SB Nation User Blog: Doogie2K

Why Stone and Nilsson didn't play on Saturday

Doogie2K — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:08:02 -0000

Stone and Nilsson
I’m sure glad that Renney skated the hell out of them today so that they couldn’t go tonight.

That was genius.

While I understand Derek's frustration here, the reason why Stone and Nilsson sat wasn't directly related to being skated hard. Since I imagine they were only cleared by Medical that day -- it wouldn't have been a story on Saturday if they'd skated Friday as well -- they probably hadn't done much hard skating or seen much contact since their respective injuries, and certainly hadn't played at anything like game speed. Even if they kept up with their regular workouts at the gym, they would still need at least a couple of practices before they had their "game legs": that is, they'd need that amount of time to get their muscle coordination and timing back, for both their skating and their game skills. Otherwise, they'd basically look like everyone does in the early preseason: a gear slow and a half-second off on just about everything. Even given the current state of the team, I can't imagine having them playing at a suboptimal pace right after coming back from an injury, especially with five days of rest and practice ahead, would have been a wise move, for either the players or the team.

Letting Go (Or, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Oilers")

Doogie2K — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:42:31 -0000

I've been following professional hockey for nearly 20 years now, and for most of that time, I've been persistently hit with disappointment after disappointment, as good teams falter just short of eternal glory, management deals off star players for pennies on the dollar (if anything at all) due to money or incompetence, and ownership groups with their own agendas hypocritically threaten to take my team away from me. Yet despite the fact that the last 15 years have almost uniformly sucked for my teams in one fashion or another, and despite all the doom and gloom around the 'sphere this time of year, I can't entirely get down on these Oilers. There are a couple of reasons for this, one being that we haven't played any meaningful games under the new staff yet, so it's hard to get more than a theoretical read on the team. But there's another discovery that I made very recently that's reinforced my desire to believe, or at the very least not doubt so much, even though I'm probably setting myself up for disappointment once again.

First, I should note that the Oilers are not the only once-dynastic-now-mediocre hockey club I root for. As many regulars around here know, I'm also a Montreal Canadiens fan, so not only did I get to watch Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Grant Fuhr, Curtis Joseph, Doug Weight, Chris Pronger, and Ryan Smyth leave town for either poor return or poor reason (and often both), I also got to see the same done with, among others, Chris Chelios, Patrick Roy, Vincent Damphousse, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller, Mathieu Schneider, Mark Recchi, and more recently, Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev. While no one would dare move the venerated Canadiens, despite whatever scares the French media might try to conjure up, they did experience a good decade or so of wild incompetence under Ronald Corey's reign of error as president, as he demanded the trade of any player he deemed to be bad for the "image" of the Canadiens. In fact, it was his interference with hockey operations, along with Todd Marchant's famous overtime goal, that led to me giving up on the Habs as my primary team in favour of the Oilers. Yet in spite of all this, and having only the '93 Stanley Cup -- when I was a wee lad, not yet seven -- and the '06 Western pennant as rewards for my years of dedication, I'm content to be patient this time around.

The epiphany I experienced came during the Calgary Hitmen home opener this past Sunday. After posting the second-best record in WHL history, behind only the '79 Brandon Wheat Kings, they breezed through the Eastern Conference playoffs to the tune of 12-0 before running headlong into a brick wall in the League final against the Kelowna Rockets, dropping the first three games en route to a six-game loss. It was a bittersweet moment watching those three banners -- Central Division, Eastern Conference, regular-season title -- rise to the rafters, because everyone in the arena, especially the players, had hoped for and expected at least one, possibly two, more. This year is supposed to be something of a reloading year: the team lost a tremendous amount of talent, especially off the blueline, during the offseason, so reasonable expectations would probably be a mid-pack playoff seed, maybe the division title, but probably not the regular-season conference title, which they've won the last two years. It will be a step back, and there'll need to be a corresponding change in expectations. (Yes, we said all this last year, too, before they came out of nowhere to post that 59-win season, but I digress.)

