On Therrien and Subban......

[REV-G]

When we hired MT to be our coach I was not unhappy with the choice, given who was available at the time, even though back then I thought Bob Hartley would have been the best choice. Today I am very glad we have MT and not Bob Hartley and personally, given the unique situation of being a head coach in Montreal I would today take MT over most other candidates and hands down I would take him over the current head coach of the New York Rangers, Alain Vignault, who likely would be our head coach today had he been available back then. .

MT's benching of PK Subban the other night in Philly is an example of why he is the right guy for us. Overall I really like his method of sitting a guy if he has done something willfully wrong. I am a big fan of PK but if Ryan White gets sat in the press box because of taking bad penalties then PK deserved to be nailed to the bench for 10 minutes after he took a selfish penalty.

An example of what happens when this isn't done by a coach is what is happening in Toronto right now. I live in Oshawa and the talk radio shows in Toronto are blasting the Leafs and one of their big disappointments is the way guys like Phil Kessel are not being made accountable for his lackadaisical play. He and others who they claim is their core for the future don't just take a shift off but according to the "insiders" and radio hosts he is taking weeks and a month off at a time and they say the team has not made their top players accountable at all. They bench 3d and 4th line players but when guys like Kessel and Phaneuf make blatant errors or don't show up they just let them keep playing. I believe their system and team are flawed and they may be waiting a very long time before they even contend.

So did MT do the right thing by sitting PK the other night, even though he is arguably our best player, or one of our best? Absolutely yes. Under MT I do not believe we will have a team of "fat cats". He wouldn't stand for it. I may not agree with all his decisions but I think overall he is trying to be fair and put the team, not a player, first. We are so much better off with his approach. Our team, especially our core going forward, should be hard working and dedicated to the team as long as MT is our coach! What do you think?

[Machine of Loving Grace]

Anyone old enough to watch Gretzky plays will remember how many times he would give up on plays.

"But he's Gretzky, of course you just let him play..."

And then you have Roy who was a huge prick to his backup goalies and completely ignored his coach until he was traded.

"But his coach was Mario Tremblay who was terrible and Roy was too successful to discipline..."

Phil Kessel has 20 goals right now for Toronto and people are complaining about how he isn't being held responsible for his actions? Where would Toronto be without Kessel? Oh right, not in a playoff spot. Let's not forget that Kessel isn't responsible for Toronto's biggest issue, as he's actually a very strong possession player and sometimes makes plays for Toronto while everyone else is letting the opposition whiz shots at the goalies.

You gotta let stars be stars. Otherwise they'll shine elsewhere.

[KoRP]

Glad to hear I'm not alone in thinking MT is doing good things as coach, for the team, and it's future. Hate to hear the "fire Therrien" chant go up over the smallest, over analized by media incident/lack of incident. I agree that Subban needed benching and don't think it was overboard at all. The coach has to be the boss, and have the respect of the players, you don't have to be a sweetheart to be respected. Although on the surface it appears that MT does give some players more rope than other's, that may very well be the politics of the coach himself having a boss. Considering Therrien's record since he took over, I'd say most Hab fans would have to be satisfied if not happy considering the low point we were at when we got to draft Galchenyuk. I also agree our core going forward has to be hard working and dedicated to a team first concept....... that's going to require something close to sweeping changes. The great MTL teams had discipline and a coach that was the boss, and played as a team, with grinders scoring cup winning goals, a team first mentality that I think is most important now in the days of salary caps and over priced under achievers. Bergevin has some work to do, because Therrien can only play the cards in his hand, and he only has a few good ones......

Edited January 10, 2014 by KoRP

[bigbigbear]

MT is doing a great job with the players and dealing with the blood sucking MTL media. The media stirs the weekly pot with even more fantasy driven silliness.

