Dave Tippet is one of the top four coaches in the game in IMO.....
- Al

>Amen
>Tippy or Haviland should be the next Hawks coach

>The Hawks' problems run so deep for reasons we all have touched upon in some form
>An org structure in which everything is done by committee which equals a recipe for mediocrity
>A team President who puts himself into Stanley Cup commercials -- sorry -- a team President should be a humble, behind-the-scenes genius
>A GM who refuses to see the reality of bad decisions -- it's impossible not to make mistakes in the GM business, the great ones come to an "honest recognition" (your words JJ) of their mistakes and rebound with great moves
>A head coach who rewards his players with a three-day trip to Las Vegas after the team lost 9-2 to one of the worst teams in the NHL -- yeah -- that's sending the right message: "Play when YOU feel like it."
>A professional in any industry performs at a extremely high-level -- regardless of how they feel -- that's what makes them a professional
>Players who feel a strong sense of entitlement BECAUSE they broke the 49-year Cup drought -- and new Hawks who haven't won jack but ACT like they have
>Mix it all together and you have a hockey org in which everyone wants all the credit when things go well and everyone either fingerpoints or ducks for cover when they don't
>The on-ice product is so mentally-beaten up and confused that the game is lost even before they take the ice

John I think people in hockey have given Quenville too much credit. I only saw him coach a season and a half and his changes bringing anything positive about.

AFter that he went against the same things that made him successful--namely the offensive pressure coming from the D. Then he created gap opening between the forwards and D and had his D playing on their heels. To top it off b/c they rarely ever pinched getting sustained pressure was problematic.

That was with the Blues. While he was coach they were heavy favorites to win it all and they went no where.
Then he went to COlorado and had a couple of stellar line ups and teams that he flushed down the toilet.

So his third team that had the players and was favored he finally wins. But not b/c of what he did it was b/c of Tallon and Savard. Maybe Savard lacked some experience but he was a big part of why some of your younger offensive players were ever successful.

As a Blues fan I am happy to see Coach Q behind your bench. It only takes a little time for his magic to work. Then all of sudden you end up with a line up full of fourth line types? Maybe not quite there yet but it started last summer.

>The Hawks' problems run so deep for reasons we all have touched upon in some form
>An org structure in which everything is done by committee which equals a recipe for mediocrity
>A team President who puts himself into Stanley Cup commercials -- sorry -- a team President should be a humble, behind-the-scenes genius
>A GM who refuses to see the reality of bad decisions -- it's impossible not to make mistakes in the GM business, the great ones come to an "honest recognition" (your words JJ) of their mistakes and rebound with great moves
>A head coach who rewards his players with a three-day trip to Las Vegas after the team lost 9-2 to one of the worst teams in the NHL -- yeah -- that's sending the right message: "Play when YOU feel like it."
>A professional in any industry performs at a extremely high-level -- regardless of how they feel -- that's what makes them a professional
>Players who feel a strong sense of entitlement BECAUSE they broke the 49-year Cup drought -- and new Hawks who haven't won jack but ACT like they have
>Mix it all together and you have a hockey org in which everyone wants all the credit when things go well and everyone either fingerpoints or ducks for cover when they don't
>The on-ice product is so mentally-beaten up and confused that the game is lost even before they take the ice
- SnapitUpstairs

Well at least humble and out of site would be appreciated!

But overall..you is dead on!!

As I said I now watch to see how they will lose....I said what!?!?

Even when they were winning they rarely played a complete game.

I think there best 2 back to back games were the 1-0 to the Sharks and 2-1 win over the Kings back in Nov.

Keith: ‘‘I think we understand the way we need to play,’’ Keith said. ‘‘But it’s a commitment. We’re all naturally born to play a certain way, but .  .  . the way we’re going to win as a team here is by playing a good team game.

‘‘We’re not a team that’s going to be able to come in here and walk through teams and not have to play a good team game. That’s not the team we are.’’

Its taken 55 games and an 0-7-1 streak to get this straight??

Bowman must be wondering what the hell he has done with all the big contract extensions he has handed out. Six guys making 5-6 mill/per and a 60 mil team cap payroll that is being outplayed by teams paying 10-15 mil less!

John I think people in hockey have given Quenville too much credit. I only saw him coach a season and a half and his changes bringing anything positive about.

AFter that he went against the same things that made him successful--namely the offensive pressure coming from the D. Then he created gap opening between the forwards and D and had his D playing on their heels. To top it off b/c they rarely ever pinched getting sustained pressure was problematic.

That was with the Blues. While he was coach they were heavy favorites to win it all and they went no where.
Then he went to COlorado and had a couple of stellar line ups and teams that he flushed down the toilet.

So his third team that had the players and was favored he finally wins. But not b/c of what he did it was b/c of Tallon and Savard. Maybe Savard lacked some experience but he was a big part of why some of your younger offensive players were ever successful.

