BERUBE FIRED: WHO MIGHT BE HIRED TO FILL HEAD COACH VACANCY?
Two days after saying he was still evaluating a decision on whether to bring back Craig Berube for a third season as the Philadelphia Flyers' head coach, general manager Ron Hextall made up his mind. Hextall announced late Friday morning that the organization has fired Berube, who compiled a regular season record of 75-58-28.
Berube, 49, was the 18th head coach in Flyers history -- Bob McCammon had two separate stints --and the eighth since Terry Murray was reassigned from head coach to scout following the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. Prior to being appointed head coach on Oct. 7, 2013, Berube spent six seasons as a Flyers assistant coach under John Stevens and Peter Laviolette. Between his playing days and coaching career, Berube spent 18 seasons with the Flyers organization and served as both an assistant coach and head coach for the (Philadelphia) Phantoms as well as the Flyers.
Hextall, who said he made up his mind last night, informed Berube of his decision on Wednesday morning. The team issued a press release and held a media conference call with Hextall.
"In the end I didn’t feel like he got enough out of our group collectively," said Hextall.
The general manager said that he did not ask any of the players in their exit interviews for opinions or input on the job Berube did as coach or whether they wanted him to return.
"I’m not one of those guys that necessarily looks at the players and are the players happy or are they players unhappy. I think in the end a coach’s job is to get the most out of his players, and in the end the conclusion that I came to was that, that wasn’t the case," said Hextall.
"I will say this; Craig Berube is a good friend of mine. He’s a terrific man, [but] the professional side of this is I have an obligation to the organization to do what I think is best, and that’s what I did. Obviously there’s a personal side here and a man lost his job here, and no one obviously likes that."
Berube's dismissal comes as
no surprise. Numerous veteran hockey people outside the organization had a much higher opinion than the fan base at large on the job Berube did with the roster with which he was given to work. Nevertheless, the fact that the Flyers missed the playoffs this season by 14 points and that major problems went unsolved (namely the nosedives in the club's road record, penalty killing rates and performance against teams that did not reach the playoffs) doomed "Chief's" regime.
In recent weeks, Berube's status had all the signs of ending up in his imminent firing. Hextall repeatedly demurred on giving anything resembling a vote of confidence. Only a few players made strong statements in favor of his retention, saying it was not their decision to make.
Hextall said that none of the current assistant coaches -- Ian Laperriere, Gord Murphy or Joe Mullen -- has been fired. However, their retention or dismissal depends upon the wishes of the next head coach.
New coaches typically bring in at least one or two assistants of their own choosing. Among the current assistants, Mullen (who coaches a power play that annually ranks near the top of the NHL) seems the most likely to be kept on by a new coach but it will be up to the new bench boss to decide. The team will also be in the market for a new goaltending coach. Jeff Reese parted ways with the organization on March 6.
Hextall said that he does not have particular coaching candidates in mind at present, but that the search will begin immediately. The two names that get mentioned the most frequently in outside circles are two head coaches that are presently employed by other NHL teams: Mike Babcock (Detroit Red Wings) and Todd McLellan (San Jose Sharks).
Babcock, whose team is the Eastern Conference playoffs and holds a 1-0 lead over the favored Tampa Bay Lightning, is arguably the most sought-after name in business. The former Stanley Cup-winning and Olympic gold-medal winning coach has declined extension offers from the Red Wings. He is rumored to be seeking significant input in player personnel matters -- perhaps even a dual head coach and general manager role -- which would not be the case in Philadelphia.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who recently fired both their head coach and general manager, are believed to be Babcock's most aggressive suitor. The Flyers would no doubt have interest in Babcock in a head coaching capacity.
McLellan has not yet been fired by the Sharks, despite missing the playoffs this season and losing to Los Angeles in the playoffs last year after holding a 3-0 lead in the series. However, he has an out-clause in his contract with San Jose, so there is a possibility that he will opt to terminate his relationship with the Sharks or the two sides will mutually agree to a split.