And yet as I sat there watching the game, wondering if the Hitmen would be able to come back from a 2-1 deficit to the Red Deer Rebels (they did), it occurred to me that in the end, this team was going to be just fine. No one can contend every year (other than the Detroit Red Wings), but the Hitmen are at least competitive nearly every year: they've made the playoffs twelve straight seasons, only once while finishing below .500, and there's no good reason to think they won't make it thirteen. Kelly Kisio's been running this show since 1998, they've never missed the playoffs under his watch, and they've made two WHL Finals and one Memorial Cup Final in that time. Despite seldom if ever having access to high Bantam or Import draft picks, Kisio's managed to get a hold of guys like Ryan Getzlaf and Karl Alzner. Yet as recently as last year, I was extremely nervous going into the playoffs, despite the record, because the Hitmen had a history of blowing it when they were expected to go all the way in recent years. Now, however, I understand that sometimes shit happens, and that so long as you're in the mix every year, you have a chance. Nothing was expected of the team in 2007, after they finished in the middle of the pack, but they made the Eastern Conference Final nonetheless. That realization was liberating, and it suddenly got much easier to just watch and enjoy the game without worrying about the new faces, the third coach in as many years, or the fact that three out of the top four D from last year are now AHLers. In fact, I think I enjoyed that game more than I did much of last year, as I perpetually waited for the other shoe to drop and for the inconsistent work habits to finally defeat the superior talent, or for the team to just come back to Earth.

And so we return to the Oilers. While the Hitmen have been a good team for most of the past ten years, and the Oilers have not, I think the ultimate lesson here, that we shouldn't get too worked up over what might be or could have been, instead of what is and was, applies just the same. Are they in for a rough go of it this season? Probably. Will there be at least some short-term pain before a substantial move is made? Probably. But really, this isn't a lottery team. We're not the Colorado Avalanche or the Phoenix Coyotes. Even as constructed, I honestly feel that this team's chances are as good as those of about a half-dozen other teams, and that they'll still have a realistic shot at the playoffs come the first of April. Maybe they finish 7th, maybe they finish 11th -- is there really that much of a difference anymore? -- but either way, the fact that Pat Quinn has swiftly identified the same problems we've all been howling over for years at least tells me that management is now keenly aware of them, too, if they weren't already, and should be doing something about them in order to address the long-term future of the franchise. While you certainly could call Tambellini's moves to this point a mixed bag, he hasn't yet proven to me that he can't handle the job, as Kevin Lowe did in his waning years, so in accordance with my new philosophy, I'm not going to worry about it right now. Obviously, if we're 15-26 at the dawn of 2010 and there's been no movement on any of the team's weaknesses, I will most certainly freak out and get upset and willfully join any lynching party the 'sphere cares to organize, but until then, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the hockey as best as I can. It may not be the most interesting thing to write about, without the roller-coaster of fury and elation, but if the hockey is more enjoyable as a result, then that's what really matters, isn't it?

The Relationship Between Hitting and Winning

Doogie2K — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:21:56 -0000

The Relationship Between Hitting and Winning

A few days ago, I gave Willis heck for only looking at the top- and bottom-five hitting teams in the NHL since 2000 and arriving at the conclusion that there was a negative relationship between hitting and winning, and suggested that a correlation of all 30 teams' values would give a more complete picture. It took longer than expected, between company on the weekend, router issues, and work, but that analysis is now up on The New SNN Sports (*sigh*) for all to see.

Roberto Luongo makes a cameo on the Weather Network. Stunningly, there was no graphic labelling him...

Doogie2K — Thu, 28 May 2009 06:08:39 -0000

Roberto Luongo makes a cameo on the Weather Network. Stunningly, there was no graphic labelling him "traitor to the City of Vancouver and Province of British Columbia."

Because I'm bored and don't want to study for finals. And it's an easy shot. Glove tap to Bruce...

Doogie2K — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:57:56 -0000

Because I'm bored and don't want to study for finals. And it's an easy shot. Glove tap to Bruce for the pic.

Coaching Hires Since 1979 or, "The Canadiens Provide Quality On-The-Job Training"

Doogie2K — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:45:56 -0000

(Note: This is a repost of a comment I made last night on Habs Eyes on the Prize, which in hindsight was large enough to warrant the move.)

To follow up the prior point about rookie head coaches, I took a look at the coaches from ’79 to present (always a convenient interval in examining the merely-mortal Habs) to see what I could unearth:

