Larry Brooks writes interesting article about AV and Torts

[bluesman60]

AV is a good coach but really, the players have become to complacent and set in their ways to take the next step. If Tortorella can influence the choice of assistant coaches that results in this team utilizing their talent to crank up the offence then the change is good. Hopefully this team will get back to being a high scoring team with a potent PP that can strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. Maybe add players like Jensen and Gaunce to inject some youthful exhuberance into the team along with a coaching staff that shows confidence in them and we could be back on top again.

My hope is that Torts will get this team firing on all cylinders as well as speak out on the bench. MG has a few player changes to engineer so hopefully this will result in a set roster for Torts to work with. I will reserve judgement for now and hope that the players buy in. We have a coach, the rest is up to MG to deal with the goaltending and rebuilding of the prospect pool.

[bluesman60]

We arn't big or intimidating enough. Sedins are now past their prime. We don't have deep enough scoring. We have revolving door bottom six. Our D, while not bad, is still a question mark in my opinion. Garrison, Hamhuis and Tanev are solid but beyond that, who knows(Although, I am really hoping the progress Corrado showed wasn't a one-off). Goaltending is the one aspect of our game that I have confidence in at this point. It's not coaching, or a fluke, or a conspiracy that we've been eliminated 1st round 2 years in a row. If anything, it's looking more and more like a fluke we made it to the finals in 2011(we almost lost first round then too ).

Don't sell Bieksa short, he is the heart and soul of the defence. I would like to see him back paired with Hamhuis because they were a rock solid pairing that could do it all.

[dirk diggler]

The best thing about reading that article is the link to a man with 140lbs balls.

[VanIsleNuckFan]

John Tortorella locker room during periods. HBO 24/7. Short video.

I wonder how the Sedins, Kesler or Beiska would react to this or will react.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=biZlEtaXbw8

[oldnews]

I actually felt sorry for Torts after the Columbus trade. Sather absolutely gutted that team.

[oldnews]

Simmer down, young jedi. There has been a general lack of accountability from the players in the last couple of years. Yes they would be accountable in the post game interviews, but words are words.

[CanucksJay]

I'm going to bring a counterpoint into this and I'm curious how people will answer it.

The Canucks dominated the Sharks in this year's playoff series five on five - but they failed to finish - and their penalty killing let them down against a potent powerplay being spoon fed absurd amounts of soft opportunites. My point here is not to start an irrelevent debate but to point out that where the bulk of the game was concerned, the team was better prepared and performed better than suggested, and that the losses came down to primarily things that cannot simply be laid on the coach, a lack of motivation, hard work or accountability. The Canucks lost the series while short-handed and by whiffing on empty nets.

Just to play a little devil's advocate here, because I'm not necessarily against the decision to hire Tortorella, but what I'd like to know is how a motivational speech is going to lead to finishing scoring chances five on five, or how an even more objectionable coach is going to lead to fewer short-handed situations to kill.

Second part of this: have a look at the New York Rangers possession game in the regular season versus the playoffs. If the entire endgame is about preparing for the postseason, it's a bit disconcerting that a team that was played on a fairly level surface in the regular season, had the ice tilted dramatically against them in the playoffs.

http://www.behindthe... 34 45 46 63 67

The Rangers faced some strong competition in Washington and Boston, but their underlying numbers are pretty drastic with only a couple players managing to keep their heads above water. It's one thing to say the Rangers lacked the personnel to play puck possession hockey, but what I'm hearing around these parts is a lot of doubt that the Canucks have the roster to compete. What I'd like to know is this - if that's the case, how did AV manage such a masterful illusion?

[wallstreetamigo]

I'm going to bring a counterpoint into this and I'm curious how people will answer it.

The Canucks dominated the Sharks in this year's playoff series five on five - but they failed to finish - and their penalty killing let them down against a potent powerplay being spoon fed absurd amounts of soft opportunites. My point here is not to start an irrelevent debate but to point out that where the bulk of the game was concerned, the team was better prepared and performed better than suggested, and that the losses came down to primarily things that cannot simply be laid on the coach, a lack of motivation, hard work or accountability. The Canucks lost the series while short-handed and by whiffing on empty nets.

Just to play a little devil's advocate here, because I'm not necessarily against the decision to hire Tortorella, but what I'd like to know is how a motivational speech is going to lead to finishing scoring chances five on five, or how an even more objectionable coach is going to lead to fewer short-handed situations to kill.

