News Article: Babcock to Toronto - for all the monies
- Thread starter Til the End of Time
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Bennett Brauer
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Good, I never expected them to and didn't even want them to after thinking about it. I posted this in the offseason thread.
Think I'm an idiot all you want, be my guest. I don't think Babcock is that great, he's a good coach but hey, Dan Bylsma is looked at as a good coach too, so is Mike Johnston. Mike Babcock is not Scotty Bowman, he's closer to Dan Bylsma than Bowman lol, I don't see a massive upgrade from Bylsma to Johnston to Babcock, I just don't.
I've said it all along and I'll continue to say it. I don't understand everyone's obsession with Mike Babcock, he is starting to get severely overrated in the hockey world.
News Flash, he hasn't won the Cup since 2008, hasn't been past the 2nd round since 2009. Dan Bylsma has had more recent playoff success than Mike Babcock, hell so has Todd McLellan. Don't tell me it's because Detroit sucks because everyone raves about their 24 year streak, and their drafting, and the greatness of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. If Sid, Geno and Bylsma get criticized then Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Babcock are fair game.
His team has blown 3-1 series leads, he could have put away the Chicago during one of their Cup years, they forced Game 7 against Babcock and his only reaction was "Game 7's are fun" yeah well I bet it wasn't fun to lose that game and watch your biggest rival hoist the Cup that YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED!. He said the same thing this year losing to the Bolts. "I love coaching, so the more games you coach, the better it is"
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A COACH WE SHOULD WANT, SOMEONE WITH SIMILAR FLAWS, EARLY PLAYOFF EXITS AND CHOKING SERIES' AWAY ON HIS RESUME!All for the huge amount of money he will command then people will wonder what went wrong AGAIN!
I heard all the time how Bylsma's coaching is a product of Babcock, if that's true why would people here, Pens fans, want that?
Are we going to put all of our opinions into two Team Canada Gold medals? If that's the case, allow me to point out we are NOT Team Cananda and I'm pretty sure you can put any 3 Canadian coaches behind that bench and they'll win Gold. MIKE JOHNSTON could probably win the Gold if he was the coach!
This team's problem isn't the coaching staff, it's injuries and the lack of scoring depth.
But by all means, continue to overrate Babcock and criticize the Penguins organization for not doing something you think is better for them. I'm not saying Johnston is the answer but Johnston doesn't deserve to be fired for this year, and so far his quality of work is TBD.
Think I'm an idiot all you want, be my guest. I don't think Babcock is that great, he's a good coach but hey, Dan Bylsma is looked at as a good coach too, so is Mike Johnston. Mike Babcock is not Scotty Bowman, he's closer to Dan Bylsma than Bowman lol, I don't see a massive upgrade from Bylsma to Johnston to Babcock, I just don't.
OilerPensfan97
Registered User
Babcock has 2 gold medals and 1 stanley cup. To say that he is not a great coach is absolutely ridiculous. He is one of the best in the league and has WAY more experience than MJ. I call **** on the management for not at least talking to him.
Son Goku
henlo u stinky egg
Bennett Brauer
Registered User
2 Gold Medals with the most talented group of players in the sport. Like I said, you could basically put any 3 Canadian coaches behind the bench and they still win Gold.
I was wrong to say he's not a great coach. He is, and even though he's more experienced as an NHL coach, I say Johnston has more coaching experience overall. He's been a successful coach on many different levels since the 1980s.
Mike Johnston doesn't deserve to be fired, he didn't do a bad job by any means. It's not about not hurting feelings like some people here tend to think, it's about knowing you have a guy who could do better with a better situation. With a healthy roster next year and upgrades in areas, Johnston will be looked at as a good coach, mark my words, quote my post, do whatever you have to, right now it's on Rutherford to make that happen.
plaidchuck
Registered User
Johnston is.a.junior coach through and through. He lost the room in late November and.will never get it back.
Bennett Brauer
Registered User
He came from juniors but he's coached in the NHL as an assistant. I don't think he lost the room because the team played pretty good in the playoffs. If he lost the room in November, before all the injuries and Mumps struck, we wouldn't even be playing for a playoff spot let alone have a chance to clinch one in April.
Also, apparently the players backed Johnston in their exit interviews with Jim Rutherford, something the players wouldn't do if they weren't confident in him. Keep in mind in Bylsma's last year, Sid was seen telling him "I know the ****ing game" I think Bylsma lost the room but the Penguins really showed no quit under Johnston, struggle yes, no heart? Not a chance.
