...Comes to the Sabres ..wins cups .

I see a pattern here.
- cabin

It's definitely a nice resume.....and hopefully that experience helps us....but success as a player does not always translate to coaching.....I'm not bagging on this hiring just staying cautiously optimistic

So apparently 6 cups as a player and 1 as an assistant isn't 'more bonafide'? Come on man.
- TheSabresTaco

We're talking about coaching. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to play the game, or at least one of them, was a disaster as a coach. That's not to say Trottier is, or isn't one, but his 6 cups as a player mean almost nothing as far as coaching. The question is, can he coach? Past performance shows mixed results.

Look, I don't hate the hire. I don't love it, either, and it definitely doesn't change my reservations about the coach in charge nor does it do anything to invalidate criticisms of the past.

I have herd that as we'll....in sort of a liaison between Roch and Buf.....but he was an excellent couch of younger players...and guys really wanted to play hard for him... But as long as he's around it will have to due.
- aschwach

I hope Cunneyworth is around . I think he will be key in developing these young stars in the making . He got one of the raw deals of all time in Montreal !

We're talking about coaching. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to play the game, or at least one of them, was a disaster as a coach. That's not to say Trottier is, or isn't one, but his 6 cups as a player mean almost nothing. The question is, can he coach? Past performance shows mixed results.
- buffalofan19

I absolutely agree with this statement, which doesn't write him off like your last statement did. He's a winner on the ice as well as an assistant. That has to mean something when mentoring these young players. Gretzky was a winner. Gretzky failed as a coach, and Trottier might as well as an assistant. But there's no reason to write him off without a results base.

I hope Cunneyworth is around . I think he will be key in developing these young stars in the making . He got one of the raw deals of all time in Montreal !



- Maximum Signal

He sure did as soon as they showed him the door (in fairly I might add) I wanted the Sabres to bring him back then.....glad the finally got around to it a few years after...

I absolutely agree with this statement, which doesn't write him off like your last statement did. He's a winner on the ice as well as an assistant. That has to mean something when mentoring these young players. Gretzky was a winner. Gretzky failed as a coach, and Trottier might as well as an assistant. But there's no reason to write him off without a results base.
- TheSabresTaco

Being a winner and having the ability to teach a player how to be a winner are two completely different things.

We're talking about coaching. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player to play the game, or at least one of them, was a disaster as a coach. That's not to say Trottier is, or isn't one, but his 6 cups as a player mean almost nothing as far as coaching. The question is, can he coach? Past performance shows mixed results.

Look, I don't hate the hire. I don't love it, either, and it definitely doesn't change my reservations about the coach in charge.
- buffalofan19

As it shouldn't. Were talking about assistants (In my Iverson voice)

Being a winner and having the ability to teach a player how to be a winner are two completely different things.
- buffalofan19

Yeah, but you can't teach someone to do something you've never done. And he's done it. Which is why I have no reason to doubt him yet.

Being a winner and having the ability to teach a player how to be a winner are two completely different things.
- buffalofan19

Name an assistant that would make you happy.

Yeah, but you can't teach someone to do something you've never done. And he's done it. Which is why I have no reason to doubt him yet.
- TheSabresTaco

Ken Hitchcock was never an NHL player. That's not necessarily a true statement.

Ken Hitchcock was never an NHL player. That's not necessarily a true statement.
- buffalofan19

Neither was Ron Rolston, so it goes both ways.


We have a guy with 6 cups coming in to an organization that has failed to bring in people who have won before......What exactly is the bad part?

Name an assistant that would make you happy.
- sbroads24

I'm not "unhappy" with the Trottier. I was more responding the notion that this hire somehow invalidates all "negativity" surrounding Ted Nolan. It doesn't, at all. Trottier has positives, and he has negatives.

I also won't mind if Irbe ends up being a coach here. However, I want to see him be able to hire someone he doesn't know, or isn't directly familiar with as well, and have someone with a winning resume as well. I can't necessarily name names because I don't know who's available, and who's actually interested in a head coaching job.

