Wild relieve head coach Bruce Boudreau of duties

[IllaZilla]

1 hour ago, Tomdog said:

I think the only way for a new coach to have success with this team will be to solve these large problems.

No true starting goalie.

No true 1st line center.

Not enough right handed forwards.

Too much 3rd line talent.

This is all on the owner and GM, not the coach.

They are stuck at goaltender unless they trade Stalock. And Stalock was signed to comply with the 2021 Seattle Expansion Draft. Or Dubnyk retires or they can trade him in the offseason. To get a true 1C they’re going to have to give up like, which probably means Brodin plus some other stuff. I really don’t see any other assets they have that would fetch them a 1C or 1C prospect. If Dumba was performing, maybe Dumba straight up. But he’s not, so he’s not going to get much. As far as right handed forwards, the Wild keep drafting left handed forwards as BPA and saying they can trade them. I don’t know. You can only trade someone if another team is willing to give up the right handed forward for them. 
But the real problem with this team is Fan Boy #1. Until he realizes that this team is not a Cup contender and allows a rebuild, this team is just going to spin it’s wheels. 

[EJ0226]

On ‎2‎/‎15‎/‎2020 at 9:55 AM, ruxpin said:

Can't help you with the timing.  But I have never been a fan of Bruce and thought the Wild hiring him was a horrible mistake.   [EDIT:   Probably more to the point, I thought it was a mistake for him.  But a mistake for the Wild, as well]

 

He's had good teams in Washington and Anaheim with explosive offensive talent and couldn't seal the deal.  He had money, tons of booze, and a room full of hookers and in both instances remained faithful to his hand. 

 

He never had any of that in Minnesota, so management hires him expecting what, exactly? 

 

Sorry, a handful of decent players (but not one remotely great player) and a goalie who played well under a system that got changed. 

 

Bruce may very well be the most overrated coach of the last 20 years and it's amazing to me that even hockey people seem to miss that. 

 

People will refuse to blame him. And, honestly, there's a lot of merit to that in Minnesota.  It was a badly mismatched hire and I was frankly shocked he accepted there. It just seemed so very different from what his previous teams looked like (maybe that was the attraction). So, he'll land another job somewhere. And fail.  

 

Rinse. Repeat. 

 

What I don't get is "why now?"  Then again, given the timing of the GM change (the change itself was merited, IMO) maybe weird timing is the new norm for the Wild. 

 

Sorry, I know I'm on a board with a lot of Bruce fans. Even at previous stops, I've just never understood that. 

Don't get me wrong, Bruce deserves his share of blame but most overrated? I completely disagree with it. I think he got this team to overachieve actually. I have said it 1000 times that even Scotty Bowman couldn't get this team out of the first round. 3 GMs and 4 coaches (probably going to be 5 by the start of next season) and exact same results each time. Biggest factor isn't coaching or GM, although they for sure contribute, but the same rotten core players. They never change. We watch other players go elsewhere and do good that appeared to not do good either. We have a fan boy in a owner who loves 11 and 20. Things need to work and make 11 and 20 look better or it needs to go. Parise and Suter have shown that they don't care what the coaches say. Hell they thing they are better then the other players and don't include them in their own workouts. Look at the Adam Oates ordeal.

 

But people like @CreaseAndAssist and @lynxrattle have said what us fans of the Wild that watch the team without homer blinders on have to say. It's frustrating as Minnesota is really a hockey loving state. People go out and play it all the time. The High School hockey tournament is packed with people. It's a big event. Minnesota deserves so much better then the Wild. It's honestly almost a insult. To see guys half heartily try. To see guys make it about themselves and screw everybody else and the fans. To see a owner who refuses to see the most obvious issues and think somehow they are one step away. To see guys the franchise could build around be let go or traded somewhere else because they don't compliment 11 and 20. It's extremely frustrating and shows no signs of stopping. I would take one Cup win over 5 Super Bowls in a row and I love football too. We just know this squad will never do it. I pray to God when Parise and Suters contracts are finally done they will have nothing to do with the Wild organization on any aspect again!

