A: Your take on the NHL's 1st pink slip
Posted: Saturday December 05, 1998 08:59 PM
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Many of you think journeyman Mike Keenan will be the first coaching casualty this season Glenn Cratty/Allsport |
CNN/SI asked for your opinion on who will be this
year's first NHL coaching casualty. Here's a selection of
comments:
Mike Keenan. He's complaining about Brian Burke not doing anything. Burke
is not a fan of Mike's. The Canucks should have hired a GM first then a
coach, not the other way around, Both men have bigger egos and will
finally end up parting ways
-- Dale Hennen, Vancouver, British
Columbia
I honestly think that the Montreal Canadiens will
soon be firing head coach Alain Vigneault. Just take a look at their record
and you'll see why. I don't know who the replacement would be, but if I had
to guess, I would say Marc Crawford.
-- Jonathan Wilson, Thunder
Bay, Ontario
Clearly, I think that Dirk Graham will be the first casualty of the NHL
season. The Blackhawks just aren't gelling in his system. There is
substantial talent on that team. First they make the big trade to so call,
"Shake things up" and if that doesn't pay instant dividends, look for
Graham to be unemployed. Too much tradition in Chicago to wait any longer
to take the next step in firing Graham.
-- Mike Moriconi,
Billerica, Massachusetts
I believe that the Canucks should give the swift boot to Mr. Keenan. His
hard nose style of coaching/managing obviously doesn't work with his
players! He refuses to trade Pavel Bure, which is foolish. At the very
least they could pick up somebody useful to help their dying cause. Anyone
would be better than Keenan.
-- Greg Kaidannek, Kanata, Ontario
It seems to me that when you have Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, and Doug
Gilmour, your hockey team should not be near the bottom of the NHL
standings. I look for Chicago's Graham to be the first one to feel the ax
this year. Barry Melrose would be my choice for a new coach.
--
Matt King, Raleigh, North Carolina
My choice would have to be Alain Vigneault. He came to Montreal promising
to reverse the fortunes of the Canadiens after they failed to make the
playoffs. Montreal fans won't sit still and watch a team with 80 plus years
of tradition and success linger in last place.
-- Eric Loadman,
Silsbee, Texas
I don't know who the first coach to be fired this year will be and it
really doesn't matter, but Teddy Nolan should be his replacement. How a
coach like Nolan hasn't been picked up by a team yet is beyond me. Surely
some poor struggling team out there will see his value and hire him. I hope
to see Nolan gainfully employed in the not too distant future.
--
Eric Gordon, Raleigh, North Carolina
Don't be surprised if Dirk Graham is out of Chicago by Christmas. Chicago
has gone from being a mediocre team to a pathetic one. Granted, Chicago
would have been lucky to finish at .500, but at this rate, they won't crack
25 wins. Graham may not be the main problem (read: poor moves by the GM),
but he'll be the first to be blamed.
-- A. Fong, Copenhagen,
Denmark
Ron Low needs to go. The Oilers are playing well, but they would play much
better if given the proper linemates. Weight should be with Buchberger and
Guerin, Marchant should play left wing on a line with Kovalenko and
Lindgren, and Rem Murray should center the third line with Pat Falloon and
Dean McAmmond. The only choice for a replacement is Barry Melrose. He knows
how to run a team like the '98 Oilers properly (LA 1993). Send Low to a
team that could use a mix-up just to shake things up (The Rangers).
--
Paul Domanski, Ann Arbor, Michgan
Dirk Graham is going to be the lucky winner. The Blackhawks can be a
playoff team every single year and he isn't getting any production from a
team full of young talent. With Amonte, Chelios, Gilmour and the rest, the
hawks aren't where they should be. Bring back Craig Hartsburg!
--
Patrick Burns, Crystal Lake, Illinois
The first coach to go has to be Mike Keenan. The guy is a moron who can't
seem to get this Vancouver team rolling. Sure, you can say where's Pavel?
However, the current talent on that team should be at .500 hockey. His
replacement? Marc Crawford. This guy is young, understanding and already
has a Stanley Cup. He's the obvious choice for the replacement and is
definitely fit for the Vancouver franchise.
-- Mike Holliday,
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Without a doubt, Dirk Graham of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Although the problem in my fair city is Bill Wirtz, the team's owner, the
guillotine will undoubtedly fall on the head of Dirk Gramm. Until this team
changes ownership and develops or buys a bona fide scoring threat, its
coaches will continue to fall as quickly as the Hawk's drop in the
standings.
-- Doug Reilly, Lake Forest, Illinois
The Flames are more talented than their record would indicate, and the
players are getting tired of Sutter's act. As much as I like the guy, he's
too much of a throwback to the "old days" and today's players don't know
how to deal with him.
-- Joey Lindstrom, Calgary
Alain Vigneault of the Montreal Canadiens. Last in their division, and
still losing. Need I say more?
-- Gary Nyman, Comox, British
Columbia
Alain Vigneault. Too quick to slam his players in the media and not
willing to shoulder any blame. How can you criticize Mark Recchi for his
work ethic?? Especially now while he's playing with pneumonia.
-- Derek MacDonald, Sudbury, Ontario
Darryl Sutter should be fired. He and GM Lombardi haven't been able to
pull the trigger for a big-time scorer. The Sharks had little talent his
first season, and the team is off to a worse start than last year with
better personnel! Bottom line: Sutter makes terrible teams mediocre, but he
makes outstanding teams mediocre, too. And the Sharks are stuck in neutral.
-- Rick Gangi, Alameda, California
I think that Paul Maurice of Carolina will get the axe first. It seems
that he just can't find the right balance or get control of his team. The
team must win big to draw more fans from Raleigh next year.
--
Jason Mara, Raleigh, North Carolina
Larry Robinson is on thin ice and even he knows is. Maybe his replacement
will be Ted Nolan, or Marc Crawford, both great available coaches.
--
Ryan Gaffney, Whitesboro, New York
Who needs 50 words? How about two? Alain Vigneault.
-- Charles
Atturio, Hanover, Massachusetts
Larry Robinson. He's been in LA for 3 1/2 years, gotten a whole new roster
of players he wanted, and yet the team is not better in any facet of the
game than when he inherited it. Last year was a fluke. The Kings weren't
very good, it's just that many of the Kings' Western Conference opponents
had off seasons. I'm on the phone this week with Ted Nolan and Mark
Crawford.
-- Dave Taylor, Los Angeles
While Larry Robinson may be the first coaching casualty, Pierre Lacroix
should be the first GM fired. He has destroyed the Avalanche with his
pig-headed stance on free agents such as Chris Simon, Mike Keane and Sandis
Ozolinsh and trades like Keith Jones for Shjon Podein. Jones is playing
like an All-Star on the Legion of Doom line while Podein has contributed
squat for the Avs.
-- Eric Bresee. Kearns, Utah
I personally would like to see Sharks' GM Dean Lombardi be moved. He is a
disgrace to hockey, and can't even pull off the slimmest of deals.
--
Mike Walker, San Jose, California
Can Mike Milbury fire himself?
-- Matthew Gandin, San
Francisco
I think Dirk Graham is a goner, hopefully sooner than later. Ted Nolan is
the best choice out there. Sorry, Melrose. There more to hockey than
Oh-ffense.
-- Steven Wirth, Jackson, Michigan
Roger Nielson should be replaced by Mike Keenan so some of these "stars"
could actually play to their potential. Watching Nielson on the bench is
like watching the walking dead. He has also made the most exciting team in
hockey, comatose to watch.
-- Bill Razzi, Sunrise, Florida
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