Therrien Fired, Bylsma Hired On Interim Basis
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Feb 15, 09:57 PM | Hype this story!
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that head coach Michel Therrien has been fired and will be replaced on an interim basis by Wilkes/Barre-Scranton Penguins coach Dan Bylsma.
“We believe we need a change in direction and, with 25 games remaining in the regular season, our goal remains to finish strong and qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. “Dan Bylsma is one of the bright young coaches in the game and has done an exceptional job as the head coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.”
Bylsma, 38, has led his team to a 35-16-3 record in his first year as head coach, good for fourth place in the AHL.
Assistant coach Andre Savard has been re-assigned within the organization, while director of player development Tom Fitzgerald has stepped into an assistant coaching position. Assistant coach Mike Yeo and goaltending coach Giles Meloche have retained their positions on the coaching staff.
Todd Reirden, Bylsma’s assistant in Wilkes/Barre-Scranton “will continue to be a significant part of the coaching staff” until the team determines a plan of action.
Therrien’s firing comes less than 24 hours after the team’s embarrassing loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. He has not been re-assigned within the organization.
Clearly, such a move is an indication that owner Mario Lemieux will not accept the team missing the playoffs.
The next few days will be crucial in determining if the move was enough to spark the players or if player moves are necessary.
Bylsma will have his first test tomorrow as the Penguins visit New York to play the Islanders, a team which he had assistant coaching duties in 2005-06.
Stick with Faceoff Factor for continued coverage and analysis.
Comments
Steve
Feb 15, 10:07 PM
I don’t know what to make of this. I know Bylsma has a great record with WBS this year, but do they really think that he can lead them to the playoffs? Keep in mind that not only has he never coached an NHL game, but he’s in his first year of head coaching experience. But so is Todd McLellan, so who knows…
I get the idea of putting him in as an interim coach so Shero can do a proper search & hire in the offseason, which is a good plan. But I’m just not convinced that bringing Bylsma in gives the Pens a better chance of making the playoffs than keeping Therrien. Perhaps there were some behind the happenings that finally sealed his fate…
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 15, 10:26 PM
Steve, I think the interim tag indicates that this is a move designed to spark the team AND audition Bylsma for the full-time position.
Clearly, the players have stopped responding to Therrien and something had to be done before it was too late (though it may already be too late).
Bylsma may be a rookie, but as we’ve seen with Bruce Boudreau in Washington and Todd McLellan in San Jose, rookie coaches very well may be the wave of the future. And, to clarify, I realize Boudreau has put in his team as a head coach in the AHL, but he never coached at the NHL level.
Keep this in mind as well. A new coach requires a new system that he must teach to a group of unfamiliar faces. Bylsma uses a very similar system in the AHL and knows the Penguins from training camp. He’ll make some changes, but the idea very well may simply be to light a fire under the players.
DAVID SCOTT
Feb 15, 10:29 PM
First off, I would like to thank HCMT.
In the first years coming in, he lead the pens, and us (the fans) on a glorious ride that culminated within 2 wins of the Stanley Cup! While each of us can find fault in his techniques, and player management, we cannot deny that he led the pens, over the top of major injuries last year, to the cusp of the cup!
Looking at his performance, as a fan of this incredible game, what I have observed is an incredible talent and passion he brings to the game. Unfortunately, this talent appears to be best suited in helping players develop, and not in team development. By that I mean, his constant line changing, calling players out, and his demand for a system in spite of game conditions, all seems more suited to the AHL and other developmental leagues, where these disciplines are needed.
Remeber, HCMT came in to replace a players’ coach in Eddie Olczyk. This team needed a system. It needed the discipline. It needed a Therrien.
But that time is in the past, and now the team needs to gel. It needs stability. Look at the Steelers, for a Model of Stability.
As for Bylsma, he brings in the interim position a Coach already familiar with the players and the organization. That will minimize the transistional pains, and will give GM Shero and opportunity to evaluate him, as well as the field of available coaches.
All in al this a needed and vital move by Shero, and (IMHO) gives the pens the best chance to regroup and achieve the post season.
Dave
Feb 15, 10:32 PM
I think it’s the old adage, you can’t fire the team. That fiasco in Toronto was hardly Therrien’s fault — the team quit and Crosby’s line in particular was awful, including Sidney himself (though Dupuis racking up a -5 in 13 minutes is impressive). That said, the team wasn’t responding to him for whatever reason. I’m not sure it wouldn’t have been more motivational overall to send a few of the players onto the same path Dany Sabourin has embarked on.
So we’ll see how Blysma does. I don’t think it will get any worse, and maybe they’ll get energized.
It’s amazing how a coach can be in the Cup finals one year and incapable of coaching the team the next year, though. Players on the roster last year who are gone, or haven’t played, or have played little, this year: Hossa, Conklin, Gonchar, Whitney, Malone, Ruutu, Armstrong, Christensen, Hall. Replaced with: Satan, Fedotenko, some Goligoski, Boucher, Cooke, Garon, and a bunch of castoffs and callups. Don’t see a problem there.
