On Tuesday, the Islanders made the hiring of Scott Gordon as their head coach official. For many, the decision to hire Gordon came as no surprise because of his reputation of developing younger players.
Gordon was a finalist along with Paul Maurice and Bob Hartley, both of whom have a ton of experience of coaching in the NHL. Gordon has had plenty of experience and success in the AHL, and is poised to bring the same things to the table in the NHL.
But experience aside, in my opinion Gordon was the perfect choice for this team right now. The Islanders needed someone who was going to work with younger players. They needed someone with a solid system. That's exactly what they got in Gordon.
I don't have anything personal against Maurice or Hartley. I think both were unfairly canned from their previous jobs, considering their respective GM's track records. But when you really look at it, there were some questions surrounding both. I do think any one of the final three would have worked out, however I was really high on Gordon for this job.
Known to be a defense first guy, Gordon explained that the best defense is a great offense, and explained that he likes to use a constant forecheck. he also acknowledged that he likes to utilize his teams speed and preaches "overspeed." That should be a welcome sight for fans who have watched the Isles under Nolan the last few seasons. It was going to undoubtedly be a much faster team with all the youth coming in, but the departure of Nolan and the entrance of Gordon ensured that the younger players might be used more than they were under Nolan.
The Islanders couldn't have gone wrong in my opinion with either of the 3 finalists. While many would say it is a gamble because of the inexperience, Gordon is part of a new idea that many NHL teams are using. Ottawa, Atlanta and San Jose all hired unproven coaches this offseason.
Time will tell how this works. I think Gordon will be just fine and I'm very excited to see what he does with this team. The important thing is that the Islanders must give him plenty of time.
Showing posts with label Bob Hartley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Hartley. Show all posts
August 15, 2008
July 17, 2008
Islanders, Nolan Go Separate Ways
The Islanders have announced that the team and head coach Ted Nolan will be going their separate ways. The Islanders will begin their search for a new head coach immediately.
Anyone who was surprised by this hasn't been paying attention very much. Many people could see this coming beginning with some comments near the end of the season. It was clear that the GM and coach weren't on the same page, and although they tried to say everything was going to be worked out when they really sat down to think about it they could see it wasn't going to happen.
Now sure, everyone is sad to see Ted go. He led the team to a improbable playoff berth in 2006-2007, along with some help from the now departed Dubie. However, one can't overlook some of the flaws that were in Ted's coaching, flaws that could hinder the development of some of the younger talent that the team is trying to infuse. Ted preferred to go with veterans over the youth, which is fine for a coach who wants to win now. I would expect every coach to want to win now. You don't go into a season expecting to lose. However, you also don't continuously go with what is failing. And if a team is going through a youth movement, then you stick it out and just be patient. The rewards will be excellent in the future.
The Islander teams were slow under Nolan, that is no secret. Ted did want to play a more up tempo style at the beginning of his tenure. But he had to adjust. So when he had the opportunity to get faster with some young blood last season, why didn't he do it? The Islanders' playoff hopes were barely alive for much of the last couple of months, so why not? That's something that Ted only knows himself.
Now, Garth Snow has a chance to hire a coach of his own choosing as the Isles committee is now dead. As always it seems Wang will have some input on the new coach, but one would hope as little involvement as possible. Let Snow choose his own candidate on his own, someone who he can work with.
The Islanders say that they will be interviewing some high profile guys such as John Tortorella, Bob Hartley and Joel Quenneville. Good for them. Later today I will update this with some more in depth details of the candidates. It has been a while since I wrote and just wanted to get my thoughts out there.
Chris
nyifyichris@yahoo.com
Anyone who was surprised by this hasn't been paying attention very much. Many people could see this coming beginning with some comments near the end of the season. It was clear that the GM and coach weren't on the same page, and although they tried to say everything was going to be worked out when they really sat down to think about it they could see it wasn't going to happen.
Now sure, everyone is sad to see Ted go. He led the team to a improbable playoff berth in 2006-2007, along with some help from the now departed Dubie. However, one can't overlook some of the flaws that were in Ted's coaching, flaws that could hinder the development of some of the younger talent that the team is trying to infuse. Ted preferred to go with veterans over the youth, which is fine for a coach who wants to win now. I would expect every coach to want to win now. You don't go into a season expecting to lose. However, you also don't continuously go with what is failing. And if a team is going through a youth movement, then you stick it out and just be patient. The rewards will be excellent in the future.
The Islander teams were slow under Nolan, that is no secret. Ted did want to play a more up tempo style at the beginning of his tenure. But he had to adjust. So when he had the opportunity to get faster with some young blood last season, why didn't he do it? The Islanders' playoff hopes were barely alive for much of the last couple of months, so why not? That's something that Ted only knows himself.
Now, Garth Snow has a chance to hire a coach of his own choosing as the Isles committee is now dead. As always it seems Wang will have some input on the new coach, but one would hope as little involvement as possible. Let Snow choose his own candidate on his own, someone who he can work with.
The Islanders say that they will be interviewing some high profile guys such as John Tortorella, Bob Hartley and Joel Quenneville. Good for them. Later today I will update this with some more in depth details of the candidates. It has been a while since I wrote and just wanted to get my thoughts out there.
Chris
nyifyichris@yahoo.com
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