Well, well, well… Steve Yzerman has been given a firm shove into a peculiar situation.
The Red Wings have been, well, not good at all to start this (still early) season… and I really don’t think a lack of talent has been 100% the issue. It seems like almost every game there is some sort of unprovoked error that can only be pinned on coaching. I kind of let most of it go last season since Derek Lalonde is just beginning to cut his teeth as an NHL head coach, but that sort of leeway is fading. The Wings are coming home from a west coast trip with one point out of a possible six, and lost to two very beatable teams (Anaheim, San Jose). They look nowhere near the same team that I saw play back in the spring — they’re not playing for each other. That, my friends, is a coaching failure. Fans are getting restless.
Enter Jim Montgomery, a very good coach who got the axe from Boston today. I think any hockey fan can tell you that Montgomery wasn’t the primary problem for the Bruins. They were 120-41-23 with him behind the bench. Sure, lots of talent on that team but that’s still an impressive record to add onto his Jack Adams Trophy. Speaks for itself.
See where I’m going here? This is an interesting situation Steve Yzerman finds himself in. On one hand, I don’t think firing a coach midseason is exactly his MO. I truly believe he makes those decisions when the ice is melted. Not so sure Jim Montgomery makes it to the offseason. On the other hand, this is a rare chance to make a bold change for your struggling team and a message to the players. That message, of course, would be “it’s on you guys now.”
Montgomery’s firing is still extremely fresh and I’m sure he’s going to want some time to sort his life out, but I’m sure he’s probably getting a few phone calls. If Steve Yzerman were smart, he’d be on the horn with Jim Montgomery. Make a change, light a fire, etc.
It’s worth a shot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
