If Paul Maurice doesn’t return- Carlyle?
The Jets season came to an end Friday night in Calgary with a 5-3 win over the host Flames. While most fans reluctantly accept a strong push to the finish as some sort of positive the coach, at least for now, sees a different picture. On Sunday he had his final press conference and media availability before conducting the end of his temporary stint in Winnipeg and leaving for an uncertain summer. What’s uncertain though is if Paul Maurice will return as head coach and when I asked about what or where he wanted to be next NHL season his replay was, “I want to coach the Winnipeg Jets…. Full stop. Where the problem lies is the family first mentality that Maurice said is ‘not just for the players’. He went on to explain that he told his wife and family that, “I would never move them again….
So it appears that it’s up to Mrs Maurice and the children as to whether the current head coach of the Winnipeg Jets returns.
If that event should happen and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is left to find a new head coach where does that put the organization? One can draw conclusions, rightly or wrongly, by reading between the lines and Maurice gave us many lines today to look between and past. The summary below will give you an idea of a common theme that will no doubt indict Clause Maurice as no more than rudderless ship, with a broken keel and cracked mast. That’s if you want to ‘read between the lines’.
“It takes a couple of years to get to that level (fitness) in my experience,… said Maurice early in his press conference. It was in response to a question that was inaudible thanks to the unidirectional mic feed on the cameras in the Jets media room. However there are no secrets with the level of the fitness the team has shown for three seasons. Maurice may very well be right when he says it will take years to correct as he drew in the farm team and rookies joining the organization as part of the consistency challenges to fitness level.
“I think that we’ve come to understand that you have to enjoy what you’re doing to be good at it. And more importantly we’re starting with a fairly clear idea of this is where we’re going, this is the direction we’re going to move….
That to me is a telling remark. Were highly paid hockey players not enjoying the game of kids? If so why? But the second sentence in that quote is where the rubber really meets the road as it alludes to understanding expectations. You can’t hit a target when you don’t know what it is. Should another metaphor be used or is that getting too close to the ways of Claude Noel? The key difference between the communication of Maurice and Noel is the former is direct, concise and direct. There is no confusing what he says and what meaning he is going for with his comments. Moreover that sentence speaks to the word that has plagued the Jets since arrival from Atlanta- consistency. A team cannot be consistent without clear direction and guidance. If you have read this space before you know there is no appreciation for the nuances of Claude Noel. He was not some one who could get his message across and despite the team’s best efforts nothing ever changed and nothing every became consistent other than inconsistency.
“There’s not a lot of grey area of how we’re going to get there and the expectations of the players for us to get there…. If you love a direct shot that was for you and it got better. “First you have to know what’s expected before you can hold anyone accountable reasonably. That is on and off the ice…. Oh baby, it’s like Maurice was playing to a certain bastion of fan critics with those last two statements.
Why these quotes meaning and their meaning matter is because Maurice went on to discuss the differences in his approach and relationship with the team from the first month and half to the last. How he was able to have different conversations and implement change compared to when he first arrived was key to his message today. It says he took the time to assess, observe and measure what needed to be changed and then considered when it was best to do so. Structure matters.
“The structure of who we are, what we do and this is what we’ll hold you accountable to…. It happens on and off the ice as discipline matters as a group no matter where you perform. If you are a coach you want your players to operate the same way in all team situations, attentive, aware and supportive. There can be no confusion to the role each player has in all situations.
The above thought probably means more when you read this, “We’ll probably get more value from the end of this hockey season than when I came here…. One would certainly hope so as Maurice had an unique situation during his tenure, the Olympic break. Having that time to considering what changes would be the most effectively implemented was a luxury few ever have. The results may not be quite what he and fans had hoped but he like the players needed to set a precedent for what happens going forward, regardless if he, or some of them, are not here come September.
That precedent, standard or expectation makes sense because Maurice was asked about he goaltending. “We need to put our goaltenders in a position where we can assess their game.… It seems curious to say that does it not? Perhaps that’s my bias considering the amount of data available on Pavelec and Montoya in their stints as Jets and in their careers. If Maurice believes that he can institute enough change within his 18 skates that he can improve the goaltending to league average he may be the greatest coach Winnipeg has ever seen. It would be a feat but what’s concerning is that this sounds so much like the TNSE party line around Pavelec, kid gloves. So where does that leave the Jets if he does not return?
The information he provided shows a path that he and perhaps others in the organization feel is best followed and it starts with little items, core aspects of being a professional hockey player. These details would include fitness, discipline, accountability, expectations, repetition and consistency. All of which were consistently mentioned by a wide swath to observers to be blatantly absent from this team for two and half seasons.
Paul Maurice hit many nails directly on the head today with his final address of the season to media and fans. He was direct, concise, and forward about his future and what he saw for the team. He set expectations, he explained accountability, and he showed how he might measure the team in the future. It would be a shame if TNSE did not follow through with him given that in the organization he has acted the most professional out of anyone seen by the public.
If only it were that simple. Clearly though Maurice’s return is not a slam-dunk based on his family’s needs. It would seem some one at TNSE has considered that risk and possibility as casual contact has been made with Randy Carlyle. No meddling here, people, such as old friends, are allowed to keep in touch right?