News Article: Michael Farber on Dan Bylsma

[IcedCapp]

Why is it Bylsma that takes the fall if the Pens don't get results? He hasn't been the primary cause of most of our playoff losses over the years. Fleury has.

Because that's how every other team does it.

Which, I'm lead to believe, is the proper way to judge whether or not something is the correct course of action.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Why is it Bylsma that takes the fall if the Pens don't get results? He hasn't been the primary cause of most of our playoff losses over the years. Fleury has.

Why do other teams bother firing their coaches, then? Ultimately, in every situation where a coach is fired, it was due to the players not executing. Yet other teams will fire their coach if that lack of execution by the players continues to produce results lower than expected year after year.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Good article.

I think DB is the most-prepared coach in the league, which leads to his determination to never deviate from the plan. I know that infuriates a lot of people about him, but when you are convinced you have considered every possible angle and you've concluded that Option A is your very best chance to win, you are a lot less likely than some unprepared hack to move on to Option B when you don't have immediate success.

Of course, that leads to a ton of second-guessing when things go wrong. If you don't try Option B, there's not much of a defense when people suggest that Option B would have resulted in a better outcome.

You're damned if you vary from the gameplan, you're damned if you don't.

All this suggests is that he's as stubborn as a mule and an arrogant jackass. Which I tend to believe.

My God, IN-GAME strategy is more important than doing your homework pre-game. You better damn have a plan B when plan A doesn't work, because plan A hasn't worked for us.

And isn't there enough complaints around here right now about a "country club" atmosphere? Do we want a coach to come in here and cater to the stars even more?

I know you're talking about strategy, but do we want a Ron Wilson to come in and open everything up and try to win games 6-5?

Bylsma overplays Adams. This is a fact. But any other coach is going to have his own issues, too.

Well, I don't want Ron Wilson (he's a jerk), and he is not the guy I think of when I think 6-5 hockey games, but I see nothing wrong with coaching your stars differently than the rest of the team. Give your stars as much ice time as they can handle. Use them in every situation. Then have the supporting cast follow THEM, not anyone else.

That's my belief, anyway.

Why is it Bylsma that takes the fall if the Pens don't get results? He hasn't been the primary cause of most of our playoff losses over the years. Fleury has.

Well, a LOT of us were all for a goalie change last summer, but Bylsma was one of the most fervent Fleury supporters so how can we separate the two?

My God, Vokoun was demoted back to backup status BEFORE his blood-clot issues, despite being our best player from the moment he entered the lineup. Classy move. That's probably what led to his binge wine drinking and subsequent blood clot. I kid, of course.

 

[Your Boy Troy]

If Dan Bylsma was fired, I'd want Rick Tocchet to replace him. I didn't think he got a fair chance with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

If the Pens had a bottom 6 as good as Team USA DB would be fine.

 

[Shockmaster]

If Dan Bylsma was fired, I'd want Rick Tocchet to replace him. I didn't think he got a fair chance with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

I feel the same way. Tocchet wouldn't be a guy that screams at his players all the time like Tortorella or Therrien, but he'd shove his foot up their ***** when he has to. He's also a really good PP mind. I don't think you can judge him by his short time in Tampa Bay because they were just a god awful team at the time.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Because that's how every other team does it.

Which, I'm lead to believe, is the proper way to judge whether or not something is the correct course of action.

Not every team. And surely not teams who have fared as well as the Pens under Bylsma.

Why do other teams bother firing their coaches, then? Ultimately, in every situation where a coach is fired, it was due to the players not executing. Yet other teams will fire their coach if that lack of execution by the players continues to produce results lower than expected year after year.

Usually when they believe he's a part of the problem.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Usually when they believe he's a part of the problem.

But there's our disconnect. Bylsma is a part of the problem. Yet the post I quoted of yours seems to infer that in order for you to believe Bylsma should be canned, he can't only be just part of the problem, but the main problem. My question is, when is that ever the case? In every situation where a coach has been fired, there were issues with the team as a whole as well.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Making it to the conference final is not post-season mediocrity though, no matter how you define it.

This is very true. Something we as a group often overlook or discount.

 

[NMK11]

This is very true. Something we as a group often overlook or discount.

I'm definitely not as anti-Bylsma as most on this board, but making the conference finals only once in the past few years is underachieving for this team. I think he's a decent coach (not the best, but good enough), and that there are plenty of other problems such as Fleurry, our bottom 6, and Sid lacking a winger, and definitely the team's discipline, but Bylsma could be better.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

But there's our disconnect. Bylsma is a part of the problem. Yet the post I quoted of yours seems to infer that in order for you to believe Bylsma should be canned, he can't only be just part of the problem, but the main problem. My question is, when is that ever the case? In every situation where a coach has been fired, there were issues with the team as a whole as well.

Yes, I think that is where the disconnect is. In spite of some of his mistakes, I don't think he's "part of the problem".

 

[mrzeigler]

All this suggests is that he's as stubborn as a mule and an arrogant jackass. Which I tend to believe.

My God, IN-GAME strategy is more important than doing your homework pre-game. You better damn have a plan B when plan A doesn't work, because plan A hasn't worked for us.

And you better damn not abandon Plan A too soon because doing so takes your best chance of winning off the table. Knowing when to stand fast and when to shift gears is not as easy as easy as you make it out to be.

I'm not saying Bylsma is better at changes or non-changes than most coaches, but I am saying this team always seems well-prepared. Preparedness breeds confidence ... and people who don't like (whether justified or not) confident people will use the label "arrogant" to describe them. Think Tortorella ranting about the Penguins organization.