The bonehead media circus is a 24H piranha buffet that MT has to deal with. It's funny to see how he answers the French questions with a straight serious face and smiles when dealing with English questions. You can tell that the media is driving him nuts sometimes. If this craziness continues, forget about getting any real hockey coaches and just replace them with play by play announcers instead.

I've stopped watching the morning skate report, the after lunch progress report, the pre game question period, the in game update, the post game resume, and the post post game game breakdown.....that's besides the 24CH melodrama.

Benching a player is normal, team first.........

[DON]

MT is doing a great job with the players and dealing with the blood sucking MTL media. The media stirs the weekly pot with even more fantasy driven silliness.

The bonehead media circus is a 24H piranha buffet that MT has to deal with. It's funny to see how he answers the French questions with a straight serious face and smiles when dealing with English questions. You can tell that the media is driving him nuts sometimes. If this craziness continues, forget about getting any real hockey coaches and just replace them with play by play announcers instead.

I've stopped watching the morning skate report, the after lunch progress report, the pre game question period, the in game update, the post game resume, and the post post game game breakdown.....that's besides the 24CH melodrama.

Benching a player is normal, team first.........

100% agree with you guys and Therrian should be commended for minor benching (not that is or should be a big deal)

I also imagine he has 100% backing of Bergevin in that situation (could be used in Subban's contract negotiations possibly?)

But some got all excited because the team stunk in that game and wanted to vent maybe?

I have been pleasantly pleased with coach to date and don't know if anyone could get Bourque to finish checks get out of his coma and Desharnais will always be a huge defensive liability every other game.

But by end of deadline day, Bergevin will make a minor tweek or two and he seems as much a fan and emotional as most of us, so I have some faith he will upgrade team some for playoffs.

.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Like I said in the "Philly" thread, the PK benching is hard to assess in isolation from the wider narratives around PK. Subban has faced substantial and largely unwarranted criticism ever since he first arrived in the NHL (including from Therrien when he was a media blatherskite). For those of us who believe that PK Subban is a bona-fide superstar whose supposed "weaknesses" have been grossly exaggerated, it's frustrating to contemplate that the Habs management itself tends to take the lukewarm view of what he brings - that the Habs, in effect, are on the wrong side of the PK narrative. So then Therrien benches Subban, and it's difficult not to relate that action to this wider perception that the Habs are on the side of the NHL old boys in turning their noses up at this fabulous player.

That doesn't mean that benching Subban was wrong, necessarily. Really, the rightness or wrongness of this decision depends upon the relationship between MT and Subban, and what Therrien actually thinks of PK. I categorically reject the idea that Therrien needs to "fix" our greatest player since Roy. But if the point was more to apply to Subban the same basic principles that would apply to any other player, then it was a good decision.

In short: if Therrien had a proven track record of seeing Subban in the way that I see him - as a franchise player and one of the very best defencemen of his generation, a superstar - then the benching would be much easier to accept. If the benching, conversely, comes out of this "fixing Subban" school of thought, then it's crap, because the principle upon which it's predicated - that Subban is defective in major ways - is crap.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

I have been pleasantly pleased with coach to date and don't know if anyone could get Bourque to finish checks get out of his coma and Desharnais will always be a huge defensive liability every other game.

.

Rene Bourque is one of the biggest dogs i've ever seen.

[huzer]

You gotta let stars be stars. Otherwise they'll shine elsewhere.

This. Subban's a stud. He doesn't need to be benched to prove a point over a penalty. Especially in a winnable game. Yes the team was not playing well, but it was possible. And Subban is a player that can make things happen. Yes it's a team sport, but you're nearly conceding the loss when you bench one of your best players.

[Smiler Martin Hudgeon]

This. Subban's a stud. He doesn't need to be benched to prove a point over a penalty. Especially in a winnable game. Yes the team was not playing well, but it was possible. And Subban is a player that can make things happen. Yes it's a team sport, but you're nearly conceding the loss when you bench one of your best players.