 

I was listening to the NHL Morning Skate show and felt a sunken feeling. They were talking how BG has nothing but praise for Koivu and really likes him. I can see BG signing Koivu to another deal when they need to let him walk. Serious, feel bad for us Minnesota hockey fans. Our best shot at winning a cup came in 2002-2003 with literally a team of nobodies. They were the blue collared players who worked hard and found another gear to make the run they did. Parise, Suter and a good part of the rest of the guys are a bunch of CEOs who just want to sit around expect all the good to come to them.  The 02-03 team went 8-10 in that one season of playoffs. Parise & Suter have gone 15-29 in 6 seasons of playoffs and it took 3 playoffs for them to reach 8 or more wins combined together. It shows they haven't improved anything but anchoring the team.

[CreaseAndAssist]

Bruce Boudreau opens up about the firing...

 

He hints at it...but doesn't just come out and say it.  Kind of consistent with how that keeps avoiding that all out revelation.  But it certainly caught him by surprise.  Either way, it doesn't sound like Bruce and his wife had any illusions that he'd somehow stick around beyond this season.  

 

With the way the vets were handling that late timeout...I think we have our proof and our answer.  They weren't looking to Evason for any advice or direction.  They were leading the whole timeout from the start to the finish.  

[ruxpin]

36 minutes ago, EJ0226 said:

Don't get me wrong, Bruce deserves his share of blame but most overrated? I completely disagree with it. I think he got this team to overachieve actually. I have said it 1000 times that even Scotty Bowman couldn't get this team out of the first round. 3 GMs and 4 coaches (probably going to be 5 by the start of next season) and exact same results each time. Biggest factor isn't coaching or GM, although they for sure contribute, but the same rotten core players. They never change. We watch other players go elsewhere and do good that appeared to not do good either. We have a fan boy in a owner who loves 11 and 20. Things need to work and make 11 and 20 look better or it needs to go. Parise and Suter have shown that they don't care what the coaches say. Hell they thing they are better then the other players and don't include them in their own workouts. Look at the Adam Oates ordeal.

 

But people like @CreaseAndAssist and @lynxrattle have said what us fans of the Wild that watch the team without homer blinders on have to say. It's frustrating as Minnesota is really a hockey loving state. People go out and play it all the time. The High School hockey tournament is packed with people. It's a big event. Minnesota deserves so much better then the Wild. It's honestly almost a insult. To see guys half heartily try. To see guys make it about themselves and screw everybody else and the fans. To see a owner who refuses to see the most obvious issues and think somehow they are one step away. To see guys the franchise could build around be let go or traded somewhere else because they don't compliment 11 and 20. It's extremely frustrating and shows no signs of stopping. I would take one Cup win over 5 Super Bowls in a row and I love football too. We just know this squad will never do it. I pray to God when Parise and Suters contracts are finally done they will have nothing to do with the Wild organization on any aspect again!

 

I was listening to the NHL Morning Skate show and felt a sunken feeling. They were talking how BG has nothing but praise for Koivu and really likes him. I can see BG signing Koivu to another deal when they need to let him walk. Serious, feel bad for us Minnesota hockey fans. Our best shot at winning a cup came in 2002-2003 with literally a team of nobodies. They were the blue collared players who worked hard and found another gear to make the run they did. Parise, Suter and a good part of the rest of the guys are a bunch of CEOs who just want to sit around expect all the good to come to them.  The 02-03 team went 8-10 in that one season of playoffs. Parise & Suter have gone 15-29 in 6 seasons of playoffs and it took 3 playoffs for them to reach 8 or more wins combined together. It shows they haven't improved anything but anchoring the team.

 

I don't disagree with anything you said there, and you and most on this thread know much more about the Wild --and Bruce's tenure -- than I would dare pretend to.

