Per Botterill: Sabres have relieved Phil Housley of his Coaching Duties

[inkman]

Just now, Brawndo said:

Nolan was a very good motivator as a coach, he was not very good with the Xs and Os. Even Mike Harrington, who was one of Nolan’s Biggest Fans, mentioned after watching Bylsma’s First Couple of Practices that TN did not have a system remotely close to today’s NHL Standards. 

With Cooper, Cassidy, Babcock, Julien and now Quenneville in the Atlantic, it’s imperative they get this hire right. 

Ted is likable but his sheer disregard for anything that has evolved in hockey the last 20 years is a non-starter. 

[darksabre]

17 minutes ago, TrueBlueGED said:

Not really. It was 30 years ago. Thirty! 

I was referring more to Lafontaine hiring Nolan. 

[...]

1 hour ago, ... said:

Been traveling all day.  The firing was no surprise.  Did JBot have a presser?  If so, did he indicate he had a plan for the next coach?

Hey, good question!

[darksabre]

11 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Nolan was a very good motivator as a coach, he was not very good with the Xs and Os. Even Mike Harrington, who was one of Nolan’s Biggest Fans, mentioned after watching Bylsma’s First Couple of Practices that TN did not have a system remotely close to today’s NHL Standards. 

With Cooper, Cassidy, Babcock, Julien and now Quenneville in the Atlantic, it’s imperative they get this hire right. 

And I'm not advocating for him to actually coach this team. I'm simply pointing out that he has a quality about him that perhaps the last few coaches haven't and that it shouldn't be taken for granted. 

If you can't get the players to play for you, it doesn't matter what your system is. 

[WildCard]

1 minute ago, ... said:

Hey, good question!

 

[SDS]

35 minutes ago, ... said:

Hey, good question!

“Nothing has been defined...”

[dudacek]

Not snark: does Ted have any supporters who weren’t around for the Hasek years?

[irregularly irregular]

1 hour ago, darksabre said:

And I'm not advocating for him to actually coach this team. I'm simply pointing out that he has a quality about him that perhaps the last few coaches haven't and that it shouldn't be taken for granted. 

If you can't get the players to play for you, it doesn't matter what your system is. 

Amen.

[JJFIVEOH]

31 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Not snark: does Ted have any supporters who weren’t around for the Hasek years?

I was a supporter. I think it would be great to see him get a job somewhere. He is a motivator, like has been mentioned. I think it's easier to instill a system today than it used to be because each team now has 35 assistants. Not long ago it was two or three. 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, TrueBlueGED said:

The grinders love him. There's no evidence the high skill players that actually win games love him. 

Maybe. BUT on teams he coaches those players know that there will be players on that roster that will protect them and let them play as skill players. So if I was a softer skilled forward I think I'd be ok with that.

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

Hard pass.  His teams have either been knocked out in the first round or missed playoffs altogether in 14/18 years of his coaching.   Plus his style is antiquated and an annoying personality.  

Disagree entirely on Torts. He will hold the so called talent accountable and for me it's high time we did that. I also think he is less (or at least no more) antiquated than most of the veteran coaches names mentioned or Barry Trotz and many others. You can merge skill and toughness (Cassidy) and you can adapt to the new game (Julien) while still retaining sound defensive principles and nothing about how Columbus plays screams antiquated to me.

[Huckleberry]

8 hours ago, Gatorman0519 said:

If we end up with something like 75 points again there is no way he survives imo.  TM was sent packing for the same thing. 

TM was sent packing because when he was asked how he would fix things he didn't have an answer.

[nucci]

9 hours ago, kas23 said:

Correct. If he didn’t contact Q’s agent a week ago, I’d say he’s incompetent. That is, if Q signs with Florida, it doesn’t mean we were late to the game, it means he didn’t want to sign here. 

Yep, more of a relationship with Tallon

[ALF]

Botterill should talk to all his key players and find out what is wrong and how they would fix it.   jmo

Then be sure to re-sign Skinner.

 

 

[North Buffalo]

So there in is the Rub and to me its all about fit.  A guy who  adjust systems to fit players, play better D but dont eliminate up tempo style using Sabres speed and the speed is coming with Dahlin, Montour, Borgen, Pilut and even Risto.  McCabe isnt slow either was thinking this isnt a bad top six if coached properly... on offense with Mitts showing signs of life and Asplund coming along in A, a top draft pick heck all Sabres need is Laaksonen and Samuelson to take big steps forward next year so Sabres can have plenty of cough Risto trade bait.  If no Risto... need Bogo replacement... he wore down toward end of year.

So who is it... I am not confident in any of the names mentioned... Taylor maybe but I like him in the A...

Edited April 8, 2019 by North Buffalo

[DHawerchuk10]

9 hours ago, TrueBlueGED said:

The grinders love him. There's no evidence the high skill players that actually win games love him. 

Lafontaine scored 40 with him, and hired him as coach.  I’d say that is pretty good evidence, unless you consider him to be a grinder.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the other side of the argument, but it just ignores taking into account favorable things due to bias against that brand of hockey.