Im sorry, but if you actually think 'This' you need to give your head a shake. You don't just give a guy like Subban the whole leash, because he takes it and runs with it until it is tighter than it has any business being. Subban has an attitude that he is above the team, you can see it constantly with the way he behaves. In order to be a pro athlete you can't have that type of attitude. You guys say that stars need to be able to shine, that is what MT is doing. If Subban does what Subban wants he is constantly making mistakes on the ice and being caught out of position. MT is merely structuring his growth, as ANY coach in the national hockey league would be doing if Subban was a member of his team. No coach would just let him do his thing, because coaches are not idiots and are tasked with player development in cases like this. Seriously guys, this is not atom hockey, this is NHL. MT did the absolute right thing benching PK, just like he does with EVERY OTHER PLAYER ON THE ROSTER WHEN THEY MAKE A MISTAKE. PK is not above the team, but you guys think he is.

Furthermore the game was not winnable. Especially when your start player takes a 2:00 penalty AFTER THE WHISTLE with 20 mins left in the game. Unacceptable, and yes a point needs to be made here. Fact: you don't see any other elite defensman in the NHL take bad penalties like that. Or a fraction as many as PK. I guess bad penalties are just part of PKs mad skills? (actually it is probably the most rough part of his game right now and it is no surprise that MT would try to send him a message here. PK takes WAY too many penalties)

Let the coaches coach guys, I think they know more about these players that they are around every single day than you guys, who have never spoken to the players once before in your entire lives.

And to the guy who compared Subban to Gretzky.... Just stop talking, seriously.

[Machine of Loving Grace]

In order to be a pro athlete you can't have that type of attitude.

Of course, Patrick Roy had that attitude. Brett Hull had that attitude. Kobe Bryant. Charles Barkley. Usain Bolt. Deion Sanders. I could keep going on.

Imagine if Subban ever said this: "Do I catch flak because I'm smarter than everyone else? Maybe." Hull did. And he won Cups.

Also, you have to be pretty simple to think I was saying Subban = Gretzky. But you did prove my point. It was okay for Wayne Gretzky to be lazy on defence. Why? Because he was the best. You don't bench the best. Guess what? Subban is the best on Montreal. You don't bench our best player. Would you have benched Saku Koivu for too many high sticks? Damphousse for hooks? No? Well Subban is better than both of them in their prime (and Vinny D was my favourite player as a kid). Nobody would have dared bench them, but here we are benching Subban.

"There's no I in team, but there is in win."

- Michael Jordan, not a pro athlete

[Guest Stogey24]

Im sorry, but if you actually think 'This' you need to give your head a shake. You don't just give a guy like Subban the whole leash, because he takes it and runs with it until it is tighter than it has any business being. Subban has an attitude that he is above the team, you can see it constantly with the way he behaves. In order to be a pro athlete you can't have that type of attitude. You guys say that stars need to be able to shine, that is what MT is doing. If Subban does what Subban wants he is constantly making mistakes on the ice and being caught out of position. MT is merely structuring his growth, as ANY coach in the national hockey league would be doing if Subban was a member of his team. No coach would just let him do his thing, because coaches are not idiots and are tasked with player development in cases like this. Seriously guys, this is not atom hockey, this is NHL. MT did the absolute right thing benching PK, just like he does with EVERY OTHER PLAYER ON THE ROSTER WHEN THEY MAKE A MISTAKE. PK is not above the team, but you guys think he is.

Furthermore the game was not winnable. Especially when your start player takes a 2:00 penalty AFTER THE WHISTLE with 20 mins left in the game. Unacceptable, and yes a point needs to be made here. Fact: you don't see any other elite defensman in the NHL take bad penalties like that. Or a fraction as many as PK. I guess bad penalties are just part of PKs mad skills? (actually it is probably the most rough part of his game right now and it is no surprise that MT would try to send him a message here. PK takes WAY too many penalties)

Let the coaches coach guys, I think they know more about these players that they are around every single day than you guys, who have never spoken to the players once before in your entire lives.

