The Curse of the European Experiment

Feb. 23, 2009: Tom Renney, NYR: 31-23-7, 69 points, winning percentage: .566

Feb. 15, 2009: Michel Therrien, PIT: 27-25-5, 59 points, winning percentage: .517

Feb. 2, 2009: Craig Hartsburg, OTT: 17-27-7, 41 points, winning percentage: .402

Nov. 15, 2008: Barry Melrose, TBL: 5-7-4, 14 points, winning percentage: .437

Four coaches. Four teams that started the season in Europe, two (Ottawa and Pittsburgh) in Sweden and two (New York and Tampa Bay) in Finland. Is it a coincidence? Probably. But it might not be.

A season begun in Europe means a lot of things. One positive thing Sens fans were looking for was team bonding, bringing a team that had a difficult year and some significant changes closer together under the team's banner. It also means, however, an unusually shortened training camp and atypical exhibition games. It means a circus-like beginning to the season, that cuts into the regular season, and certainly offers some distraction from the team's focus on the season. I don't know if any of that affected these teams' respective performance this season, but it's a very interesting coincidence.

Next season, four more games in Europe: Detroit versus St. Louis in Stockholm, and Chicago takes on Florida in Helsinki. Let's see how that goes.

Playing to your strengths

Biggest news in Senators land right now has got to be the entirely unexpected success that Cory Clouston has had since taking over the head coaching mantle. Throw into the fire that was the Ottawa Senators terrible season so far, Clouston came in with confidence and excitement, and that has visibly transferred to the players under him. You've got to wonder, though, why has he been so successful (so far, at least, by going 4-1-1) where three other coaches failed?

I think it has a lot to do with playing to the team's strengths. John Paddock failed last year because, according to GM Bryan Murray, he didn't do enough to get himself and the team ready to play every night. He overused the CASH Line to start the season, and lost the dressing room at some point. He wasn't able to regain the room, and the team couldn't gain any semblance of consistency. So Murray canned Paddock and went behind the bench himself, but to no avail; the team continued to plummet, and Murray's one big trade did nothing to help when they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Craig Hartsburg came in this season with plenty of fanfare. He was absolutely convinced that this team, even without truly elite defencemen, just needed a defensively responsible system to play within to compensate. He forced square pegs into round holes, telling offensive players to play defence instead. And, to be honest, I did think that was what the team needed. We had weak defence and weaker goaltending (this was before Brian Elliott saved us), but good offensive firepower. The unintended effect of this, though, was that offensive players, particularly Daniel Alfredsson, tired themselves out in defensive work and others, such as Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, looked lost at times in a system that just didn't work for them. That's not to say Hartsburg was a bad coach, he was simply a coach who wasn't right for the team and wasn't able to change his approach to suit its players.

Clouston's has been tremendously different, though. He's reinstituted the run-and-gun style that these Senators have had their most success with, and the players look like they're having fun with it. Ottawa is still a team with good speed--especially on the second, third, and fourth lines--and a hard forecheck as has been practiced takes the pressure off Ottawa's defence and puts it on the opposition's. And, with a goaltender who by all appearances may be able to steal a game (or at least preserve a game) in Elliott, the inevitable defensive gaffes won't be as costly as they once were. This may not be a team that will win games with stifling defence, but they might be good enough to outscore their opponents--which is a lot more exciting than games were earlier in the year.

The new coach has also given a new life to a few of Ottawa's prospects, whom he was familiar with in Binghamton. Brian Lee (now playing with Filip Kuba after Clouston (rightfully) reunited Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips) continues his solid play, but that started before Clouston came around. But Clouston has placed Nick Foligno in a second-line role position with the opportunity to succeed, and Foligno has responded well. He's used Brendan Bell effectively, limiting his even-strength ice time to that against weaker opposition and maximizing his powerplay time. He brought up Ryan Shannon, who rejuvenated the Senators' second line and has also been seeing powerplay time on the point.

