B21

Guess the guys who play with him don't know as much as Flyers fans?

@jammer2 @flyercanuck I feel better after seeing his resume. Could end up being a good hire. He has plenty of time in the NHL, too. @brelic I don't think Babcock is the eventual target anymore. I said this in the other thread, too. If he wants out and the Pens wanted him, something could have been worked out with Detroit.

Very interesting. I don't hate it. Don't love it. More - "OK - different. Let's wait and see." When his name originally surfaced I had the same reaction as Irishjim - "Who?". After reading his resume, I feel better. He does have 10 seasons under his belt as an NHL assistant (that's 8 more than Willis Desjardins). He was coach and GM in Portand which tells me that he is a good talent evaluator. I hope he gets some input in the draft. The suspension does stand out but at the end of the day that's a non-issue in the NHL. It would be like not hiring an NCAA coach because of recruiting violations. Cautiously optimistic.

Per Dreger, in an interview on 93.7 The Fan this morning, current Portland Winter Hawks (as in Juniors) is the front runner for the Pens' job. He doesn't even have a Wikipedia page!

Who won the Richards trade?

@Polaris922 On the same page here. They didn't throw games. It was about who they put out on the ice. I don't think the Carlyle trade was meant to help them get Lemieux. Moves like that are made all the time. Romano actually was considered a pretty good prospect at the time. He wins 4 straight and he gets sent down and replaced with Vincent Tremblay (??) who, all due respect to, was not someone "worth a look" as the Pens said. Bullard would have made it obvious. I think the allegations give the inpression that the Pens went balls out for Lemieux from the start of the season. They were going to be bad. Once they saw how bad they actually were (and how bad the Devils were) I think they made a few tweaks to make sure the ended up #1...err worst...overeall. I'll say it again (and I know you agree)....so what? Anyone who takes the how-dare-they!! nose-in-the-air position on this that it tarnishes the integrity of the game or the Pens did their fans wrong by not putting the (cough cough) best possible team on the ice is only fooling themselves...and probably trying to take some luster off those Cups.

Fair. But when they coach comes out and confirms it - it's kinda hard to deny. It wasn't so much about the trades and who they were sending down and calling up.

Sorry, MC...I call 'em like I see 'em. Dead horse topic. Pens fans...heck, the entire hockey world...knows they tanked. OP wants Flyers fans only to chime in? Under the guise of how this affected the Flyers? Puh-lease. Have some stones and deal with the inevitability of Pens fans taking issue. Oh wait - we all agree in happened. (OK - most of us...)

@canoli @jammer2 @JackStraw No heat here. I agree it's OK to "tank" so long as - like jammer noted - you aren't telling your players to lose on purposes. The Pens were awful in '83 even without "tanking". Their sketchy moves as the season progressed (which everyone seems to forget) were because the Devils were as equally inept. Any Pens' fan with their head screwed on right would have been pissed if the Pens hadn't tried to tank to get Lemieux. @AJgoal Your point is very valid. But for me - I'd rather my team do whatever it takes to win a championship versus putting the "best possible team" out there so they can finish .500.

Then again - anyone from Climax, Saskatchewan has to be kinda cool.

Years? Assistants? Salary? If he wanted NHL experience years or NHL experience money then I hope the Pens did pass. I'm sure he's a fine coach but at the end of the day he's 57 and has only 2 years as an assistant when it comes to NHL experience. I'm still hopeful for Marc Crawford. Edit: After reading the line that @Polaris922 posted in the other thread about the Pens' next HC - I think I am leaning towards Ulfie.

Great minds. Like I said - posting this in the Pens forum isn't trolling. It happened after all. But acting like its some big secret and the video shows new evidence is comical. What's next? Lee Harvey Oswald didn't act alone? The OP had an agenda and got called out on it.

1st - props to @hf101. Great reply. @Bakanekimiwa - to post this then act like you just uncovered some great mystery is a complete and total fraud. The Pens tanked to get Lemieux. Period. They didn't tell the players to lose on purpose...they simply called up players who weren't that good and traded/sent down those that were. This is no great secret. Even the coach at the time admitted it. My opinion...you wanted to start another thread that gives you yet another chance to shite on the Pens and thought keeping it out of the Pens forum or even the general hockey topics forums would accomplish that. Oops. Posting this topic in the Pens forum would not be trolling. Posting it in the Flyers forum for "just Flyers fans" is...well...chickenshite on your part. I can only imagine the backlash if I started a topic in the Pens forum called "Flyers - 40 Years of Failure"....only for Pens fans. How did the Pens tanking impact your Flyers? It didn't...no more or less than any other NL team. So if you want to leave because you don't like where the moderator puts your "Pens-Tanked" circle jerk of a thread then by all means - don't let the door hit you on the way out. I'm sure Kuato needs more friends over on Silly.com.

