Tell Me Again Why This Is My Favorite Team?
Excerpted from the Chicago Tribune. My comments in BOLD.
Bill Wirtz was unwilling to comment on the NHL's betting scandal Wednesday, but the Blackhawks' owner had a lot to say about his team's disappointing season, admitting "we made mistakes on our free-agent signings because we didn't think the game would change that much with the new rules."
Doesn't the very nature of NEW rules imply change is a certainty?
The emphasis was on defense. But the new rules this season—particularly those curtailing obstruction, widening the offensive zone and allowing the two-line pass—put the accent on offense."We signed the free agents, and then we had the rule changes," Wirtz said. "With the red line out, that has changed the game. Speed is the greatest requirement.
I seem to remember the rule changes and the salary cap/free agent signing period were announced at the same time. Am I wrong?
"I thought Khabibulin was the best goaltender in the world," Wirtz said."But when you're off for a year those skills go down. That has affected his game, there's no question. You have to hone those skills back up. I think next year and the following year he will be fine.
Umm. Bullshit excuse. Next............
"Some of our younger players we had high hopes for—[Anton] Babchuk, [Mikhail Yakubov] and [Pavel] Vorobiev—have not panned out."All three were drafted by Mike Smith, who joined the Hawks' front office in December 1999, was promoted to general manager the next year and was fired Oct. 24, 2003.
Sure. Blame the guy who's not around anymore. Typical.
Tallon decided not to bring back Brian Sutter as coach. Instead he promoted the less intense Trent Yawney, who had coached most of the Hawks' young players when they were with the Norfolk farm team of the American Hockey League, reasoning the change would bring out their best. But center Tyler Arnason, the player who seemingly has the most potential, has continued to underachieve.Like Tallon, Wirtz doesn't blame Yawney for the ongoing Arnason motivation problem. He believes Yawney's problem isn't in handling players but rather "the learning curve."
Gettting rid of a proven winner who is also a Sutter is just a bad move.
"Any coach coming from the AHL has to learn the NHL," Wirtz said."You can be a good coach, but you have to know the line changes and stuff like that. That's his biggest drawback."
WTF? Line changes? Hockey coaching 101 if you ask me.
I could go on and on.
Bill Wirtz was unwilling to comment on the NHL's betting scandal Wednesday, but the Blackhawks' owner had a lot to say about his team's disappointing season, admitting "we made mistakes on our free-agent signings because we didn't think the game would change that much with the new rules."
Doesn't the very nature of NEW rules imply change is a certainty?
The emphasis was on defense. But the new rules this season—particularly those curtailing obstruction, widening the offensive zone and allowing the two-line pass—put the accent on offense."We signed the free agents, and then we had the rule changes," Wirtz said. "With the red line out, that has changed the game. Speed is the greatest requirement.
I seem to remember the rule changes and the salary cap/free agent signing period were announced at the same time. Am I wrong?
"I thought Khabibulin was the best goaltender in the world," Wirtz said."But when you're off for a year those skills go down. That has affected his game, there's no question. You have to hone those skills back up. I think next year and the following year he will be fine.
Umm. Bullshit excuse. Next............
"Some of our younger players we had high hopes for—[Anton] Babchuk, [Mikhail Yakubov] and [Pavel] Vorobiev—have not panned out."All three were drafted by Mike Smith, who joined the Hawks' front office in December 1999, was promoted to general manager the next year and was fired Oct. 24, 2003.
Sure. Blame the guy who's not around anymore. Typical.
Tallon decided not to bring back Brian Sutter as coach. Instead he promoted the less intense Trent Yawney, who had coached most of the Hawks' young players when they were with the Norfolk farm team of the American Hockey League, reasoning the change would bring out their best. But center Tyler Arnason, the player who seemingly has the most potential, has continued to underachieve.Like Tallon, Wirtz doesn't blame Yawney for the ongoing Arnason motivation problem. He believes Yawney's problem isn't in handling players but rather "the learning curve."
Gettting rid of a proven winner who is also a Sutter is just a bad move.
"Any coach coming from the AHL has to learn the NHL," Wirtz said."You can be a good coach, but you have to know the line changes and stuff like that. That's his biggest drawback."
WTF? Line changes? Hockey coaching 101 if you ask me.
I could go on and on.
posted by Future Grump at 5:03 PM
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