It's still very early in Clouston's career. The last six games have been impressive, but it remains to be seen whether the players are only relaxed because they now have no expectations, or whether they're still running on the wake-up call that a coaching change represents. As a few more games are played, though, we'll start to see the real team come about--hopefully it will look like the one that's played the last six games rather than the one that was around for the year prior to them.

Murray next to go: Paddock

According to TSN, John Paddock has suggested that Bryan Murray hasn't assembled a team good enough to compete in the NHL, and is the next in line to be fired. His words, according to the report:

"I think now he's next in line," Paddock told the Courier-Post. "We were 14 games over .500 when I was fired. They're seven under now. Somebody needs to take responsibility for that. Whether the coaches he hired and fired were good or not, they're his players and they're either not playing good or can't play, one or the other."

[...]

"The players are not very good, that's the problem," Paddock told the Courier-Post.

I have two questions: First off, after having moved on to a new AHL coaching job and likely trying to leave his Senators' experience in the past, why the hell is Paddock choosing this time to speak out on the issues of the team? It doesn't seem to make any sense.

And secondly, is there one person who doesn't think Murray is next on the firing list, if things don't get better? I think that's pretty much the only thing people agree on with regards the Ottawa Senators right now. Whether or not he'll get to take the team through the next draft is one thing, but owner Eugene Melnyk certainly has laid his expectations at the feet of Murray, and it's up to Murray to make it work.

And one final point, about his statement that the players aren't very good: It's still early, but Cory Clouston has gotten them to play pretty well. This group is, most would agree, even less skilled than the team that Paddock had to work with, and the same one Craig Hartsburg had to work with. So maybe it's not only that the players--as a 20-man group--aren't good enough, but maybe Paddock, and Hartsburg, hadn't motivated them properly to play within a system that works to their strengths.

We will see how things go, certainly, but the timing and content of these comments don't reflect well on Paddock.

Thoughts on the Hartsburg firing from the pundits

With the news that the Senators have fired Craig Hartsburg, making him their second first-year coach canned at the mid-way point of the season in as many seasons (following in John Paddock's footsteps), seems to have all the media and blogosphere pundits decrying the Senators' decision (be sure to check out Ben's thoughts on the issue here).

Here's a few excerpts from the bigger websites, starting with Stu Hackell's Slapshot blog:

What’s that popular definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? For the second year in a row, Senators G.M. Bryan Murray has axed his first-year coach in February. Craig Hartsburg was dismissed Monday morning after the Caps and Alex Ovechkin dismantled the Sens 7-4 the day before.

[...]

Hartsburg, who signed a three-year deal in June, is replaced by Cory Clouston, coach of the Sens’ A.H.L. team, the Binghamton Senators.

[...]

This doesn’t look good for Murray and his long-term future as manager of the club. Jeez, that couldn’t mean that Eugene Melnyk is going to be, uh, blowing up the organization, could it?

... and James Mirtle, from his From the Rink blog:

I personally don't see any way you stick with Murray after all of the failures since that run to the finals in 2007. The team has essentially been dismantled, save for the big three, and has a long road of rebuilding ahead.

There are no free-agent solutions for what ails Ottawa.

Scapegoating is a good description of what's gone on, and it's something that's plagued both the coaches and goalies in the organization. Ray Emery and John Paddock were run out of town last season only to watch this current group of underachievers (including the GM) continue to underachieve to an even greater extent. Gerber wasn't good this season, but he was also the backup netminder, making only 14 starts and posting an .899 save percentage that is miles better than what netminders like Chris Osgood, Vesa Toskala, Mathieu Garon and Manny Legace have managed this season.

... and Greg Wyshynski from his Puck Daddy blog:

It's said every coach is hired to one day be fired; that was never more evident than when Craig Hartsburg was given the Ottawa Senators' bench last summer.

He was a completely pedestrian choice, hired because he was a disciplinarian for an egomaniacal roster; or because of his Canadian junior hockey fame; or because Florida Panthers Coach Peter DeBoer wanted too much job-security and money as the frontrunner.