And to the guy who compared Subban to Gretzky.... Just stop talking, seriously.

Hater Alert. Not even worth the argument.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

Im sorry, but if you actually think 'This' you need to give your head a shake. You don't just give a guy like Subban the whole leash, because he takes it and runs with it until it is tighter than it has any business being. Subban has an attitude that he is above the team, you can see it constantly with the way he behaves. In order to be a pro athlete you can't have that type of attitude. You guys say that stars need to be able to shine, that is what MT is doing. If Subban does what Subban wants he is constantly making mistakes on the ice and being caught out of position. MT is merely structuring his growth, as ANY coach in the national hockey league would be doing if Subban was a member of his team. No coach would just let him do his thing, because coaches are not idiots and are tasked with player development in cases like this. Seriously guys, this is not atom hockey, this is NHL. MT did the absolute right thing benching PK, just like he does with EVERY OTHER PLAYER ON THE ROSTER WHEN THEY MAKE A MISTAKE. PK is not above the team, but you guys think he is.

Furthermore the game was not winnable. Especially when your start player takes a 2:00 penalty AFTER THE WHISTLE with 20 mins left in the game. Unacceptable, and yes a point needs to be made here. Fact: you don't see any other elite defensman in the NHL take bad penalties like that. Or a fraction as many as PK. I guess bad penalties are just part of PKs mad skills? (actually it is probably the most rough part of his game right now and it is no surprise that MT would try to send him a message here. PK takes WAY too many penalties)

Let the coaches coach guys, I think they know more about these players that they are around every single day than you guys, who have never spoken to the players once before in your entire lives.

And to the guy who compared Subban to Gretzky.... Just stop talking, seriously.

PJ Stock...is that you?

Fact: you don't see any other elite defensman in the NHL take bad penalties like that. Or a fraction as many as PK. I guess bad penalties are just part of PKs mad skills? (actually it is probably the most rough part of his game right now and it is no surprise that MT would try to send him a message here. PK takes WAY too many penalties)

Fact: you don't see any other elite defensman in the NHL take bad penalties like that. Or a fraction as many as PK. I guess bad penalties are just part of PKs mad skills? (actually it is probably the most rough part of his game right now and it is no surprise that MT would try to send him a message here. PK takes WAY too many penalties)

Zdeno Chara takes a stupid penalty every game we play the Bruins.

[habs rule]

Lets look at some stats...yippee... 2010 1.61 penalty mins per game

2011 1.47 penalty mins per game

2012 1.37 penalty mins per game

2013 .95 penalty mins per game.

I think there is a trend.... yes there is ...Pernel takes a lot less penalties now than in any year and in every year he has improved.

Damn we gots to bench that boy till he don't get no penalties. The possibility exists that there is some sarcasm here.

The argument that he takes WAY too many penalties is scurrilous. He was never going to win the Lady Bing and I don't want him too. PK will keep on hitting hard, shooting hard and skating like the wind. The benching is not the end of the world and PK will let it roll off his back like water off a duck. I think MT was being juvenile, was pissed off (with good reason) and took it out on PK. The only reason it was only 10 mins was cause he calmed down and came to his senses.

LET MY PK PLAY.

[DON]

Lets look at some stats...yippee... 2010 1.61 penalty mins per game

2011 1.47 penalty mins per game

2012 1.37 penalty mins per game

2013 .95 penalty mins per game.

I think there is a trend.... yes there is ...Pernel takes a lot less penalties now than in any year and in every year he has improved.

Damn we gots to bench that boy till he don't get no penalties. The possibility exists that there is some sarcasm here.

The argument that he takes WAY too many penalties is scurrilous. He was never going to win the Lady Bing and I don't want him too. PK will keep on hitting hard, shooting hard and skating like the wind. The benching is not the end of the world and PK will let it roll off his back like water off a duck. I think MT was being juvenile, was pissed off (with good reason) and took it out on PK. The only reason it was only 10 mins was cause he calmed down and came to his senses.

