Hunterhockey has basically sucked and been a complete disappointment, tainting his great legacy and generally making me a sad fan.
BUT, he came her for one purpose: to win a Stanley Cup.
Nothing that came before matters except getting here. So I'm hoping the Hunter we all knew and loved has just been biding his time, teaching his guys to play some D and waiting for the real hockey to start.
Schoenfeld used it, Wilson (mostly) used it, Cassidy eventually used it, Hanlon eventually used it, BB eventually used it and DH is using it. There have only been a few years after the Murray Bros that we haven't done so and I miss BB b/c of that.
Wilson...
I hated that man and what he turned out team into. Because he was able to ride the coattails of a veteran-heavy team to our first SCF in 98, he stuck around far longer than he ever should have. I remember some of the arguments that fans of old school grind/hit/fight hockey would get into with some of those Wilson apologists. They thought that fans like me were ridiculous in our assessment of Wilson as an anti-fighting and skill-focused coach who dulled the edge of a team that did have some guys that played really physical when left to their own devices(Simon and Witt especially).
I loved Brian Burke's comments about Wilson after he fired him recently. They pretty much confirmed what I've been saying about Wilson for the last decade.
I hated that man and what he turned out team into. Because he was able to ride the coattails of a veteran-heavy team to our first SCF in 98, he stuck around far longer than he ever should have. I remember some of the arguments that fans of old school grind/hit/fight hockey would get into with some of those Wilson apologists. They thought that fans like me were ridiculous in our assessment of Wilson as an anti-fighting and skill-focused coach who dulled the edge of a team that did have some guys that played really physical when left to their own devices(Simon and Witt especially).
I loved Brian Burke's comments about Wilson after he fired him recently. They pretty much confirmed what I've been saying about Wilson for the last decade.
I agree. But the sad part? Hunterhockey is very close to Wilson hockey...we do hit more under Hunter but we play the same passive trap/turn the other cheek approach
I agree. But the sad part? Hunterhockey is very close to Wilson hockey...we do hit more under Hunter but we play the same passive trap/turn the other cheek approach
It is sad... but in his defense, Hunter doesn't even have a Witt or a Simon. Wilson would dog-house those guys for fighting or stirring up trouble. I doubt Hunter would. Without checking the stats, it seems our fighting majors/game are up under Hunter.
This team is still pretty soft overall, imo. I'm not talking about the Perreaults and Semins. Brouwer, Ovie, Alzner, Backstrom, Knuble, Chimera, Laich... all "tough" players (though not all fighters obviously, I still consider them "tough" guys that don't back down). When it comes to guys who actually fight, we have Hendricks, who has a ton of heart and hustle, but he's basically Matt Bradley. An effective 3rd/4th liner, but too small to be anything more than sandpaper/agitator. We need a hammer or three, especially on the backline. What I wouldn't give to have Tinordi in his prime in our lineup, or Simon from his Avs days.
I think if Hunter had more tools at his disposal, he'd have a strategy with a bit more jam to it. I think our team would be a bit more of a bully. This is why I hope he sticks around, at least for another season. McPhee tends to cater to the style of his coach when it comes to building a roster (or is it the other way around and he picks coaches to suit the team?). If Hunter does stick around, it will be interesting to see what additions and subtractions McPhee makes this offseason.
I envy the Bruins lineup. It seems to be the perfect mesh of skill and power/grit.
Who do they throw out there to take important draws now? If that is a consideration, you'd have to think Halpern would be getting a jersey instead of Knuble.
