[Updated Article] Alain Vigneault to be Commended for work in New York

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

When Alain Vigneault was hired to coach the New York Rangers before the 2013-14 season, he wasn't taking over a rebuilding project. The Rangers had reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs the three seasons prior, and seven of the past eight.

There were areas in need of fixing and a coach was needed who preached a philosophy that addressed the Rangers' weaknesses. When they host the Boston Bruins in the Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN), it will be Vigneault's 131st regular-season game with the Rangers, and the difference since he took over has been night and day.

Under Vigneault the Rangers have blossomed into one of the better offensive teams in the League. New York is averaging its most goals per game (2.98) since it scored 3.05 per game in the 2005-06 season. Though it's team speed that paces the Rangers, it's their coach's system that, more than a season and a half into his tenure, has them running at top speed.

"It's no secret, and you see all the teams in the League that are capable of playing a high-pace game," Vigneault said recently. "They're all teams that have a five-man unit. When they don't have the puck, to get it back, whether it's in their zone, the neutral zone or on the forecheck, but when their transition game is there it's from a breakout, to the transition to the neutral zone to the offensive zone."

Though the players were asked to make changes in Vigneault's system, the group tasked with adjusting the most might have been the defensemen. Under Vigneault's predecessor, John Tortorella, the Rangers were known for their shot blocking and compact play in the defensive zone. Under Vigneault the Rangers remain stingy defensively, but defensemen are given the freedom to join the rush and contribute offensively.

"It's a tough thing. Obviously as a defenseman your mentality is to first make sure you're strong in your own end," said Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, who leads New York defensemen in scoring under Vigneault with 60 points. "Take care of your own end and not give up scoring opportunities.

"It's everybody; all five guys as a unit working together out there."

What stands out is how quickly the Rangers are able to slash through the neutral zone after winning pucks in their end. But it's the small wrinkles and elements Vigneault has installed that have been the catalyst of the transformation.

"Possession time," Vigneault said. "It's all about having five guys working together. The [defense] is involved in the cycling, the [defense] is following in on the rush, forwards replacing defensemen when that happens.

"That's a big part of our game."

Many of the Rangers' smoothest skaters were on the roster before Vigneault arrived, among them McDonagh, Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin, and Mats Zuccarello. The ingredients have been there, but Vigneault has cooked up a plan filled with speed that can wreak havoc in all three zones.

"You might not be first on the puck, but you can get a lick on the guy, slow him down, slow that other [defenseman] down," McDonagh said. "It makes it harder for those guys to join up and sustain pressure. A lot of times we talk about trying to sustain pressure and it comes from the back end, pinching, keeping pucks in at the blue line, making opportunities there."

Even if the Rangers don't win a foot race, it's likely the third player to the puck will be wearing a New York jersey. From there the Rangers are able to create odd-man situations anywhere on the ice, or simply provide support for a 1-on-1 battle.

"If you're a defenseman you go to close on a guy in the corner, hit him, separate him from the puck, you need another guy to be close there for support before their other guy comes in," McDonagh said. "That's an area we've talked about, staying real close in the [defensive] zone.

"It takes a little bit of time, but ultimately when you get those five guys working together, staying close, support, you get those little bump plays. Or if there is a little breakdown there's a guy close to support you."

With the Rangers winning pucks in those dirty areas, the notoriety and flash comes from their effectiveness in transition off the rush.

"We've got good skating [defensemen] on this team, and you see the good teams in the League have four-man looks, guys joining, and it's tough to sustain pressure if it's only three forwards against five guys in the zone," McDonagh said. "You need your [defensemen] to get involved to keep the puck in, or have a good pinch to give ourselves another good opportunity."

It's a system that allows players like Kreider to break out of the defensive zone at the first sign his team has gotten the puck. That's something Vigneault brought with him from the Vancouver Canucks to the Rangers.

"He likes straight offense; he doesn't hold his guys back offensively as much as [Tortorella] would,"Montreal Canadiens forward Dale Weise said.

A member of the 2010-11 Rangers under Tortorella, Weise went on to play two-plus seasons for Vigneault in Vancouver before getting traded to Montreal, where he has faced Vigneault's Rangers 10 times, including games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"On offense they have a lot of guys who can open it up, so you always have to make sure you have a third man back as a forward and try to limit their odd-man rushes," Weise said. "It's fun. … We have four-man rushes all the time, the same as New York, so it's fun.

