Confirmed with Link: Phil Housley Hired as Head Coach

[Royal Thunder]

It always struck me as a bit curious that before getting an assistant NHL gig, his entire previous experience as a head coach was high-level high school hockey. He also coached the world juniors last year obviously. Not exactly a ton of experience, but Nashville had a good run so hey!

It sure would be interesting to see someone like Darryl Sutter come in here and see if he could get this group of misfits to play NHL caliber hockey.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

11-22: PHIL HOUSLEY ON WGR (8:34)

#Sabres head coach Phil Housley joins Howard and Jeremy right now on WGR! Tune in:

Housley - we have to try and stay healthy. You look at the defensive corps, and we haven't had our top-six guys in the lineup. It's taken a toll on our team. Not to make excuses, but to have guys out for long periods of time affects our team. #Sabres

Housley - I know this may be a bold statement, but hopefully this difficult stretch we're in will make us better. Maybe going through this will help us find out who we are as individuals and make us mentally tougher. Hopefully we get a win tonight and build off of it. #Sabres

Housley - We are expected to win. That hasn't happened. What do you have to do? Our work and compete level at practice has to be better. We also have to come in every day with a great attitude, ready to work and pushing each other to get better. #Sabres

Housley - This is a great group of players, they're a tight team. We're going to have to work through it together with the hopes it makes us tougher down the line. #Sabres

 

[Sabretooth]

11-22: PHIL HOUSLEY ON WGR (8:34)

That's a lot of "we hope this" and "hopefully that" kind of statements in there from Housley. HOPEFULLY there's more of a plan than just hoping it all works out.

 

[Montag DP]

Yeah I can’t think of a single positive thing so far. His interviews suck, his system sucks, his decisions suck. I try to be optimistic but damn does he suck so far.

This. I'm all about giving the benefit of the doubt, and I get that our roster is lacking, but he has to show me something. Bylsma at least showed he could implement a system within the first couple months on the job, even if the system sucked. Housley has abandoned or been unable to implement the system that was preached before the season started, and he hasn't shown anything else that would instill confidence, either.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

That's a lot of "we hope this" and "hopefully that" kind of statements in there from Housley. HOPEFULLY there's more of a plan than just hoping it all works out.

He has to qualify plenty because he knows his team is largely crap.

 

[OkimLom]

At least once in a while Bylsma got mad and showed SOME emotion. This guy is out of his league being a head coach.

But hey, he's a good character guy that is a Sabres alum. Keep being a fan Terry.

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

Number 1 thing I learned about my team "we've got to stay healthy". I wanted to stop listening there but for some odd masochistic reason I continued on. This guy is acting like a joke and I honestly he has no clue how to fix any of what is happening with the team right now. Botts needs to step in at some point and do something otherwise players may get used to the crap Housley is preaching...

 

[Aladyyn]

This is a great group of players, they're a tight team.

Stop f***ing bullshitting us, Phil.

 

[Jame]

11-22: PHIL HOUSLEY ON WGR (8:34)

Hopes and Prayers

 

[Samsonite23]

Players: "Ohhhh. We have to NOT get injured? This whole time we've been doing it wrong guys! Phil said NOT to get injured! Change of plan!"

 

[Moskau]

We suck because our two defensemen, one who is never healthy and the other who has one of the worst 4 year stretches of even strength play in the last 15 years, are injured.

I mean, it certainly doesn't help but come on let's come up with some new excuses.

 

[LaxSabre]

 

[darcyRegier]

Jordan Nolan said that while in Los Angeles with Sutter, everyone was held super-accountable with every mistake they made. He said if anyone turned the puck over, they would hear it from the closest guy the second they got back to the bench, "wtf are you doing, that is unacceptable, etc." Kopitar and Carter didn't even have to say anything, Sutter didn't even have to say anything, the whole team held everyone else accountable for their actions. And it was an upheld standard for that team. You play as a unit, and you're not more important that your teammates. 2 cups later...

There's none of that on this team. Evander Kane attempted a backhand toe-drag in center ice in a 1 v 4 situation trailing by a goal late in the 3rd period, and failed miserably. Johan larsson tried to do everything himself in the o-zone and gave the puck away to a eventual odd-man rush goal. Jack turns the puck over constantly. But there's no accountability with this coaching staff or with this team. There's no chemistry, and noone is trying.

Jason my friend, you have some work to do.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

11-29: PHIL HOUSLEY ON WGR (14:32)

#Sabres head coach Phil Housley joins Howard and Jeremy right now on WGR! Tune in:

Housley - we're just going to have to get better every day and focus on areas we need to focus on. #Sabres

Housley - Jason Botterill and I talk every day about the roster. We're just going to have to continue to change up the lines, keep things fresh and deal with what we have. #Sabres

Housley - we haven't scored in the last couple of games, but we out-chanced Tampa last night, out-shot them. The bottom line is that we're not scoring. How do we change that? Have to get to the dirty areas and generate chances that way #Sabres

Housley - we're going to have to create more, that's the desperation part of our game. We had chances the past two games, generating shots, but we have to get to the net better. #Sabres

Housley - when Jason and I sat down before the season, we wanted to play a high-tempo game while getting on the attack. At this point of the season, the players and coaches aren't happy with the results. We have to try and put it all together and play a full 60 minutes #Sabres

Housley - we can learn from what happened in the past. Right now, we're in a state where it's been tough mentally. Hopefully this makes us mentally tougher #Sabres

