How important is coaching in play offs?

[Whodoyouthinkyousee]

I just listened podcast where Kimmo Timonen was in and he said and was actually very clear about what he was saying.

He was absolutely sure that Joel Quenneville had not much to do when Chicago won the championship when Kimmo was there also. He said that Joel came in 5 minutes before the game and said the old classics "Let's go get them" and so on. And after the game Joel hit the table with his hand and yelled "I love winners" and so on. Kimmo sais that the leadership and 'how to play' was so strong in the players that coach did not need to do much about tactics or in game adjustments.

Kimmo also said that he thinks coaches are important in regular season and who they decide to give icetime.

Is It so? Do we put tuo much importance coaching in playoffs? Or is this only a rare case where Chicago was so good and so experienced that they did not need anything? Or was Quenneville already been the coach there for so long that he did not need to do anything else at that point?

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[Svencouver]

its always seemingly obvious when a team is getting “outcoached” to me, but im sure a lot of that is just how well coached the team is throughout the season and how quickly the players can adjust and elevate. line matching and deployment matters a lot, too

tbh, id consider a team that has coaches that can be “hands off” and have their players know exactly what to do, where to be, and how to respond to be supremely “well-coached”. a system is built throughout the preceding 82 games - its executed in the playoffs

 

[FoxyClean]

Very.

See: Gerard Gallant, 2023 Playoffs.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I think a lot. For example Florida was well prepared yesterday and had answers to all our shenanigans: Killed our transition and zone entry game, took away Kuch to Point, kept it clean even though you knew players wanted to start shit but keeping our PP unit off the ice was priority.

During our Cup runs we saw Coop absolutely outsmart and outcoach the opposition so I’m curious to see how he answers in game 2. That said the personnel and its chemistry and general mindset is a huge part too. We had a lot of depth guys that provided experience and leadership, that lead by example, that made the rest buy in and give their all. So coaching is not everything.

 

[Svencouver]

I think a lot. For example Florida was well prepared yesterday and had answers to all our shenanigans: Killed our transition and zone entry game, took away Kuch to Point, kept it clean even though you knew players wanted to start shit but keeping our PP unit off the ice was priority.

During our Cup runs we saw Coop absolutely outsmart and outcoach the opposition so I’m curious to see how he answers in game 2. That said the personnel and its chemistry and general mindset is a huge part too. We had a lot of depth guys that provided experience and leadership that made the rest buy in and give their all. So coaching is not everything.

cooper was the first name that popped into my mind as a case to the affirmative, too

 

[Rpenny]

We get this thread every so often and I go??????????????. The only people who do not understand how important coaching is at all times are guy who have never played any organized sports at any level

 

[TMLife17]

Coach Q may have been that way in the playoffs, but as another person said, it's about how well prepared you are through the first 82 games.

Sounds like he was so good the players didn't need him to do anything further. They knew what needed to be done when certain situations arose.

 

[Whodoyouthinkyousee]

We get this thread every so often and I go??????????????. The only people who do not understand how important coaching is at all times are guy who have never played any organized sports at any level

I have played and I do understand. But Kimmo has also played and I am sure understands also. Why would he say that if it was not true in that case? And he did not leave too much to speculate about. He was very clear. So I am just interested to see how others see It.

Coach Q may have been that way in the playoffs, but as another person said, it's about how well prepared you are through the first 82 games.

Sounds like he was so good the players didn't need him to do anything further. They knew what needed to be done when certain situations arose.

I thought about this also. But then again people are so easy to say that 'coach didn't react inside the game' and so on. Didn't Chicago need to chance anything or were the players and system so good that they were able to do It without?

 

[DeltaSwede]

I think it becomes even more critical. Like a poster above said, you build it during the regular season and in the playoffs you hope to execute everything you've worked on.

Brendan Morrison started a youtube channel recently. Caught his preview video for the Nashville series. He mentions how the players would get thick booklets of information on the opposition for every series. Down to individual opposition players tendencies and likes and dislikes.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Is It so? Do we put tuo much importance coaching in playoffs? Or is this only a rare case where Chicago was so good and so experienced that they did not need anything? Or was Quenneville already been the coach there for so long that he did not need to do anything else at that point?

A good coach/leader knows when to shut up. If people are performing well enough then there's no reason to go around telling others what to do just for the sake of it. It seems like Quenneville had done his job already by establishing a system during the regular season and in the previous seasons and the players were following the plan.

 

[HockeyWooot]

On the one hand much of your coaching work in terms of working with a group, systems etc is already done in the season.

Adjustments, managing players is necessary for the playoffs with less margin for error.

