[Report] Canucks fire Bruce Boudreau, Trent Cull; name Rick Tocchet as head coach, Adam Foote as assistant coach, Sergei Gonchar as defensive development coach

[Fanuck]

28 minutes ago, cripplereh said:

I have said this before we do need a hard nosed coach that is strict to get guys playing right.Bench them do whatever till they get the message as they are pro's and should be put in their ace every so often.  

 

A year if that of a coach they will play better and the pusses will be traded. 

 

That would give the team one direction instead of excuses but management and talks of ratting elephants.  

 

I totally agree people do not like coaches like that but it gets the job done.

 

I have had a coach like that for years. We went from last to one of the best.After the coach left we went undefeated in Vancouver. 

 

 

Wasn't Torts supposed to be that kind of coach?  His style didn't work out here and it's certainly not working in Philly either.  One wonders if that style of coaching works on today's modern athlete or if another type of method is more effective in motivating these guys?  Do any of the elite teams in the league employ that type of coach who has that philosophy?  I'm not saying it hasn't worked in the past, your example of your own team obviously backed up the method, but in today's NHL is that still applicable? 

[lmm]

I was not a fan of Trent Cull, but why Cull and not King?

Is JK going to turn into the next Ron Delorme?

[Goal:thecup]

2 hours ago, Dazzle said:

Yes, but it's just one country club atmosphere to another. The so-called apology that Rutherford made to Boudreau was very revealing about what he thought accountability was.

 

You can also see how this attitude is being passed down when Allvin directed the reporter to ask Rutherford about Boudreau instead of answering the question as a GM. Hilarious.

I thought it was hilarious and revealing when the camera panned up to the two female AGMs.

Wonder what they are thinking, what was their input, and are they happy with a misogynist like Tocchett as head coach?

 

Are they wondering why they hired on to this demented old fool's Dippity-Do-Dah approach to the POHO position.

Why didn't JR & PA have their AGMs explain all the great input they had into these stupid decisions and behaviour? 

[Sell.the.team]

8 minutes ago, awalk said:

Let it be clear: I do not like Taj. The guy is a parrot account, just parrots what the media is saying. But I DO trust Seravalli, the guy has proven to have good info. So that's worth a share IMO. 
 

 

Can't say I trust Seravalli but this makes perfect sense.... As much as I dislike PA and JR, I would not put it past FA for being the real problem on this particular issue (as well as many more).

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

3 minutes ago, lmm said:

I was not a fan of Trent Cull, but why Cull and not King?

Is JK going to turn into the next Ron Delorme?

Probably because our power play is so good 

[Odd.]

4 minutes ago, lmm said:

I was not a fan of Trent Cull, but why Cull and not King?

Is JK going to turn into the next Ron Delorme?

King runs the PP and it’s been top 10 pretty much every year so I guess they want him around for it

[DeNiro]

6 minutes ago, Sell.the.team said:

Can't say I trust Seravalli but this makes perfect sense.... As much as I dislike PA and JR, I would not put it past FA for being the real problem on this particular issue (as well as many more).

Seravalli is a hack.

 

However really not hard to connect the dots there.

 

Ownership is currently paying 7.5 million for three coaches. Obviously they wanted to ride it out for as long as they could.

[Goal:thecup]

1 hour ago, Boudrias said:

Coaches have to walk a fine line between being a player 'buddy' and a disciplinary parent. At the end of the day my impression was Bruce was to much the buddy. Last spring it was 'us versus the rest of the NHL' and this year that feeling slipped away. Who failed to convince players that the d-side game had to have precedence. Back checking and puck support had to be second nature. 

 

My hope is that Podz-Hogs-Aman-Rathbone stay in Abby. That said I don't see Rathbone back in the line up since his last injury. He could easily be done.  

BB was given an impossible assignment: Improve the defense.

But we're not going to hire NHL goalies or NHL defensemen, so that we can fire you; (nobody will see through that right?)

[Chicken.]

Did I hear right that Sergei Gonchar is staying out east and is merely "a phone call or Zoom video chat away for the players" ... ?  This can't be real lol nobody is gonna call

[Chicken.]

Just now, Goal:thecup said:

BB was given an impossible assignment: Improve the defense.

But we're not going to hire NHL goalies or NHL defensemen, so that we can fire you; (nobody will see through that right?)