Housley - we continue to evaluate our group every day and figure out how to get better. I believe this personnel can get the job done. #Sabres

Housley - I think we are shooting enough, now we just have to get someone over top of the goalie to make it more difficult for them to see the puck. Goalies are too good in this league. If they can see the puck, they'll stop it. #Sabres

Housley - we're not creating enough bounces because we're not getting to the front of the net. #Sabres

Housley - I thought the PP looked really good last night, first time in about five games we've gotten some great chances. Our net-front guys need to continue to be on top of the goalies, we're waving too much at pucks. #Sabres

Housley - we'll take things day-by-day with Zach Bogosian. We'll see how he gets through the next two practices. #Sabres

 

[Aladyyn]

My complete bull**** unsubstantiated theory is that Botterill's real pick for coach is Taylor but to appease Pegula he went the nostalgia route and brought in Housley knowing he'd fail and Taylor's path to the job would be clear.

I've been thinking about this and it just doesn't add up. Why Housley? What does a year under Housley do for this team? I think Taylor being the heir apparent is likely, but I doubt Housley being this incompetent was intentional...

 

[Aladyyn]

11-29: PHIL HOUSLEY ON WGR (14:32)

"change up the lines" but I'll bet anyone 100$ that Eichel and ROR will still be in the same spot they've always been so nothing will actually change

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

I am still not convinced that it's time to throw housley under the bus. He has a lot of warts (player usage) and may not be the solution, but he certainly doesn't have the personnel he needs to make his system work. I honestly don't know where they go from here.

 

[Jame]

I've been thinking about this and it just doesn't add up. Why Housley? What does a year under Housley do for this team? I think Taylor being the heir apparent is likely, but I doubt Housley being this incompetent was intentional...

I don’t think the Housley hire was intentional for incompetence purposes.

I think it was more like placing two bets. The Housley bet was that an assistant, from a contender, who coached under one of the best.... would transition successfully to head coaching.

The 2nd bet, and insurance bet, was that building a team in the minors, with a coach, could be a long term plan to reach success.

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

Every time I listen I get more and more convinced he needs to be fired ASAP. What a load of trash he spews every time he talks in public.

 

[slip]

I am still not convinced that it's time to throw housley under the bus. He has a lot of warts (player usage) and may not be the solution, but he certainly doesn't have the personnel he needs to make his system work. I honestly don't know where they go from here.

I'm getting kind of tired of this top-down approach to the Sabres. These coaches and their systems can f*** right off. Not sure what Phil has accomplished in his career with his "system" that makes it so special and vital. I mean, to a novice like myself, it would appear that his system is absolute garbage and should be burned to the ground ASAFP. And if Botts starts making trades to bring in talent in order to execute Phil's system -- which is either garbage or unteachable by him or both -- then he needs to be burned to ground too.

I'm fine letting Phil finish out this craptastic season. It appears he has the respect of the players, and is a fine hockey diplomat who uses polished phrases to describe the outright horror show that plays out on the ice nightly. Not to mention he's so f***ing clueless that a top 5 pick is in the bag. He'll be shipped off quietly in the offseason when few will notice and even less will care. Hopefully Botts retools like a boss -- continuing to focus on shoring up the defense, and moving out fake leaders for real ones.

 

[sabrebuild]

I don’t think the Housley hire was intentional for incompetence purposes.

I think it was more like placing two bets. The Housley bet was that an assistant, from a contender, who coached under one of the best.... would transition successfully to head coaching.

The 2nd bet, and insurance bet, was that building a team in the minors, with a coach, could be a long term plan to reach success.

I like the new path out of this crap show, the Tampa way!!

Winning the lottery this year would make a lot of options seem more possible.

 

[dotcommunism]

I've been thinking about this and it just doesn't add up. Why Housley? What does a year under Housley do for this team? I think Taylor being the heir apparent is likely, but I doubt Housley being this incompetent was intentional...

Yeah, the idea of Taylor as a successor is likely, especially if there's a midseason firing. The idea that Housley was only ever a placeholder until Taylor was ready, however, would have required Housley to be more thoroughly mediocre than abjectly awful like he has been.

 

[Jame]

What experiences do you think Housley is drawing on to inform how he is handling our current situation.

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

What experiences do you think Housley is drawing on to inform how he is handling our current situation.

"Well, when I had the best group of defensemen of any team..."

 

[Sabre Dance]

I'm getting kind of tired of this top-down approach to the Sabres. These coaches and their systems can **** right off. Not sure what Phil has accomplished in his career with his "system" that makes it so special and vital. I mean, to a novice like myself, it would appear that his system is absolute garbage and should be burned to the ground ASAFP. And if Botts starts making trades to bring in talent in order to execute Phil's system -- which is either garbage or unteachable by him or both -- then he needs to be burned to ground too.

I'm fine letting Phil finish out this craptastic season. It appears he has the respect of the players, and is a fine hockey diplomat who uses polished phrases to describe the outright horror show that plays out on the ice nightly. Not to mention he's so ****ing clueless that a top 5 pick is in the bag. He'll be shipped off quietly in the offseason when few will notice and even less will care. Hopefully Botts retools like a boss -- continuing to focus on shoring up the defense, and moving out fake leaders for real ones.

Systems mean very little to me when it comes to a head coach. Look at any sport, top assistant coaches for Hall Of Fame coaches fail all the time. Just implementing a system doesn't make you a head coach. Getting the players to play as a team within a system is what makes you a head coach.