Second part of this: have a look at the New York Rangers possession game in the regular season versus the playoffs. If the entire endgame is about preparing for the postseason, it's a bit disconcerting that a team that was played on a fairly level surface in the regular season, had the ice tilted dramatically against them in the playoffs.

http://www.behindthe... 34 45 46 63 67

The Rangers faced some strong competition in Washington and Boston, but their underlying numbers are pretty drastic with only a couple players managing to keep their heads above water. It's one thing to say the Rangers lacked the personnel to play puck possession hockey, but what I'm hearing around these parts is a lot of doubt that the Canucks have the roster to compete. What I'd like to know is this - if that's the case, how did AV manage such a masterful illusion?

[spook007]

lol what?

Canucks are a better team than NYR yet Torts led them to 3rd round last year and 2nd round this year.

What did AV do with a better roster? 2 Round 1 losses and 1 win total...

The only masterful illusion AV achieved was the masterful illusion of good coaching to magically keep his job the past 2 years.

[oldnews]

My favorite part of the presser today was when Torts said he had never heard of sites like behindthenet and that he prefers to use his eyes to tell him who is going and who is not.

[spook007]

You know what? All I care about now is that we have a much smarter coach, a much better teacher, and a guy who gives a crap about winning in the playoffs.

And if you actually watch the games instead of relying on stats, you would not suggest that the Canucks dominated anything against the Sharks.

My favorite part of the presser today was when Torts said he had never heard of sites like behindthenet and that he prefers to use his eyes to tell him who is going and who is not.

[wallstreetamigo]

The difference between Torts and yourself is that he knows what he's looking at.

But what I'm interested in is what you didn't answer.

[oldnews]

lol what?

Canucks are a better team than NYR yet Torts led them to 3rd round last year and 2nd round this year.

What did AV do with a better roster? 2 Round 1 losses and 1 win total...

The only masterful illusion AV achieved was the masterful illusion of good coaching to magically keep his job the past 2 years.

[oldnews]

I could not care less what you think anyway.

AV country club is now over.

[oldnews]

While I admire the shine that Brooks has taken to his new coach, I don't find his commentary regarding Tortorella very convincing.

"Glen Sather doesn’t want any coach’s metaphorical blood on his players’ hands, doesn’t want to be perceived as having been pushed into making a change that otherwise would have been avoided. That’s why the general manager has gone out of his way to deny the Rangers’ exit meetings were the motivating force behind the call to dismiss Tortorella.

Fair enough, and as someone once said at a different kind of forum, he (or the owner) paid for the microphone, but Sather doth protest way too much with his “No player said anything negative to me” bit of silliness at yesterday’s show at Radio City Music Hall at which Vigneault was officially introduced as Tortorella’s successor."

Brooks just seems to be trying too hard - not quite as hard as the Gallaghers and Botchfords around here - but I don't buy his authority to define what the players said in their exit meetings, or what motivates Sather to make decisions.

[wallstreetamigo]

For someone who doesn't care what I think, you sure over-react.

Two things.

I'm curious ( if you listened so closely and are in such concert with what Tortorella thinks) what you thought of his comments that in Tampa he had a talented young roster that had key things go right for it in it's playoff run - 1) luck 2) health and 3) goaltending.

Which of those three are the head coach responsible for?

If the answer is none, then AV might have caught more than his share of the blame for the SCF loss, and the results of the past two playoffs.

The country club story....is so oversimplified. If you believe that, then aren't you also implying that MG has supplied a superior roster?

Did you ignore Tortorella's comments regarding the situation he is stepping into?...created in a country club atmosphere lol.

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

John Tortorella has been a head coach for 11 years, and has played in the playoffs for 8 of those 11 years. He has missed the playoffs 3 times, but most importantly he has won a stanley cup. Torts also did make it back to round 3 once.

Alain Vigneault has been a head coach for 11 years, and has played in the playoffs for 7 of those 11 years. He has missed the playoffs 4 times, but couldn't win a stanley cup. Alain has only been passed round 2 once, for the cup run year.

[BedBeats™2.0]

Wow...what a classic CDC case of misinformation.

Country club and all.

Pathetic.

[RUPERTKBD]

Because you are wrong. The Canucks didn't dominate anything. If that is domination under AV then good thing he is gone.

[nuck nit]

"Accountability". 'Accountability'. Accountability.

AV allowed his veterans to be accountable to one another.

Torts says the 'Accountability' word twenty times and backs it up with nothing else.

One thing to say you expect it and another to attempt to extract it from players that refuse to give it to you,or worse,believe that accountability is not given to one that does not deserve to have it given to.

Accountability can not be extracted as it is a tangible quality.This should be one interesting five - year experience that we are about to embark upon and witness.