 

But I'll stick with my "most overrated" statement because it precedes his Wild days.   I really thought he and the Wild were a bad move both for club and for him.   Just not a good match at all--a lot of that for the reasons you state.  More from his POV than even from the Wild.  The situation in Minnesota is not Bruce's fault, though I'll share your acknowledgement that he shares some blame.  But I don't think he was the cause of the issues.   He just wasn't the answer--again for the reasons you state.   

 

I agree.  I think any coach was going to have a difficult time there  (again, based largely on the situations you and others have written about).      But when the Wild hired him, I thought it was the wrong coach given the type of team.   He had done well in the regular season with very high-talent offensive teams.   My opinion on those stays is that a coach couldn't help but do well there given the talent level.  But when things tightened up in the playoffs, he and his teams struggled.   

 

No offense to the Wild, but they've never had that high-end talent level.  So, it was going to be the tightened up version.   I'll give him this:  he did better than I expected and probably as well as could be expected given the situation.  But his career as a whole, I think he's overrated.   Overrated vs. my view of him, anyway.

 

But as I mentioned before, I'm aware I'm in the vast minority on this one.

 

I hope it gets better and soon in Minnesota.   Their fans deserve better.  

 

Cheers!

[EJ0226]

28 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

 

I don't disagree with anything you said there, and you and most on this thread know much more about the Wild --and Bruce's tenure -- than I would dare pretend to.

 

But I'll stick with my "most overrated" statement because it precedes his Wild days.   I really thought he and the Wild were a bad move both for club and for him.   Just not a good match at all--a lot of that for the reasons you state.  More from his POV than even from the Wild.  The situation in Minnesota is not Bruce's fault, though I'll share your acknowledgement that he shares some blame.  But I don't think he was the cause of the issues.   He just wasn't the answer--again for the reasons you state.   

 

I agree.  I think any coach was going to have a difficult time there  (again, based largely on the situations you and others have written about).      But when the Wild hired him, I thought it was the wrong coach given the type of team.   He had done well in the regular season with very high-talent offensive teams.   My opinion on those stays is that a coach couldn't help but do well there given the talent level.  But when things tightened up in the playoffs, he and his teams struggled.   

 

No offense to the Wild, but they've never had that high-end talent level.  So, it was going to be the tightened up version.   I'll give him this:  he did better than I expected and probably as well as could be expected given the situation.  But his career as a whole, I think he's overrated.   Overrated vs. my view of him, anyway.

 

But as I mentioned before, I'm aware I'm in the vast minority on this one.

 

I hope it gets better and soon in Minnesota.   Their fans deserve better.  

 

Cheers!

I don't discredit your claim on Bruce either. I just know seeing the core for so many years that honestly Bruce was able to get something a whole lot more out of them for years and we are seeing what the team really should have looked all those years.

I honestly think Bruce would be a good coach to start a team on the right path. I do agree I don't know if he could get them over the hump. But I honestly can't look at Bruce in Washington and say he could or couldn't have won a cup there with more time. I mean Ovi finally won one after how long? And the Wild, well it's unfair for almost any coach with this roster and core. I can't really criticize Bruce a ton when the owner thinks this is a team "one step" away from wining a cup and loves to go wine and dine with only 11 & 20. He was set up to fail. I do agree it was a odd match for him to join the Wild. Maybe he thought he could change the direction of the ship. Maybe him being on the Fighting Saints at one time help him look over here. I am not for sure. The only thing I do know is that he was set up to fail.

 

But honestly it doesn't matter who they hire at this point. The vets need to be out of here and gone. We still have 5 more years of Parise and Suter. And at one point I wanted a trade until I seen the Cap Recapture would work and how if Parise or Suter got traded and then retired before they contracts are up could literally eat up to $40 million in cap in one season. Honestly, their whole contracts are some of the worst I have ever seen and it started with Leipold and Fletcher signing these two knuckle draggers before the CBA got finished. They anchored the franchise with probably the worst contracts it will ever see. Honestly, I think one could argue these are the worst contracts in all of Minnesota Pro Sports history. Below is a link to this:

 

https://www.hockeywilderness.com/2019/10/31/20937184/minnesota-wild-cap-recapture-penalty-zach-parise-ryan-suter-contracts-roberto-luongo-nhl

[lynxrattle]

From the article about Boudreau's firing:

 

And, from a hockey perspective, it just felt to him that Guerin had been distant with him lately and not including him in hockey decisions. Guerin was also starting to voice his displeasure after losses with some of Boudreau’s deployment of players and lineup decisions and Boudreau said “it’s quite possible” the decreased ice time amidst the development of players like Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek, Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway were rubbing veterans the wrong way.

