John cooper went to the finals with no nhl experience. He already knew how to adjust the game.
Lots of coaches came along without nhl experience and made big noise. And wd has whatb30 years experience a s a coach? Didnt look that way to me
- SMBDragon

John Cooper has a legit contender to put on the ice.


We had just picked 6th in the draft and traded Kesler away.

I'm sure Copper would have looked like poop if he even made the playoffs with this team.

John cooper went to the finals with no nhl experience. He already knew how to adjust the game.
Lots of coaches came along without nhl experience and made big noise. And wd has whatb30 years experience a s a coach? Didnt look that way to me
- SMBDragon

I think you are over estimating the coaching effect. The bottom line was the Flames were just a better team and deserved to win. No one coached Bieksa to spout off about Ferkland and then have his ass handed to him. That's just the way it happened because Bieksa sucks, and Ferland doesn't.

New group of kids with a different attitude. Once they mature, I doubt we'll see it like were have been used to.

Guys like Burrows were not drafted so when you sign them as free agents, you really dont know too much. You didnt scout them.. No interviews... Sedins are are what they are. There are a lot of whiny superstars historically. Kesler and Luongo are gone thankfully. There's a chunk of it right there...

Horvat is not like that. He's captain material too. Hope he becomes what the kids want to model themselves after. In fact, I heard a couple of interviews from our prospects already looking up to him they were saying. It's happening... the transition. It's just so subtle right now. Brisbois sounds like he'll be a rock of an attitude. Cassels as well. None of these guys come across as hair pulling cry babies.
- boonerbuck

Was it you suggested Horvat get the A from the departed Bieksa?

I like it

Your overconfidence is your weakness.


*that's to pretty much every Oilers fan, everywhere*
- 1970vintage

And your faith in your friends is yours...

*To all Toronto fans*

Its more than that. It was strategy and ability to see and change tactics. WD didn't have the tools to do it. Do you really think its all the pkayers? Coaches are supposed to make to make changes to the game as it progesses, usually period by period but in playoffs it also dissecting a game and changing the strategy going into next. Playoffs is all about the coaches......a chess match. Surentheres individual player efforts etc and some guys are great but overall its coaching staff tweaking games.

Think about it thats why teams who probably have no business beingnin finals get there.....the coach has excellent strategies and is a tactician. John cooper comes to mind from thisnyears final as an example of that type of coach.....sutter as well. Babcock. Laviolette.

Wd did have the tools and hartley beat him convincingly. What he did was capitalize on our defensive tendencies and the team always dumping it down the side boards. Watch the canucks, defense always throws it around the boards, its so predictable. Flames sent a guy in front and behind the defender and came out with the puck every time. Puck left the zone immediately while keeping us hemmed in ours. Hartley exploited every weakness. THAT right there is good coaching.

Of course nothing gotnadjusted till we were down 3-1.....sure we won that game but it was too late. Id finally like to see a playoff coach on this team.
- SMBDragon

WD has a lot to learn...he is a rookie NHL coach and its to be expected. Our D got exposed and I don't think Willie was telling them to blindly throw the puck up the boards they are just too slow to transition the puck quickly enough and too weak to handle the Flames agressive forecheck.

Willie has been a winner in junior and the AHL so I think he does have a good reputation as a playoff coach. His players also rave about the guy. I'll definitely give him the benefit of the doubt in regards last playoffs as we clearly aren't a team built for the speed and physicality of the playoffs. I put the majority of the blame on Mike Gillis for this one.

I think you are over estimating the coaching effect. The bottom line was the Flames were just a better team and deserved to win. No one coached Bieksa to spout off about Ferkland and then have his ass handed to him. That's just the way it happened because Bieksa sucks, and Ferland doesn't.
- 1970vintage

Bieksa spouting off to the media was old hat. Back during our run to the finals, he did it in every single round. Right to the end... never shutting the (frank) up.

Make fun of Rinne's haircut, make fun of Thomas' bad goals, go on about how old Recchi is, more and more. Why do Rodney Dangerfield when you are winning in the playoffs? Selfish really but people loved him for it.