LET MY PK PLAY.

Scurrilous...that's a word not used alot?

[habs rule]

Scurrilous...that's a word not used alot?

I likes to add a little class to da joint

[brobin]

PK doesn't get benched for taking penalties. He got benched for throwing a punch at the end of a scrum. Mt was pretty clear that the team does not tolerate selfish plays like that. It was a play where gorges was telling PK to let it go and get out of there.

MT and PK referenced the team rule about those kinds of penalties and that the rule applies to everyone. Frankly, if that had been Bourque, I bet he would not have had another shift.

We have seen PK made horrible plays that cost a goal and MT puts him right back out there. They showed PK on the bench during his so called punishment and he didn't seem upset at all. PK gets a lot of rope, but he shouldn't be a prima Donna who can do anything he wants. That wouldn't be good for the team and it would be worse for PK.

As for Gretzky, his personality is as opposite from PKs as you can get.

[KoRP]

Gretzky..... how many cups did he lead his teams to after he got traded from the stacked Oiler team? Yeah, we all know how close he got.... I wouldn't compare PK to Gretz anyway, Gretz is too small, too slow, too one dimensional to play in the new NHL, and would be cannon fodder, so..... you're right Bashfull, there is no comparison to say Gretz compares to any complete player with a tremendous upside offensively....

Fact: Stogey is right, U a hater.....

[habs rule]

Gretzky..... how many cups did he lead his teams to after he got traded from the stacked Oiler team? Yeah, we all know how close he got.... I wouldn't compare PK to Gretz anyway, Gretz is too small, too slow, too one dimensional to play in the new NHL, and would be cannon fodder, so..... you're right Bashfull, there is no comparison to say Gretz compares to any complete player with a tremendous upside offensively....

Fact: Stogey is right, U a hater.....

That is funny, I remember those being the exact (or close enough) words as to why he would never make it in the NHL. Strange how that turned out.

[habs rule]

PK doesn't get benched for taking penalties. He got benched for throwing a punch at the end of a scrum. Mt was pretty clear that the team does not tolerate selfish plays like that. It was a play where gorges was telling PK to let it go and get out of there.

MT and PK referenced the team rule about those kinds of penalties and that the rule applies to everyone. Frankly, if that had been Bourque, I bet he would not have had another shift.

What if he hadn't been assessed a penalty? Does he still get benched? Or what if the ref took 2 guys out instead of one? Rules are great but common sense is better. These are professional athletes and they are bred to be competitive. This sometimes causes them to do macho stupid things. The coach being the calm one in the group takes the whole situation into account. In this case he decided that the rule was more important than the game. I hope he modifys that for the playoffs or we are in real trouble. I still say he could gotten his point through to PK after the game. Or he really could have had a little team meeting between periods and reamed the hell out of PK in front of his team mates and made him responsible to get the game back on track. No, his choice was to decide that the game was out of reach and he had a petty point to make. You don't deliberately lose games to make a point. This isn't midget hockey. I just thought of something, what if it is the COACH who makes a bone head play and causes a penalty? Mr Therrien has done that on a number of occasions. I think the rule should be, he doesn't get to coach next game. Sit his ass down. And don't pay him either for that game. Make about as much sense. What happened to "NO EXCUSES". Oh yeah we make excuses now.