“But I dismissed all that as nothing out of the ordinary,” Boudreau said. “Maybe that was my naivety.”

 

That to my ears sounds the strongest hint we'll ever get, that the vets really seem to have influence over TOI. We're in deep s... and we can't get ever get rid of 11 and 20, because of the recapture penalty EJ0226 wrote about.

[Lonkkis]

5 minutes ago, lynxrattle said:

From the article about Boudreau's firing:

 

And, from a hockey perspective, it just felt to him that Guerin had been distant with him lately and not including him in hockey decisions. Guerin was also starting to voice his displeasure after losses with some of Boudreau’s deployment of players and lineup decisions and Boudreau said “it’s quite possible” the decreased ice time amidst the development of players like Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek, Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway were rubbing veterans the wrong way.

“But I dismissed all that as nothing out of the ordinary,” Boudreau said. “Maybe that was my naivety.”

 

That to my ears sounds the strongest hint we'll ever get, that the vets really seem to have influence over TOI. We're in deep s... and we can't get ever get rid of 11 and 20, because of the recapture penalty EJ0226 wrote about.

 

LTIR is really the only salvation at this point.

[EJ0226]

18 minutes ago, lynxrattle said:

From the article about Boudreau's firing:

 

And, from a hockey perspective, it just felt to him that Guerin had been distant with him lately and not including him in hockey decisions. Guerin was also starting to voice his displeasure after losses with some of Boudreau’s deployment of players and lineup decisions and Boudreau said “it’s quite possible” the decreased ice time amidst the development of players like Kevin Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek, Luke Kunin and Jordan Greenway were rubbing veterans the wrong way.

“But I dismissed all that as nothing out of the ordinary,” Boudreau said. “Maybe that was my naivety.”

 

That to my ears sounds the strongest hint we'll ever get, that the vets really seem to have influence over TOI. We're in deep s... and we can't get ever get rid of 11 and 20, because of the recapture penalty EJ0226 wrote about.

The worst part is by the time 11 & 20 contracts are finally up Chicago will have built and gone through one dynasty and will probably be in the middle of their new one. You can't buy championships. You build them. At this point I have no idea what the Wild do. I honestly want fans to boo Parise and Suter everytime they touch the ice. To stop buying anything with their name on it. To make them hate it here but then they will want to be traded and become a bigger toxic cloud in the locker room. And since they would each hit the cap at $19.6 million divided by the amount of years left on their contract I could see them getting traded and waiting tell their last year or two of their contracts to retire to screw over the team once more.  Seriously, in their last 2 years they could cost the Wild $9.8 million each year each or the last year at $19.6 million each. Do the Wild risk trading them if they were somehow able too? I wouldn't. So we have to have them sit and rot 5 more years.

[lynxrattle]

Pretty sombre.

[CreaseAndAssist]

7 hours ago, ruxpin said:

 

I don't disagree with anything you said there, and you and most on this thread know much more about the Wild --and Bruce's tenure -- than I would dare pretend to.

 

But I'll stick with my "most overrated" statement because it precedes his Wild days.   I really thought he and the Wild were a bad move both for club and for him.   Just not a good match at all--a lot of that for the reasons you state.  More from his POV than even from the Wild.  The situation in Minnesota is not Bruce's fault, though I'll share your acknowledgement that he shares some blame.  But I don't think he was the cause of the issues.   He just wasn't the answer--again for the reasons you state.   

