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Let’s Blame the Players
by Alanah McGinley on 01/14/09 at 02:03 PM ET
Comments (12)
Why not? It’s the easy thing to do.
Not enough goals? Offense isn’t trying hard enough. Not enough saves? Goalies/defense are getting caught with their pants down. (bye-bye Curtis Sanford...).
Quite honestly, there are plenty of valid criticisms about how the Vancouver Canucks have been playing recently, but there’s a whole lot of blame to go around, too. And after a performance like last night’s, coach Alain Vigneault‘s act is wearing thinnest of all.
From Tony Gallagher in today’s Province:
Then Taylor Pyatt returns to the lineup from injury after going 10 games without a point before getting hurt, and he’s promptly given a spot in the top six. Then Pavol Demitra is sent to start the game on the fourth line where he fits like O.J. Simpson’s gloves just because like so many of the other forwards he’s struggling. As Tom Larscheid put it on the telecast, “It’s an insult to a player of his calibre.”
“I was kind of surprised to start on that line,” Pyatt said after the game.
Kyle Wellwood was another who spent a few games on the fourth line where he doesn’t fit, and people wonder why his production has dropped off. If they wanted to send either of these guys a message, sit them out. But putting them where they have virtually no chance to succeed makes very little sense.
Is it any surprise that the players who have come through this Luongo-less stretch the best have been Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler and the Sedin twins, all of whom have escaped the endless line juggling?
(Honestly, if Gallagher keeps writing stuff I generally agree with, I’m going to have to send him flowers of apology for 5+ years of bashing).
Sean Zandberg at Waiting for Stanley ponders the issue as well, wondering if players should be benched instead of putting them on lines that don’t work, but personally I think both options miss the point.
The issue at hand is coaching, and are we going to say that the only recourse Alain Vigneault has is to punish the players rather than teach them or work on systems and find chemistry (as Sean also points out)? Is punishment the only option AV thinks he has available to him? Is that all that ‘coaching’ means to the Canucks staff?
The team (or at least the majority of the Canucks mainstream media machine) has seemingly been full of approval and self-congratulations at the ass-whooping that the coaches gave the the team on Monday. A lot of yelling and screaming on the ice, apparently. Assistant coach Rick Bowness playing the bad cop.
Whip those players into shape! Get them off their lazy butts!
What a bunch of tosh.
For some reason, the default position of Vigneault’s coaching philosophy is to fall back to the mentality that he’s coaching a junior team full of precocious children who have no idea what they’re doing and no awareness of how serious this situation is.
At the AHL level, that might fly, but at the NHL level and with this team? It didn’t fly well last year and it’s not working so well now.
And it’s not that I give a toss about insulting players of “calibre” either—they’re grown ups and they can take it—but I don’t think it’s very effective. Stuffing a player like Pavol Demitra on a line with Darcy Hordichuk says more about a childish coaching staff having a temper tantrum than it does about Demitra’s recent performance.
The whipping the Canucks got from the NJ Devils was their own doing, of course. They stumbled into that game like race horses that had no idea of where the finish line was. Hell, they looked like they were racing backwards for two furlongs before figuring out that reaching the finish line required a forward motion.
But every racehorse needs a jockey with a clue. And while Alain Vigneault seems to delight in ‘riding’ his players, he doesn’t always appear to know where he’s heading.
Filed in: vancouver canucks | Canucks and Beyond | Permalink
Tags: alain+vigneault, coaching, pavol+demitra, taylor+pyatt,
Comments
Wow, the coach is always the first. I don’t trust a thing coming out of Tony Gallaghers mouth. Reason? Bias and GM is personal friend tells you what? Aside from that the actual reason is injuries. Goalies are the difference in todays NHL. Narrow margins of victory, a goal here or there makes all the difference. Oh, Bieksa, that could be a contributing factor to the mess. Lets not worry about these problems though, Louie is back.
Posted by vancouver traffic from vancouver on 01/14/09 at 04:01 PM ET
I’ve been a Vigneault fan ever since he became head coach, and I was really glad that Gillis kept him on over the summer. But the last few months have been troubling for many of the reasons you point out, Alanah. I can’t remember which coach I was reading about (maybe Pat Quinn?), but whoever it was talked about he preferred to trust players and encourage them instead of using fear or punishment as a motivation for better play. And it made a lot of sense. I sure wouldn’t want my bosses to act all Herb Brooks on me; why would hockey players be any different?
I’m not ready to give up on Vigneault quite yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gone before the playoffs.
On a side note, why has no mention been made of Ryan Walters? Wasn’t he brought in to help with special teams? Perhaps our lacklustre performance isn’t his fault, but I’ve yet to see his name mentioned, and I find that curious.
Posted by Frank from Idaho on 01/14/09 at 04:16 PM ET
Vigneault has to go. Gillis should have pulled the trigger on that this summer.
Posted by Yankee Canuck on 01/14/09 at 04:49 PM ET
Viggy is getting out coached in games too...if Wellwood and Demeitra are not firing up points, its because Viggy isn’t getting those lines on the ice at the right times. Why are these guys facing the top defensemen of the opposition night after night?
And, not to pour more gasoline on this fire, but I find it interesting that this current slump of play has come on the heels of the signing and the waiting for His Holiness to step on the ice. And then, once we see him step on the ice, he moves about as quick as an iceberg and has hands of stone to go with it. Think the players had a bit of a deflation after they saw that?
