I just still find the notion that this team will do a 180 merely because of a coaching change to be pretty laughable. The vets have a pedigree to make one think that they should be motivated regardless of other factors and the rookies have mostly looked like they're busting their butts physically or making some mental errors that need to be ironed out with experience on the big level, neither of which I think can be pointed out as on Q. Line decisions obviously could be more ideal, and that you can point at Q, but you can't just blame Q for Toews having issues (that being said, he still is #3 in points on the team), Keith getting older, Seabrook needing sheltered minutes, Hossa being gone, and Kane not being as productive as we'd hope he would be.
Maybe new blood is needed, and as we all know all coaches have a shelf life, but the idea that the Hawks w/ Q = doomed but the Hawks w/ almost anyone else = contenders again just seems like a grass is greener on the other side mentality.
And to be frank, has anyone honestly heard about any player issue with Q? We tend to hear at least rumors allegedly claiming one thing or another that are impossible to prove or disprove, but we haven't really heard anything about players suddenly not liking Q en masse as one would expect if he truly lost the room. That's always just been fan speculation based on no real evidence other than a hope that there's an explanation for why the team **** the bed against the Preds or why they're so disjointed at times this season.
