Sutter for 2010

[Miller Time]

I don't care if it's Brent or Darryl, but I think one of the two is EXACTLY what Canada needs to ensure this kind of performance does not repeat itself.

Let me first state two things:

1- I'm from Quebec, and it's taken me a long time to warm up to WHL style hockey, and frankly I'm still more of a fan of the "Q"... i.e I tend to favor flashy skill play over gritty grind work.

2- I realize that we lost to the Russians, a country famous for their skill play.

But to me the things we sorely lacked in choking (and what else could you call a Canadian National HOCKEY team that gets shutout 3 times in 7 games!!!!) were the very things that a Sutter coached team lives and dies by:

SPEED
INTENSITY
ACCOUNTABILITY

Even without Niedemayer, and with slugs like Bert and Pronger, our team still had as much if not more "potential" team speed than anyone else in the tournament. Canada's skaters are some of the best in the world, period. But in none of the games I watched did the team attack or defend with speed.
We didn't drive aggressively to the net, and we seemed content to try to sit static in the offensive zone.

As for the other key issues... Intensity/Accountability... After Pronger got outworked by Koivu on the 1st Finland goal, I don't think anyone said a word to him about it. Quinn obvioulsy either didn't have the balls, or didn't understand the importance of sending a clear message about that kind of pathetic display. Pronger should have been benched for the period, if not the rest of the game, to make the message clear: ANYONE wearing the maple leafs has got to put it ALL on the ice, anything less WILL NOT be tolerated.
That did not happen, and watching the rest of the tournament, it seems that undisciplined plays and lack of emotion became our calling card.
That, ladies and gentleman, is Coaching, pure and simple.

A Sutter coaches next time around, I GUARANTEE that we play the final (as we should every time... someone just has to make sure the players know that YOU HAVE TO PLAY THE GAME!)

Click to read more...

 

[Epsilon]

I don't think any of the Sutters are adaptable enough to coach successfully in the Olympics. They will want to stick with "their game" come hell or high water, even if it's not working or clearly not going to work.

I hate to pimp my team's coach, but I think Mike Babcock might be the right guy for Canada next time. His style allows for more flexibility and lets him get the most out of whatever players he has, rather than having to build the entire team around his style.

Another option that should be considered is using a guy like Dave King who works in Europe full-time.

 

[Hedberg]

I don't think any of the Sutters are adaptable enough to coach successfully in the Olympics. They will want to stick with "their game" come hell or high water, even if it's not working or clearly not going to work.

I agree. Mike Babcock however would be a good choice

 

[Miller Time]

Somehow I find it hard to swallow the notion that either of these coaches "isn't" adaptable enough to succeed in the Olympics...

Their coaching style was good enough to win back to back World Junior titles (once as the clear favorite, and once as the underdog), and to get to within one win of the Stanley cup...

Adaptability is one of those "interesting" qualities when it comes to coaching. Sometimes being "rigid" and having the confidence to stick by your values/philosophy/approach even when things are shaky is exactly what seperates average coaches from great ones... sometimes being too stubborn fails...

Bottom line, the Sutter way is working, and it clearly would have been more effective than whatever it was Quinn was trying to do.

 

[Phanuthier*]

I don't think any of the Sutters are adaptable enough to coach successfully in the Olympics. They will want to stick with "their game" come hell or high water, even if it's not working or clearly not going to work.

... so it took one post into get to our first "they will want to stick to their game."

 

[Dogbert*]

The Sutter System aside, Brent and Darryl will give us one thing that cost us dearly this year: player accountability. It doesn't matter what your name is on the ice; if you don't show up and play hard, you will be on the bench. That's something that could have meant the difference between a medal and 7th-place.

 

[Balej20*]

They also need the Staal kids...Eric and Marc.

 

[futurcorerock]

Four more years of this?