As a Blues fan I am happy to see Coach Q behind your bench. It only takes a little time for his magic to work. Then all of sudden you end up with a line up full of fourth line types? Maybe not quite there yet but it started last summer.
- BluemanGuruu

What the hell happened in St. Louis...the stars allign or is it all Hitch? That team is unreal. They just score enough to win and completely shut down the opposition. 11 shutouts?? 21 games of allowing 1 or none? 32 of 2 or less??

Q should be gone but he won't...to drastic of a move for Bowman to make!

Well at least humble and out of site would be appreciated!

But overall..you is dead on!!

As I said I now watch to see how they will lose....I said what!?!?

Even when they were winning they rarely played a complete game.

I think there best 2 back to back games were the 1-0 to the Sharks and 2-1 win over the Kings back in Nov.

Keith: ‘‘I think we understand the way we need to play,’’ Keith said. ‘‘But it’s a commitment. We’re all naturally born to play a certain way, but .  .  . the way we’re going to win as a team here is by playing a good team game.

‘‘We’re not a team that’s going to be able to come in here and walk through teams and not have to play a good team game. That’s not the team we are.’’

Its taken 55 games and an 0-7-1 streak to get this straight??

Bowman must be wondering what the hell he has done with all the big contract extensions he has handed out. Six guys making 5-6 mill/per and a 60 mil team cap payroll that is being outplayed by teams paying 10-15 mil less!
- bogiedoc

>Hawk players are so "tied-up" mentally, they don't know up from down
>They now all say to themselves: "I hope I'm not on the ice when the other team scores."
>When you are thinking like that during a game -- YOU ARE DONE -- guaranteed loss.

What the hell happened in St. Louis...the stars allign or is it all Hitch? That team is unreal. They just score enough to win and completely shut down the opposition. 11 shutouts?? 21 games of allowing 1 or none? 32 of 2 or less??

Q should be gone but he won't...to drastic of a move for Bowman to make!
- bogiedoc

Jesse Rogers wrote a blog today discussing the possibility of Q being replaced. One thing he mentions is in both St Louis and Colorado Q had goalie problems. We've discussed at length how the Hawks system leaves the goalie in a tough spot repeatedly. Was this a foreseeable issue from Q's past stops?

What the hell happened in St. Louis...the stars allign or is it all Hitch? That team is unreal. They just score enough to win and completely shut down the opposition. 11 shutouts?? 21 games of allowing 1 or none? 32 of 2 or less??

Q should be gone but he won't...to drastic of a move for Bowman to make!
- bogiedoc

If things keep going the way they are, I don't think Bowman is going to have much of a choice.

I will not say that the doomsdayers here are wrong, because continuing on this present track they are completely right. But I will say that one way or another, we will will find a way to make significant noise in the playoffs, meaning we will win a round or two.

We have too much talent and proven leadership not to.

OK, what's your solution?

Sometimes it's not about the message, or even the relative tone of the message, but just a fresh voice and a fresh perspective.

I am a fan of Haviland. And I don't presume to know the answer to this, but it seems to me that a fresh voice and a fresh perspective might be the only hope here, unless Quennevile, by himself or together with Kitchen has become really clearly the problem. And thus Haviland as head coach would be a fresh voice and perspective.
- John Jaeckel

Now would be the perfect time to insert him in as the interm head coach. Give him the remainder of the season to show what he can or can't do and find out if he is that fresh voice and perspective.

I will not say that the doomsdayers here are wrong, because continuing on this present track they are completely right. But I will say that one way or another, we will will find a way to make significant noise in the playoffs, meaning we will win a round or two.

We have too much talent and proven leadership not to.
- busmaster

I'm not buying into that at all. However, if you turn out to be right, feel free to hit me with an "I told you so."

>The Hawks' problems run so deep for reasons we all have touched upon in some form
>An org structure in which everything is done by committee which equals a recipe for mediocrity
>A team President who puts himself into Stanley Cup commercials -- sorry -- a team President should be a humble, behind-the-scenes genius
>A GM who refuses to see the reality of bad decisions -- it's impossible not to make mistakes in the GM business, the great ones come to an "honest recognition" (your words JJ) of their mistakes and rebound with great moves
>A head coach who rewards his players with a three-day trip to Las Vegas after the team lost 9-2 to one of the worst teams in the NHL -- yeah -- that's sending the right message: "Play when YOU feel like it."
>A professional in any industry performs at a extremely high-level -- regardless of how they feel -- that's what makes them a professional
>Players who feel a strong sense of entitlement BECAUSE they broke the 49-year Cup drought -- and new Hawks who haven't won jack but ACT like they have
>Mix it all together and you have a hockey org in which everyone wants all the credit when things go well and everyone either fingerpoints or ducks for cover when they don't
>The on-ice product is so mentally-beaten up and confused that the game is lost even before they take the ice
- SnapitUpstairs

We all keep blasting the front office for meddling by McDonough, management by committee, discord between the front office and the ice, McDonough bringing in sycophants who will bow down to him, Bowman not willing to recognize his mistakes - just out of curiosity, does anyone have any first-hand examples of any of this - or are we just expanding on a few bits of information and rumor to build a picture of a dysfunctional group that's pissed that a previous regime actually built a Cup champion?

still waiting Stan