those guys have paid dividends, like McMichael and Protas, both playing great hockey this season. And they made shrewd moves, like the Strome pickup for free. Would Sullivan like Dylan Strome as a hockey player? Of course not.
And the biggest move D.C. made was actually going with an unproven HC. Hey, if their captain, franchise player and legend can accept that, why can't ours? Hell, Carbery even moved OV to right wing. The last time somebody tried that, Dale Hunter was one and done as Capitals head coach. But it seems to be working.
There is no excuse for having Fossil Sullivan behind the bench any longer. The St. Louis frickin' Blues were dead last in the NHL in 2018-19, fired their coach shortly after and won the Cup. WE have done something similar TWICE, and we won a Cup. Ironically, this same organization is hanging onto a 10-year HC when all signs point to him being a MASSIVE reason for why this team can't get out of its own way. How does Crosby not see this? Dubas, FSG, they weren't here. But the core guys were here. They all breathed a breath of fresh air when both Bylsma first and then Sullivan second were hired. At that time, ANYTHING was better than sticking with Therrien and Johnston.
Gentlemen, open your damn eyes. We are back to the future.
/rant
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