 

[BLONG7]

We get this thread every so often and I go??????????????. The only people who do not understand how important coaching is at all times are guy who have never played any organized sports at any level

Scotty Bowman, once said, once the puck drops his job then becomes, WHO is on the ice, WHEN, and with WHOM................
Coaching becomes even bigger, at key moments. If anything, it becoms more important than it was all year.
Hard to argue with Scotty Bowman folks. His reference was very very simple, and yet very important.

 

[Rpenny]

Scotty Bowman, once said, once the puck drops his job then becomes, WHO is on the ice, WHEN, and with WHOM................
Coaching becomes even bigger, at key moments. If anything, it becoms more important than it was all year.
Hard to argue with Scotty Bowman folks. His reference was very very simple, and yet very important.

Bowman was the first master of psychological warfare. What Bowman said and what he believed were two different things. He is taking his secrets to the grave.

I have played and I do understand. But Kimmo has also played and I am sure understands also. Why would he say that if it was not true in that case? And he did not leave too much to speculate about. He was very clear. So I am just interested to see how others see It.


I thought about this also. But then again people are so easy to say that 'coach didn't react inside the game' and so on. Didn't Chicago need to chance anything or were the players and system so good that they were able to do It without?

Alot of players have tossed Q under over the pass few years

 

[ShootIt]

Now, Andrew Brunette with the Panthers was thrown into the fire so to speak after Coach Q resigned. (2021)
The regular season the team breezed through. However, once the playoffs started, and teams could focus on our strengths and weaknesses there was no adaption.

Panthers beat the Capitals by shear talent/being able to run 3 legit scoring lines and Tom Wilson getting injured in game 1.
Once they faced the Lightning, to me, it was obvious they were trying to run the same style of play but this time vs a team that had the same amount of talent/depth but better coaching. Most games were close, but at the same time it was like watching someone bang their head vs reinforced concrete hoping the next hit would break the slab.

I truly believe if Q was still behind the boards they could of beaten Tampa and been a legit threat for the cup.

 

[Kuz]

Depends a little if you are one of the best teams in the league you might be good enough to just run over other teams if your style match well vs the team you face. Then its more about how you have been coached during the season if that still works in the playoffs then no need to worry.

Its when you face a team that plays a style that dont match well with how your team plays and want to play the game and the other team has the talent level to execute that so you have to adjust and find other ways to break through them you can see if a coach is really good.

The best coaches do both. Find good system to get points in the regular season and adjust tactics when you face an opponent you dont match up well with.

Then of course if youre team are good enough you might not need to adjust and the system that have been implemented during the season works all the way in the postseason. Then the coach during the playoff run perhaps arent that important, but all the work on the way there is important.

 

[Rpenny]

Coaches control the mayhem on the bench. And please do not tell me there no mayhem on the bench during the game. We get this thread every couple of years asking if they actually need coaches at the bench.

Every coach I played had to make adjustments shift by shift. Either because our team was dictating the flow or adjusting to try to change the tempt.

 

[BMOK33]

Less than we think because how do we explain the 94 Wings or 2019 Lightning? If Cooper and Bowman meant so much upsets of that magnitude never ever should occur.

 

[BonMorrison]

Brunette got horribly out coached last night so there's a good example.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Coaches are very important in the playoffs because they prepare the team for 82 games on how they want the team to play by the time it is playoff time. They also make adjustments during the playoffs based on what they learned about their team and players over 82 games to give them the best chance to win. If they have to motivate the players to give their best effort in the playoffs though, the players are the problem, not the coach.

 

[Black Tank]

As a Rangers fan I'm going to say it means a lot. The team D is so much better than last year and the 200 ft play of ALL the forwards is a night and day difference from last year.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Coaching matters a lot.

See: Brunette, Andrew.

 

[Satoru Gojo]

Very important, there's quite a few guys out there who are bad playoff coaches

 

[Neil Racki]

Coaching sometimes can be huge, somtimes its odd.

21-22: Cassidy coaches the Bruins to a 50 plus W season
22-23: Cassidy coaches Vegas to a Cup, his replacement coaches Bruins to 65 wins ...

Lavi coaches Caps to a lottery pick, next year coaches Rangers to a Presidents Cup.
Rookie coach Carbery drags a dead body Caps team across the playoffs last wildcard sport

.. its odd. I guess its right system fit and if you join with a "ready to win" roster

 

[HolyHagelin]

In any group working toward a common goal, fitting everyone together is crucial to maximize results. Tvis is the coach’s job. It is critical.

 

[yeaher]

Yes this makes sense, coaches and stars are just for the regular seasons, goalies too