1) Bernie Geoffrion (1979) – Shockingly, one of the most experienced hires of the modern era, with a half-year as a player-coach in New York (the NHL’s last, if memory serves, with only Glen Sather of the WHA’s Oilers succeeding him in major-pro) and three years behind the bench of the expansion Atlanta Flames. Only lasted 30 games due to health concerns, and never coached again.
2) Claude Ruel (1979-81) – A retread from the pre-Bowman days brought back after Geoffrion’s retirement. Fired after getting swept by the Oilers in three straight, and never coached again.
3) Bob Berry (1981-84) – Got into coaching his old team, the LA Kings, shortly after retiring. Got the job in Montreal after three decent years in LA with no playoff series wins. Left Montreal three years later with just as many. Continued on the next year with the rebuilding Penguins and, after a five-year hiatus, the Blues, who won him his only playoff series in 1993.
4) Jacques Lemaire (1984-85) – The first rookie on the list, who took over from Berry near the end of 1983-84. Led the Habs to the conference finals against the four-time champion Islanders before losing. Only lasted one more season with Montreal, but went on to win a Stanley Cup in New Jersey (‘95), and also guided the still-new Minnesota Wild to their only conference final in ’03.
5) Jean Perron (1985-88) – Won a Stanley Cup with Patrick Roy. Coached some decent Habs teams, but ran into the Bruins a couple of times and that was all she wrote. His only other coaching experience was a half-season in Quebec the following year.
6) Pat Burns (1988-92) – Now we’re into territory I can remember. Jack Adams and a Cup Final his rookie year, some solid regular seasons, but more trouble from the damned Bruins. Moved on to Toronto and Boston, where he racked up two more Adams Trophies and another conference final. Finally got his ring in ‘03 with the Devils.
7) Jacques Demers – As previously stated, had a dozen years of head-coaching experience going into the job with Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Quebec, St. Louis, and Detroit (the last of which earned him two Adams Trophies) before coming home to win the Cup. Also presided over the Habs’ first playoff miss since 1970 and was turfed four games into the next season. Coached a couple of awful Lightning teams afterwards, then moved into management and broadcasting.
8) Mario Tremblay (1995-97) – Yes, I’m ignoring one-game wonder Jacques Laperriere. Anyway, Tremblay was another rookie, and famously forced the Patrick Roy trade (though it might have been coming regardless), then failed to see much in the way of success. Made the playoffs both seasons, but that’s the most you can say. Now an assistant in Minny with Lemaire.
9) Alain Vigneault (1997-2000) – Wasn’t he the first of a series of coaches brought up from the AHL team to coach the big boys? Anyway, after his first year, the team never made the playoffs, though I’m sure personnel had nothing to do with that. Fired in late 2000, spent several years in the minors, then won the Adams his first year back in the Show with Vancouver in ‘07. Currently being made to look very smart by some Italian kid named Luongo.
10) Michel Therrien (2000-03) – Yeah, I remember the blow-up that was the beginning of the end of what was shaping up to be a magical ’02 run, between Theo’s heroics in net and Saku’s heroics just for showing up, never mind playing pretty darned well. Did much better his second time ‘round with Pittsburgh, getting to the Finals with some really solid young talent. It seems to me like he was a victim of injuries there, but whatever.
11) Claude Julien (2003-06) – Brought up from the shared farm team with Edmonton (an Oilers hire, too — I’m never sure if I should be bitter about that or not). Had a successful run in ‘04, but was replaced in ’06 by the GM. I always thought it was for playing Huet over Theo, but I was recently told he wasn’t helping the youngsters grow, so maybe that’s something. After a player revolution in New Jersey thwarted a promising season there, he’s found something good in Boston, being nominated alongside Carbo for an Adams last year. Jury’s out, but it’s looking good.
12) Bob Gainey (2006, 2009) – In Bob We Trust coached a series of mostly-bad sometimes-North Stars teams in the early to mid ‘90s, making a run to the Finals in his rookie year (1990-91), upsetting the defending-champion Oilers before being roasted by Mario Lemieux’s Penguins. Did much better as Stars GM, anyway. The Habs’ season turned around under him the first time around, though they wound up losing to the injury-blessed, eventual-champion Hurricanes (grrr). Fingers crossed the second time around goes better, though I’m not sure what I’d make of it if it did.
13) Guy Carbonneau (2006-09) – Obviously, we can’t know how he’ll do in his second job yet, but you have to think he’ll be a better communicator next time, no? I dunno, maybe he’s a better assistant coach.

So throwing out 1979-84, in which all coaching hires were vets, and again ignoring Laperriere, we have eight of ten head coaches being rookies in 25 years, and so far five of the seven who weren’t fired yesterday (Lemaire, Burns, Vigneault, Therrien, and Julien) have had equal or better success with subsequent jobs as they have in Montreal. True, every NHL head coach needs a starting point, but it seems to me that the Habs are giving out a disproportionate number of first-time jobs to guys who use that learning experience to become great coaches in other cities.

The 14th Annual Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss game from November 30, 2008. The WHL-leading Hitmen...

Doogie2K — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:15:51 -0000

The 14th Annual Calgary Hitmen Teddy Bear Toss game from November 30, 2008. The WHL-leading Hitmen beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 4-1, and the scoring was started less than eight minutes into the first when Brandon Kozun notched his 20th to "make it rain." 22,722 bears were collected in all: less than last year's record of 26,919, but then you can't set the record every year, now can you?

Apologies for the poor cinematography, by the way: it's hard to shoot straight and throw straight at the same time. ;)