Not really sure what a coaching change is going to do at this point unless we get someone who has enough guts to clear the locker room. As several posters have eluded to, we have players who are perfectly capable of orchestrating "lay downs" or "quits" on coaches they don't like. I don't want those players on my team because honestly, I don't care if they don't like a coach but I do care that I lay down my money for a ticket not knowing they aren't going to play 100%. Those types aren't leaders. They are spoiled selfish brats. Get them out of here. I want to win.
If this is the direction that Mike Priest is headed in then this is a complete disaster. I don't have any faith that the owners of the CBJ have any clue of what they are doing.
I respect Hitchcock and all but he cannot return to coach this team again. I called for Arniels firing two weeks ago and Howson must go too. But please don't do this to us again by filling in critical positions with retreads. Button? C'mon.
Let Richards coach the remainder of the season. Get the highest pick possible, get guys like Carter healthy and break in the rookies with extended minutes. Guys you can evaluate in a meaningless season such as Moore, Savard, Atkinson, Calvert, Mayorov, etc. See if they can play at this level. Send Johansen back to juniors. It would be a dis-service to this team to waste a year of his contract on this crap.
Find a viable GM candidate to lead this team, build this the way it was suppose to be in the first place and let the GM hire his own coach.
That's where I'm at reading this morning. How many people do we need to see fail at managing this bunch before we see the problem is the bunch?
So we bring in yet another new guy?? And expect him to do what?
The coaching move would be basically for STH appeasement at this point.
This team isn't going to the playoffs this season, but "saving face" with a bunch of wins at the end of the season will again net us a mid top ten pick and another year of asking why we can't seem to land a franchise draft pick.
I want to win too, but this season is lost any way you slice it.
If this is the direction that Mike Priest is headed in then this is a complete disaster. I don't have any faith that the owners of the CBJ have any clue of what they are doing.
I respect Hitchcock and all but he cannot return to coach this team again. I called for Arniels firing two weeks ago and Howson must go too. But please don't do this to us again by filling in critical positions with retreads. Button? C'mon.
Let Richards coach the remainder of the season. Get the highest pick possible, get guys like Carter healthy and break in the rookies with extended minutes. Guys you can evaluate in a meaningless season such as Moore, Savard, Atkinson, Calvert, Mayorov, etc. See if they can play at this level. Send Johansen back to juniors. It would be a dis-service to this team to waste a year of his contract on this crap.
Find a viable GM candidate to lead this team, build this the way it was suppose to be in the first place and let the GM hire his own coach.
The coaching move would be basically for STH appeasement at this point.
This team isn't going to the playoffs this season, but "saving face" with a bunch of wins at the end of the season will again net us a mid top ten pick and another year of asking why we can't seem to land a franchise draft pick.
I want to win too, but this season is lost any way you slice it.
THIS
We need patience, the season is lost, we need to just take our lumps, let the kids play learn their lessons, collect our high draft pick, and move on to next season. Yet we have Portzline stirring the pot any time he can. He still hasn't forgiven the team for not hiring "His Guy" and reporting rumors that have no basis. His credibility has reached Eklund status, and is an embarrassment to the entire city because people don't realize how out of touch he is.
For the longest time I've been on the "Lets Not Make Changes" bandwagon. But that's it, I'm ready.
The coaching move would be basically for STH appeasement at this point.
This team isn't going to the playoffs this season, but "saving face" with a bunch of wins at the end of the season will again net us a mid top ten pick and another year of asking why we can't seem to land a franchise draft pick.
I want to win too, but this season is lost any way you slice it.
Your first sentence says it all. Any move at this point is to appease. We need leadership that understands the fan base doesn't want a pacifier. We want to win. It's that damn simple.
Howson should have never been able to commit this team and it's checkbook to the long term contracts that he did. He has tied up the hands of anyone replacing him. He made what he thought was the best choices and on paper there is no reason this team shouldn't be anything less than a contender. We look good on paper. It's live that is the issue.