Within hockey circles, McLellan is said to have one of the NHL's sharpest minds for coaching. In fact, a veteran NHL head coach recently said that McLellan is one of only a few coaches in the business who, in and of himself, can make a positive impact with any roster. While with San Jose, McLellan presented a very shooting-oriented system -- strongly encouraging players to put the puck at the net from a variety of angles and to attack aggressively -- but he is said to be adaptable in his system to many different combinations of personnel.
The knock on McLellan: Despite the widespread belief that he is in the brink of breaking through into the "elite coach" category, he has had some very talented teams in San Jose that would up underachieving in the playoffs and missing the postseason altogether in 2014-15. McLellan will coach Team Canada in the upcoming IIHF World Championships. His roster will include Flyers forwards Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn.
Another highly regarded coach of a team that missed the playoffs this season is Arizona Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett (who briefly played for the Flyers late in his playing career). Tippett's team performed terribly this season but management has publicly absolved him.
Over his full body of work, Tippett has established a reputation for getting modestly talented rosters to succeed through a highly structured defense-first system that has quite often helped to produce career years from goaltenders for his teams. In some ways, a Tippett-coached team could take the next steps in building up defensive groundwork laid by Berube and company this year. The Flyers cut their five-on-five goals against by 20 this season but penalty killing woes canceled it out.
However, it does not seem as if he will be in the market for a new job this summer. Arizona seems committed to giving Tippett time to turn things around again after previously getting teams that were consensus pre-season non-playoff teams into the postseason in the tough Western Conference.
With the recent firing of Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, the status of head coach Claude Julien is up in the air. Having won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011 and taking the team to the Finals in 2013, Julien will instantly become a highly sought candidate if the Bruins opt for an entirely clean slate and let their head coach go, too.
Another name that may arise in Flyers discussions include former New Jersey Devils head coach Pete DeBoer. Some in the Flyers organization credited DeBoer for out-coaching Peter Laviolette when the Devils beat the Flyers in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals, especially for utilizing a forechecking strategy that gave the Flyers fits. In general, DeBoer is known as a coach who thinks defense-first, but that may also have been a product of his rosters with the Florida Panthers and Devils.
Former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Guy Boucher is a huge believer in structure, and demands his teams play a 200-foot game with everyone expected to err on the side of defensive caution above offensive risk-taking. He is considered bright and well-organized if a bit aloof from his players.
Former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma's name may also pop up but he is most likely a dark horse despite having a Stanley Cup championship (2008-09) on his resume. The talent with which he had to work in Pittsburgh combined with the team's annual playoff underachievement in the years following the championship created a knock on Bylsma that he was too lacking in organization and structure. Interestingly, however, the Pens frequently won low-scoring games in the regular season (often by shootout) during periods where both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were out of the lineup.
Another dark horse candidate is former Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen. A fan favorite during his playing days, which included several seasons in Philadelphia and a stint as the Flyers' captain, Dineen paid his dues as a longtime AHL coach before getting an NHL shot with the Panthers. The team overachieved his first year, winning the Southeast Division title, and then the organization's ultra-frugal management gave Dineen even less with which to work. When he was unable to work miracles, he got fired. Dineen is currently an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin's father, Bill, was the Flyers head coach for the majority of two seasons in the early 1990s.
Former Flyers defenseman Luke Richardson has generated a lot of buzz as a potential NHL head coaching candidate after earning a lot of praise for his work with the AHL's Binghamton Senators. He also spent three years as an NHL assistant with the Ottawa Senators under Paul MacLean; a former Jack Adams award winning coach whom the Sens let go after 27 games this year. MacLean is also a possibility for the Flyers.
Former Flyers head coach and current LA Kings assistant John Stevens has worked with Hextall before and could soon get a second shot at NHL head coaching. His name is likely to at least come up on a long list of candidates. Stevens, who coached the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup and has won two Stanley Cups as a Kings assistant, got mixed reviews during his stint as the Flyers head coach. Many of the same criticisms levied at Berube were previously applied to Stevens the first time around.