I personally think letting him go after the tank year was a mistake.  I’m pretty sure I am one of only a couple of people who feel this way, and also believe that if given some talent, he’ll get us into the playoffs.  I’m not seriously suggesting we hire Nolan back as I jokingly did in another thread, but as dark mentioned, too much Nolan hate in here.

[TrueBlueGED]

6 minutes ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

Lafontaine scored 40 with him, and hired him as coach.  I’d say that is pretty good evidence, unless you consider him to be a grinder.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the other side of the argument, but it just ignores taking into account favorable things due to bias against that brand of hockey.

I personally think letting him go after the tank year was a mistake.  I’m pretty sure I am one of only a couple of people who feel this way, and also believe that if given some talent, he’ll get us into the playoffs.  I’m not seriously suggesting we hire Nolan back as I jokingly did in another thread, but as dark mentioned, too much Nolan hate in here.

So, are you saying the biggest problem with this team was effort? I saw plenty of trying hard. I can count on one hand the number of nights I recall them just not showing up. Lots of mistakes, lots of cluelessness, etc. But effort? I think the effort was there. I certainly don't think lack of effort left 10 wins on the table, which is what it would have taken for this team to be in the playoffs. Also, a few more wins through sheer will could easily be offset by a few more losses through sheer lack of tactics. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by TrueBlueGED

[PromoTheRobot]

Housley took talented players and made them look like fools on the ice. They had no idea what they were supposed to do. How is that not coaching? 

 

On a side note: how silly does Paul Hamilton look now? 

[LGR4GM]

50 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Housley took talented players and made them look like fools on the ice. They had no idea what they were supposed to do. How is that not coaching? 

 

On a side note: how silly does Paul Hamilton look now? 

Idk what did he say? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

9 hours ago, WildCard said:

 

You know what?

I like JBOT and I think he knows what he is doing, but it is a bit early to tell for sure.

Man, I can't listen to this guy for any more than a minute, or two.  He is so robotic ... no offense @PromoTheRobot.

Hey, @Eleven, if you find yourself unable to sleep, which I know you struggle with sometimes, just dig this video up and you will be all set.

[Andrew Amerk]

7 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

You know what?

I like JBOT and I think he knows what he is doing, but it is a bit early to tell for sure.

Man, I can't listen to this guy for any more than a minute, or two.  He is so robotic ... no offense @PromoTheRobot.

Hey, @Eleven, if you find yourself unable to sleep, which I know you struggle with sometimes, just dig this video up and you will be all set.

That’s funny you say that. I started playing this when I laid down last night, and fell asleep prolly 5 minutes in...and I’m one of those people with problems falling asleep! 

[LTS]

One skill that Jason Botterill lacks is the ability for public speaking.  He's terrible at it.  It doesn't bother me that he is, but he's never going to come across as a guy who seems competent when in the public forum.  I believe he is competent however.

The thing with any coaching selection is that even the experienced coaches that are available have all been fired for failure a few times and I'm not sure how many have won a Stanley Cup.  It's not just about having an experienced coach, it's about having the right coach for this team.  An experienced coach MIGHT have the skills to move this team in the right direction and they MIGHT be extremely successful.  It's going to be a crap shoot though.

An inexperienced coach with the right skills has just as much chance of being successful.  I think the inexperienced coach has to come from a successful organization where they would have had plenty of time to absorb the knowledge and hone the skills on how to run a hockey team.  Think of it as hiring the assistants of successful coaches in the NFL.  They tried it with Housley, but he clearly still needed to learn more than he had.  Perhaps it was a bit too soon for Housley to assume full control.

One thing is certain, to me, is that if certain players continue to exhibit their same behavior with yet another coach there might be a need to move those players.

Fun times...

[Derrico]

11 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

Ok, ok, you got me. Those players did bring us from dead last to 5th from dead last ?

and ummm.........they were on the team when we were dead last......oh snap.....(insert multiple eye rolls here)

So instead of improve the team by getting rid of the dead weight and surrounding the core with better players you would propose the opposite?  Got it.  Insert a million eye rolls here.

[LGR4GM]

11 hours ago, Scottysabres said:

Ok, ok, you got me. Those players did bring us from dead last to 5th from dead last ?

and ummm.........they were on the team when we were dead last......oh snap.....(insert multiple eye rolls here)

So what's your plan? You want to take Reinhart, Dahlin, Skinner, Eichel off the team? 

3 minutes ago, Derrico said:

So instead of improve the team by getting rid of the dead weight and surrounding the core with better players you would propose the opposite?  Got it.  Insert a million eye rolls here.

lol beat me too it

[Doohicksie]

56 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

I can't listen to this guy for any more than a minute, or two.  He is so robotic

He's not a natural public speaker and he's very carefully choosing words in that presser.  He's probably been advised by the legal staff what he can and cannot say about Phil, and if he did time the firing to try to get in on Q, he needs to make sure to temper the description of the next coach to match not just Q, but anyone he may end up hiring (thus the statement that he wouldn't be discussing what he was looking for in his next coach), and if the timing of the firing was an effort to hire Q, that's overcome by events anyway, as NHL.com sez Florida landed Q.