Hi guys, Kings fan here. Can you guys tell me a little bit about John Stevens? Since he is replacing Mark Hardy i assume he will be our defense and PK coach.
I know you guys were glad to see him go but do you think he will be alright as an assistant coach?
I doubt he'll be anything special, but maybe he'll be competent as an assistant coach.
As a head coach, his only real talent seemed to be an ability to work well with youth and develop them well. Other then that he seemed to be pretty useless. The only time he would call time-outs was with a minute or so left in the game assuming we were down by a goal or two. He was almost always emotionless, he didn't seem to rough on the players at all (possibly too kind in fact), his post-game interviews are always the same, and he didn't implement a legitimate system with us either. His "system" was pretty much, "go out there and wing it".
So my advice is to not get your hopes up about Stevens bringing any kind of special improvement to your team.
Well, he never coached the PK here, so good luck with that.
I think he's a good "player's coach," which can be valuable in a head coach... but I wouldn't expect him to be a great game changer as far as providing intellectual insight that will get you over the hump. A lot of the leg work on those fronts was done by the assistants here (by all accounts he just handed special teams play over to his assistants).
He is way too passive as a coach. We take solace in the fact that even though we had to pay half of Randy Jones' salary last year, you guys got him and now Stevens. He appears to be well liked by the players but he had absolutely no emotion behind the bench and seemed clueless too often. He also sat certain guys all the time, even though they could have done a better job than some of the players on the team.
My general concern with Stevens was that he was too much of a friend to the players, especially the guys who he saw on the Phantoms. And as a result, was far too easy on the team.
I could always envision at the end of practice, instead of telling them to get out there and do line sprints, Stevens would send the team in for an early shower and a beer.
Timmo said it himself when Laviolette arrived, most of the team didn't have the legs for Laviolette's system.
Can't be the players best friend and their coach. It just doesn't work. Maybe you'll have more luck in LA.
And as has been said, Stevens was emotionless in the game, didn't use his time wisely, didn't have a system, and his post game press conference was always a joke.
I think he's a very good coach and i agree, the problem in philly was he was too familiar with everyone.
he coached a majority of his players in the AHL - or at least a good amount of them
and eventually that bond that is a positive can lead to a negative and when the entire team is heading to the gutter, the only thing you can do is fire the coach.
I wouldnt say it was that they stopped buying into him - the way they stopped with hitchcock, i think they were just too comfortable with him.
He'll be a great assistant coach / asset - i always thought he should have spent more time as an assistant but hitchcock/clarke being removed didnt allow for that.
I think he's a very good coach and i agree, the problem in philly was he was too familiar with everyone.
he coached a majority of his players in the AHL - or at least a good amount of them
and eventually that bond that is a positive can lead to a negative and when the entire team is heading to the gutter, the only thing you can do is fire the coach.
I wouldnt say it was that they stopped buying into him - the way they stopped with hitchcock, i think they were just too comfortable with him.
He'll be a great assistant coach / asset - i always thought he should have spent more time as an assistant but hitchcock/clarke being removed didnt allow for that.
It may not be what you mean, but there is a myth that still exists in Philadelphia about all the guys he was leaving behind from the Calder Cup team. A lot of guys touched on this on DNL thinking it was true. By the time Stevens left, only 3 Phantoms remained on the Flyers from the 2005 Calder Cup team. Carter and Richards were only there for the playoffs, and the other was Riley Cote.
[QUOTE=bob8880;27711751] Since he is replacing Mark Hardy i assume he will be our scapegoat.
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Nah in all truth he's better suited for assistant coaching duties, he's good with young kids just breaking out so having him there maybe a decent choice for an up and coming Kings team. Just don't expect much emotion out of him.
The knock on Stevens was that he let the Phantom's contingent overrun him....it was ok initially since Hitchcock wore thin on the younger players especially Richards who wasn't as resilient as Gagne and Modano were to Hitckcock's headgames. Stevens was a good transition coach at the time but eventually his vanilla style and not holding players accountable (in an equatable manner at least) ran it's course. I thought he should have been canned before the season started but the loyalty factor with the Flyers caused him to stick around way too long..almost cost the Flyers the playoffs last year. I don't know why the Flyers continue to give extended contracts to suspect coaches and then wind up canning them the same year. I think Hitchcock got a contract extension the year he was canned. So much for votes of confidence.
Anyway, I think he is a smart guy overall and is decent with X and O's but just needs more seasoning and a ball transplant. He will be fine as an assistant. I just wish we could get Lombardi back from you guys....
Anyway, I think he is a smart guy overall and is decent with X and O's but just needs more seasoning and a ball transplant. He will be fine as an assistant. I just wish we could get Lombardi back from you guys....
Lombardi seems great at developing playoff contenders but has yet to take a team deep into the playoffs. If he cant make the Kings a cup contending roster then he is all yours.
Lombardi seems great at developing playoff contenders but has yet to take a team deep into the playoffs. If he cant make the Kings a cup contending roster then he is all yours.
Deal....at least he keeps his picks and builds teams through the draft which is important in a cap league but yeah he's got some further proving to do.
I liked every part of Stevens career here except his head coaching at the NHL level. I think he's a great guy for an assistant coach on a team with young talent. A real players coach for sure.
It may not be what you mean, but there is a myth that still exists in Philadelphia about all the guys he was leaving behind from the Calder Cup team. A lot of guys touched on this on DNL thinking it was true. By the time Stevens left, only 3 Phantoms remained on the Flyers from the 2005 Calder Cup team. Carter and Richards were only there for the playoffs, and the other was Riley Cote.
True by that point... but he coached so many of them during his time there (randy jones, umberger, fedoruk, eager just of the top of my head) that i think it ran its course.