 

I agree.  I think any coach was going to have a difficult time there  (again, based largely on the situations you and others have written about).      But when the Wild hired him, I thought it was the wrong coach given the type of team.   He had done well in the regular season with very high-talent offensive teams.   My opinion on those stays is that a coach couldn't help but do well there given the talent level.  But when things tightened up in the playoffs, he and his teams struggled.   

 

No offense to the Wild, but they've never had that high-end talent level.  So, it was going to be the tightened up version.   I'll give him this:  he did better than I expected and probably as well as could be expected given the situation.  But his career as a whole, I think he's overrated.   Overrated vs. my view of him, anyway.

 

But as I mentioned before, I'm aware I'm in the vast minority on this one.

 

I hope it gets better and soon in Minnesota.   Their fans deserve better.  

 

Cheers!

 

You said earlier.  You've always hated Bruce.  So you won't give him credit for helping the Wild probably be way more competitive than they had a right to be.  I would argue that Boudreau isn't overrated.  He found a way to get the most out of an aging, talent-limited lineup that lacks a true go-to scorer or line.  Prior to Boudreau's arrival, the Wild would limp into or stumble towards the post-season.  Boudreau's teams for the most part, made it with ease and that's not from changing personnel as it was changing the coach.  

 

It won't get better any time soon.  With the recapture penalties...we're probably looking at least 3-4 seasons before we see any meaningful positive change.  

[ruxpin]

42 minutes ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

You said earlier.  You've always hated Bruce.  So you won't give him credit for helping the Wild probably be way more competitive than they had a right to be.  I would argue that Boudreau isn't overrated.  He found a way to get the most out of an aging, talent-limited lineup that lacks a true go-to scorer or line.  Prior to Boudreau's arrival, the Wild would limp into or stumble towards the post-season.  Boudreau's teams for the most part, made it with ease and that's not from changing personnel as it was changing the coach.  

 

It won't get better any time soon.  With the recapture penalties...we're probably looking at least 3-4 seasons before we see any meaningful positive change.  

This is still Wild-centric and not his career in its entirety, which is what I was talking about when I made the initial statement. 

 

I've conceded that he did at least as good as could possibly been expected given the situation there. 

 

I've also stated--and actually did when he was hired--that this was equally as bad a mistake for his career as it was for Minnesota.  The outcome was quite predictable.  Forget the word "overrated" for a minute because everyone's getting hung up on it.   Though the entirety of his career before Minnesota was the very definition and his stint in MN didn't f go anywhere near far enough to overcome it. 

 

The fact is that he'd been deep in the playoffs several times and failed with heavily favored teams.  In terms of taking the next step and winning the cup... I'm sorry, but Minnesota was a really bizarre choice of next stops.  There was simply not a hope of going to Minnesota and winning the Cup. Philly would have been worse, so I'm not simply beating up on the Wild. 

 

But they didn't. Everybody paying the slightest bit of attention knew that. 

 

And if the idea from management was really to win the Cup and not simply marketing BS, he was a strange hire.  It simply wasn't a sensible match. 

 

An offensive coach used to high talent brought in to a team that had neither. 

(Though maybe the attraction was that he was used to having to work with sycophant prima donnas).

 

Terrific. He got the team to the playoffs twice. He's won 2 playoff games with the Wild.  Definitely not overrated. Statues should be erected. It's simply not what he was brought in for. 

 

Sure, maybe it's two games more than a lesser coach could have done. But certainly not as advertised and not even what he did in pervious stops. . 

 

I maintain overrated. But at the least, it was a horrible marriage easily predicted to not succeed. 

 

Those saying it wouldn't have mattered are probably right, in terms of the Wild. But that still doesn't overcome the overrated moniker.  It just excuses failure. Again. 

 

 

[ruxpin]

1 hour ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

You've always hated Bruce

Strong word. I don't hate the guy. 

 

He's the Parise of head coaches.  Paid a lot of money and a personal fan base while doing little to justify it.  They've both made a good career out of overselling themselves and getting people to excuse it.  I don't hate him. I just don't think reality matches the reputation. 

