JD1
Registered User
- Sep 12, 2005
- 16,133
- 9,708
I don't think Boucher is the best coach in the world by any means but i do think people get enamoured with certain guy's coaching records where reality suggests they had a pretty strong roster to work with.
If you look at TB, in Boucher's first year they had a good team with good enough goaltending and an aging Roloson caught lightening in a bottle and stood on his head for a great playoff run. The following two seasons it was a merry go round of inadequate goaltending. Bishop played 9 games in 12-13 with a 917 save percentage. Apart from that, the team save percentage was under 900. Is that on Boucher? In 13-14 Bishop emerged as a starter, posted a 924 save percentage and the Lightening were back amongst the elite.
Look at his tenure here. Year one was the year of Nicole Anderson's cancer. It was an odd year but we had more than adequate goaltending all year. Condon posted a 914 and Anderson posted a 926. We make the playoffs. With some TDL upgrades and good playoff goaltending we had a run. Last year? Goaltending was awful from day one. Condon posted a 902 and Andy was worse than that. You can't compete with that. Weak goals was the story last year and always chasing the game. There was a lot more that went on last year. This year Boucher goes into the season with perhaps the weakest D in terms of nhl experience that we've seen in decades? So we have that deficiency and our goaltending has been ok at very best.
Next year this team will start with a far more experienced D and if we have a Nilsson Hogberg tandem likely a better goalie combo than we've had since the run two years ago. Personally i would expect Boucher to get more out of that than what he's able to get this year (assuming our forwards are signed) and i'd expect any new coach to come in and get better results if Boucher is replaced.
Bottom line for me i think Boucher is an adequate coach and not the problem here. As for the common fan complaints, go on the other boards and it's the same thing:
Playing pet vets over rookies
Ice time allocation
Why can't he see what we see, he's so stupid
If you look at TB, in Boucher's first year they had a good team with good enough goaltending and an aging Roloson caught lightening in a bottle and stood on his head for a great playoff run. The following two seasons it was a merry go round of inadequate goaltending. Bishop played 9 games in 12-13 with a 917 save percentage. Apart from that, the team save percentage was under 900. Is that on Boucher? In 13-14 Bishop emerged as a starter, posted a 924 save percentage and the Lightening were back amongst the elite.
Look at his tenure here. Year one was the year of Nicole Anderson's cancer. It was an odd year but we had more than adequate goaltending all year. Condon posted a 914 and Anderson posted a 926. We make the playoffs. With some TDL upgrades and good playoff goaltending we had a run. Last year? Goaltending was awful from day one. Condon posted a 902 and Andy was worse than that. You can't compete with that. Weak goals was the story last year and always chasing the game. There was a lot more that went on last year. This year Boucher goes into the season with perhaps the weakest D in terms of nhl experience that we've seen in decades? So we have that deficiency and our goaltending has been ok at very best.
Next year this team will start with a far more experienced D and if we have a Nilsson Hogberg tandem likely a better goalie combo than we've had since the run two years ago. Personally i would expect Boucher to get more out of that than what he's able to get this year (assuming our forwards are signed) and i'd expect any new coach to come in and get better results if Boucher is replaced.
Bottom line for me i think Boucher is an adequate coach and not the problem here. As for the common fan complaints, go on the other boards and it's the same thing:
Playing pet vets over rookies
Ice time allocation
Why can't he see what we see, he's so stupid