A Change is Needed
by Andy Newman on Nov 4, 2011 10:01 AM EDT
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After the game, I took some time to relax, and brainstorm what exactly I wanted to say here.
Then PhillyPhan85 wrote the post I was thinking of, except from the other perspective. So, it still seems fitting to write this.
Something needs to change. I agree with PhillyPhan that it's between Steve Mason and Scott Arniel. At this point, I can't put blame on Scott Howson. He assembled a roster of mostly skilled players and addressed the biggest needs as best as he could. But he can't make these players play. That's the coaches job.
Now, while Mason by no means should get off easy, I think the focus has to be on Arniel. Mason has nothing to do with the power play, which should be better than ever, yet couldn't score on the league's worst penalty kill Thursday against Toronto. Assistant coach Todd Richards is supposed to be a power play specialist. So either he's failing, Arniel is getting in his way, or the players aren't playing.
When players like R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette are playing pretty awful hockey, yet it takes weeks for Ryan Johansen to get a shot in the top six, meanwhile Matt Calvert, Cam Atkinson, and Maksim Mayorov were all at one point sent to the AHL, it just doesn't make sense. Had Johansen not been given the chance to shine, he'd be back in Portland right now.
There's more than enough blame to go around. But Arniel is supposed to be good with developing young players. He supposed to have instilled an uptempo style and an aggressive work ethic. He's supposed to have brought in a new perspective. "Hardcore hockey," right? But it's failed. What reason should any of us have to believe this team, as currently constructed, can turn things around? Players have mostly become stagnant or have regressed in their development.
The team needs to make a change before this situation gets any worse and puts any positive progress back another 2-3 years.
Mike made the point that perhaps Ken Hitchcock should be put back in charge, and if he can put his ego aside and accept it, Arniel should remain on as an Associate Coach for the rest of the season. If it wouldn't be too awkward (Hitch coming back in the first place would be a bit awkward), I think this is a great idea.
Maybe, like many of his players, Arniel just needs a little more development under sound leadership.
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Ok, I’ve only followed CBJ hockey closely the past two seasons, so let me know if I’m missing something here, but… why would anyone want Ken Hitchcock to come back and coach the Blue Jackets? This isn’t so much a knock on Hitchcock, but on any team going back to a previous coach after only two years in ANY sport. Granted, it’s not unheard of in the other sports, but it just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.
Yes, he coached the team to the best finish in it’s rather short history. Yes, he’s got the same impressive pedigree he had when they signed him initially. But all I heard when I started getting into reading about the Blue Jackets last year was how Hitch was horrible at managing young talent. You could argue Arniel has been pretty unreliable at that job this year (I certainly would), but is Hitch really going to bring Atkinson back up and let him develop at the NHL level?
Still, a change has to happen. Todd Richards would seem like the best choice to me.
Richards is a fair option. New Jersey did, however, go back to their old coach (Lemaire) with great success.
When you’re 2-10-1, no option should go unexplored.
Editor for The Cannon -- A Columbus Blue Jackets Blog
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by Andy Newman on Nov 4, 2011 1:13 PM EDT via iPhone app reply actions
Lemaire also had sustained success with that Devils team the year before. Hitch had lost the team and didn’t utilize the talent well in his last season with the Jackets.
(But to be fair, a sub-.500 Hitch output is certainly better than the sort of record this team could end up with. And I’m saying this as someone who doesn’t want Hitch anywhere near the CBJ bench.)
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Fair enough, but the situation in NJ is far from the same as here.
Lemaire not only led them to a division lead in his final year with the team, he also had won a cup with them. Again, I’m not a lifelong hockey fan, so there may be something I’m missing, but that seems like a way different situation then the current one in Columbus.
That locker room had also been turned over a great deal since Lemaire left to go coach the Wild.
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I still think we should've taken the interm tag off of Claude Noel
a team that had been in the doldrums for most of the season responded very well to him after he took over for Hitch.
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Jack Butler, Greg Lloyd, Andy Russell, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene, Curtis Martin, Willie Roaf, Andre Reed and Jerry Kramer
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