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nihilz

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I am glad he's not here. I mean i wish he was part of the organizational but if he was a coach every week we'd be hearing about he should be the head coach. Problem with our superstars is that it is always about them. Instead it has to be about the team.

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Kevin Allen ‏@kausatoday

"Larry Robinson said a big reason for going to San Jose was to allow his wife to be closer to the grandkids who live in California. Good man".

Nice to see selective use of facts as usual. A month ago, you were saying he has zero interest in moving from NJ. WRONG! You also stated there is no way NJ would give anyone permission to take to Robinson for a later move. WRONG!

Now you are using part of his quote and selectively excluding everything else Robinson had previously said and excluding the sequence of events before he took the sharks job. Robinson wasn't even approached by the Sharks until AFTER the Habs had already turned him down - not the other way around. He was then considering Tampa, which was close to where he lives, when SJ came calling.

In his earlier interview with Stubbs he clearly stated he was interested in returning to the Habs, the difference is he is probably one of the classiest after #4 and didn't try grinding an axe after the fact.

I am glad he's not here. I mean i wish he was part of the organizational but if he was a coach every week we'd be hearing about he should be the head coach. Problem with our superstars is that it is always about them. Instead it has to be about the team.

Seriously???? Robinson has made it VERY clear. He has Zero interest in being a head coach. Like Lapierre before him, he is content and ONLY interested in being an assistant at this point in his career. he has always stayed out of the lime light. Unlike Therrien who seems to crave it (I roll my eyes at one of his last major press conference rants he had with the Pens).

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Seriously???? Robinson has made it VERY clear. He has Zero interest in being a head coach. Like Lapierre before him, he is content and ONLY interested in being an assistant at this point in his career. he has always stayed out of the lime light. Unlike Therrien who seems to crave it (I roll my eyes at one of his last major press conference rants he had with the Pens).

It has nothing to do with Robinson's motives and everything about what the fans and media will say. Every loss, "Why doesn't Robinson coach?" Every win, "It was the team and not the coaching/It was all Robinson" similar to what people did with Kirk Muller when he was assistant coach. It was all Muller and none of Martin. It would have made coaching nearly impossible.

But even then I think Therrien went with the person he thinks he'll succeed with the best. The idea of him not choosing someone because he's intimidated by them, especially when it's someone who has no interest in his job is just paranoia with zero basis.

Aren't we trying to avoid controversies?

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It has nothing to do with Robinson's motives and everything about what the fans and media will say. Every loss, "Why doesn't Robinson coach?" Every win, "It was the team and not the coaching/It was all Robinson" similar to what people did with Kirk Muller when he was assistant coach. It was all Muller and none of Martin. It would have made coaching nearly impossible.

But even then I think Therrien went with the person he thinks he'll succeed with the best. The idea of him not choosing someone because he's intimidated by them, especially when it's someone who has no interest in his job is just paranoia with zero basis.

Aren't we trying to avoid controversies?

There is a HUGE difference between Robinson and Muller. Muller was here aspiring to be a coach. Robinson coming in has made it clear he is ONLY interested in being an assistant. How can the media - even the idiots in Montreal campaign for a promotion of someone who wants nothing to do with the head coaching job.

I've worked with a lot of people in very senior positions, who hold back competent people and surround themelves with boot lickers to insulate their stupidity. I'm with the cucumber - Therrien doesn't impress me as a someone all that intelligent.

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I used selective facts by quoting a USA today writer off twitter.

Here you go, the whole damn article for you

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/sharks/story/2012-07-09/larry-robinson-associate-coach-sharks/56117254/1

As for what he said to Stubbs, again, its very easy to say these things to the media after the fact. Actions speak louder than words. He knew the team wanted to hire the assistants ASAP and he was too busy yelling at the moving company to schedule a face to face interview.

We're ready to throw Jagr under the bus for saying he was interested in Montreal after the fact, and say he just used us to get more money, but god forbid we say the same about a guy who left Montreal 25 years ago, and brought the New Jersey Devils GM, and not a member of the Habs organization to his jersey retirement ceremony to introduce him.

He has no loyalty to Montreal, that ship sailed long ago.

