Top Coaches List Has A Few Question Marks

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

Aug 4, 04:36 PM | Hype this story!

ESPN writer Terry Frei put together a list of the NHL’s top coaches, separating them into several categories:

  • The elite – ... or the men who get the most out of their rosters, regardless of how good (or otherwise) those rosters are.
  • The proven – ... or the guys you know can pull it off until their voices get stale, it’s time for a change, or the general manager needs to save his job by making someone a scapegoat.
  • The jury’s still out – ... or the first-time NHL head coaches who still have to show they can be productive in what passes in this sport for the long run.
  • The suspect – ... or they’ll have to prove some people wrong to be considered (back) among the elite.
  • How the heck can we know yet? – ... or the first-time NHL head coaches.

Based on that system, it’s clear that certain coaches (Mike Babcock) should be in the “elite” category, while others (Barry Melrose) should be in the “suspect” category.

But what about coaches such as Michel Therrien, Bruce Boudreau and Guy Carbonneau?

According to Frei, Therrien falls into the “proven” category after coaching his team to two consecutive playoff berths, one of which ended two wins shy of a Stanley Cup, immediately after a bottom of the standings finish.

Not a bad position for Therrien to be in, but the Penguins’ coach almost was bumped down to the next tier for a trivial (at best) reason.

“I almost didn’t put him here, in part because of his whining during the Finals,” Frei wrote.

What?

Therrien did what he could to motivate his team and grab the officials’ attention. Did I agree with it? Not necessarily. But the fact remains, he has taken this team to heights reached just two other times in franchise history.

How does whining bump a coach from the “proven” category to the “jury’s still out” category? I don’t understand.

Boudreau and Carbonneau, both new to the NHL coaching realm, were listed in the “jury’s still out” category. Fair enough, seeing as how both must prove their longevity, as anyone can have one impressive season.

But Frei wrote, “after the newness wears off, can (Boudreau) prove it was indicative of a difference-making touch?”

Boudreau won the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s best coach after turning around a Washington Capitals team loaded with talent, yet sinking into oblivion. If he was capable of turning that team around when it seemingly was hopeless, something tells me Boudreau will have a much easier time getting his team to improve upon last season.

Just a paragraph later, though, he wrote, “Chances are, (Carbonneau will) jump to be among the elite pretty soon … and he already has in some books.”

So Boudreau’s rookie season as a coach must be proven, but Carbonneau’s second season makes him nearly elite? These rankings are staring to get a bit obscure.

But it gets better.

Among the “elite” coaches is Lindy Ruff, who coached his team right into a non-playoff year. Sure, he clearly is a good coach, but there are many teams out there with less talent than the Sabres that had much, much more impressive seasons. History clearly is part of this ranking, but it seems somewhat curious.

Meanwhile, another experienced coach with a decent history – Claude Julien – finds himself in the “suspect” category after Frei calls him a “bona fide Adams candidate last season.” Julien has been around the block and coached some of the best defensive teams in the game, yet his name is just two spots higher than Barry (EPSN analyst) Melrose.

About the only part that has any logic behind the decision and explanation is the “how the heck can we know yet?” category, which includes those coaches entering their first year in the NHL.

Comments

  1. Dabich

    Aug 5, 05:38 AM

    Sounds like this Terry Frei is fly by night as well!

  2. Todd

    Aug 5, 08:45 AM

    Frei is a Western Conference-centric writer, so most of his exposure to Therrien was during the Finals when MT complained about obstruction. I don’t think his complaining was as bad as other coaches in previous rounds, but I do wear Vegas gold and black shades.

    Hey, I love Barry Trotz…but let’s win a few playoff rounds once in a while and earn that elite title.

  3. THEONEANDONLYSURGE

    Aug 5, 08:48 AM

    Sounds like everyone on TV. All the Pens games televised on National TV, the Pens get butcherd. Case in point when Pierre was sitting inbetween the benches and called Sid on a dive. Sid looked at him and smilled to show him the tape on his teeth. I love to watch NHL Live on the NHL Network but it is almost hilarious to here these talks from week to week. One week they will praise the team and the next they will tear into it for the same reason.

  4. Matt Bodenschatz

    Aug 5, 08:56 AM

    Todd, I didn’t know that about Frei. But, even as you said, Therrien’s whining was minimal compared to that of Murray and Renney. And I’m confident that, even if I was a fan of another team, I’d feel the exact same way. With that being said, I still disliked Therrien’s whining. As I said in earlier rounds, to me, coaches calling out the refs and accusing the opponents of being cheap or whatever is the easy way out. It’s the violin playing on the deck of a sinking ship. I’d rather just watch them lose with a bit more dignity.

    Surge, without a doubt there is an anti-Penguin “cult” int he media and within fans of the NHL. But that’s to be expected when a team has as much homegrown talent as the Penguins do and got that talent through the means the Penguins did. And, let’s be fair, there are more people out there that love to watch the Penguins because they know they’ll see a great hockey team than there are people who hate to watch the Penguins because of perceived notions such as Crosby whining/diving, etc.

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