We’ll see. I sure hope they all get motivated.
Dave
Feb 15, 10:40 PM
David — I think to say that the time is past when the Penguins needed a system and needed discipline wouldn’t be quite right. They have a system they ignore when it suits them and virtually no discipline. Stability — “gelling” — comes with winning, which comes with playing disciplined, system hockey.
I will be very interested to see how Bylsma handles Crosby, whom he’s never coached. I suspect that Sidney was one player who was very happy to see Therrien go — Therrien couldn’t have been happy with his play recently but I don’t think Crosby is a very coachable guy.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 15, 10:42 PM
David, excellent points:
Thanks to Therrien, as he was a huge part of the Pens’ trip to the Finals.
Bylsma’s hiring has several levels: smooth transition due to familiarity of players/system, opportunity for audition for permanent job, opportunity for Shero to conduct full-fledged search, and motivation for a lackadaisical team.
Dave, you’re right, you can’t fire the team, and such a move sends a strong message that losing won’t be tolerated. As David said, Therrien’s message clearly wasn’t getting through as it did a year ago. Why? I have no clue. But it is obvious Therrien has a knack for working with young players, and my gut is he’ll be hired somewhere soon.
Lastly, let’s hope this is followed up with additional player personnel moves, as several/many players are contributing significantly to the team’s downfall.
RELENTLESSFORECHECK
Feb 15, 10:48 PM
Wow, Shero must have been reading my post… ;)
Regardless, it was the right call. Some (myself included) could argue this call should have been made a while ago, but after last night’s debacle in Toronto the front office needed to send a clear message: missing the playoffs is unacceptable.
While this does make the stretch drive that much more difficult, I don’t think this group was headed towards the post-season under Therrien anyways (obviously, neither did Shero). One would hope that, since there have been murmurs about Therrien being on a short leash for some time now, that Shero would already have a good idea who he wants to take the job permanently.
That being said, I don’t think for a second that Bylsma is it. This young team needs a strong presence behind the bench to guide it, a proven NHL coach who will command respect immediately. My guess is that Bylsma was handed the interim job because Shero thought Therrien could get them through the season while he concentrated on getting some offensive help before March 4. Toronto no doubt changed all that, and I would not be surprised to hear that Shero got a phone call from 66 after that game…
It will be very interesting to see what happens over the course of the next few days. If Shero (and the Pens ownership) feels this team needs to make the playoffs now, then I believe Shero needs to pull the trigger on a deal to bring in some scoring help AND announce a permanent head coach before the March 4 trade deadline. It is going to take both of the aforementioned (and a minor miracle) for the Pens to have a shot at the 8th and final spot. If either of those two items get put on hold, however, I think it’s clear that the organization is calling this season a wash.
Personally, I expect Marty St. Louis and John Tortorella… but that’s just my two cents. ;)
DAVID SCOTT
Feb 15, 10:58 PM
Dave, I never meant that they don’t need a system. What I meant, is that is where MT’s focus was, and the team needed that after Eddie O.
They still need a system (see Detroit for a perfect example), but they need a HC that develops the team, and inspires them. Scotty Bowman was NEVER a players coach, but he inspired the team to be its best and to play within the system, without constantly needing to “tinker.” He put the responsibility on the players and their line-mates. MT seemed to feel the system, and not the players, was the critical path. He seemed too often to ignore the parts (the players) and demand the system.
As for Crosby, I have never heard anything less than how hard he works, and how hard he pushes himself in practice. To suggest his is not a very coachable guy seems far-fetched. To suggest that he lost respect for HCMT would be understandable. He got very little support from him, in the way of line-mates that could finish, or defensemen that could cover up for him while still getting him the puck, freeing him up to be “creative”. The expectation was, you are a superstar, make it happen.
Every superstar has to be handled with a certain degree of care, but Crosby is unique. The public pressure to be the face of the League, the heir-apparent in Canada, and a team leader (as the youngest Captain) while being one of the hardest working players on the team (if not the league) must be handled by the Coach differently than, say, a Scuderi or even a Stall. that does not make him uncoachable. We are not alking about an ego like Avery or Hull here. This Crosby.
Time will tell, but anything that can minimize the transition, while sending the message to the team that missing the playoffs is unacceptable is a great move.
Dave
Feb 15, 11:23 PM
It’s not fair to blame Therrien for Crosby not having line mates that could finish — every wing on the team was tried there. Sykora is arguably their best, but even he didn’t do well. And Crosby’s “creativity” doesn’t always serve the team well.
I agree the Bylsma was the right choice. They don’t have time for any on the job learning from a new coach.
ballofhate
Feb 15, 11:59 PM
Rob, just two days ago you posted that Therrien should be fired, now you’re taking your hat off to him. Off your meds today, skippy?
