04-23-2004, 10:56 AM
For sure, we need us a Nolan or Nieuwendyk!!
With respect to the coaching...Now that I have calmed down... it occurs to me that maybe it was time afor a coaching change after all. I mean, the Senators have been immensely successful, perhaps the most successful of any young team in the NHL over the past five years. We have had three division titles and a President's Trophy in the past half-decade, and the team is almost always one of the top seeds going into the playoffs. And yet, we've only made it past the second round once. After years of this, time and again losing in the first and second rounds, last year was a real breath of fresh air for management. But now, back to the ways of old, I can understand perfectly why management would want to drop Martin. He was a hugely successful coach and, in my humble opinion, a good man I respected. I met him once and he seemed to have more of a genuine enthusiasm from being around fans of the game than almost anybody I've ever met.
But, with respect to the ongoing playoff troubles, maybe management felt it was just time. Although I think we should have changed goalies for a season before firing Martin, I am now of a cooler head and I am ready to see how things go. It'll be interesting to see who they pick, since no great coaches are available at the moment. That's one of the other reasons I was disappointed with the outcome: there are not currently any obvious choices to replace him. If Hartley or Quenneville or Tortorella were up for grabs, maybe the timing would be better.
With respect to the coaching...Now that I have calmed down... it occurs to me that maybe it was time afor a coaching change after all. I mean, the Senators have been immensely successful, perhaps the most successful of any young team in the NHL over the past five years. We have had three division titles and a President's Trophy in the past half-decade, and the team is almost always one of the top seeds going into the playoffs. And yet, we've only made it past the second round once. After years of this, time and again losing in the first and second rounds, last year was a real breath of fresh air for management. But now, back to the ways of old, I can understand perfectly why management would want to drop Martin. He was a hugely successful coach and, in my humble opinion, a good man I respected. I met him once and he seemed to have more of a genuine enthusiasm from being around fans of the game than almost anybody I've ever met.
But, with respect to the ongoing playoff troubles, maybe management felt it was just time. Although I think we should have changed goalies for a season before firing Martin, I am now of a cooler head and I am ready to see how things go. It'll be interesting to see who they pick, since no great coaches are available at the moment. That's one of the other reasons I was disappointed with the outcome: there are not currently any obvious choices to replace him. If Hartley or Quenneville or Tortorella were up for grabs, maybe the timing would be better.
, the Toronto Sun had a great article on Niewy yesterday in which he stated that last summer, the market was so quiet that he jumped at the first decent offer he received (ie. from the Leafs)...In other words, Muckler COULD have had him...