[brobin]

What if he hadn't been assessed a penalty? Does he still get benched? Or what if the ref took 2 guys out instead of one? Rules are great but common sense is better. These are professional athletes and they are bred to be competitive. This sometimes causes them to do macho stupid things. The coach being the calm one in the group takes the whole situation into account. In this case he decided that the rule was more important than the game. I hope he modifys that for the playoffs or we are in real trouble. I still say he could gotten his point through to PK after the game. Or he really could have had a little team meeting between periods and reamed the hell out of PK in front of his team mates and made him responsible to get the game back on track. No, his choice was to decide that the game was out of reach and he had a petty point to make. You don't deliberately lose games to make a point. This isn't midget hockey. I just thought of something, what if it is the COACH who makes a bone head play and causes a penalty? Mr Therrien has done that on a number of occasions. I think the rule should be, he doesn't get to coach next game. Sit his ass down. And don't pay him either for that game. Make about as much sense. What happened to "NO EXCUSES". Oh yeah we make excuses now.

So we know how you would treat PK, but that is why you are a fan, not a coach. How do you know that other players were not pissed at PK? Maybe the last time he did this MT did exactly what you stated, but PK did it again. Maybe PK did this after the coaches told the players to get back in the game and be careful not to take a penalty....

I don't see how what MK did is petty. That comes from your assumption of his motives, your assumption of what the team leadership has stated as rules for the team.

Let me be blunt. If gorges did that and was benched for 10 minutes, we wouldn't even be talking about it. White did that earlier. He was benched then tossed in the press box. No one accused MT of being petty.

[habs rule]

So we know how you would treat PK, but that is why you are a fan, not a coach. How do you know that other players were not pissed at PK? Maybe the last time he did this MT did exactly what you stated, but PK did it again. Maybe PK did this after the coaches told the players to get back in the game and be careful not to take a penalty....

I don't see how what MK did is petty. That comes from your assumption of his motives, your assumption of what the team leadership has stated as rules for the team.

Let me be blunt. If gorges did that and was benched for 10 minutes, we wouldn't even be talking about it. White did that earlier. He was benched then tossed in the press box. No one accused MT of being petty.

Yep I am a fan. And as such I get to state my opinions on sites like this one. So do you. We get to disagree. I can disagree with the coach if it so pleases me.

Now let me be blunt, you are absolutely correct that we wouldn't be discussing this if it were Gorges or White. Neither of them has the talent or the skill to carry this team on their back and win games that look lost. PK does. That is why it would be a non issue.

I state once again rules are great but common sense is better. We need every point we can get and for the coach to decide after the 2nd period that this game is not winnable is wrong. He lost sight of what the goal is. Win the damn game. Teach lessons during practice and videos. During the game focus on winning. We had another coach who like to make a point during the game, about who was the boss. You may remember him, Mario Tremblay, he proved his point and we have been paying ever since.

[brobin]

Yep I am a fan. And as such I get to state my opinions on sites like this one. So do you. We get to disagree. I can disagree with the coach if it so pleases me.

Now let me be blunt, you are absolutely correct that we wouldn't be discussing this if it were Gorges or White. Neither of them has the talent or the skill to carry this team on their back and win games that look lost. PK does. That is why it would be a non issue.

I state once again rules are great but common sense is better. We need every point we can get and for the coach to decide after the 2nd period that this game is not winnable is wrong. He lost sight of what the goal is. Win the damn game. Teach lessons during practice and videos. During the game focus on winning. We had another coach who like to make a point during the game, about who was the boss. You may remember him, Mario Tremblay, he proved his point and we have been paying ever since.

I respect your right to be wrong.

You seem to view this two ways.

1. What MT did was some kind of petty act to show who is boss. I disagree. The entire team, including PK has talked about the team concept, agreed rules, and responsibility. MT has to enforce those rules, but that doesn't mean he made them all, or even that he was excessive in his punishment. Any other player might have rode the pine the entire game while PK missed a few shifts. That looks to me like MT giving the minimum penalty he could without the other players being annoyed that PK got special treatment.

