Bassackwards

Perhaps the Leafs have are finally getting this in the right order with the hiring of Rick St. Croix.

Head coach Randy Carlyle knows St. Croix, and St. Croix was his choice.

Otherwise, the order in which the Leafs have assembled their coaching staffs in recent years has been exactly how you don't want to do it.

Ron Wilson came in, brought Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler, and inherited Keith Acton. That was okay, except Wilson and Co. were hired by interim Cliff Fletcher, who was replaced a few months later by Brian Burke.

Would Burke have hired Wilson? Who knows?

The following summer, the Leafs hired Francois Allaire as goalie coach, ostensibly with Wilson's blessing.

Then, before last year, Burke fired Hunter and Acton, keeping Zettler but bringing in Greg Cronin and Scott Gordon as assistants, both of who would have known Wilson but would hardly be described as close associates. Certainly nothing like the Hunter-Zettler combo. Ultimately, all of Wilson, Cronin and Gordon ended up squabbling with Allaire.

Then Wilson got fired, and Zettler went with him. In came Carlyle along with his right hand man, Dave Farrish, and this time it was Cronin and Gordon  who stayed on despite not having an established working relationship with Carlyle. Carlyle had worked with Allaire in Anaheim, but at the end of the year told the veteran goalie consultant things would have to change, and Allaire wasn't willing to change.

Now, lots of teams carry coaches over from one staff to another for a variety of reasons. But the Leafs rarely seem to get things in the right order - GM hires his head coach, head coach hires his assistants.

It's always a little bit of this from this regime, and little bit of that from that one.

That formula has not yet led to success. Or even harmonious staffs, it would appear.

 

 

 

Comments

[Barry McDonough]

I agree Damian but Burke has a real chance at getting fired if the Leafs produce another non-playoff turkey.

Then the process starts all over again.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.