We need patience, the season is lost, we need to just take our lumps, let the kids play learn their lessons, collect our high draft pick, and move on to next season. Yet we have Portzline stirring the pot any time he can. He still hasn't forgiven the team for not hiring "His Guy" and reporting rumors that have no basis. His credibility has reached Eklund status, and is an embarrassment to the entire city because people don't realize how out of touch he is.
For the longest time I've been on the "Lets Not Make Changes" bandwagon. But that's it, I'm ready.
I hope for Porty's sake he had a pretty good source to actually throw names out there as replacements, never mind that Arniel and Howson are essentially 'dead men walking' tonight.
I am disgusted that it has come to this. I initially didn't want Hitch fired, but agreed that he had lost the room and that it was time in the end. I have been a big supporter of Howson and Arniel, but results are results, and these results are pathetic. So I grudgingly admit it's time.
In the 'Bring back Hitch' thread, I voted to ask me again when the CBJ were 0-12. Well, we're pretty much there, as after tonight, there's a good chance we'll be 1-10-1.
So here's what I'd do if I was Priest:
1) State that I am needed at Worthington Industries and will be shifting back there at the end of the season. In the interim, I will be facilitating the transition as a search for a new President commences.
2) Howson and Arniel are relieved of their duties as of tomorrow.
3) Hitch is coming back with the interim tag. I think Hitch will take the job as he wants to show that he has a new perspective and can coach in the new NHL. Make it clear that he could be in the running for the coach position, but that decision will be at the discretion of the new GM.
4) Find an older former GM who is trust-worthy and respected in hockey circles who can make sure that the day-to-day operations keep chugging along this year. Think Cliff Fletcher with the Leafs a few years ago. The mandate of this interim GM will not be to make blockbuster trades, although he will try to jettison some of the vets near the trade deadline for fair value (see point 7). We don't have the history the Leafs have, so this may be a hard spot to fill - perhaps Button can fill this job if the rumors are true.
5) Send Johansen back to juniors
6) Keep Savard and Moore in the AHL this year, at least until after trade deadline. Bring them up then only if you were able to find a taker for Russel/Martinek/Johnson.
7) Don't sign any extensions, including Prospal. There's no chance that Vinnie would sign here again anyways, so start a bidding war with cup contenders and extract a king's ransom for him near trade deadline. If by some miracle, Hitch has a Lemaire-like surge, then keep him but this seems unlikely at this point. Try to unload Juice and Martinek at trade deadline as well.
8) Consider trades of Vermette, Brassard and even possibly Umberger if someone is willing to pay a premium. If not, leave their fates for the new GM to decide. Nash and Carter are untouchable until the new GM comes aboard because these would be franchise-shifting deals.
9) Then, devote all your energy to finding the best GM and President candidates out there and don't take no for an answer. Find a duo that would be willing to work together, with each position's responsibilities clearly defined.
Others have said this already, but nothing will change with this team until Priest is fired. I have been saying this for a long time, but we need change from the very top down.
Asked by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel which loss this season has been the toughest on him, Ross said that losing was hardest at the beginning of the season and has now become the norm. And he doesn’t like that.
“The first one. New England. You’ve got all kinds of hope before that game. It hurt the most,” Ross said. “After a while, losing settles in. You can get used to it. I don’t like that and won’t put up with it.”
Your first sentence says it all. Any move at this point is to appease. We need leadership that understands the fan base doesn't want a pacifier. We want to win. It's that damn simple.
Howson should have never been able to commit this team and it's checkbook to the long term contracts that he did. He has tied up the hands of anyone replacing him. He made what he thought was the best choices and on paper there is no reason this team shouldn't be anything less than a contender. We look good on paper. It's live that is the issue.
Priest wants to "build from within" the problem with that is there are several ways to do it, he's never adequetely assessed Howson's position from all the angles necessary, he fell in love with Hitchcock and has "Hitched" his wagon to him because he doesn't want to admit his first decision was also his first failure. Its human nature, and I'm sure I've done it as well, but this organization has been chaffing under Priest and his lack of oversight because he has no one, outside of Hitchcock, to advise him on Hockey Matters, and Hitchcock was fired by the current GM....
