Fire on ice

Sedate Avs needed to inject some emotion into locker room

For every sad story in a coaching change, there is a happy one, too.

You can't help but feel a little sorry for Bob Hartley. And at the same time, you can't help but think that Tony Granato must feel as if he just won the lottery.

Granato has been with Colorado exactly six months to the day, having been hired as an assistant coach on June 18. In that short timespan, he has gone from a rinkside reporter for ESPN to the head coach of one of the most talented teams in the league.

Shortly after Bryan Trottier accepted the New York Rangers' head coaching position, Granato sat in Hartley's office for a job interview for the vacanct assistant position. Surely, neither man could've fathomed at the time what would transpire just half a year later.

Hartley was made the scapegoat for the Avs' disappointing start, which likely is more a result of one of the more questionable trades of general manager Pierre Lacroix's career.

Normally the master swindler, Lacroix dealt clutch center Chris Drury and ace checker Stephane Yelle to Calgary in the preseason for Derek Morris, Dean McAmmond and Jeff Shantz.

Morris struggled early, but has come around and is playing well. McAmmond missed the first 23 games, but has been solid since his return. And Shantz has given energy to the fourth line, making the Yelle portion of the deal essentially a wash. But something has been missing. A spark. The intangible leadership that Drury brought to the table with his knack for timely goals.

Colorado's locker room wasn't happy when the popular Drury was dealt. But it's a lack of passion that has dug the Avs a surprising 10-point deficit in the Northwest Division, which they have dominated since its creation.

Patrick Roy isn't having his best year. Adam Foote can't clear the zone without backpedaling and circling behind his own net. And Alex Tanguay can't find the net.

None of these are inherently Hartley's fault. But his inability to motivate this team certainly is.

Lacroix made the coaching move in an attempt to inject some fire into a team that rarely showed emotion on the ice under Hartley's watch. Other than the occassional tantrum by Roy, the Avalanche have mostly shy personalities in the locker room.

"We are an organization with very, very high expectations," Lacroix said. "It's no different this year. It's obvious the team is not showing any emotion, the team is not doing the things they need to do in order to fulfill these expectations. It's nothing in particular, other than I am convinced it was the right time to make the call."

Granato should change that.

A classic middle-line winger, Granato played with plenty of piss and vinegar in his 13-year NHL career, racking up 1,425 penalty minutes to go along with his 492 points, and should help change the dynamic in the locker room. He was a teammate of Wayne Gretzky for seven years with the Kings, and has seen how modern-day players approach the game.

"I'm just out of the game, so I know what players expect and demand," Granato said. "I'm excited to have this challenge and excited to have this opportunity."

Hartley had coached in the AHL for four seasons when he was named as Marc Crawford's replacment in 1998. But he never played at the professional level, and may not have had the complete respect of his team as a result.

Lacroix has shown a penchant for picking young head coaches with each of his three hires, tabbing Crawford at 33 and Hartley at 37. That makes the 38-year-old Granato the elder statesman at the time of his head coaching debut.

Granato hasn't been a head coach at any level, but should garner instant respect from his players, most of whom he played against in the late stages of his career. Both he and Lacroix expressed no concern about Granato being green in the coaching profession. And Granato said the twilight years of his playing career helped prepare him for the role.

"My last four years in San Jose, I had to decide whether I wanted to change my role," Granato said. "That's why I stayed in San Jose -- to develop the young talent there. From that standpoint, I believe I've had a lot of expeirnece in some sort of coaching or leadership role."

Colorado plays host to Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver in the next five days, the three Northwest Division teams the Avs are looking up at in the standings. That isn't the easiest way for a new coach to get his feet wet, but the timing was right for the Avs to make a move.

Colorado is in 10th place in the amazingly competitive Western Conference, 10 points behind division-leading Minnesota. The Avs are on pace for just 87 points, which would be the franchise's lowest full-season total since posting 76 in 1993-94 while still playing in Quebec.

It's unlikely Lacroix would make another coaching change if Granato fails to lead the team to the postseason. If the Avs fall short of the playoffs, a midseason coaching change could be used as the excuse for a failed season.

Then again, if Lacroix would dump the coach who brought him a Stanley Cup just 18 months ago, he may have no qualms about cutting bait on Granato and going after a bigger name.

And so Granato's happy story begins. With a lot of work to do and a short time to get it done in.

But if Granato can't get the job done, he'll soon be the one on the sad side of someone else's happy tale.

Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for CNNSI.com.

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