Dallas Eakins fired, Nelson named HC, MacTavish named interim

[Eagle Eye Cherry]

Holy crap, Eakin's exit new conference was 24 minutes long? He sure loves the sound of his voice.

He kisses the organization's ass because he knows he's up for a job in the front office haha

There seems to be this new trend of fired coaches getting their own press conferences nowadays. First, Paul McLean, now Eakins.

 

[KPower]

I'm happy he's gone and will never be heard from again.

Too much ego for a guy that was terrible at his job.

 

[janecky]

I think one of Eakins' biggest mistakes was the swarm. Aggressive pressing systems are very erratic at this level. Scott Gordon was another coach who failed trying to coach high-pressure puck pursuit. It works at lower levels, but in the NHL it's just too much. It seems like some hotshot AHL coaches learn it the hard way. Coaches need to start with a more conservative system in the NHL and then shape it toward their ideal in little steps and see how much they can push it before it starts to break down.

Rookie coach mistakes probably put him in a hole that he never really got out of. It's going to be tough if you lose your subordinates' respect and then try to gain it back within a year. He never got the most out of any of his players, and that's because he never got the team playing consistently as a team. Too many mistakes.

When the crap is already out of the horse, you can't just put the crap back in the horse.

That's not the point. He comes across as very arrogant and looks down on people. If you've ever heard him talk it's obvious.

I don't agree with you. He's a control freak and taskmaster type, not a condescending type. The condescending type is unwilling to learn and unwilling to be critical of oneself. Eakins isn't that type of guy. He just can't stop himself from trying to micromanage, the donut thing being a case in point. It's like he's obsessive-compulsive about it. It's also reflected in his own life, his obsession with fitness and diet and all of that. Even the hair and personal tidiness is connected to that. He was upset at Hall spraying water on his suit because it disturbed his sense of control about himself and threw him off balance psychologically. Suddenly he was in an untidy suit and couldn't do anything about it so he lashed out. It's all about needing to control stuff. It isn't about arrogance.

That's something Eakins need to think through. He can't let himself get so lost in his need to control that he makes himself seem ridiculous. It's better to just bottle up some of those impulses.

Kyle Wellwood, Dustin Byfuglien etc. A lot of players show up to camp out of shape with the expectations of getting fit at camp. Which they do, but they're already behind schedule compared to the other players.

Yeah, but it works for some players. They might not have the same fire to play if they spent all summer on working out and being in great shape.

 

[Tecumseh]

I'm happy he's gone and will never be heard from again.

Too much ego for a guy that was terrible at his job.

Kevin Lowe is still there...

 

[missinthejets]

I think one of Eakins' biggest mistakes was the swarm. Aggressive pressing systems are very erratic at this level.

This is really what it is. NHL players are too good at passing while under pressure and too good at shooting when they're wide open for it to work. In the AHL sure, guys can't get open as quickly, they can't shoot as good generally, they can't pass as good generally so you probably do get more of those mistakes and the goaltenders can handle the shots they face. In the NHL all you're going to do is make your goaltenders look bad, and lo and behold every goaltender Eakins was given has looked bad.

 

[Tekneek]

Kevin Lowe is still there...

But he operates at a higher level in the business these days, doing more than micromanaging the Oilers. He has been moved further away from that as the sports properties increased. I know a lot of people hate the guy anyway and blame him for everything, but he is just another guy in management these days and not the puppetmaster.