"We want to play offensively, we want to create chances, and obviously as a forward that's what you want to be a part of."

Looking at the numbers and how they play now, one thing that becomes abundantly clear is that for at least the Sedins and Burrows, they were better under his system.

He might have made them look better than they were, nonetheless firing him was still necessary; he gave up on this team in his last year.

Updated Article February 14th

Alain Vigneault stepped behind the Montreal Canadiens bench on Oct. 1, 1997 feeling ready, if a bit green. He was 36 years old, the second youngest coach in Canadiens history behind Claude Ruel.

Vigneault was coaching his first NHL game.

"I was a little French Quebecer getting an opportunity to coach the team from his province," Vigneault told NHL.com on Friday. "I knew the history that was there with the Habs, so I just felt so honored and privileged."

The Canadiens tied the Ottawa Senators 2-2 in Vigneault's NHL coaching debut. They defeated theBoston Bruins 4-1 three nights later to give him his first win.

On Saturday, Vigneault can become the 21st coach in NHL history to win 500 games, when his New York Rangers play the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena (8 p.m. ET; FS-A, MSG).The self-proclaimed little French Quebecer is one win away from tying Montreal coach and Hockey Hall of Fame member Toe Blake for 20th place on the NHL wins list. Vigneault is two wins shy of tying Pat Burns, another former Canadiens coach and Hockey Hall of Fame member, for 19th place.

Vigneault is 499-335-35-72 in 941 games coached.

"I do understand that 500 is a lot of wins and I've been very fortunate to have coached some real good players, have had some real great assistants working with me, and I've always had support of management," said Vigneault, in his second season with New York.

"So to get to 500 wins, I mean there's not a lot of these jobs out there. When I started there were only 26 of these jobs, now there is 30. I obviously feel very privileged to be one of the 30."

Vigneault got his chance to be a coach in the NHL in 1997 because he impressed former Canadiens general manager Rejean Houle with his preparedness and composure. Vigneault had been a coach for 11 years, including in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and almost four seasons as an assistant with the Senators, by the time he got the job with the Canadiens.

"You could see there was something there with him, that he knew what was going on," Houle said. "He had the feeling for the game and knew the game well. He was a very intelligent person and he knew exactly what to do and how to approach the players. He was a young coach, but he was a very mature person and you could feel that right away."

Rick Bowness felt the same way when he interviewed Vigneault to be his assistant with the expansion Senators in 1992. Vigneault was 31.

"Ten to 15 minutes into the interview I knew I was going to offer him the job and was hoping he would take it," Bowness said. "I knew then he would be a head coach. We played with some of the same guys, and the background checks I did with them, they all said, 'You're going to love this guy, he's a lot like you.' You could sense how serious he was and the passion he had for the game. It just jumps out at you."

Bowness watched as Vigneault learned how to deal with the NHL player, which is much different for a coach coming from working with junior players.

But what truly impressed Bowness was how Vigneault responded to being fired by the Canadiens 20 games into the 2000-01 season. He took some time off and then went back to coaching junior hockey before getting hired by the Vancouver Canucks to coach their American Hockey League affiliate in Winnipeg.

It took Vigneault six years to get another coaching job in the NHL.

"When you're the coach of the Montreal Canadiens, man, you're the king of the province," Bowness said. "But to go back to junior hockey, back to the minors and do what he did to get back to this level just speaks volumes for his passion for the game."

Bowness saw Vigneault's maturity firsthand when he went to work with him in Vancouver in 2006. It was evident in how Vigneault kept his emotion to the side and analyzed the game for what he was seeing, not feeling.

"The worst thing a coach can do is think with his heart," Bowness said. "Alain thinks with his head and he stays one step ahead of everything."

Vigneault has had success -- two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, including last season with the Rangers, and two Presidents' Trophies with the Canucks -- in part because of the respect he has from his players. He's not light on them, but he doesn't ride them to the point where they resent him.

"As long as you worked hard with [Alain] you would get a chance to play," said Canucks forwardAlexandre Burrows, who had Vigneault as a coach in the American Hockey League and in Vancouver. "Guys could talk to him and not feel too nervous."