If people think Mike Johnston sucks, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Maybe he isn't the right guy for the job, only time will tell. We won't know until he has a somewhat healthy lineup and a capable lineup, something JR has to give him. My point is why I don't think Babcock is the right guy for this job, I don't think it's worth firing Johnston for, and even in the future if we find out Johnston isn't the right guy, I will still say Babcock wouldn't have been either, it might be someone completely different, someone like Hynes, Boucher, whoever.
Cherpak
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- Jan 1, 2014
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Your either Johnston or more likely Rossi. Because only that idiot would have the gumption to put Johnston in the same category as Babcock.
Jules Winnfield
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Pens better do something this summer to get fan interest back again.
From what I've heard, season ticket holders and those on the waiting list have dropped like flies.
From what I've heard, season ticket holders and those on the waiting list have dropped like flies.
MeticulouslyDishevel
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- Oct 23, 2012
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When the Pens announced that MJ and JR were staying I took that to mean that they wouldn't be pursuing a new head coach. I figured it was pretty obvious. 
Quick question.
Every team in the league aside from Pens ... Two coaches in the room, Johnston and
Babcock. They can have either, and have to pick one.
How many you thinking pick Johnston?
Ok, now make that every professional hockey team world wide. Same question.
The answer is pretty close to "none", eh?
Pens probably won't, but only because Mario can't admit when he's wrong.
Every team in the league aside from Pens ... Two coaches in the room, Johnston and
Babcock. They can have either, and have to pick one.
How many you thinking pick Johnston?
Ok, now make that every professional hockey team world wide. Same question.
The answer is pretty close to "none", eh?
Pens probably won't, but only because Mario can't admit when he's wrong.
No big surprise. Still ****ing stupid though. In order to be a successful franchise, you gotta hurt some feelings now and then. This organization refuses to do so, so it will continue to toil in mediocrity like it has for the past 5+ years.
Cherpak
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If its true that JR's plan for bringing in winger help includes Tlusty and Williams and keeping Johnston we are in for a very long season.
The more I see what has become of this team the more I think Malkin should get out before this train wreck crashes hard. Thats hard for me to say since Malkin is one of my favs since coming here but I don't want to see him wasted much longer.
The more I see what has become of this team the more I think Malkin should get out before this train wreck crashes hard. Thats hard for me to say since Malkin is one of my favs since coming here but I don't want to see him wasted much longer.
MeticulouslyDishevel
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- Oct 23, 2012
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I agree, but the problem is that there's only one Mike Babcock to go around, and you need to have a vacancy. Say we get rid of MJ, don't get Babcock, and then have to fill the spot with God knows who.
Babcock has ties with a bunch of teams. I haven't seen any objective indication that he would be particularly attracted to the Pens.
enviSAGE
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You can't say Johnston could win Gold with Canada in a breeze because Bylsma had a roster just as talented that got blown up in the Silver Game.
As far as I see, all you need to do to compare Johnston with Babcock is examine penalty minutes from this year and the Wings penalty minutes from the past decade. I wouldn't fire Johnston either, and his system is perfect for the players we have, but there's no doubt who the better coach and motivator is (No disrespect to Johnston)
Jules Winnfield
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When the Pens announced that MJ and JR were staying I took that to mean that they wouldn't be pursuing a new head coach. I figured it was pretty obvious.
Exactly. What's the need to repeat it again?
Cherpak
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I think it has more to do with not wanting to look like a fool for first endorsing Rutherford as one of the best and most respected GM's in the game first and foremost. That was a complete head scratcher at the time.
Jules Winnfield
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That's why they aren't going to publicly come out and say they are interested in Babcock. They'd pretty much have to have Babcock sign on the dotted line and it be a secret for them to do this without it blowing up in their face.
plaidchuck
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Jules Winnfield
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plaidchuck
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Lol so you're saying they're secretly courting him? It's not happening, never was going to happen.
Cherpak
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Johnston needs to go back to Jrs where he knows and has the capabilities of handling children. He has no business dealing with over paid prima donnas. His clueless look on the bench when things started going south was all anyone needed to see to know he is in way over his head here.
Jules Winnfield
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I'm not saying they are secretly courting him.
I'm saying if they were courting him at all, they aren't going to come out and say "Yes, we're interested in Babcock" while Johnston is still under contract.
If the Pens "were" courting him, they would have to be extremely careful with how they were doing it.
Seems pretty common sense, no?
I just don't trust GMs when they make statements, especially now 2 statements in the past 2 weeks about the coaching situation.
If Johnston was really their guy, they'd be giving him an extension. It's more rare for a coach that is "their guy" to not have an extension going into their last year of the contract unless that coach wants it that way, i.e. Babcock.