Moot point maybe. Now Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review is reporting that the Pens could not come to terms with Desjardins; issues with contract length? Assistants? Rutherford plans to interview a few more candidates now but has stated the new coach will be in place by 7/1.

Just what I have read. Won the AHL title with the Texas Starts. Pretty successful everywhere he's been. Short stint as an NHL assistant. Ex-players rave about him. But...no NHL experience. He was the "hot" name this offseason but he's also getting his first crack (assuming he's the Pens' guy) at age 57. Cautiously optimistic.

Per Dreger, it's Desjardins... http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=455266 Dreger: We're looking at Willie Desjardins as potentially the next head coach of the Penguins. Now, Desjardins is a hot commodity, given his American Hockey League championship with the Texas Stars of the Dallas Stars organization. We know he was a hot commodity with the Vancouver Canucks, but I expect the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team that will land Desjardins.

According to sources cited by Rob Rossi of the Tribune Review... John Hynes (WBS HC) Ron Wilson Marc Crawford Ulf Samuelsson (Rangers Assistant) Bill Peters (Wings Assistant) John Stevens (Kings Assistant) Willie Desjardins (AHL HC) Rick Tocchet is supposedly being considered as an Assistant. Out of that group Crawford would be my first choice.

<< Considering the uncertainty surrounding Letang, it may not take much more than the Oilers first round pick(third overall), Nail Yakupov and the rights to Justin Schultz to complete the deal. This would fill the Oilers need for a star defenceman to balance their roster and would allow the Pens to stay cap compliant while having more leverage to resign Niskanen, and fill roster space with inexpensive NHL ready players. >> I do that deal in a heartbeat (no pun intended) if I am the Pens.

That was me. Safe. Not WOW! Not WTF? Especially with the line of succession that has been set up. I think the coach matters more than the GM for the Pens. I've argued all along...the problem for me was not so much the pieces (Shero) as it was the guy putting the puzzle together (Bylsma). I'll put Brind'Amour in the same category as Tocchet. By all means, bring him aboard as an assistant (not that he would want to). Not a head coach though. Babcock is my (obvious) first choice. Boucher next. Then one of the current "hot" AHL coaches.

Yup. But I think they were hell bent on not 'rushing' - even if it cost them Trotz.

Never say never? I'm saying never. Torts? Never. Keenan? Never. @jammer2 Good call with Maurice.

The Malkster has passed. 53. Cancer. Classy move by Hartnell to offer condolences. http://triblive.com/obituaries/newsstories/6242698-74/clark-game-hartnell#axzz349xxjmcI

Some names that are out there on various sites/rumor mills.... Mike Babcock (Please.) Ron Wilson (Please no.) John Stevens (Didn't we just fire him?) Ulf Samuelsson (Front runner in Carolina?) Guy Boucher Todd Nelson (Oilers AHL HC) Willie Desjardins (Stars' AHL HC) John Hynes (WBS HC) Rick Tocchet Rod Brind'Amour (Rutherford ties - and would really pizz off Flyers fans!) Babcock would be the obvious choice. I'm just don't see the Pens prying him away from Detroit. I like Tocchet as an assistant but not as a HC. The current assistants have been retained for now but all have been given permission to look elsewhere. Martin has reportedly interviewed in Carolina. Any others?

Well there are still 3 openings and he is getting paid to not coach so I don't feel bad in that regard. The right thing to do would have been to let him go right away if that was the plan all along (looks like it was). I wouldn't be shocked if they just wanted to keep him from getting the Caps' job. If that's why, I can't get too upset.

Thoughts.... It's the safe pick. Not a "wow" pick but not an "OMG why him?" pick either. Botterill was promoted to Associate GM. Guerin and Fitzgerald to Assistant GM. Rutherford was very straightforward in saying this is a 2-3 year gig for him and that the Pens have 3 guys who will be very good GM candidates in the near future. Sounds like the plan is to groom Botterill behind Rutherford and have him take over the reigns in a few years. I have no problem with that. I wouldn't even be shocked if the GM spot has already been promised to Botterill once Rutherford steps down (assuming all goes well in the next few years). I'm glad Bylsma is gone but they could have handled it better. They left it up to the new GM who "decided" to fire Byslma the morning of the announcement. Sounds like that decision was made by Lemieux/Burkle but Rutherford didn't have an issue with it.