2. You feel PK should be treated special because of his talent. That goes against everything I have heard MB, MT, Gorges, Gionta, and even PK state as the team charter for two seasons. They have had a lot of success in those two years, so maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt. In fact, knowing PK since his early days in Belleville, he responds well to being pushed and not treated special. His one weakness is a personal trait to "fill the room" and rub team mates the wrong way. Keeping him grounded helps the team and ultimately helps PK. He is becoming a better player and a better, more mature teammate under MT. This is a good thing as he could have gone the other way and ended up another Riberio, etc.

For the record, I am glad PK got a short contract. He has been pushed to prove himself and not have a sense of entitlement. I was worried he would be another player signed for too much, too soon, and take his foot off the gas in his formative years. Instead, he one a Norris, is third in scoring this year, and made the Olympic team. I don't mind paying him more in the next contract then we might have. We will have him longer, and he will be more nature and professional when he gets the big money.

I predict that years from now, PK will credit MT for bringing out his best.

[DON]

I respect your right to be wrong.

You seem to view this two ways.

1. What MT did was some kind of petty act to show who is boss. I disagree. The entire team, including PK has talked about the team concept, agreed rules, and responsibility. MT has to enforce those rules, but that doesn't mean he made them all, or even that he was excessive in his punishment. Any other player might have rode the pine the entire game while PK missed a few shifts. That looks to me like MT giving the minimum penalty he could without the other players being annoyed that PK got special treatment.

2. You feel PK should be treated special because of his talent. That goes against everything I have heard MB, MT, Gorges, Gionta, and even PK state as the team charter for two seasons. They have had a lot of success in those two years, so maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt. In fact, knowing PK since his early days in Belleville, he responds well to being pushed and not treated special. His one weakness is a personal trait to "fill the room" and rub team mates the wrong way. Keeping him grounded helps the team and ultimately helps PK. He is becoming a better player and a better, more mature teammate under MT. This is a good thing as he could have gone the other way and ended up another Riberio, etc.

For the record, I am glad PK got a short contract. He has been pushed to prove himself and not have a sense of entitlement. I was worried he would be another player signed for too much, too soon, and take his foot off the gas in his formative years. Instead, he one a Norris, is third in scoring this year, and made the Olympic team. I don't mind paying him more in the next contract then we might have. We will have him longer, and he will be more nature and professional when he gets the big money.

I predict that years from now, PK will credit MT for bringing out his best.

agree last paragraph and sentence, not sure that Subban will ask Therrien to be at his Hall of Fame induction, but who knows what future holds?

[habs rule]

I respect your right to be wrong.

You seem to view this two ways.

1. What MT did was some kind of petty act to show who is boss. I disagree. The entire team, including PK has talked about the team concept, agreed rules, and responsibility. MT has to enforce those rules, but that doesn't mean he made them all, or even that he was excessive in his punishment. Any other player might have rode the pine the entire game while PK missed a few shifts. That looks to me like MT giving the minimum penalty he could without the other players being annoyed that PK got special treatment.

2. You feel PK should be treated special because of his talent. That goes against everything I have heard MB, MT, Gorges, Gionta, and even PK state as the team charter for two seasons. They have had a lot of success in those two years, so maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt. In fact, knowing PK since his early days in Belleville, he responds well to being pushed and not treated special. His one weakness is a personal trait to "fill the room" and rub team mates the wrong way. Keeping him grounded helps the team and ultimately helps PK. He is becoming a better player and a better, more mature teammate under MT. This is a good thing as he could have gone the other way and ended up another Riberio, etc.

For the record, I am glad PK got a short contract. He has been pushed to prove himself and not have a sense of entitlement. I was worried he would be another player signed for too much, too soon, and take his foot off the gas in his formative years. Instead, he one a Norris, is third in scoring this year, and made the Olympic team. I don't mind paying him more in the next contract then we might have. We will have him longer, and he will be more nature and professional when he gets the big money.

I predict that years from now, PK will credit MT for bringing out his best.

And I sir respect your right to be wrong. This has gone on long enough, you won't convince me and I won't convince you so lets agree to disagree. Let us see what the future brings us.