Is it mean to pick on KB? I guess it wasn't completely his fault, he was out there with Sbisa quite a bit. Now we just have to get JB to admit he made a mistake and trade the Sbister for a 7th round pick.
- 1970vintage

I often felt the same that sbisa bieksa was what crushed KBs season. Add that the D had no direction from staff either strategy wise. Its like watching a dog and going" this dog didnt do any tricks " yet he wasnt told what was expected of him to do exactly. Its unrealistic.
Players are bred to follow instructions, if you dont have direction on how the defense is supposed to be you cant blame the players, they need a framework.

Was it you suggested Horvat get the A from the departed Bieksa?

I like it

- 1970vintage

Yep. Thanks mate.

John Cooper has a legit contender to put on the ice.


We had just picked 6th in the draft and traded Kesler away.

I'm sure Copper would have looked like poop if he even made the playoffs with this team.
- boonerbuck

I suggest you actually watch games. The guy can tweak games. Thats why the longer it went in a series the more it favored tampa. Cause hed figure a team out by then. Look at detroit, chess match back and forth ....blow out for detroit, then blow out for tampa. Thats not players thats coaches.

I often felt the same that sbisa bieksa was what crushed KBs season. Add that the D had no direction from staff either strategy wise. Its like watching a dog and going" this dog didnt do any tricks " yet he wasnt told what was expected of him to do exactly. Its unrealistic.
Players are bred to follow instructions, if you dont have direction on how the defense is supposed to be you cant blame the players, they need a framework.
- SMBDragon

I honestly thought as bad as our D looked,,, it was better than the horrid season under Torts. Bieksa was just really bad this season. Sbisa at least was a physical beast during his bad play. He gets a 1 season pass from me. He'll need to do more than hit to hide from his dumb ass plays next season. Still, it's easier to stomach his play when you don't have Bieksa out there making as many or more blunders and never getting back into play after wandering off. At least Sbisa will skate his ass off to get back in the play. He might need a map tho.

I often felt the same that sbisa bieksa was what crushed KBs season. Add that the D had no direction from staff either strategy wise. Its like watching a dog and going" this dog didnt do any tricks " yet he wasnt told what was expected of him to do exactly. Its unrealistic.
Players are bred to follow instructions, if you dont have direction on how the defense is supposed to be you cant blame the players, they need a framework.
- SMBDragon

He knew what was expected of him, and he couldn't deliver. He didn't have a safety net, but she sure as hell went out on that wire with too short of a pole all by himself.

I suggest you actually watch games. The guy can tweak games. Thats why the longer it went in a series the more it favored tampa. Cause hed figure a team out by then. Look at detroit, chess match back and forth ....blow out for detroit, then blow out for tampa. Thats not players thats coaches.
- SMBDragon

Ok. Its just coaches, not players at all. You are right. I should watch games.

I think you are over estimating the coaching effect. The bottom line was the Flames were just a better team and deserved to win. No one coached Bieksa to spout off about Ferkland and then have his ass handed to him. That's just the way it happened because Bieksa sucks, and Ferland doesn't.
- 1970vintage

No one claimed he was either. No the playoffs is all about coaching. Canucks were the better team and blew the flames out play wise in game 1 and 2. We got bested by a superior coaching staff.

I'll tell you a sure fire way of telling since you dont seem to get it.....if a team spanks you badly early in a series and you still lose the series thats a coach picking apart your team.

Look at canucks up 2-0 vs hawks lost 4-2.....next year up 2-0 vs hawks lostn4-2 again.....3rd yr vs hawks up 3-0, lost 3 straight and game 7 goes to OT. See a pattern? Canucks gotta stop getting coaches that are nothings in the playoffs.

I suggest you actually watch games. The guy can tweak games. Thats why the longer it went in a series the more it favored tampa. Cause hed figure a team out by then. Look at detroit, chess match back and forth ....blow out for detroit, then blow out for tampa. Thats not players thats coaches.
- SMBDragon

This is a bit ridiculous. Coaches make a game plan and ask the team to execute. They don't have headsets in players helmets telling them, "ok, deke left, then shoot high glove". Once the game gets underway, its all players playing the game.

They should just put a defense coach up in the press boxes with a laser pointer with instructions for Sbisa to chase the red dot. At least he'd be in the right areas of the ice when he's out there.

I'm fkn brilliant.

No one claimed he was either. No the playoffs is all about coaching. Canucks were the better team and blew the flames out play wise in game 1 and 2. We got bested by a superior coaching staff.

I'll tell you a sure fire way of telling since you dont seem to get it.....if a team spanks you badly early in a series and you still lose the series thats a coach picking apart your team.

