Mike Chen's Hockey Blog
Entries with the tag: Barry+Melrose
Tampa Bay’s Total System Failure
by Mike Chen on 12/11/08 at 12:32 PM ET
Comments (6)
Like a train colliding with a Zamboni that’s crashing into a rusty old shack, the Tampa Bay Lightning story is just something I can’t stay away from. All personal bias aside (I always loved Barry Melrose’s enthusiasm on TV, even though I thought he was wrong much of the time; I’ve also been a closet fan of the Bolts since their 1996 Alexander Selivanov-Daren Puppa run), this story just keeps going and going. In summary:
-Barry Melrose thinks he wasn’t given a fair shake, Steven Stamkos isn’t ready for the NHL, and Rick Tocchet is a puppet of the ownership.
-The ownership thinks that Melrose is guilty of gross negligence when it comes to preparation and research and that he should, to steal a phrase from old Bolts coach John Torterella, shut his yap.
-Rick Tocchet thinks that Melrose is sour grapes and sees the team as slowly evolving into using a real system.
The real culprit? I can see why people can point fingers at one guy or another (though Stamkos is absolved of everything other than simply being an 18-year-old rookie learning the ways of the NHL) but when it comes down to it, everyone is at fault here, from the wacky ownership duo of Len Barrie/Oren Koules to Melrose and his then-assistants to veteran leaders like team captain Vincent Lecavalier.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Barry+Melrose, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
Required Reading For Koules/Barrie
by Mike Chen on 11/14/08 at 04:51 PM ET
Comments (0)
I really hate quoting myself but the knee-jerk reactions in Tampa Bay, now with the firing of Barry Melrose, are taking the franchise from “amusing sideshow” to “sad joke.” Oren, Len, (and Brian Lawton if he actually does anything), please review a tale that I posted a few days ago about the 2003-04 San Jose Sharks. I think you’ll find it educational.
And a quote from a wise Jedi master: Patience! For the Jedi, it is time to eat as well.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Barry+Melrose, Tampa+Bay+Lightning,
