Following the "sky is falling" mentality and the bad optics surrounding the coaching situation on the weekend, new Senators head coach Guy Boucher did the rounds of the media this morning prior to the introductory press conference.
Perhaps the biggest detail was the announcement that he has added Marc Crawford as associate coach, bringing additional wealth of knowledge to his staff, and he certainly doesn't appear to feel threatened by having a guy who was also a candidate for the job on his staff and while you have to have a bit of an ego to be in the position he is in, he isn't letting that affect his decisions.
As I said yesterday between the Bruce Boudreau situation and the reports that Boucher was the man, that Boucher might be the best guy for the job. The first impression he gives off supports that, and whether or not you believe what went on behind the scenes and the proclamation that they got their man, Boucher is saying the right things and making a good first impression.
He professed an interest in exploiting his players' strengths and recognizing but not overblowing weaknesses, and that structure will be key and that all players must buy in. It isn't about instituting "his" system or doing it his way, it is about implementing a system that fits the players and puts them in the best situation for them to succeed.
Boucher doesn't want to harness gamebreakers like Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman, but to make sure that they don't necessarily want to change their game, but evolve it.
He also indicated that he plans on coaching each player individually, basing on what makes them tick and finding the right buttons to push for each player in order to help them succeed.
Saying the right things is an excellent start, now the challenge is to implement it on the ice and turn individual talent into cohesive units that can play both ends of the ice and in all situations.