Ken Hitchcock was never an NHL player. That's not necessarily a true statement.
- buffalofan19

It's a general statement. If you were never a student, you could never be a teacher. It's applicable in almost everything in life. If you've won a hockey game as a coach, you can teach players how to win a hockey game. If you've built a house, you can teach a man to build a house. I'm sure you understand my point and I understand yours. Bottom line, he's an experienced winner on and off the ice and I have the utmost confidence he can relay his experience onto the students.

I'm not "unhappy" with the Trottier. I was more responding the notion that this hire somehow invalidates all "negativity" surrounding Ted Nolan. It doesn't, at all. Trottier has positives, and he has negatives.

I also won't mind if Irbe ends up being a coach here. However, I want to see him be able to hire someone he doesn't know, or isn't directly familiar with as well, and have someone with a winning resume as well. I can't necessarily name names because I don't know who's available, and who's actually interested in a head coaching job.
- buffalofan19

I never got the feeling this thread was about validating Nolan as a head coach

Neither was Ron Rolston, so it goes both ways.


We have a guy with 6 cups coming in to an organization that has failed to bring in people who have won before......What exactly is the bad part?
- sbroads24

My point is that the fact that he's done it as a player is just about as irrelevant as can be if the guy can't communicate what he did as a player. It's like saying someone's a great lawyer because he had a 4.0 GPA all through law school. There are plenty of those who have gone on to do great things, and plenty of them that failed. There are also plenty of great lawyers whose grades weren't so great.

I never got the feeling this thread was about validating Nolan as a head coach
- Michael Pachla

This thread? No so much. The last one? Read the comments once Bucky's Tweet came out.

I'm not "unhappy" with the Trottier. I was more responding the notion that this hire somehow invalidates all "negativity" surrounding Ted Nolan. It doesn't, at all. Trottier has positives, and he has negatives.

I also won't mind if Irbe ends up being a coach here. However, I want to see him be able to hire someone he doesn't know, or isn't directly familiar with as well, and have someone with a winning resume as well. I can't necessarily name names because I don't know who's available, and who's actually interested in a head coaching job.
- buffalofan19

This seems like an entirely different argument/discussion/comment to the fact that Trottier isn't a more bonafide winner.

My point is that the fact that he's done it as a player is just about as irrelevant as can be if the guy can't communicate what he did as a player. It's like saying someone's a great lawyer because he had a 4.0 GPA all through law school. There are plenty of those who have gone on to do great things, and plenty of them that failed. There are also plenty of great lawyers whose grades weren't so great.
- buffalofan19

This is inaccurate because he's succeeded in the same role in the past.

This thread? No so much. The last one? Read the comments once Bucky's Tweet came out.
- buffalofan19

I did...no comment

I'm not "unhappy" with the Trottier. I was more responding the notion that this hire somehow invalidates all "negativity" surrounding Ted Nolan. It doesn't, at all. Trottier has positives, and he has negatives.

I also won't mind if Irbe ends up being a coach here. However, I want to see him be able to hire someone he doesn't know, or isn't directly familiar with as well, and have someone with a winning resume as well. I can't necessarily name names because I don't know who's available, and who's actually interested in a head coaching job.
- buffalofan19

What negativity? The internet rumor negativity?

If they need to hire possibly two more asst coaches, time is running out as other teams have already signed their new assistants (Housley, Ramsay, Dineen) so the potential list is getting a lot shorter.

He was still in the player development business until now, so it's not like he's been sitting in his rocking chair.

There's no denying that he hasn't been a coach for a while, but he's still been in the business at a hands on level.
- stashu

I thought I read he hasn't been since 2010...?
Was that proven false yesterday?
I'll have to dig today when I have more time.

If they need to hire possibly two more asst coaches, time is running out as other teams have already signed their new assistants (Housley, Ramsay, Dineen) so the potential list is getting a lot shorter.
- mhp

Lots of people left . Could grab a minor or AHL coach too.

If they need to hire possibly two more asst coaches, time is running out as other teams have already signed their new assistants (Housley, Ramsay, Dineen) so the potential list is getting a lot shorter.
- mhp

I would of liked any of those 3

Lots of people left . Could grab a minor or AHL coach too.
- cabin

Other than getting Cunneyworth as an assistant or Boughner, I can't really think of many at this point. You are right, they could just get someone from the ahl or college with a decent track record but I wonder if Murray will have some input.