[EP Phone Home]

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

5 minutes ago, Darius said:

To me it looks like Bruce was Aqua's guy - he brought him here before he hired Rutherford etc.  Rutherford was publicly critiquing Bruce since the end of last season - bringing up the 'lack of structure' and how goaltending was bailing out the team.  To me Rutherford's answers about committing to Bruce were rather feeble. Im guessing that management wanted to get rid of Bruce in the off season and Aqua probably nixed the idea. As early as a few weeks into the new season Rutherford again was bringing up the lack of defensive structure and the poor preparation in training camp, practice habits etc etc.  At that point everyone knew that Bruce was on his last legs here.  I think what also adds to the whole dynamic is Bruce's age.  He clearly was not a long term solution (2+ years) in light of the fact the guy is pushing 70 - so there was an element of a short shelf life from the outset.

 

So it comes down to Rutherford blabbing too much to the media and Aqua getting too involved in these matters.  Its a big black eye for the org and it has to have an effect on how the org is perceived by potential free agents and front office people.

 

 

 

I think Bruce was the best possible hire for the time he came in (he was actually my pick). This team was shattered mentally, after everything they’d been through over the final years of Benning/Green. They really needed someone to come in and help them start feeling good about themselves and start enjoying hockey again. Bruce more than succeeded.

 

Boudreau also had experience getting good results out of teams with potent offences, somewhat weaker defences, and good goalies. He was well-suited for the team, as it was constructed (flaws and all), when he took over.

 

So the hire made a ton of sense.

 

(Just maybe not the owner picking a coach before management was hired. That’s rarely a recipe for success.)

 

But where management really messed up was in communication. And they had such an easy blueprint they could have followed.

 

Bruce was hired on a one year deal with a one year option. This is the definition of a temporary hire. It’s exceedingly rare to ever see head coaches, especially experienced ones, get deals that short.

 

Management should have leaned into this.

 

If they’d told the fans, in simple and clear terms, that Bruce was here for the short-term to stabilize the team, while management made their assessments, I think people would have understood completely.

 

They could have been very clear and upfront: Bruce is here for the rest of 2021-22. If all goes well, they’ll pick up the option and he’ll be back for 2022-23. The team will use this time to build out their management team and hockey ops staff, make assessments and determinations on players, and develop a plan for how this roster will be constructed and how the team will play (coaching, systems, etc). Once management has finished their evaluations, long term decisions will be made regarding the coaching staff. Bruce will have an opportunity to continue with the team, but they will also interview other candidates, and they will ultimately put together what they believe to be the best staff possible, for this roster, and for their vision of how the team should play.

 

If they’d laid it out like that from the start, nobody would have been surprised that management chose to go another direction with the coaching staff, especially after this season’s results. And nobody could have said it was unfair to Bruce.

[Goal:thecup]

43 minutes ago, Sapper said:

Cmon man many stopped playing for him.and threw.him.under the bus. 

Calling BS; you have the wrong "throwing him under the bus" villains.

JR and PA threw BB under the bus; the players all stood up for Bruce.

[High and Inside]

I don't expect that Rick Tocchet will make this team much better in the short term.  He wants to reduce the minutes of our top 6 player and rely on the bottom 6 a bit more but the fact of the matter is our bottom 6 sucks. More of Joshua Lazar Studnika isn't going to help. BB was forced to play his top 6 big minutes because Alvin built a terrible roster. No depth in goaltending- between Demkos injury and slow start we had to become dependent on two minor league goalies that are way in over their head. The 6 defenseman we have can't keep the puck out of there own net. I mean you got Schenn playing as a #2 d,  Bear as a #3/4, OEL is a pylon. Burroughs and Stillman are barely even capable. Hughes is primarily an offensive dman. BB had no choice but to play river hockey. 

 

Alvin needs to be held accountable he had 12+ months to impact the roster and has failed miserably.  Other then Kuzmenko his moves are failing. Drafted a bust in the first round. Failed to improve the D. Should of had a reliable back up goalie. 

 

Alvin is a PR nightmare and failed the fans of this franchise.  I can't even listen to his press conferences. All I hear is brick by brick everytime he needs to stop saying that. I don't even trust him to make a good trade for Horvat. We could be in for a lot of mediocre hockey for a long time. I hope not but it's reality. 

 

 

 

[Sell.the.team]

6 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

Seravalli is a hack.

 

However really not hard to connect the dots there.

 

Ownership is currently paying 7.5 million for three coaches. Obviously they wanted to ride it out for as long as they could.

I mean, fair enough to the Aqs with the money thing.  Further, my gut would be that FA also just knows the fanbase likes Bruce and wanted to keep him for that reason alone.  In this particular case, I wanted to keep Bruce so if this conjecture is true, I am actually in agreement with FA here... the problem is FA needs to stop meddling with management - it is only making things worse.  He decided to hire JR and when JR came in he said he had complete autonomy to do whatever he wants without ownership meddling.  