So while DeBoer is being touted as a Jack Adams candidate while turning the Panthers into playoff contenders, Hartsburg was fired today by the Senators after going 17-27-7 for 41 points -- third-worst in the NHL. If his job was to light a fire under every player not named Dany Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson or Jason Spezza, he failed; hell, according to one Columbus Blue Jackets player, Spezza basically quit, too. The team was an unmitigated disaster, and when Hartsburg wasn't exacerbating its problems he was also helpless to fix them.

... and Adam Proteau of The Hockey News on his aptly-titled Adam Proteau Blog:

The move was less than a shock, considering Ottawa has been languishing at the bottom of the NHL standings for months. But it doesn’t speak to the real problem with the Sens – namely, the holy trinity of salary cap killers that is Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson.

[...]

If owner Eugene Melnyk and Ottawa GM Bryan Murray need to see an example of cap management done right, they ought to look to the Calgary Flames, who, like the Sens, pay out big bucks to three of their players. The big difference is that in Calgary, one of those three (Jarome Iginla) plays forward, one (Dion Phaneuf) plays defense, and one (Miikka Kiprusoff) plays in net.

In other words, the Flames have a balance and symmetry to their on-ice and financial plans that serves the overall needs of the organization well.

The Sens have nothing of the sort – and that pronounced imbalance played a major role in costing Hartsburg his job.

... and Jeff Marek's blog on CBC.ca:

After 48 games the Ottawa Senators’ brass decided they had seen enough, lost enough and needed to do something to shake up the organization. The solution? Fire head coach Craig Hartsburg.

As Scott Morrison said on Hockey Night Online Monday … it’s Groundhog Day, indeed.

[...]

Prediction: Ottawa rides out the rest of the season, win lose or shootout and come July 1 completely overhauls this once-mighty squad. One of the best never to have won the Stanley Cup is about to get a complete makeover. Who coaches and who manages? There has been talk going back to the world junior tournament that Pat Quinn and Bob Nicholson could come in as a combo package. We’ll have to wait and see about that one.

... and Sports Illustrated's Michael Farber's Inside the NHL blog:

Instead of getting ahead of the market, Murray locked himself into talents who are not bedrock players despite their offensive numbers (Heatley and Spezza) and left the Senators with a defense that is not adept at moving the puck or joining the rush. He also has too many players, including Fisher (seven goals) and Antoine Vermette (six), who'd be more attractive if they were making at least $1 million less per year than they are now. Like Paddock, an admirable man and former Ottawa assistant coach who was favored by the players, and Hartsburg, previously a moderately successful NHL head coach, Murray simply backed the wrong people.

Maybe Clouston can provide the good housecleaning the Senators need in his first NHL job, but it's a long shot. A better bet last summer might have been the one man seemingly capable of shoveling these Augean Stables -- John Tortorella -- but, according to sources, the former coach of the 2004 Cup champion Lightning never received an interview. Now, the abrasive Tortorella can be a pebble in the shoe of his players, which might have made for a stylistic mismatch, but Murray should have at least heard some of his ideas before anointing Hartsburg.

Would Ottawa have taken to an American as a coach? If he won, guaranteed.

For a team that has been an annual playoff participant for more than a decade, the coaching switch probably comes too late. Unless Murray can change the culture of the team -- or Melnyk identifies a GM he thinks can do it -- the foundering Senators will continue to fade.

... and The Hockey News' Ken Campbell's Campbell's Cuts blog:

Pretty tough to argue with that logic when it comes to the Ottawa Senators firing Craig Hartsburg just 48 games into his tenure in Canada’s capital. If there were a coaches’ union, you can bet it would be processing the paperwork right now for a grievance against the Senators for firing their coach without just cause.

What the Senators did today is what drives coaches bonkers and it should. But what it will also do is drive any prime coaching candidates away from Ottawa if they have a choice between the Senators and almost any other organization in the league.