[lynxrattle]

Another interesting tidbit, this time from the Star Tribune:

 

"Boudreau didn’t watch the Wild’s first game without him, a 2-0 loss to the Sharks on Saturday, but he did check the players’ ice times afterward."

 

Did he want to find answers to the same questions we are thinking about?

1. Was the firing a reaction to vet TOI?

2. Will the vets now start/keep on hogging TOI from the youngsters?

 

In his first interviews as the Wild's head coach Boudreau (IIRC) stated that TOI is the most important tool a coach can use when one tries to influence accountability. When one assesses Boudreau's era one also needs to think about the ability to fight for the power to influence TOI. The Wild as a TOI battlefield seems like a battle any coach is doomed to lose.

[WileyOz44]

Nothing wrong with BB but like most realize we are screwed until 9, 11, and 20 disappear into the sunset. Almost certain 9 is finally done in a wild uniform... Thank God. What if BG signed him another year? lmao

[wild.source]

Heard something on the NHL Round Table this AM. Of course the big news is BB getting fired however...and I didn't know this (maybe others on here do or maybe Russo talked about it..I don't listen to him), that BB was NOT going to renew his contract this summer as a coach. He was going to stay on as a consultant. Apparently that is in his contract.

 

They were talking about it and wondering if he was going to be part of the Wild next year as a consultant? They also thought there could have easily have been a blow out between him and Bill which was one of their questions and a point of their "round table" conversation. If Bruce would be back in the Wild organization. Considering it is in his contract. One of the points regarding the dismissal of BB anyway.

 

A conversational tidbit for the day....or not..

[lynxrattle]

Here's a NHL Round Table (the one DevinWieser mentioned?):

 

https://www.nhl.com/video/nhl-now-roundtable-discussion/t-277350912/c-5254367?q=Nhl+now

 

They got Scott Stevens there as well. Stevens talked about how he likes Boudreau, and the effect of the contracts of 11 and 20, and of Leipold wanting the Wild to advance into playoffs.

[EJ0226]

1 hour ago, WileyOz44 said:

Nothing wrong with BB but like most realize we are screwed until 9, 11, and 20 disappear into the sunset. Almost certain 9 is finally done in a wild uniform... Thank God. What if BG signed him another year? lmao

BG has been talking awful big of Mikko lately and even said he really likes him. I fear he resigns Mikko. If he does as far as I am concerned BG is nothing better then Fletcher or Fenton.

[Confrontational]

My bet is BG resigns Mikko for one year - in his view - to keep fans calm - although #9 is one of the people fans are screaming about...  

 

Regarding the other two - maybe the rules will be renegotiated after next year with the CBA - no doubt they don't want to implode several teams who face massive challenges regarding their payouts and caps...

 

Remove coaching from the discussion entirely - there is something far more impactful to this team - and that's two people's contracts. And you can also see how those two set in motion the environment to appease them at any cost - because we're screwed if we do - and screwed if we don't. So, the ultimate would be to keep them producing to get value out of them - even though we're getting bent over with their contracts...

 

Maybe the Wild would do better without a head coach - maybe they should try that on for size...

Edited February 18, 2020 by Confrontational

[Confrontational]

A lot of these people on Yahoo News seem to know a thing or two about the Wild - was kind of surprised there were that many comments on the article:  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/rosario-dawson-officially-come-her-143000239.html

 

"The cleveland browns could use BB."  

Edited February 18, 2020 by Confrontational

[ruxpin]

29 minutes ago, Confrontational said:

"The cleveland browns could use BB."

 

LOL.  That's awesome!

[IllaZilla]

2 hours ago, Confrontational said:

My bet is BG resigns Mikko for one year - in his view - to keep fans calm - although #9 is one of the people fans are screaming about...  

 

Regarding the other two - maybe the rules will be renegotiated after next year with the CBA - no doubt they don't want to implode several teams who face massive challenges regarding their payouts and caps...