Phantoms head coach Terry Murray is an internal candidate within the Flyers organization. Hugely respected within hockey circles as a great teacher of structure and professionalism, Murray's curse throughout his coaching career has been that he's laid all the groundwork for successful teams that others got the credit for finishing off after he was gone. A host of his former players say in retrospect that they learned more about what it takes to be a successful NHL pro team and individual player from Murray than they did from any other pro-level coach for whom they've played.
Murray recently told Ron Hextall that he has enjoyed coaching the Phantoms and wants to continue coaching but really wants another go-around in the NHL if possible. Unfortunately, age now works against "Murph's" candidacy. He will turn 65 years old on July 20. If he is to return to the NHL, it may have to be in an assistant coaching role or an off-ice role such as an assistant general manager focused on hockey operations (currently a vacancy in the Flyers' organization).
Jeff Blashill, 41, is one of the bright young candidates out there. He won the Calder Cup with Grand Rapids in his first year of head coaching at the pro level. He has only been coaching at the pro-hockey level for three years, however, and has no NHL experience as a player or coach except a stint as a Detroit Red Wings assistant under Babcock to get his feet wet before coaching the Griffins.
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PHANTOMS AND PROSPECT UDATES
* AHL: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (33-33-7-1) dropped a 4-2 road decision to the Norfolk Admirals. Three power play tallies by Norfolk keyed the outcome. The Phantoms got goals from Nick Cousins (22nd) and Scott Laughton (PPG, 14th). Rob Zepp stopped 40 of 44 shots in a losing cause. The Phantoms play in Hershey on Saturday.
* WHL: Flyers 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim found the net with a short-side wrist shot at 7:45 of double overtime to close out the Calgary Hitmen's series with the Medicine Hat Tigers in five games. Sanheim finished the night with two points (one goal, one assist) and a plus-three at even strength. Flyers 2014 sixth-round pick Radel Fazleev was minus-three on the night but assisted on Jake Virtanen's power play goal with 45 seconds left in the third period to knot the score at 4-4 and force overtime. The Hitmen will play the Brandon Wheat Kings in round three.
* QMJHL: Flyers 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin and the Rimouski Oceanic closed out their second round series with the Gatineau Olympiques on Friday night with a 4-1 win in Game Five. Morin, who briefly left the game with an apparent injury but soon returned to finish the game, was plus-two with four penalty minutes and a monstrous body check to his credit without registering a point.
* QMJHL: Flyers 2014 second-round pick Nicolas Aube-Kubel and the Val-d'Or Foreurs staved off playoff elimination for a second time with a 5-2 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar on Friday night. Aube-Kubel recorded one assist, one shot on goal, one hit and was plus-one on the night. Game Six will be held on Monday night.
* WHL: Flyers 2013 third-round pick Tyrell Gouldbourne and the Kelowna Rockets closed out their series with the Victoria Royals on Friday night with a 6-2 win in Game Five. Goulbourne did not record a point and was minus-one on the night. In round three, Kelowna will take on the winner of the Portland versus Everett series.
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FLYERS ALUMNI UPDATES FROM FlyersAlumni.org
* The Flyers Alumni will host a fantasy hockey camp from August 21-24 in Atlantic City, open to anyone age 21 and older. Instructors and Alumni participants will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Ian Laperriere, Todd Fedoruk, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
The registration deadline is June 1. Participation costs $3,000 apiece but it is free to
register a spot online. Over on the Flyers' Alumni website, there is
more information on camp-related activities and on-ice schedules.
* The 11th annual installment of the Goals for Giving benefit game to raise funds for NHS Human Services was a smashing success. The April 12 game at the Flyers Skate Zone in northeast Philadelphia raised over $118,000 on behalf of the organization.
Over the previous 10 years, the NHS Human Services Foundation Goals for Giving Hockey Benefit raised $386,000 to support the programs and services of NHS Human Services. NHS provides nutritious foods to the needy and teaches life skills and food preparation to people with disabilities.The organization also supports autism-sensitive schooling as well as housing programs for the needy.
It is still possible to donate to the 2015 Goals for Giving drive to help the Alumni and NHS reach their $125,000 fundraising target goal. For more information on helping the cause,
click here.
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