At Last

Well, the kids did it. I held off on writing about it because I needed it all to soak in. Even now, it's hard for me to coherently write everything I'm thinking. I'll be brief: what a series. Seriously. Momentum swung back and forth; just when you thought one team had it, things shifted. For myself, it went kind of like this:

Games 1&2: Not again.
Games 3&4: New series. We got this.
Game 5: FML.
Game 6: I can barely watch the second half of this game.
Game 7: S:EIG@%!%$&A! YES.

How do you not love that though? Yes, obviously I would have liked to just win it in four games and avoid all the nerves. But it's much sweeter when you've battled for it.

This was my first Stanley Cup; I say that because the last time Pittsburgh won I was only around four years-old. It is awesome, and I want some more ASAP.

Other than that, just some thoughts:

+ How great is Dan Bylsma's story? He went from assistant in the AHL last season to head coach of the Stanley Cup champs a year later. I'll admit I was wrong about him. I wasn't the biggest supporter of his move to the NHL (although I do stand by the fact that his success was also because of the players making a 'motivation' adjustment). I always liked the guy, I just didn't think he'd be able to do what he did. But it worked out just fine.

+ Marian Hossa. No, I don't really feel bad for you. Maybe a little, but that's about it. I also don't really believe that you have 'no regrets.' I know I'd be kicking myself. Try again next time.

+ Naturally you have to give props to the Red Wings. They're pretty much a model for what a team should be like in the NHL. They're a hard team to beat, and it's something to say you did so.

+ I'd happily like to point out, Game 7 was all about the WBS alums: Maxy Talbot, Marc-Andre Fleury and Dan Bylsma. Represent.

+ Say what you want about Sid; he deserves this. Sure, he whines. But he is unreal. And he (along with Malkin and Ovechkin) helped revive the NHL. I think all hockey fans can respect that.



Love you Stanley. xoxo

Will Bylsma Stay?

Someone wrote into the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with this statement:

I would like to think that general manager Ray Shero will take the "interim" label off of the "head coach" title Dan Bylsma holds, given the success the Penguins have had since he was chosen to replace Michel Therrien. The team has really responded well to Bylsma's coaching style and he seems to have developed a special chemistry with the players. What else is Shero looking for? Are there any indications that he plans to keep Bylsma, and do you think he should name him (the permanent) coach before their first playoff game?

Bylsma has done a good job for Pittsburgh, but here's why he might not be named permanent head coach: because Todd Richards is going to get it.

Remember him? He was the head coach of the Baby Penguins prior to this year until the San Jose Sharks hired him as assistant coach. He got the Baby Pens to the Calder Cup finals, but above that Richards is one of Shero's guys. Winning the Stanley Cup this year wouldn't hurt his chances either. Call me crazy, but I can definitely see this happening. Then again, it all depends on how Bylsma finishes out the season/post-season. I also don't know what the contract situation is for Richards in San Jose. Those things aside, the move could definitely happen.

Is Bylsma the Next Boudreau?

My favorite (and pretty much only - thank you!) commenter of this blog, Matt, recently brought up the Dan Bylsma comparisons to Bruce Boudreau. It's not the first time I've heard this, so I wanted to give my two cents on it. I'm still not sure if that's an entirely accurate comparison. Generally, yes, it works: minor league coach gets NHL job and turns a team around.

Here's where I think things differ:

For one thing, Boudreau was a minor league coach for years and years before he got his chance. He started in 1990 and coached through the IHL, ECHL and AHL. He won two championships and had winning records in all but about four of his coaching seasons. Dan Bylsma was an AHL head coach for a few months. Prior to that he was assistant for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in 04-05, the Islanders in 05-06 and the Baby Pens since then. So the actual experience differs -- not that his lack of it inhibits him from being a successful coach in the NHL. I'm just saying that's a big difference between the two of them.

Secondly, Boudreau inherited a Washington Capitals team that had gone 6-14-1. It was also an organization that had missed the play-offs for three consecutive years before that. They were pretty much a mess. What he did was amazing.

Bylsma inherited a Penguins team that had gone 12-19-2 since the start of December. They had started at 14-6-3 and were coming off a Stanley Cup finals series. The talent was clearly there. It was just a matter of lack of will and chemistry stemming from the players (and they just didn't like Therrien). You can't argue with the Pens' recent wins since Bylsma took over. They've definitely done better than they were doing. I'm just not sure if there's been enough time to judge whether that was because of Bylsma or the players' response to the change.

Time will tell. I'd love to see Bylsma really shift things around not just in terms of winning but in how the team comes together. I just don't know if the change will be as huge as Boudreau's was in Washington.

Therrien Gets Voted Off the Island

Well, Ray Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins fired Michel Therrien.

Guess what? This will not fix Pittsburgh's problems either. I really don't get it. How is the organization not seeing this? It doesn't matter what coach they bring into the Steel City right now. The Penguins will not miraculously start winning until they move some players around and bring the right guys together.

Do I really have to repeat myself again? Okay. Fine. I will. The players on the Pittsburgh roster right now are individuals. When the Pens started to be good again, they had guys who came up through the system along with a mix of skill players and guys that work hard. It was the right combination. Then Shero and co. got big heads and went after guys like Fedotenko and Satan -- great players, but not right for this team.

Sure, Therrien should have been able to do more with the talented players he had. But talent only goes so far. You need the motivation, work ethic, chemistry ... the list goes on. The Pens just don't have it. Shero has the trade deadline to try and find all that. At this point, I'm not hopeful.

Best wishes to WBS coach, Dan Bylsma, who was named interim coach. This is another puzzling move. I like Bylsma, but he's not ready for an NHL job. He's only been an AHL head coach for a few months now. Why didn't they hand it to Mike Yeo?

Someone stop the bleeding in the Pens organization ASAP.

New Boss In The Dub-B

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made the move everyone was expecting and named Dan Bylsma head coach. No shock factor here. He's been with the Baby Pens for a solid two years riding shotgun in the assistant position. The organization didn't have to look far to find a qualified coach. He'll be dealing with a similar group of guys from last season (aka not an extreme amount of talent but a great work ethic), so I think that works in his favor.

The question now is ... are they going to hire Dennis Bonvie as the assistant?

Pretty please??