Burrows said he could always tell when Vigneault was unhappy; it was when he didn't come into the dressing room after a game or a practice.

"One thing I learned if I ever coach is that's maybe one thing I'll do," Burrows said. "If I really get angry, you just don't come in, and the next day it's probably better if you thought about things and can teach instead of yelling and screaming."

Canucks forward Daniel Sedin said he can count on one hand the times he remembers Vigneault losing his cool during his seven seasons in Vancouver.

"He was good to the players and that's what counts," Sedin said.

Vigneault hasn't changed in New York. When asked, his players repeatedly talk about the respect he has for them and they have for him. Not once has a Rangers player even hinted at the idea that they weren't prepared for a game.

"His pre-scout and getting the team ready, X's and O's, is the best I have seen," Sedin said.

It helps that Vigneault coaches a system that is player-friendly. His teams thrive on speed and moving the puck quickly, generating a lot of quality offensive chances, and pressuring the puck relentlessly.

The Rangers are fourth in the NHL in scoring with 161 goals in 53 games. The Canucks finished in the top five in scoring in three of his seven seasons, including first in 2010-11 and second in 2009-10. The Canadiens were fifth in scoring in 1997-98.

Vigneault's teams have scored 2.75 goals per game in his 941 games.

"I believe that there's one way to play and that's the right way," Vigneault said. "Most coaches that have success in the NHL they all believe in their way of coaching and philosophy in playing, and at the end of the day I believe what myself and my assistants are trying to do is right."

How can anyone say he's doing it wrong? Vigneault is one win away from being the 21st member of an exclusive club.

"Five hundred wins, it's an amazing accomplishment," Bowness said. "He's been to the Final twice, he's going to take that team there again."

[Dral]

Rangers definitely won the coaching trade

[Green Building]

Looking at the numbers and how they play now, one thing that becomes abundantly clear is that for at least the Sedins and Burrows, they were better under his system.

He might have made them look better than they were, nonetheless firing him was still necessary; he gave up on this team in his last year.

To be fair, the Sedins and Burrows were also younger under his system. Prime vs declining prime. No way in hell did AV make them look better than they were. The Sedins are responsible for the Sedins. They made Burrows because he gelled with them. Call it synergy.

If hindsight were 20/20 I think more of us would have dumped Gillis in lieu of AV.

Gillis, after all, was the man in charge of bringing in new players for his coach to work with. The system doesn't necessarily get as stale as the players do. I will be watching New York closely though as the next 2-3 years pass. I'm curious to see if there is an AV pattern where players tune him out. If Sather brings in more quality guys to NY than he did for Van then maybe that will keep his system from falling on too many deaf ears.

Damn, it's been over 20 years since "94 and I still hate the Rags.

AV did a fantastic job here until meeting up with Boston in 2011. Had that injury riddled 7 games resulted in a Cup I bet he would still be here. Gillis too.

[Crackers]

Rangers definitely won the coaching trade

That's an understatement.

[Rounoush]

Looking at the numbers and how they play now, one thing that becomes abundantly clear is that for at least the Sedins and Burrows, they were better under his system.

He might have made them look better than they were, nonetheless firing him was still necessary; he gave up on this team in his last year.

Are you sure about that? It seems that no matter which coach we get, we are very mediocre.

At the time, it totally looked like firing him was the right thing but man, at this point, I miss AV.

[Green Building]

Rangers definitely won the coaching trade

At least Torts finally did what many wanted all along. He cemented the end of the stagnant Gillis tenure. I wonder what his moves would have been in the offseason had he stayed...

[Master Mind]

I don't think coaches make players look better than they are, instead they make players play better than they thought they could.

Good to see AV get recognition. He's one of the better coaches in the league, but usually isn't seen that way by many.

[Dral]

At least Torts finally did what many wanted all along. He cemented the end of the stagnant Gillis tenure. I wonder what his moves would have been in the offseason had he stayed...

[Green Building]

Are you sure about that? It seems that no matter which coach we get, we are very mediocre.

At the time, it totally looked like firing him was the right thing but man, at this point, I miss AV.

AV, WD, DVD. It doesn't really matter. Obvioulsy the coach has an important role; we can all agree on that. At some point we need to inject fresh young prospects into the lineup who will one day take over for the vets, that's on the GM.