If this is Portzline stirring the pot, its because they will be no repercussions from it, this organization, on the whole is worse than toothless at this point. Bring in the league and turn day to day control over to them even, hell, it can't be worse than it is now.
There is a lack of accountability that runs rampant through this organization, from the front office to the leaders (or lack thereof) on the ice. Everyone will be willing to point the finger somewhere else when the time comes, finally and long overdue, to clean out this entire mess and restart this franchise from the ground up...
Last edited by KeithBWhittington: 10-30-2011 at 10:39 AM.
We need patience, the season is lost, we need to just take our lumps, let the kids play learn their lessons, collect our high draft pick, and move on to next season.
Regarding Arniel: I have been calling for his job for two weeks now. I really wanted to like the guy but he was my third choice at best when hired and he has proven he is not ready to be an NHL HC. This is not just about STHers, to allow this team to continue to implode is bad for everyone from owners to players to fans.
Regarding Hitch: He's the only logical hire as an interim, he is familiar with the personnel and is already under contract. I guess an argument could be made for Richards as well. Either way, it will be someone already getting paid a salary.
Regarding Howson: Once the HC is changed...what does the team get by firing the GM in mid-season. Really...it seems silly. I still believe personnel is not the issue here...coaching is. Give Howson a vote of confidence so he doesn't blow up the team, let Hitch coach, see how the team finishes, and evaluate the GM at the end of the season.
Regarding Arniel: I have been calling for his job for two weeks now. I really wanted to like the guy but he was my third choice at best when hired and he has proven he is not ready to be an NHL HC. This is not just about STHers, to allow this team to continue to implode is bad for everyone from owners to players to fans.
Regarding Hitch: He's the only logical hire as an interim, he is familiar with the personnel and is already under contract. I guess an argument could be made for Richards as well. Either way, it will be someone already getting paid a salary.
Regarding Howson: Once the HC is changed...what does the team get by firing the GM in mid-season. Really...it seems silly. I still believe personnel is not the issue here...coaching is. Give Howson a vote of confidence so he doesn't blow up the team, let Hitch coach, see how the team finishes, and evaluate the GM at the end of the season.
Priest wants to "build from within" the problem with that is there are several ways to do it, he's never adequetely assessed Howson's position from all the angles necessary, he fell in love with Hitchcock and has "Hitched" his wagon to him because he doesn't want to admit his first decision was also his first failure. Its human nature, and I'm sure I've done it as well, but this organization has been chaffing under Priest and his lack of oversight because he has no one, outside of Hitchcock, to advise him on Hockey Matters, and Hitchcock was fired by the current GM....
There is a lack of accountability that runs rampant through this organization, from the front office to the leaders (or lack thereof) on the ice. Everyone will be willing to point the finger somewhere else when the time comes, finally and long overdue, to clean out this entire mess and restart this franchise from the ground up... T
Priest is where I would start firing. Accountability should start at the top.
The players had tuned out Hitch two seasons ago; what's going to make them listen now?
Craig Button? Seriously. The guy couldn't think his way out of a wet paper bag.
Given the hole this team has dug itself into, if you're going to fire Howson and Arniel, the best thing to do would be to let Richards coach the rest of the season, let MacFarland GM the rest of the way and start from scratch next season. However, Mike Priest cannot be trusted to do what is best for the org. He must go as well. It was feared after he was brought in that a guy who knew jack squat about running a hockey team would be a bad thing; well, I guess we all know now that fear has come to fruition.
There is a lack of accountability that runs rampant through this organization, from the front office to the leaders (or lack thereof) on the ice. Everyone will be willing to point the finger somewhere else when the time comes, finally and long overdue, to clean out this entire mess and restart this franchise from the ground up...
But that will set everything back. It'll be 3-4 years before the team makes the playoffs. This market does't have the patience to wait as demonstrated by the Fire * threads on here, and the articles posted in the newspaper.
Oiler fan here. From the outside looking in it seems like a purge of those two positions (coach and gm) is needed. I like Hitch a as a coach but not sure if it's the best idea to bring him back to the Jackets but he might be the best interim choice.
Button is a whole other matter. I would be totally cringing on that one if I was a jackets fan.