[Fred65]

Interesting review

 

What's next for Vancouver Canucks after Rick Tocchet hiring? (espn.com)

[lmm]

3 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

Wasn't Torts supposed to be that kind of coach?  His style didn't work out here and it's certainly not working in Philly either.  One wonders if that style of coaching works on today's modern athlete or if another type of method is more effective in motivating these guys?  Do any of the elite teams in the league employ that type of coach who has that philosophy?  I'm not saying it hasn't worked in the past, your example of your own team obviously backed up the method, but in today's NHL is that still applicable? 

I would think the best examples would be Trotz and Sutter.

Torts is over the top, in an almost cartoonish way.

 

and it is not as simple as changing the coach for one year

Bieksa said on Saturday, that when AV came in mid-season that he spent the first year breaking everyone down, then he picked up the guys that didn't fold and rebuilt

Torts never got past the breaking down stage then lost the room and everyone else when he lost it against Calgary

 

notice how the new teams Vegas and Seattle come out with a lunch pail work ethic, because the coach can say, but does not have to,  "YOU  have all been effectively waived (left unprotected) are you a loser, or are you going to show the world that you have what it takes?"

as an organization that is a better place to be than, "YOu went to the final, have gotten a bit soft, we tried the hard coach routine, now we are going to give you what you always wanted in  a coach that cannot control you as a group"

[ShawnAntoski]

25 minutes ago, Goal:thecup said:

I thought it was hilarious and revealing when the camera panned up to the two female AGMs.

Wonder what they are thinking, what was their input, and are they happy with a misogynist like Tocchett as head coach?

 

Are they wondering why they hired on to this demented old fool's Dippity-Do-Dah approach to the POHO position.

Why didn't JR & PA have their AGMs explain all the great input they had into these stupid decisions and behaviour? 

Most of the FO, are just using this opportunity as a stepping stone and good chance, when their contract ends they will be moving on or up...

[Smashian Kassian]

1 hour ago, Boudrias said:

Coaches have to walk a fine line between being a player 'buddy' and a disciplinary parent. At the end of the day my impression was Bruce was to much the buddy. Last spring it was 'us versus the rest of the NHL' and this year that feeling slipped away. Who failed to convince players that the d-side game had to have precedence. Back checking and puck support had to be second nature. 

 

My hope is that Podz-Hogs-Aman-Rathbone stay in Abby. That said I don't see Rathbone back in the line up since his last injury. He could easily be done.  

 

Yes I agree. Not to say Bruce doesn't have a stern side but his bread & butter is utilizing his social skills to motivate. With a young & historically dysfunctional franchise like this they really needed the structure/details guy once that magic ran out as you say. With a veteran team that holds themselves to account (say when he was in ANA) maybe he's a better fit.

 

I've lost hope for Rathbone sadly, I think they should've tried to use him as a trade chip now he's kind of slipping in time.

 

Hogz/Podz I'd like to see at some point before the end of the year but for now keep em down until we see how things go under Tocchet.

 

56 minutes ago, Sapper said:

The whole situation was handled badly. I don't  know how much blame.the canucks have for the leak but they own all of it fir the fall out.

 

Once it was leaked they should have offered to fire Bruce to save him the humiliation that was coming 

 

Hiring the new coach before firing the old one mid season is.common practice so that in itself is nothing new. The early leak should have forced it'd annoucment sooner. Bruce couldn't quit as it would cost him his pay .... he needed to be released and that's what rhe right thing should have occured

I like Bruce but this is getting ridiculous. Players crying saying giid bye to him ? Cmon man many stopped playing for him.and threw.him.under the bus.  The team was and imploding and this was predictable. The fact that they signed Bruce to just a 1 year extension should have been your clue that he was on borrowed time

 

 

 

I'm more concerned that they wanted a coach that can get more out of these players .... that tells me there will be little change to the team .... 2 players coaches in a row have not succeeded with this group so what makes.the new coach any better ?

 

Once Rutherford confirmed they were seeking other options it went over the last cliff, never seen that before in my life.

 

At the very least they could've just denied it & saved Bruce the embarrassment of it being a publicly confirmed dead man walking (not just speculated).

 

As for the concern they won't want to change much, I'm not worried about that at all. Everything they've said is that it needs an overhaul & Rutherford's history is a bias for making moves. It'll just be what they can do with cap restraints/the market, not willingness imo.

 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Smashian Kassian

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

17 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

Seravalli is a hack.

 

However really not hard to connect the dots there.

 

Ownership is currently paying 7.5 million for three coaches. Obviously they wanted to ride it out for as long as they could.

Ownership giving out money for three coaches