 

Remove coaching from the discussion entirely - there is something far more impactful to this team - and that's two people's contracts. And you can also see how those two set in motion the environment to appease them at any cost - because we're screwed if we do - and screwed if we don't. So, the ultimate would be to keep them producing to get value out of them - even though we're getting bent over with their contracts...

 

Maybe the Wild would do better without a head coach - maybe they should try that on for size...

 

That's my bet with Mikko too, a one-year extension. A lot of people were asking Russo about that in one of his Q&A's and he kind of hinted that it was a definite possibility. And then the Wild marketing department can go nuts with "The Year of Mikko", and he can play in the Winter Classic and then ride off into the sunset...

 

Last time the CBA was negotiated there were two compliance buyouts that were allowed to get teams below the new cap, with no penalty. It will be interesting to see if they allow that again...

[EmptyShelf]

4 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

That's my bet with Mikko too, a one-year extension. A lot of people were asking Russo about that in one of his Q&A's and he kind of hinted that it was a definite possibility. And then the Wild marketing department can go nuts with "The Year of Mikko", and he can play in the Winter Classic and then ride off into the sunset...

 

Last time the CBA was negotiated there were two compliance buyouts that were allowed to get teams below the new cap, with no penalty. It will be interesting to see if they allow that again...

The continued coddling of 9, 11, and 20 is a future franchise killer (in my opinion).  If they (Mgmt) insist that fans suffer 5 more years of these self-centered a$$es running the team - particularly as their respective games continue to erode - they won't get many of them back when these contracts are up.  Signing 9 to leverage a marketing ploy/draw in his 'go away' season (pun intended) as team performance craters is INSULTING.  There are a lot of sheeple at Xcel still, but from my attendance the last few years - people were starting to catch on.  There is nowhere near the amount of support for 11 and 20 or 9 in my section as Wild brass (and CL) thinks that there is.  In fact, there was/is a great deal of interest in seeing some new younger players have more of an opportunity devoid of any influence from 11, 20 and 9 (Kaprisov signing and a Khovanov would be a fine distraction from Wild brass, but not if they are subordinate to the Country Club in TOI or type of play). 

 

If BG did, in fact, fire BB due to whining from the Country Club, he deserves to have the fans turn on him ASAP.  CL is a fool (and will be a poorer one) if he does not get out in front of this albatross (the Country Club) soon.  The erosion of their game is beginning to become commonplace, and even coaches cannot hide the abomination that is Koivu's skating at this point (and Suter's bit@h play, and Parise whiffing on important plays in the crunch).  Have they seen the light in OT yet?  My guess is Evason will let the three bozos go back out in OT again together, in spite of years of validation that this DOES NOT WORK.  I will be watching TOI closely - just like BB for the balance of the season.  As was said above; that will tell us all we need to know about how lit the match to fire BB...... 

[Freddy the 13th]

This is total BS.  Bruce is a great coach and I think their GM wanted his own hire.  Just take a look at Bruce’s win/loss ratio in the nhl.  He knows how to win.  It’s sad these coaching jobs have a 5 year ceiling.

[Lonkkis]

56 minutes ago, Freddy the 13th said:

This is total BS.  Bruce is a great coach and I think their GM wanted his own hire.  Just take a look at Bruce’s win/loss ratio in the nhl.  He knows how to win.  It’s sad these coaching jobs have a 5 year ceiling.

 

He's a great regular season coach. Playoff coach? Not so much, as his 42-48 record shows. The coaches that won the cup the past decade all have over 50% winrate in the playoffs.

[Freddy the 13th]

1 hour ago, Lonkkis said:

 

He's a great regular season coach. Playoff coach? Not so much, as his 42-48 record shows. The coaches that won the cup the past decade all have over 50% winrate in the playoffs.

I think that criticism is unfair.  We still have teams that have never won the cup and most coaches can’t even get their teams to the playoffs. Bruce always get his team there.  When he coached the Ducks we won the pacific division 5 years in a row.  Any losses we had in the playoffs was 100% not his fault.   But he’s made enough money and been in the league for quite some time, he should retire or go after a GM spot imo.