And where is Louie through all of this. Yeah, he is injured, but he is the captain...isn’t it time for a little closed door soul searching for the team?
Posted by GZ Expat on 01/14/09 at 05:23 PM ET
i don’t care if the canucks lose a few games because the backups let in a couple soft goals while luongo is out, i really don’t. that’s a case where you can say honestly that getting the captain back will right the ship. starting games in a daze like the canucks did last night, however, is another story.
av is not the greatest coach in the league, and maybe he needs to be let go but the players need to move their feet and win some battles for the puck if the team is going to be good either way. vigneault isn’t out there getting pushed off the puck, or skated around like pylons.
if they think that they can just lean on luongo and he’ll bail them out for all their crappy, no-energy, weak-a$$ periods over the next 4 months then they’re a bunch of losers that aren’t going anywhere.
Posted by bitterguy from san francisco, ca on 01/14/09 at 05:47 PM ET
I’ve been an AV supporter, but I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Alanah. Just how much motivation does this team need to play well? The line combinations aren’t working and make no sense, and when a team plays like this for more than a few games you really must wonder if they’ve tuned out the coach. Maybe it’s time to explore pulling the lever on AV, before it’s too late. You have to think Mats is wondering what the hell he has gotten himself into, though…
Posted by Kent- WAACH Cast from Victoria, BC on 01/15/09 at 01:51 PM ET
The thing is, two years ago, Vigneault coached the team as close to a 50-win season as anyone ever has, and he got recognized for that.
Last year, everyone knows what happened, and they were calling for his head.
The man didn’t become a clueless idiot over the course of the summer. But the players sure seemed to believe that they could do it all without listening to him.
And, I’m sorry, anyone who says that he’s not able to motivate the players? If you’re making 3 - 4 million dollars per year, you damn well better be able to motivate yourself. Otherwise, you’re perfectly welcome to quit and find a job in the real world.
I’m not saying that maybe AV is handling it wrong, or needs to go. Maybe he does. But, he’s not the one who’s blowing leads on the ice. The players are.
Posted by Rod Templeton from The Canuck Nation on 01/15/09 at 03:53 PM ET
I’m just saying even the most skilled athletes need some guidance… and it seems like the Canucks have totally abandoned the systems they used when things were successful…
the coach’s job is to guide the team to wins, when they don’t do that you have to look at why
Posted by Kent- WAACH Cast from Victoria, BC on 01/15/09 at 04:43 PM ET
My two cents is that AV got the Jack Adams (and Vancouver jumped into the playoffs and narrowly survived another first round exit) based primarily on the play of Luongo. It’s not like he turned Bulis, Naslund or anyone else into an all-star under his leadership (and the Sedins would have made it to that level no matter who was coaching).
I’d ignore the Jack Adams and look at the results on the ice. Yeah some players are dogging it badly, but you can’t trade all of them. It’s the crappy deal of being a head coach but (my opinion again) I think he’s an average coach who hit the jackpot one year, blew it the next and is at the helm of an average team right now. Coaches have been fired before for less.
The next few games are key for him, especially with Luongo back.
Posted by Yankee Canuck on 01/15/09 at 05:03 PM ET
Until Vigneault and his stupid line juggling are gone the Canucks will struggle, with a healthy Luongo or not.
Gillis needs to step up to the plate and say he made a mistake extending him, fire his ass and hire someone who can keep the club motivated and spirited 60 minutes a game, and give players time to gel.
I am done with Alain Vigneault, he aint taking this anywhere.
Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 01/16/09 at 08:53 AM ET
Oh for the days of the “Big Line”, or hearing the term “Elite Team”, and “look Detroit we’re just like you” except for any championships of course.
Vancouver fans/media are the biggest joke ever. The team still has a winning record, Luongo’s back, Sundin poised to find his game, and the fans/media still act like the Canucks are the defending Stanley Cup champions by questioning “how can we lose to the lowly Coyotes, Avalanche (1 stanley cup), Oilers (5 yes 5 Stanley Cups), etc. etc.. I mean let’s get real and set expectations accordingly. It’s probably that great big Vancouver NHL hockey “self esteem” problem rearing it’s ugly head again.
Let’s not forget to give the other teams credit, when due, when they are facing the same challenge every game as the anointed ones from Centre of the Universe West.
The poster boy for the Canucks, John Garrett (read super homer, whining bitch) has come down off his high horse and looks like (along with John Shorthouse) he is shooting an episode of Wayne’s World when they are asked for their take on another loss. Amatuer hour.
So, when the season comes down to the last few weeks as usual, will we be hearing the sound of tape-to-tape passes in GM Place as soon as the Canuck’s fall behind a goal or even from the start of the game. Don’t committ to cheering unless we are winning (Vancouver fans credo).
Pathetic
Posted by Martin from Victoria on 01/16/09 at 01:09 PM ET
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About Canucks & Beyond
Alanah McGinley has been blogging hockey since 2003, sharing opinions, rants and not-so-deep thoughts with anyone who will listen. In addition to writing Canucks & Beyond and helping manage Kukla’s Korner, Alanah is one of the founders and co-hosts of The Crazy Canucks Podcast, as featured at Canucks.com.
She has contributed pieces to FoxSports.com and the New York Times Slapshot blog, as well as other stray destinations in cyberspace.
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Other Canucks Blogs
If you replace Demitra with Satan and Vigneaultwith Therrien, you could reuse this whole article for the Penguins.
Posted by EnsErmac from Pittsburgh, PA on 01/14/09 at 02:15 PM ET