The NHL has had some great coaches in the past and not so distant past. Al Arbour coached Mike Bossy in NY to a dynasty with the Islanders. Scotty Bowman was the man behind Hall of Famers like Larry Robinson in the Habs' glory days of the 70s. Joel Quenneville had Jonathan Toews up front for the Blackhawks when they won the Cup. The point here is of obvious. Great coaches are made by great players. Great players have skill and determination and a commitment to professionalism which great coaches use to mold championship teams.
Too many players today don't understand that the horse has to come before the cart. A coach cannot take undisciplined, unprofessional , and uncommitted players; despite what some NHLers think. Big mouths, loud mouths and lazy asses on the Ducks, Habs, and Capitals cost some very decent coaches their jobs. The Ducks , Habs , and Capitals are proof that changing the coach is no guarantee of success. All three teams dumped their bosses behind the bench but their downward slide continued.
The Ducks' issues are with guys like Bobby Ryan and not the coach. The Habs' issues are with slackers like Gomez and not the coach. Hotshots like Ovechkin are the problem with the Capitals; not the coach. We wish that for 2012 some of the guys on the Ducks, Habs, and Capitals wake up and smell the coffee and assume a bit of responsibility. Players win games and not coaches. Once they accept something that history has proven ; they can expect to have more success and maybe 2012 will be better for them than 2011.
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