Is there anyone out there who believes that any of the stink from this mess in Ottawa should be sticking to Hartsburg at the moment? Hartsburg is a quality coach who has succeeded at every level of hockey and it’s amazing that over the course of 48 games, he somehow worked in a way that merited him being fired.

... and me, personally? Thank you for asking.

Bryan Murray, once again, made the wrong choice when deciding who should coach this team. That much is clear. And he's made some highly suspect personnel decisions, obviously, with the albatross-contracts to Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher, and even Chris Kelly. Can he fix it? Shit, I hope so, or else this rebuilding will be pretty damned long. Should he be given the chance to fix his own mistakes? I certainly think so, but many people have different opinions of that--and their opinions are certainly valid.

And, with regards to the Cory Clouston hiring: I say we give the guy at least one game, maybe a few, to prove just what he can do in the NHL. The Sens are pretty much a write-off this season, anyway, so let's give it some time.

Hartsburg canned, Clouston called up

As everyone (originally TSN, and also Ben right on this blog) is reporting, Craig Hartsburg has been fired by the Ottawa Senators. He compiled a 17-24-7 record, good for 41 points and 28th in the league.

According to the Ottawa Sun, Binghamton Senators head coach Cory Clouston is expected to be named interim head coach of the Ottawa Senators. No word yet on who will take over in Bingo.

It's fitting that the Senators just lost to a reborn Washington Capitals team, because this Clouston decision sounds a lot like people trying to find a way to replicate Bruce Boudreau's success with the Caps. Boudreau was recruited from the Hershey Bears and named interim head coach of the Caps in November 2007, and his success his bosses dropped the 'interim' tag and kept him on full time. With Clouston, if things work out (and there's a pretty loose definition of that right now), he sticks around. If not, he heads back to Bingo next year, and the Sens do the interview process for the third off-season in a row.

It's also interesting to note that some Binghamton fans have been calling for Clouston's head to roll after a few consecutive poor seasons for the B-Sens, this season notwithstanding. Bingo has missed the playoffs for the last three seasons, and lost in the first and preliminary rounds in the seasons previous. Time will tell how he does in the NHL.

Richardson retires, will likely move into coaching

After going unclaimed on waivers, Luke Richardson has decided that it's time to hang up the skates for good, and is expected to move forward in some coaching capacity with the Ottawa Senators. Although nothing has been confirmed, Richardson has had conversation with Sens GM Bryan Murray about the move, and it seems like a certainty that he'll get some bench-boss job with Ottawa. (I called it.)

I'm certain there are going to be fans who think that Richardson should have called it a career before this season started--and even those who thing last year was one too many--but he's done well for the Senators. He did more than was expected last season, and the Sens had nothing to lose when they invited for a tryout and then, after a solid tryout (he outplayed Alex Picard, Brian Lee, Brendan Bell, and Christoph Schubert in training camp) re-signed him to a two-way contract. It's not even like he cost the Sens very much, as his cap hit will come down from the $500k NHL salary he signed, and it gave the Senators the opportunity to bring a knowledgeable long-time NHL veteran into the organization, possibly for years to come.

I can see Richardson stepping into one of two roles: Either as an 'eye-in-the-sky', watching the game from the press box and calling down with things he's noticed from above. Or he'll be a defensive coach with developing defensive prospects, which the Senators suddenly have quite a few of--Picard, Lee, Tomas Kudelka, Mattias Karlsson, Ben Blood, Eric Gryba, Erik Karlsson, Patrick Wiercoch, and Mark Borowiecki. Sure, some of those projects are probably finished (cough*KUDELKA*cough) and some won't work out, but having someone with the experience Richardson has sure won't hurt their development.

Jeremy Milks over at Black Aces was the first to ask what would happen to Richardson's moustache, grown in solidarity with his fellow players to ease the tension during their losing streak, now that he's retired. I, for one, think he should keep it. Not only because he looks awesome (read: hilarious), but also because he's expected to be a player's coach, so it's only fitting that he acts like on of the players.

Whatever happens to Richardson or the Richardstache, I wish him (and it) the best of luck.