Confirmed with Link: HOUSLEY GONE

[DatGuy]

Barkov for Risto plus..thanks garth

Did they hire chiarelli as adviser?

 

[Royisgone]

This is a happy day in Sabre Land!

But this move means nothing if we don't replace him with a good coach. Hire is critical.

 

[Archie Lee]

I think the clock had already started on Botterill. With this move he may have bought himself an extra year. Had he stuck with Housley and next year had gone as the past two, then the Pegulas may well have fired both of them. The Pegulas are not likely to fire another head coach a year from now, so Botterill probably gets two more years to right the ship.

I'm sure that Botterill would acknowledge there are holes in the roster and my guess is that today he will go out of his way to clarify this is not all on Housley (no consolation to the guy who got fired). But I don't see firing the head coach as an indictment of the roster. Keeping Housley would have been an indictment of the roster as it would have been a signal that the roster was the issue and not the coaching. With this move I think the signal is that Botterill expected more from this team.

I see no reason why we can't be next year's Montreal or Carolina or even New York Isle. To say that the 10 game win streak was a fluke or that the roster has holes in it, is just to state the obvious. Any 10 game win streak in professional sport contains an element of luck and more than 1/2 the teams in the NHL playoffs have areas where they could use significant roster upgrades. The Sabres were a 50 point team at the 40 game mark which means they had 30 combined points in the 30 first-half games that fell on either side of the 10 game winning streak. Keep that pace over the final 42 games and we finish with 92-93 points on the year and Housley still has a job. That would not have been an unreasonable expectation. Instead we got only 26 points over the last 42 games. Coaches do not survive that sort of collapse.

I have no hard feelings towards Housley. I'm certain he worked his hardest and that every decision he made was intended to better the team and get closer to the goal. I have no doubt he is immensely disappointed today. I wish him well. This was a necessary change though.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I have no hard feelings towards Housley.

I never really got excited by him, either.

Wait. Are we talking about the same thing?

 

[krt88nc]

What a sh*t show Sabres are. Dig another well, Terry

Q hasn’t shown he works with well with younger players. Florida has more vets than us.

 

[BananaSquad]

Q hasn’t shown he works with well with younger players. Florida has more vets than us.

I don’t get this at all.... he worked with Kane and Toews just damn fine...

 

[old kummelweck]

I was wondering if the timing had anything to do with the Q deal in FL. Maybe Botterill pulls a Babcock?

 

[Buffaloed]

No tweets about teams competing to sign Housley?

 

[old kummelweck]

 

[Paxon]

Remember where you were when You Found Out: Sitting on a GAP fitting area bench waiting for the gf to try in clothes. Fired up the boards to spice my boredom up with some good old Sabres negativity. I was definitely not expecting this wonderous news. Now I have several pages to soak in.

 

[BananaSquad]

Same thing happened to us with Babs. I’m good with AV to

 

[SundherDome]

I don’t think the Blues are going to matter. Reports are that Q is all but signed to shrugs deal in Florida. I’d be surprised if we get in the mix this late. I also seriously doubt the Blues fire Berube at this juncture with the playoffs around the corner so they can get in on Coach Q

Of course they won't fire him, but when they get swept in the first round ..

 

[jBuds]

Remember where you were when You Found Out: Sitting on a GAP fitting area bench waiting for the gf to try in clothes. Fired up the boards to spice my boredom up with some good old Sabres negativity. I was definitely not expecting this wonderous news. Now I have several pages to soak in.

Give us a hot take like the draft pick thread, Roberto!!

 

[Paxon]

Give us a hot take like the draft pick thread, Roberto!!

We should probably hire a head coach who has been a head coach at some level...

 

[Buffaloed]

I don’t get this at all.... he worked with Kane and Toews just damn fine...

That's the narrative dammit and we're sticking to it.

 

[jBuds]

We should probably hire a head coach who has been a head coach at some level...

Love you, buddy! Thank you. I laughed so hard at the draft post about picking the best available guy who turns up to be the best at where we pick him.

I know what you were saying but it just seemed so...blunt. Sums up the season: solution is simple but road to it doesn't ever seem to get used.

 

[Tatre]

I thought we'd have a quiet few weeks, but if it was gonna happen this is probably a good time. Next coach has to be better, if it's the same damn collapse story midway through next season I'm forcing myself to cheer for the f***ing Flyers.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

Phil seems like a genuinely nice guy. I hope he gets hired to be a head coach again some day



....by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

 

[sincerity0]

Remember where you were when You Found Out: Sitting on a GAP fitting area bench waiting for the gf to try in clothes. Fired up the boards to spice my boredom up with some good old Sabres negativity. I was definitely not expecting this wonderous news. Now I have several pages to soak in.

Walked off the 18th green after slicing and duffing my way across the course to this wonderful news. First day of golf, a beautiful day in Buffalo, and Housley getting the boot. Can’t get much better.

 

[Mr Orangeshirt]

No tweets about teams competing to sign Housley?

I don't know, but I have seen lots of Nashville fans posting how tweeting that they want to see him back as an assistant for the Preds. I can't wrap my head around it.

 

[Uberpecker]

I cant like the original post enough

yeah, it's the opposite of kill the messenger.

 

[vcv]

I don't know, but I have seen lots of Nashville fans posting how tweeting that they want to see him back as an assistant for the Preds. I can't wrap my head around it.

Why? Some guys are great as assistants and horrible at head coaches.

 

[allsilverdreams]

Team America F yaaaaaahhhh

 

[Mr Orangeshirt]

Why? Some guys are great as assistants and horrible at head coaches.

Mostly because they just won their second consecutive division title without him being an assistant. I know the powerplay in Nashville has been atrocious since he left, and fans here seem to think Phil could mend that, but I tend to think that the current PP woes are more a "Shea Weber leaving" issue than a "Phil Housley leaving issue".

I just don't think Nashville is a Phil Housley away from winning a cup. But, hey if they hire Phil back and the Preds win a cup, I'll be happy to eat crow.

 

[Dreakon13]

My interest in this offseason just skyrocketed.

Good on Botts for pulling the trigger.