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Top Coach This Season
by PuckStopsHere on 11/09/08 at 07:43 AM ET
Comments (8)
Generally I disagree with the mainstream media when they pick coach of the year candidates. I feel that picking the coach of the most improved team as coach of the year is usually wrong. There are lots of reasons why teams improve. Coaching is only one reason.
If Bruce Boudreau is such a wonderful coach. why is he not a coach of the year candidate this season? Is it because Carolina leads the Southeast Division this year? That is likely because their goaltending is not so strong with Jose Theodore in net and they missed Alexander Ovechkin for a few games and he is not among the NHL’s top scorers. Boudreau came into a good young team that was ready to take off and they did under his coaching.
For several years, including this one, I have believed that Jacques Lemaire is the best coach in the NHL.
There is no team that is more dependant upon coaching than Minnesota. Minnesota’s system is dependent upon fast players to keep up an aggressive forecheck. The system in Minnesota, which Lemaire has created, makes the team better than the sum of its parts.
Minnesota has had injuries to their best forward in Marian Gaborik and their best defenceman in Brent Burns. They lost to free agency Pavol Demitra and Andrew Brunette and the Wild carry on as a top team. Minnesota carries on as a top team. They are currently 8-5 (with one loss counted as a regulation tie). Only San Jose, Detroit and Montreal have less losses (regulation and otherwise) than the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota has been a good team for several years and the main reason for this is Lemaire’s coaching. He is more important to his team than any other coach in the NHL is to his team. This year, so far, is no exception. Lemaire is a great coach, but because the coach of the year is chosen poorly as the coach of the most improved team, he has not been named coach of the year since 2003.
Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
Tags: Bruce+Boudreau, Jacques+Lemaire, Minnesota+Wild,
Comments
Quenneville is exactly the kind of coach that gets picked that is wrong. Chicago is a team that most people picked to improve significantly regardless of who coached them. Joel Quenneville takes over as coach and they may be the most improved team, but that hardly makes him the best coach.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 11/09/08 at 11:10 AM ET
Terry Murray?
Posted by BS! on 11/09/08 at 03:40 PM ET
Make a case for Terry Murray. He took over a bad team and has them one point up on last in their conference. How is that worthy of an award?
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 11/09/08 at 03:48 PM ET
Bill Belichik?
Oh sorry, thought we were just tossing random coaches out there. The captcha word was “bill26” so…
I’ve always begrudgingly admired Lemaire’s coaching abilities. And obviously so has Minnesota since he’s been with them from the beginning.
Was I the only one who didn’t know he was Manny Fernandez’s uncle?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Lemaire
Posted by Shane from Saskatoon on 11/09/08 at 06:11 PM ET
Well, I was kind of joking, but I feel that the only way Terry Murray will be considered is if the Kings make the playoffs. However, TM has done some good things for the kings this season.
1) Much improved PK. - Last year, the kings were last in the league at 78% and now is sixth in the league at 87.9%.
2) Shots Against per game- Last year, the Kings averaged 32 shots against per game, which was 28th in the league. This year, they are averaging 24.2 shots against per game, which is the league’s best.
3) Goals against per game- Last year, the kings were 28th in the league averaging 3.21 goals against per game. This year, they are 14th in the league averaging 2.69 goals against per game.
Now, it’s still very early, but these stats have support the argument that the Kings are a much improved defensive team, especially if you consider that the Kings are the 3rd youngest team in the league.
Posted by BS! on 11/09/08 at 06:44 PM ET
It seems the argument is that if Los Angeles is the most improved team in the league, then Terry Murray will be the coach of the year. Although that is probably true, it is a poor way to pick a coach of the year.
There are many reasons teams improve and coaching is only one - and rarely the main one.
We have seen Terry Murray coach in several cities in the NHL and have little reason to believe he is the best in the game.
Posted by PuckStopsHere on 11/10/08 at 01:48 AM ET
1) Boudreau DID take over a good young team BUT it was one that was dead 30th in the league through 20 games played. They were dead in the water.
2) In short order he helped right a ship that looked hopeless, to finish 3rd in the eastern Conference. the first team to do this well, ever. The difference was clear. It was the coaching change. Sure, he had the horses to ride, but without the right jockey, thats meaningless.
Posted by Faux Rumors from Globally- Here, there, Everywhere on 11/10/08 at 08:53 AM ET
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Quinneville?
Posted by Wade from Winnipeg on 11/09/08 at 11:07 AM ET