Look at canucks up 2-0 vs hawks lost 4-2.....next year up 2-0 vs hawks lostn4-2 again.....3rd yr vs hawks up 3-0, lost 3 straight and game 7 goes to OT. See a pattern? Canucks gotta stop getting coaches that are nothings in the playoffs.
- SMBDragon

You're full of poop.

Players play the games, coaches help to plan.

I honestly thought as bad as our D looked,,, it was better than the horrid season under Torts. Bieksa was just really bad this season. Sbisa at least was a physical beast during his bad play. He gets a 1 season pass from me. He'll need to do more than hit to hide from his dumb ass plays next season. Still, it's easier to stomach his play when you don't have Bieksa out there making as many or more blunders and never getting back into play after wandering off. At least Sbisa will skate his ass off to get back in the play. He might need a map tho.
- boonerbuck

I think what I meant is more that usually he played with hammer who always saved his butt. You pair 2 guys like that and its not gonna be good

They should just put a defense coach up in the press boxes with a laser pointer with instructions for Sbisa to chase the red dot. At least he'd be in the right areas of the ice when he's out there.

I'm fkn brilliant.
- boonerbuck

Ha ha.....

You're full of poop.

Players play the games, coaches help to plan.
- 1970vintage

Ok you cant see it. Dont discredit it just cant you dont get it

No one claimed he was either. No the playoffs is all about coaching. Canucks were the better team and blew the flames out play wise in game 1 and 2. We got bested by a superior coaching staff.

I'll tell you a sure fire way of telling since you dont seem to get it.....if a team spanks you badly early in a series and you still lose the series thats a coach picking apart your team.

Look at canucks up 2-0 vs hawks lost 4-2.....next year up 2-0 vs hawks lostn4-2 again.....3rd yr vs hawks up 3-0, lost 3 straight and game 7 goes to OT. See a pattern? Canucks gotta stop getting coaches that are nothings in the playoffs.
- SMBDragon

Because we are a contender right?



How about we get a GM who's strength is scouting and drafting... hire a coach who's strengths are player developement and go from there. One day we will be a strong playoff team again and need both the GM and coach to handle the new direction but you seem to be very confused about this teams desire to build for playoff success. You are stuck in 2011.

I think what I meant is more that usually he played with hammer who always saved his butt. You pair 2 guys like that and its not gonna be good
- SMBDragon

Beksas always was like that. It use to be Willy Mitchell who made Bieksa look solid defensively. There have actually been very few compatible dmen in Bieksas career. No Mitchell or Hammer... very exposed Bieksa.

This is a bit ridiculous. Coaches make a game plan and ask the team to execute. They don't have headsets in players helmets telling them, "ok, deke left, then shoot high glove". Once the game gets underway, its all players playing the game.
- 1970vintage

No they dont, but youre taking it wrong. If youre not tweaking a game period by period you risk losing to a coach who does.

Lots of fans dont truly understand how the game works. I played it, I get it.

No guys its not all about players.....sure you gotta have the horses and sometimes players make amazing efforts but generally playoff wins are all about which coach bested the other. If it were the players do you really expect an entire team of individual players to make the same mistakes etc and decidedly as a group collapse? No thats impossible odds.....that comes from the head down.

Ok. Its just coaches, not players at all. You are right. I should watch games.

- boonerbuck

If you watched the games you would know that players don't have any thoughts of their own. They have an ear piece in and just follow the head coaches instructions. Hockey players are simpletons.

Because we are a contender right?



How about we get a GM who's strength is scouting and drafting... hire a coach who's strengths are player developement and go from there. One day we will be a strong playoff team again and need both the GM and coach to handle the new direction but you seem to be very confused about this teams desire to build for playoff success. You are stuck in 2011.
- boonerbuck

I've said it before, Benning and WD were hired to get us to the end of the Sedin era and transition to a new core, then they'll be let go for a Brian Burke/Pat Quinn type that can get us to the next level and beyond.

Because we are a contender right?



How about we get a GM who's strength is scouting and drafting... hire a coach who's strengths are player developement and go from there. One day we will be a strong playoff team again and need both the GM and coach to handle the new direction but you seem to be very confused about this teams desire to build for playoff success. You are stuck in 2011.
- boonerbuck

Read again.....I never spoke of the teams desire to build.....so how am I confused? Read again so you wont be confused what we're talking about