There is a HUGE difference between Robinson and Muller. Muller was here aspiring to be a coach. Robinson coming in has made it clear he is ONLY interested in being an assistant. How can the media - even the idiots in Montreal campaign for a promotion of someone who wants nothing to do with the head coaching job.

I've worked with a lot of people in very senior positions, who hold back competent people and surround themelves with boot lickers to insulate their stupidity. I'm with the cucumber - Therrien doesn't impress me as a someone all that intelligent.

How can the media campaign for him? Are you really familar with the media in this town and how it works?

They still insist on villifying Shane Doan years after it was proven the french slur was uttered by Nagy and not Doan.

These are guys who don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.

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In the Gazette article, Robinson took care to explain it would never be his goal to use his experience and stature to undermine Therrien. Given the rapid hiring of the minor-league Daigneault instead, it appears Therrien wasn't buying that.

Or Therrien seems to understand Montreal better than Cucumber and Habs29 and knows that Robinson behind the bench means Therrien will be blamed for every mistake in the media with a public push to make Robinson the head coach when he doesn't want the role.

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A bit early to be slinging mud at Bergevin for "transparency". I'd have preferred Robinson to Daigneault based on my limited knowledge of their coaching portfolios, but I'm ok with JJ. Maybe Stubbs' article is overplaying the "it would have been interesting..." angle, which wouldn't be a shock. Robinson may very well have never wanted the position. If #19 comes out and says, "I really wasn't intended on being an assistant coach in Montreal", would the apparent 3 hour hiring time frame of Daigneault then be acceptable?

Or Therrien seems to understand Montreal better than Cucumber and Habs29 and knows that Robinson behind the bench means Therrien will be blamed for every mistake in the media with a public push to make Robinson the head coach when he doesn't want the role.

I second that motion, too.

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Or Therrien seems to understand Montreal better than Cucumber and Habs29 and knows that Robinson behind the bench means Therrien will be blamed for every mistake in the media with a public push to make Robinson the head coach when he doesn't want the role.

I don't see that at all. Larry's French isn't that great. If Therrien surrounds himself with francophones, he's basically grooming his successor.
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I don't see that at all. Larry's French isn't that great. If Therrien surrounds himself with francophones, he's basically grooming his successor.

Muller didn't speak a lick of french and it happened with him and Martin. Everyone kept talking about how the success of the team was due to Muller and Martin was holding everyone back. The same would unquestionably happen with Therrien and Robinson. Every game won, "That was due to Robinson's defensive coaching not Therrien, who probably told the team to stop forechecking."

I've seen this song and dance before.

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Muller didn't speak a lick of french and it happened with him and Martin. Everyone kept talking about how the success of the team was due to Muller and Martin was holding everyone back. The same would unquestionably happen with Therrien and Robinson. Every game won, "That was due to Robinson's defensive coaching not Therrien, who probably told the team to stop forechecking."

I've seen this song and dance before.

It wasn't happening in this city, by the majority of this media, sorry to say. Muller was just another coach from Ontario. His hire by the Canes was not big news. But I understand your point. In places like this website, Robinson would be highly regarded.
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So...not only can we not hire the best coaches and GMs available because they have to be francophone; but we also cannot hire the best support staff available for them because in the eyes of the fans/media they will overshadow the bosses. Got it. Why don't we just throw up the towel and officially call ourselves les médiocrités de Montreal?

Incidentally, this whole line of argument supports the speculation I was advancing about Therrien avoiding Big Bird for reasons of ego, suggesting as it does that MT feared a man of Robinson's stature.

Anyway: it is what it is. But if JT's analysis is sound, then I'm back to my original assessment: this is a piece of sh*t decision by the coach. Period.

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I can't believe there is even debate over here that Daigneult can be even half a good an assistant as Robinson. I also don't put a lot of stock on his role in McDonough's development. If i recall correctly, McDonough wasn't even in the minors for a half season. Crediting Daigneult for his development is like crediting the hitting coach of the Calgary Cannons for developing ARod as a hitter.

Not sure how long Daigeneult had the other Rangers young Dmen, but I really don't see him as helping in the development in McDonough.