DaBich
Feb 16, 06:26 AM
OK boys, back to the topic.
I don’t see any comments here on Mike Yeo. How is the heck did he survive the ax?? I thought he’d go with MT.
David Scott, well written. MT took up within 2 games of Lord Stanley. You have to give him credit for that.
I said long ago, this team will not make the playoffs this season. You can change the coach, bring in some new players. it won’t happen.
BUT...it WILL make a difference next season.
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 16, 09:52 AM
Dabich, I’m confused by that as well. And to be honest, it makes me a bit mad.
My only conclusion is that Savard stepped down when Therrien was fired and Yeo did not — and Shero did not want to assemble an entirely new staff when it is very possible he’ll have to do the same again this summer.
There’s also this notion: maybe Yeo will be demoted to the AHL after today’s game where he will co-coach the Baby Penguins with Reirden.
Nate
Feb 16, 10:11 AM
What I don’t get is HCM is fired, Andre Savard is reassigned and Mike Yeo gets to keep his job. What’s wrong with this picture? At least Andre had the penalty kill running somewhat throughout the season, Yeo couldn’t run a powerplay with 5 all-stars on the ice. STUPID!
Matt Bodenschatz
Feb 16, 11:22 AM
Nate, there may be more to this than meets the eye.
My guess is Savard was not fired with Therrien, but rather asked to be re-assigned out of respect. Yeo, on the other hand, may have realized his lifespan as a coach is short and he didn’t want to give up his role.
My point is, maybe Shero only wanted to oust Therrien and leave his assistants in place, which would justify why one left and one stayed.
There’s also a possibility Yeo could be re-assigned to the AHL tomorrow to share coaching duties with Rierden…a delayed move that would give Shero time to find another assistant.
Personally, I’d love to see Eddie Johnston run the power play for the balance of the season. There’s no better mastermind on the power play than Johnston.
RELENTLESSFORECHECK
Feb 16, 11:32 AM
I agree with Matt on Mike Yeo. Regardless, once the permanent coach gets announced, he will bring in all his own staff anyway.
On this whole Shero is the root cause talk:
Shero is accountable for making sure the coach has the right tools to make the playoffs. Shero has never fully been able to rectify the loss of Marian Hossa. The stop-gap he brought in (Miro Satan) has been identified as an abject failure for some time, so Shero has until March 4 to land a legitimate linemate for Sid. He has the assets to move and he has had more than enough time to make the right move, so if he fails to land a true impact player at the deadline he will take a significant amount of heat… especially in light of Therrien’s release.
But, that’s where Shero’s responsibility stops and Therrien’s begins. It was Therrien’s responsibility to make sure this team was prepared night in and night out and to make sure this team competed for 60 minutes. In that measure alone, I believe Therrien has fallen below a passing grade for some time. It is one thing to compete hard and simply be outclassed. Look at the most recent Detroit game as an example: the Pens worked for a solid 60 minutes, but didn’t have the firepower to capitalize on the few chances they had. If this team competed against the rest of the league the way they battled Detroit, then the Pens would be higher in the standings and Therrien would still be behind the bench.
As I said before, I think Therrien was out of answers for this team a while ago. He instituted the 2-2-1 as a last resort: something to stop the hemorrhaging and give the Pens a chance to stay in the game. But, pretending to be the NJ Devils and actually being the NJ Devils are two different things entirely: you can’t institute this half-heartedly and expect results. And again, this type of play requires discipline from the entire team; discipline was one glaringly obvious thing missing from the Pens.
Even with the lack of scoring depth outside the Malkin/Crosby duo, I don’t think Therrien managed the personnel he had very well. With scoring (and shooting) such a problem, Malkin and Crosby should have been together on the ice constantly. The call-ups and the line-changes, well, it doesn’t take a genius to go with the spark that fires the engine. Therrien kept shuffling, desperately looking for that spark, even to the point of enlisting his young defensemen on the wing (which was a poor decision that thankfully didn’t last long). At some point you have to rely on what gives you the best chance to win, and that’s keeping Sid and Geno together.
So, in summary, Shero should be held accountable for failing to bring in the right players to this point and should be chastised if he fails to do so by the deadline (after stating that the playoffs are a priority). However, Therrien was ultimately responsible for what happens on the ice. And for the Pens, what happened was too many meltdowns and too many time where they simply did not compete. Toronto was the straw that broke that camel’s back…
Greg
Feb 16, 02:43 PM
The Toronto loss (any many others) cannot be blamed on Therrien. The players need to play. Period. How they can hold their heads up high with such lackluster effort all season is beyond me. I would like to see some players come out and say they need to be accountable for their play. A coach can only do so much.
Therried did a great job resurrecting this franchise from the brink of collapse. I personally cannot wait to see him go to a team that will actually give him a chance and truly embrace what he bring to the table.
The country club atmosphere has killed coaches in Pittsburgh since Mario’s drafting, and it appears as though it will continue with his ownership tenure.
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