Year after year, 15 of 16 Plans A, B, C and D fail in the playoffs. Fifteen of 16 coaches make the wrong changes or don't make the right changes.

 

[Shockmaster]

And you better damn not abandon Plan A too soon because doing so takes your best chance of winning off the table. Knowing when to stand fast and when to shift gears is not as easy as easy as you make it out to be.

I'm not saying Bylsma is better at changes or non-changes than most coaches, but I am saying this team always seems well-prepared. Preparedness breeds confidence ... and people who don't like (whether justified or not) confident people will use the label "arrogant" to describe them. Think Tortorella ranting about the Penguins organization.

Year after year, 15 of 16 Plans A, B, C and D fail in the playoffs. Fifteen of 16 coaches make the wrong changes or don't make the right changes.

It's not just the fact that the Penguins have simply lost in the playoffs. As you said 15 of 16 teams get eliminated each year. It's HOW they've been losing under Bylsma - much of the time in humiliating fashion. This team becomes unhinged and frustrated far too easily.

 

[Spez]

As an outsider, Ron Wilson was a goal away from winning the gold medal so really it shouldn't buy Bylsma that much time if he wins the gold. The funny thing is leaf fans were calling for Wilson's head that season yet the silver medal earned him 2 more years that he didn't deserve there. Obviously Wilson didn't have a team as talented as DB's but a coach winning the gold should not factor into their performance as coach of the club team. If you guys have an early exit then a gold medal doesn't mean anything anyways and it shouldn't be a job saver like it probably would be for Bylsma.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Damn it, now I feel bad about the stuff I said about the guy.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Why is it Bylsma that takes the fall if the Pens don't get results? He hasn't been the primary cause of most of our playoff losses over the years. Fleury has.

Bull****.

I'd love to hear how the Bs are on MAF.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Yes, I think that is where the disconnect is. In spite of some of his mistakes, I don't think he's "part of the problem".

And he's not part of the solution. There are issues with this team that only he can fix. Discipline, adapting to what the other team is doing (aka not being stubborn), not favoring players who put you at a competitive disadvantage, etc. Those things are as much to blame as anything. You can say those mistakes aren't part of the problem all you want, but that just isn't true.

If he can fix them, then my problem with him as our coach goes away. Hell if he can just show some signs of life in that direction my problems will go away. I've seen little to no improvement on those fronts though and its incredibly frustrating. The only thing you can really point to is hiring Martin IMO, and we only will see if that pays off when playoffs roll around. I'm not a fan of packing it in in front of your goalie.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Not sure why anyone is wondering about "who would replace him". That part is done. He's on our staff and his name is Jaques Martin. Not even a question that he would get the interim job, probably with the "tryout" mentality that some GMs give... where if he did well to finish a season, he'd get a 2 year deal to continue on, etc. Of all the variables that used to make us wonder, that one is no longer a problem. Martin will be his successor, if Bylsma were to get canned. He has the pedigree for it, he now knows our system and players, and there are no appreciably better options out there.

They can dance around it in the media all they want, but this was the reason Shero brought Martin in after a tough post-season last year for Bylsma and his assistants. He's an insurance policy, and frankly another sign that Shero is a very good GM who thinks ahead. By doing this he ensures (if Bylsma has to go this year or next) that there is minimal chaos in the transition to a new coach.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Not sure why anyone is wondering about "who would replace him". That part is done. He's on our staff and his name is Jaques Martin. Not even a question that he would get the interim job, probably with the "tryout" mentality that some GMs give... where if he did well to finish a season, he'd get a 2 year deal to continue on, etc. Of all the variables that used to make us wonder, that one is no longer a problem. Martin will be his successor, if Bylsma were to get canned. He has the pedigree for it, he now knows our system and players, and there are no appreciably better options out there.

They can dance around it in the media all they want, but this was the reason Shero brought Martin in after a tough post-season last year for Bylsma and his assistants. He's an insurance policy, and frankly another sign that Shero is a very good GM who thinks ahead. By doing this he ensures (if Bylsma has to go this year or next) that there is minimal chaos in the transition to a new coach.

Good GOD!

Anybody who lives in Montreal KNOWS this is absolutely not a good plan, idea or anything else.

 

[Shockmaster]

Would Shero see Martin as a long-term solution though? Shero is big on continuity within the organization.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Why keep Shero around too, if his idea of the right coach for this franchise with two of the best offensive players in the game is either a) a guy who likes to play the game like a fourth line ALL the time (Bylsma), or b) a guy whose idea of a good time is a 0-0 game headed to a shootout (Martin)?

 

[Your Boy Troy]

If you're a fan of soft gutless rosters that play with little passion, then Jacques Martin would fit that category perfectly. I like Martin as an assistant, but not as a head coach if Dan Bylsma was fired.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

If you're a fan of soft gutless rosters that play with little passion, then Jacques Martin would fit that category perfectly. I like Martin as an assistant, but not as a head coach if Dan Bylsma was fired.

Perfectly stated.

 

[MrBurghundy]

If you're a fan of soft gutless rosters that play with little passion, then Jacques Martin would fit that category perfectly. I like Martin as an assistant, but not as a head coach if Dan Bylsma was fired.

Martin traded Gary Roberts for Noah Welch.

 

[orby]

Whether Martin would be an ideal coach or not is beyond the point - if Bylsma were fired, he would be next in line. It is crazy to think that a coach within the Pens organization with 613 career NHL wins would be bypassed in the search for Bylsma's replacement. Martin would be named head coach within two days.