Therrien Close To Losing His Team, Job?
Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins
Nov 5, 01:50 PM | Hype this story!
Line juggling, player favoritism, and questionable ideologies have led many in the hockey world to question Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien’s motives. This morning, word out of Pittsburgh is that the players may be doing the same.
This morning, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter Rob Rossi, who covers the Penguins, was on local radio and made some interesting comments, according to forum moderator “netwolf” at LetsGoPens.com.
The following two quotes are paraphrases of what Rossi had to say, not direct quotes from Rossi himself, so take them for what they are worth.
“The locker room is in danger of becoming fractured, not between the players, but in the other way it could become fractured.”
When probed by host Tim Benz and asked if it was between players and the coaching staff, Rossi confirmed.
“Well, yeah. [Therrien’s] been doing some things lately a lot of the guys aren’t buying into.”
Among the questionable philosophies of Therrien, the most significant is his lack of patience.
His lines are juggled from game to game and shift to shift, and his goalies are given little time to prove themselves one way or another.
But the problems don’t end here.
Therrien shows favoritism toward specific players, while placing others in the doghouse – and often there is no foundation to support these thoughts.
Mark Recchi has, for the most part, remained on the top line and top power play unit despite going nearly 50 games without a goal. Meanwhile, Jarrko Ruutu and Georges Laraque, two players known for their specialties (fighting and agitating), aren’t being permitted or told to play with an edge.
Therrien also is known for his harsh motivational methods, which generally work extremely well with young players. But with a team of maturing individuals, his coaching style may be losing its effectiveness, which may be evidenced in the lack of progression in players such as Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ryan Whitney and others.
If such a locker room revolt happens, don’t expect Therrien and his coaching staff to last much longer.
History suggests that when a coach loses his team, he loses his job.
This news from Rossi serves only to add to several strange occurrences during the previous week that might have been signs that general manager Ray Shero has put his foot down.
Just hours after a story was printed in the Pittsburgh media quoting Therrien as saying he was more than willing to wait out forward Mark Recchi’s supposed slump, Recchi was demoted from the top line to the fourth line.
And later in the week, Therrien was quoted as saying he was going to give his lines a chance to build chemistry – a concept many thought Therrien was completely oblivious to.
If two and two make four, the above information could be a solid sign that both the players and the higher management are growing tired of Therrien’s ways.
Only time will tell what happens next, but signs are bleak…
Comments
Dan
Nov 5, 02:21 PM
Matt,
I liked what Therrien did in some ways but this year he is not letting this team play to their potential.
I cant say I know much about other coaches out there and would just like to hear your opinion on some potential coaches for them. So, who would you like to see coach this team.
Thanks!
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 5, 02:55 PM
Personally, my favorite “candidate” is Dave King. He has coached in the NHL, was the coach of the Canadian National team for years, and then coached Malkin in Russia until he defected last summer. He reportedly had an amazing relationship with Malkin, which is what ultimately got him fired.
We’re talking about a coach who not only knows how to teach young players, but is a player’s coach, meaning he builds strong relationships with players, and as a result, the players are willing to do a lot for them. Additionally, he is known for his ability to coach offensively-talented players, which is exactly what this team has.
Other candidates could be Bob Hartley (fired earlier this season in Atlanta), Pat Quinn (former Maple Leafs coach), Andre Savard (current Pens assistant), Brent Petersen (assistant in Nashville), and possibly even Kevin Constantine (former Penguins coach).
But again, all of this is speculation, as nothing has happened yet. If I get some time later this week I may outline a few of these coaches a little more in-depth. But for now, I’m off to the Steelers game.
Let's Go Pens @ Myspace
Nov 5, 04:30 PM
Pat Quinn would be the King choice for sure, if he is still up to the task. Andre Savard would be a hard choice, it always seems tough for an Assistant to slide into that Head Coach role. Afterall the Assistant is more of a liaison between Coach and Players, and then he has to change from being their “Friend” to being “The Boss.” Usually spells disaster. We hope it’s not K Constantine, yeah he was mildly succesful while here, but extremely boring. The Pens have offensive potential (even though you wouldn’t know it lately) the likes we may never see again, and to have them tightly wound in a D 1st scheme would be a mistake.
It would be interesting to see how this unfolds. Thanks for the news, hopefully something (not specifically this) is done to shake this team up.
Ben
Nov 5, 09:55 PM
Tonight’s game was great. Definitely the best game the Pens have played this season, and not just because of the final score.
However, some things that Steigerwald said during the broadcast make me think that Therrien is probably still on thin ice. When the players get together and tell the coach what lines they want to have on the ice, that simply can’t be a good sign for the coach. It’s possibly even more damning for the coach that it worked so well…
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 6, 10:54 AM
Lets Go Pens, Quinn would be about as low on my list as Constantine. Again, my pick for the job is Dave King, as I believe if he would be able to get the most out of the offense, while not neglecting defense.
Ben, I didn’t see the broadcast, so I’ll have to take your word for it. But when players start making decisions and begin to take over, that’s not a good sign. Then again, it will depend on how Therrien takes their suggestions. If he runs with them, his job could and should be safe. If he rejects them at first sign of trouble, I would think he’ll lose their respect quickly and things could get ugly.
Ron`
Nov 6, 04:32 PM
It could be a bad thing, or a smart coach could play this for the all in. I’m betting on MT to put it all in and succeed. No coach is above buyin from his players. The next 2 weeks tell the tale.
Matt Bodenschatz
Nov 6, 04:53 PM
Ron, you’re spot on, as usual. The deciding factor, I believe, will be whether or not he buys what his players are selling, as you said. Most coaches aren’t too bold-headed to do so, but some are. If he buys into it, he’s staying. If not, his days are numbered. And, as you said, two weeks is probably a good timetable.
Glad to see you sending your comments our way!
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