Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Paul+MacLean
Finally A Coach For Spezza
by Paul on 01/31/12 at 10:34 AM ET
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from Ian Mendes of Sportsnet,
It has taken nearly a decade, but the Ottawa Senators have finally found the right coach for their star centre. But that’s not to say that the relationship between Spezza and MacLean is always rosy. In fact, both of them told me that they have passionate - and sometimes heated - debates about how the game should be played behind closed doors.
“Paul has helped out my game a lot. There’s dialogue between us,” says Spezza. “It’s not just him talking to me or me talking to him. We really hash things out and sometimes it gets heated and sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s all part of the emotion of the game and that’s what’s great. He’s an emotional guy and I’m an emotional guy.”
“We’ve had some good conversations between the two of us,” adds MacLean. “How do I like to play and how does he like to play? And we’ve tried to marry some of the things about how I want to play and he wants to play. Now some of the things I like to do, he doesn’t like. And some of the things he wants to do, I don’t like. But through communication and time, we’re able to accept a little bit of this and a little bit of that and come up with the player we have today.”
If you go back and pick out some key words from their quotes, you realize that Spezza and MacLean are forging a true relationship in Ottawa.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jason+Spezza, Paul+MacLean,
Paul MacLean Has The Senators In The Playoff Race
by Paul on 01/06/12 at 11:30 AM ET
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from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,
If mid-season awards were handed out, MacLean would be a shoo-in for Coach of the Half Year.
The Senators started 2011-12 as an inexperienced team full of holes and question marks. They were the favourite of many to win the Nail Yakupov Sweepstakes for the first pick overall in June’s draft.
But under MacLean’s guidance, they find themselves in the thick of a playoff race. Surprise, surprise.
The Senators’ win over Tampa Thursday was their 21st. Last season, it took them until Feb. 26 to record that many.
MacLean doesn’t just deserve some of the credit, he warrants most of it.
more on the Senators….
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
Evening Line
by Paul on 11/16/11 at 10:18 PM ET
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“Being interviewed for coaching jobs is not a good race to be second in. Your only interest is being first. No matter where you finish (short list) isn’t that good. But I have a pretty good sense of who I am and what I am. There’s only 30 (NHL) jobs and there’s a lot of people like me who think they’re qualified and they are.
“It’s all about getting an opportunity and trying to take advantage, teaching the players how to play the game the way I believe it should be played. That’s fast, 200 feet, defend quickly and attack the other team’s net.”
-Paul MacLean, head coach of the Ottawa Senators. Much more on MacLean from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
Ottawa Coach And Players On The Same Page
by Paul on 11/04/11 at 03:21 PM ET
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from of Nicholas J. Cotsonika Yahoo Sports,
One of the first things MacLean did after landing the Sens job was call veteran center Jason Spezza. He asked him about the team. He made him feel important. He told him he was counting on him to set an example for the youngsters. Spezza is off to a strong start with 15 points, tied for fifth in the league in scoring.
As he set up the power play, MacLean asked veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar where he felt most comfortable. Right point or left? He asked him how he thought it should run. The Senators signed Gonchar to a three-year, $16.5 million contract last summer mainly to bolster their power play, and he struggled badly last season. He’s off to a decent start this season with nine assists.
MacLean also has leaned on captain Daniel Alfredsson, of course. When the Senators visited Detroit for their season opener Oct. 7, Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall talked to some Ottawa counterparts, fellow Swedes. He said they seemed “very happy.”
“What they talked about was, they weren’t used to a coach that listened to them in the way that (MacLean) does, just the way he does it, and they can talk about things,” Kronwall said. “They were very pleased so far.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
Afternoon Line
by Alanah McGinley on 10/07/11 at 01:48 PM ET
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“I’m a big believer that the best CEOs in the country … their people move on and do things,” Babcock said. “Some people stifle people and don’t let them grow and there’s no succession plan. I don’t believe in that. I believe that not just for players, but for coaches, it speaks highly of your organization if people are growing and developing and moving on. I’m proud of it. I’ve got lots of guys who I’ve coached with who are coaches now. I’m proud of that fact. To me, that’s what it’s all about.”
—Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, speaking with NHL.com about the success of former assistants like Paul MacLean, now with the Senators
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: mke+babcock, paul+maclean,
Evening Line
by Paul on 09/29/11 at 05:48 PM ET
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“We think we’re going to have a real competitive team.
“Where we end up is going to depend a lot on health and on the other things, goaltending and special teams and how we can play defence.
“But we believe we’re a real competitive group and we’re going to try to be a team that’s difficult to play against and see where we end up.”
-Paul MacLean, head coach of the Ottawa Senators via Allen Panzeri of Senators Extra.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
Evening Line
by Paul on 09/10/11 at 06:25 PM ET
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“I just like to win. Whatever that takes, that’s the way we’re going to play. We’ve got to be a team that plays and adjusts to the way the opposition is playing. That will dictate the way the game is played. We have to play fast, physical and attack the net.”
-Paul MacLean, head coach of the Ottawa Senators describing his style of play. More from the Q & A Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun did with MacLean.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
Video- Watch As Senators Announce New Coach
by Paul on 06/14/11 at 09:58 AM ET
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The press conference is scheduled for 11:00am ET and Paul MacLean is expected to be named head coach of the Ottawa Senators.
Watch below…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+MacLean,