Having said that, AV didn't really trust in his young guys. He always defaulted to the vets. I don't want to hear a word about Grabner either as he was crap for this team, Florida, and finally found a stride on Long Isle. Who am I forgetting?

[Green Building]

Meaning?

We had our best successes, and biggest drop off under him. He couldn't adapt to the post Cup run reality.

[Master Mind]

To be fair, the Sedins and Burrows were also younger under his system. Prime vs declining prime. No way in hell did AV make them look better than they were. The Sedins are responsible for the Sedins. They made Burrows because he gelled with them. Call it synergy.

If hindsight were 20/20 I think more of us would have dumped Gillis in lieu of AV.

Gillis, after all, was the man in charge of bringing in new players for his coach to work with. The system doesn't necessarily get as stale as the players do. I will be watching New York closely though as the next 2-3 years pass. I'm curious to see if there is an AV pattern where players tune him out. If Sather brings in more quality guys to NY than he did for Van then maybe that will keep his system from falling on too many deaf ears.

Damn, it's been over 20 years since "94 and I still hate the Rags.

AV did a fantastic job here until meeting up with Boston in 2011. Had that injury riddled 7 games resulted in a Cup I bet he would still be here. Gillis too.

With half a healthy lineup, he still managed to reach 7 games with 2 shutouts along the way. Considering I don't think any team would win when missing their #1 d-man, it's impressive to say the least.

[Green Building]

With half a healthy lineup, he still managed to reach 7 games with 2 shutouts along the way. Considering I don't think any team would win when missing their #1 d-man, it's impressive to say the least.

I worded that poorly. I was not trying to suggest that he coached poorly in that series, just that he was outmatched by a stronger club. For the record, I agree with you.

[etsen3]

Not surprised at all, he's a good coach. Still don't regret our decision to fire him, as in hockey even if sometimes a coach is skilled they are just no longer the right fit and that's what happened.

[Dazzle]

AV, WD, DVD. It doesn't really matter. Obvioulsy the coach has an important role; we can all agree on that. At some point we need to inject fresh young prospects into the lineup who will one day take over for the vets, that's on the GM.

Having said that, AV didn't really trust in his young guys. He always defaulted to the vets. I don't want to hear a word about Grabner either as he was crap for this team, Florida, and finally found a stride on Long Isle. Who am I forgetting?

20 NHL games under his belt with the Canucks - 5 g and 6 assists and he was crap? Hoooollyyyy....

Grabner was far, far, far from the problem.

Yes, AV didn't trust Grabner.

[MoneypuckOverlord]

will love to see him coach the Canucks again.

[Dral]

Meaning?

We had our best successes, and biggest drop off under him. He couldn't adapt to the post Cup run reality.

Meaning even if MG was a curse and needed to go (and seriously, he wasn't half as bad as CDCers make him out to be) you don't cut off your nose to spite your face

[Mathew Barzal]

So many 'Fire AV' threads stashed away in the depths of CDC. Would have loved to bump em and read em now haha.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

With half a healthy lineup, he still managed to reach 7 games with 2 shutouts along the way. Considering I don't think any team would win when missing their #1 d-man, it's impressive to say the least.

this

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

AV, WD, DVD. It doesn't really matter. Obvioulsy the coach has an important role; we can all agree on that. At some point we need to inject fresh young prospects into the lineup who will one day take over for the vets, that's on the GM.

Having said that, AV didn't really trust in his young guys. He always defaulted to the vets. I don't want to hear a word about Grabner either as he was crap for this team, Florida, and finally found a stride on Long Isle. Who am I forgetting?

Burrows, Kesler, Tanev, Raymond, Hansen??? They just had to prove themselves to him.

He put Tanev in game 7 of the finals as a rookie instead of ballard. Ballard disproves the young guys theory.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

Are you sure about that? It seems that no matter which coach we get, we are very mediocre.

At the time, it totally looked like firing him was the right thing but man, at this point, I miss AV.

yeah in his last season he made many "Please fire me moves"

Among them, taking Kassian off the first line when he had 5 goals and 1 assist there and was lighting it up and never when in desparate need of scoring trying it again.

The goalie choices in the playoffs against San Jose

Like he made moves he never would have in seasons previous. Nonetheless he will go down as the best canucks coach in history regardless of if he ever wins a cup or not.