It was clear he wasn't the guy to get us there for a couple of years now (by the way, I was suggesting Hitch last offseason and got nothing but flack for it).
Still hoping for the comeback but it seems pretty unlikely.
Craig MacTavish - won a few cups, brought Edmonton to the cup finals as a cinderella team, knows the Moose players and could benefit Schroeder if he makes the team as a top 6
I liked it when I heard he lets the players make a lot of decisions, but Schneider said something in his interview a few weeks back that got me wondering if he really does anything other than deciding on the lines and his pep talk.
Players can come up with plan A, and I don't mind that too much if it usually works, but adjusting is up to the coach.
Craig MacTavish - won a few cups, brought Edmonton to the cup finals as a cinderella team, knows the Moose players and could benefit Schroeder if he makes the team as a top 6
Who else is good?
Scott Arniel was great in Manitoba for us, don't think CBJ debacle can be fully blamed on him either. I'd get him as an assistant possibly.
Dave Tippet is a UFA coach this year...but he'll likely be re-signed.
Scott Arniel is one, obviously. Knows the organization, great success in the AHL, but didn't really work out in Columbus (through no fault of his own, to be fair).
I would go with MacT and IMO he's getting severely underrated by some people. A lot of comparing him to AV even though he does things very differently. Given that one of the main complains is that AV never adjusts, people would love MacT in that regard.
Scott Arniel was great in Manitoba for us, don't think CBJ debacle can be fully blamed on him either. I'd get him as an assistant possibly.
Dave Tippet is a UFA coach this year...but he'll likely be re-signed.
Not sure if I'd want Tippet. I don't want to see the Canucks revert back to the trap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiranis
Scott Arniel is one, obviously. Knows the organization, great success in the AHL, but didn't really work out in Columbus (through no fault of his own, to be fair).
I would go with MacT and IMO he's getting severely underrated by some people. A lot of comparing him to AV even though he does things very differently. Given that one of the main complains is that AV never adjusts, people would love MacT in that regard.
Yeah, MacT is an obvious choice. Similar to how AV was brought into the organization through coaching the Moose. Maybe that was the plan all along. MacT for coach?
Craig MacTavish - won a few cups, brought Edmonton to the cup finals as a cinderella team, knows the Moose players and could benefit Schroeder if he makes the team as a top 6
Who else is good?
There's an interesting guy named Jon Cooper that was just named AHL coach of the year. Unusual resume, from Prince George originally, played junior at Notre Dame in Saskatchewan, then Division III US college hockey. Became a lawyer, but stayed around hockey and wound up as coach/GM of the St. Louis NAHL team, had a great record there and then moved on to Green Bay in the USHL, and then Steve Yzerman grabbed him to run Tampa's AHL team two years ago. This year, they were the AHL regular season champions by a huge margin, 14 points up on second place. 28 (!) consecutive wins to end the season.
He's only 44, and probably the least-experienced serious candidate out there. But he's demonstrated pretty emphatically that he can coach in the pros, and is a pretty big departure from the usual retread choices. If we change coaches, I hope Gillis gives him some consideration, assuming Yzerman lets us talk to him.
He is gone, he gets outcoached in every series. I hope Aquillini brings the hammer down on Gillis too.
Why Gillis? He turned this organization from joke to contender.
1) Better drafting and scouting department - Hodgson, Schroeder, Jensen
2) Sundin to mentor Sedins and Kesler to become 100pt Hart and Selke winners
3) Back to back President's Trophy
4) 1 year removed from 15 post-season wins
5) Burrows at 2million for 4 years
6) Sedins at 6.1 million/each
7) Ehrhoff acquistion by trading away...trading away Patrick White? Who?
8) Booth (powerforward all Canuck fans wanted) for 2 UFAs
9) Kassian (still debatable - but I love the trade)
10) Higgins and Lapierre
Every GM has some bad moves, but his good ones outweigh them.
There's an interesting guy named Jon Cooper that was just named AHL coach of the year. Unusual resume, from Prince George originally, played junior at Notre Dame in Saskatchewan, then Division III US college hockey. Became a lawyer, but stayed around hockey and wound up as coach/GM of the St. Louis NAHL team, had a great record there and then moved on to Green Bay in the USHL, and then Steve Yzerman grabbed him to run Tampa's AHL team two years ago. This year, they were the AHL regular season champions by a huge margin, 14 points up on second place. 28 (!) consecutive wins to end the season.
He's only 44, and probably the least-experienced serious candidate out there. But he's demonstrated pretty emphatically that he can coach in the pros, and is a pretty big departure from the usual retread choices. If we change coaches, I hope Gillis gives him some consideration, assuming Yzerman lets us talk to him.
Scott Arniel is one, obviously. Knows the organization, great success in the AHL, but didn't really work out in Columbus (through no fault of his own, to be fair).
I would go with MacT and IMO he's getting severely underrated by some people. A lot of comparing him to AV even though he does things very differently. Given that one of the main complains is that AV never adjusts, people would love MacT in that regard.
MacT, from what I was gathered while reading through some old posts by Edmonton fans, was able to outsmart Babcock, Wilson and Carlyle on their run to the Final by tailoring the Oilers' forecheck specifically for each team he faced. He does have his weaknesses but it wouldn't be anything different than what we already see on a constant basis - other than the adjustment factor, or lack thereof.
Probably the best coach we've ever had. He'll be hired by Habs where they will thrive. I'd like to retain him, fire Bowness and Brown and bring on Mac T as an assistant
Gillis should stay. His only terrible moves so far have been letting Ehrhoff go without adequately replacing him, and that god awful Hodgson for Kassian deal.