Robinson on the other hand has received praise from Stevens, Blake, Neidermeyer, Rafalski, Zitnik and Sydor for his role in their development. So I guess he is exactly the kind of coach that would not be good for Subban, Tinordi, Emelin or Belieau. I guess its much more important to be francophone then a classy, highly regarded and respected 9 time cup winner, Norris winner, Conn Smythe Winner, as well as numerous other awards. Its rare that you find a star player of that stature who is such an effective coach. But hey, who's to question Therrien, he won a memorial cup right??? Oh, yeah, he also took a team stacked with Crosby, Malkin, Stall, Letang, Hossa, Gonchar to the cup finals, but of course it didn't matter that before they got back on track to win the cup after firing Therrien, they were on track to miss the playoffs with him as the head coach.

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Yeah and the injury to Gonchar and his return right after Therrien was canned had nothing to do with Pittsburgh's turnaround.

Its almost like we haven't seen the effect an injury to a number 1 defenceman out for a long period of time can have on a team.

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Yeah and the injury to Gonchar and his return right after Therrien was canned had nothing to do with Pittsburgh's turnaround.

Its almost like we haven't seen the effect an injury to a number 1 defenceman out for a long period of time can have on a team.

Don't forget adding Kunitz at the deadline who had 18 points in 20 games.

Most Pittsburgh fans I've spoke to said Therrien is a drill sergeant who has no sympathy for lazy players and poor defence and nobody is unhappy with his job as coach. They just felt his boot camp style wore thin on the team and eventually they ignored him. Blysma inherited a team that was full of defensive discipline, playoff experience and talent and it was all about expressing a puck possession game to them along with playing the good cop instead of the bad cop. Notice Blysma hasn't done much with the Penguins since. But of course, he flubbed the series against Carolina as a rookie coach so he's Mario Tremblay redux.

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Yeah, yeah. Therrien has OK (not great) credentials, he will probably do a serviceable (not great) job for 2-3 years before he is thrown back on the trash-heap, and will only do serious long-term damage if he finds he cannot work with PK Subban or other high-value talent. Thus, if we survive his tenure without sacrificing PK or other great young talent to his ego, I'll count that a success and look forward to moving on.

But look, the real issue in THIS thread is: Therrien did not do due diligence in hiring an assistant and deliberately avoided interviewing the most obviously impressive candidate. That is as far from best practice as you can get. And that is hardly reassuring to those of us who are concerned about him, because it is paradigmatic behaviour for a mediocrity. Rationalize it all you want, it won't change the fact.

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Haha in Carolina do you think there would this much discussion over the choice of a assistant coach? I just find it sometimes we 'hardcore' fans over analyze everything, that we are never happy. Preferring to be negitive so when things go wrong, and eventually they go wrong, we can throw it back in peoples faces. I'm willing to let MT have his team the way he wants it, I'm giving him a clean slate, he starts 0-5 I'm not going to be thinking "oh its this way because Big Bird is not an assistant", just like if the habs start 5-0 will I be claiming JJ is the reason.

CC, I can understand your concerns, but the best person for the job isn't always that, big bird WOULD have been a story, every losing streak, calls for the head coach to be fired would have been herald by the media, coming off the disaster of a regime like we just have do you think it's great to have that hanging in the air?

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Haha in Carolina do you think there would this much discussion over the choice of a assistant coach? I just find it sometimes we 'hardcore' fans over analyze everything, that we are never happy.

Exactly why I think Robinson was never serious about his interest in the Habs. He doesn't want the media pressure of being a head coach. Lets face reality, the media pressure of being the assistant in Montreal, might be greater than being head coach in a lot of cities.

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I was probably the first one on the board stating that it was a mistake not to hire Robinson. This regime has decided to go another way. They will make mistakes. We hope that they don't make as many as the last group. We need to give them some slack. This is Montreal, there will be lots of time for a good hanging.

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This is a mistake repeated by the current regime. Gainey already ignored and left Robinson hanging when Robinson initially approached the habs a few years back.

I was probably the first one on the board stating that it was a mistake not to hire Robinson. This regime has decided to go another way. They will make mistakes. We hope that they don't make as many as the last group. We need to give them some slack. This is Montreal, there will be lots of time for a good hanging.

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In fairness, Bergevin did the right thing in not dictating to his coach on this front. Having made the decision to hire Therrien, you've got to support him. The fault for this negligence in Therrien's.

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