That Didn't Take Long

Wanna know why Barry Melrose got fired after only 16 games?
'Cause it's not 1993 anymore.
The league has changed in so many ways since Melrose coached the L.A. Kings to the Stanley Cup final, and one of the major ways in which it has changed is that players work 12 months a year to stay in shape and coaches and GMs work just as hard, or harder.
Unfortunately for Melrose, being a pal of one of the owners - Oren Koules - turned out to not be good enough once it became clear he wasn't prepared to put in the basic time and hours to be a successful head coach.
Just this week, Melrose took a day off from practice, suggesting the team needed not to hear from him for a day.
Last night, after the club blew a 2-0 lead to lose at home to Detroit, he gave the players AND the coaching staff a full day off on Friday.
In today's NHL, that's inexcusable. Now, he'll have all the time off he needs.
It didn't help Melrose that early in the season he was very reluctant to give much ice time to prize rookie Steven Stamkos when GM Brian Lawton made it very clear that he wanted Stamkos to play lots of minutes.
Lawton didn't hire Melrose, and when he began to believe the team wasn't prepared, or at least the coaches weren't, he went to Koules and co-owner Len Barrie and asked for permission to fire Melrose.
It's the second bold move of the week for Lawton, who wasn't officially named GM until September and has been aggressively unwinding some of the moves that were made between the time ex-GM Jay Feaster was fired and his ascension to GM, some of which were personally organized by Koules and Barrie.
Last week he dealt defenceman Matt Carle and his four-year, $13.75 million contract to Philly for rearguard Steve Eminger and winger Steve Downie. Carle had been the centrepiece of the package the Bolts had received from San Jose for defenceman Dan Boyle during the summer.
While the firing of Melrose is extraordinary, as newsworthy is the hiring of Rick Tocchet as head coach. Tocchet was banned from the NHL while working as an assistant coach in Phoenix in 2006 for his involvement in a New Jersey betting ring. Tocchet eventually pleaded guilty to felony gambling charges and was reinstated by the league last February.
After the Coyotes had stood by him during his two-year absence from the NHL, it was surprising when Tocchet agreed to join Melrose's staff in Tampa last summer.
Before his involvement with Operation Slapshot, Tocchet had been considered a prime candidate for an NHL head coaching job. Now, he gets his chance.

Comments

[Billy Ray]

It was obvious Melrose was not prepared to be a coach again when he did not bring the mullett back. That's inexcusable as well.

[chris]

Holy Cow! That didn't take too long. That Tampa Bay ownership is going to make fans pine for the stable days of Art Williams :sarcasm:. I hope Melrose still has his seat at ESPN.

[Zane]

Somehow Melrose will spin this into a positive.
The NHL allowed these jokers to own a franchise, but won't let Balsilie own one?
And you wonder why the NHL is a bush league.....

[Hitch]

I don't mean to pile on, but I said the same thing in the summer when they hired him: Barry Melrose was an average (being generous) to below average coach in the early 1990s who hadn't coached in 15 years. What made the Tampa Bay ownership (who I'm beginning to think are as big a joke as the Islanders', Predators', Panthers' owners) think he would be better in 2008?

[Roberto]

Just remember I told you Cox that Toskala was NOT a good goaltender. But you believed your own media propaganda and jumped on his band wagon.

Hopefully, you are not a stubbon idiot that will refuse to reverse your position no matter what.

I told you I am a former pro. A former prop goaltender at that.

I told you why he is not good, ie-dop to the knees too quickly and pucks flying in the net over the shoulder or while dropping to his knees, his stick lifts up and opens up much like a door thereby allowing the puck to go through his leges riht under him before his body hits the ice.

I also told you Maurice is not a good coach nor is Ferguson a good GM.

In closing, I agree with Ron Wilson pertaining to Sundin. He is NOT a good leader. He is a good player but hockey is a team sport, not an individual sport of which 90% of the game is Mental and only 10% talent.

Sundin returning to Toronto at this stage and in this manner will do more harm than good with most harm or good being done in the dressing room which in turn reflects on the ice......remember McCabe, Tucker, Raycroft, Wellwood, etc.

PS: Blake is not a good hockey player. The leafs need to move him ASAP.

[chris]

This page is about Barry Melrose getting fired, Roberto. Not about the Leafs. Take up your ego stroking with Damien via a private email. You're just being pathetic.