Anyone who has followed Caps hockey at all this season knew that it was not a question of if Glen Hanlon would be fired...but when.
And "when" becomes today, as it was announced this morning that Hanlon had been removed from his position as head coach. Serving as interim head coach will be Bruce Boudreau, bench boss for the Caps' AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
None of this is a surprise.
Hanlon's tenure here was overall a very successful one, creating a team that grew a reputation for being hard-working and feisty if not overly talented. He was the perfect coach for a young, rebuilding team - patient, calm, and always eager to teach. The problems started when suddenly this group of lunch pail guys was infused with more talent, and then magnified when the talent suffered a rash of injuries.
It seemed at times that the Caps simply stopped listening to him. Many players came out over the past week and defended Hanlon, saying he was telling them what to do and they just weren't executing - well, that's a problem. If the players aren't motivated to follow instructions that they know are right, it's time for a change.
So after a loss to the Thrashers last night the Caps find themselves under the guidance of 
Boudreau, a talented AHL coach who has led the Bears to two straight Calder Cup finals. Boudreau has the advantage of having coached a number of the Caps in the AHL and has been regarded by some as one of the better coaches not in the NHL - we'll see how true that is when the boys travel to Philly for a post-Thanksgiving matinee against the Flyers tomorrow.
Best of luck to Hanlon - I'll admit I'm sad to see him go, as much as I am looking forward with hope for a turnaround. And of course good luck to Bruce Boudreau in his new role...here's hoping he's got what it takes.
It certainly can't get any worse.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Hanlon Out, Boudreau In
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thoughts on Hanlon
Earlier today someone posted the following question in a comment: is it time to fire Hanlon?
Until now this is a subject that I've admittedly been rather wishy-washy on. In all my time as a fan I've been very reluctant to aim the finger of blame directly at the bench boss. I grow attached to coaches, almost as attached as I am to the players, and the thought of firing them often seems beyond my thought process.
That officially ends today.
I'm jumping on the "fire Hanlon" bandwagon right now, tossing aside my sentimentality which really has no place in sports in the first place, ditching my childhood naivete and saying that this team should be better. It should be better and there is no longer any excuse I can give for why they are not.
This is a team full of people talented enough to make a living playing hockey. So why is it that they are routinely unable to do the little things like complete a pass or get a decent scoring chance? Why do players continue to shoot the puck directly into the opposition's skates, often allowing an odd-man rush? Why do players like Ovechkin and Nylander continue to overplay the puck and ultimately turn it over?
The fact that the defense has improved enough to overcome these little breakdowns is beside the point and in fact is little comfort - it may be a goal prevented but it's also an offensive chance blown at the other end. When you're only scoring one goal a night you can't afford to be missing the net with your shots or turning the puck over on the power play.
Then there's the chemistry, an elusive animal that, until recently, seemed to be present in the locker room. There was a good spirit, a positive attitude, a sense that this team was in it together. But is it me or does that seem to be missing lately? Players sound increasingly dejected in interviews - we're playing well but we're just not winning, we're not getting the breaks, blah blah blah.
Twice in the last two weeks we've seen articles come out from scratched players airing their frustrations at the lack of playing time - something I don't remember seeing in recent years. It begs the question, why aren't Sutherby and Eminger getting ice time? You can say chemistry is delicate, lines are set, we want the depth to have two healthy bodies in the press box...but when the team is losing all the time, that argument stops holding water.
You can't claim that this team is better without those two in the lineup - and I'm not saying they're the answer, either. As much as I like both of them I can admit that neither is the team-saving type. I just know that I've seen Jeff Schultz fail to line someone up with a solid check or turn the puck over far too many times not to wonder what Eminger would have done in the same situation. I know that I've seen Sutherby give 110% on every measly shift he's been given this year, something we can't always say about some of the other forwards. It's not like this team can get any worse...might as well let them play a bit.
And what about the work ethic? This team has been one of the worst teams over the last three years but there was never a question that they came to play almost every night. Teams would say afterwards that the Caps were a hard-working team, tough to play against, and you couldn't take them for granted. Haven't seen those quotes floating around after many games lately...
So yes, it's time for Hanlon to go. I realize that I am but one voice and I come into this argument late and with all the authority of an armchair GM. But all these things - the lack of basic hockey skills, the lack of chemistry, the lack of hard work - these are all things that fall squarely in the lap of the coach. It is his job to drill the hockey fundamentals into his team's minds. It is his job to create chemistry where there was none. It is his job to motivate the team to put in a full sixty minutes of high energy, hard-working hockey.
Coach Hanlon is a great guy, a great coach, a great leader. He was a breath of fresh air after the disaster that was Bruce Cassidy's tenure here, a calming voice when the team was being sold off bit by bit, a reassuring presence when the Caps wallowed at the bottom of the league two years running.
But now it seems his work is done. Time for a change.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
GMGM is Old School...and Hanlon's a Loon
Even more satisfying? Hanlon.
Trust me, you won't want to miss the last minute of the video.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Jerky & Mo Show - Season or Series Finale?
Some interesting comments from Hanlon today per Capitals Insider regarding the future of the Caps defensive corps, particularly the pairing of Morrisonn and Jurcina. This stuck out to me:
"We all have to take a look," Hanlon said. "I'm not making any predictions about next year [regarding] who's going to do what or who's going to play where. We're going to finish in the bottom handful of teams."Tarik mentioned he was surprised at how frank Hanlon was in regards to specific players. It's true, Hanlon doesn't tend to like picking on or singling out individuals, good or bad. I think that it's the end of the season, though, and if you can't speak frankly about where you've been and where you're going now, when can you?
This is a team that is clearly struggling in so many areas, that needs improvement in so many areas - and let's be honest, I'd say 50% of the guys on the roster are probably fighting for jobs next year. Mediocre performances now could mean a one-way ticket out of DC later on. The fact that Hanlon addresses this head on shows me that at least he's aware we're not going to win a Cup with the team we have. I also find the underlining tone of everything he says encouraging, and it echoes what we've been hearing from the Caps organization for the last few weeks - help is coming this offseason.
[Psssst....get Chris Drury!!]
[Psst...PSSSSST...get Brian Rafalski!!]
