That's an idiotic comment from Linden.
All you have to do is watch a team play and you can see what system they are playing. I'd be amazed if Linden really made that claim because it's ridiculously stupid.
he did say this, and some of our players also said the same about John Torterella. keep in mind, Linden and Keenan didn't get a long, so yes, its one of those you can choose one side to believe or not.
It's not an issue of "believing." It's pretty obvious, simply by watching a team play, what system the are playing. It would be the first thing reported in the paper every day after each game. Fans would be outraged. Every analyst would be talking about. It's not exactly a mystery what systems teams play.
The idea that Brian Burke, that General Manager, would be sitting there night after night watching an NHL team out there on the ice with no system in place is absurd.
oh they were a bad team, you are correct, they were horrible, it was sad to see.
Same thing was said about Melrose. But people complain that players dont have the freedom to allow creative play like Gretzky. And that every team basically plays the same system.According to Trevor Linden, MIke Keenan was the worst coach he played under. I'm not even sure how the hell the Rangers won the Stanley cup with him behind the bench, makes you wonder if they had a better coach, they probably beat the Canucks in 4 straight.
He said that Mike Keenan had no system in place. there was no structure or tactic or style. It was just "go crazy". No joke. I will try to find that video later.
I think the days of Keenan and partly Tortorella are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Coaches like AV could and should be the future - getting accountability from his players without being a **** to them.
Another issue with comparing Torts to Keenan is that Torts actually isnt an a-hole. He's a d*ck to the media, but players and fans love him. Its not 2013 anymoreNever felt Keenan and Tortorella were in the same boat. To me, Tortorella is just a hot head and wears his emotions on his sleeve. He also judges who he likes and doesn't like and if he doesn't like you, tough road winning him over. However, I feel like players that do well under him he's loyal to and not generally a jerk.
Fast forward to Keenan, he seems just your typical dirt bag type of coach. No loyalty, loves ya one day and then forgets about it and hates you the next. He seems like a completely different kind of ahole than Tortorella. That's my two cents anyway.
I don't understand Canuck fans logic on this. I lived in Vancouver during this entire era, and nothing any Canucks fan tells me makes any sense.My dad's got a conspiracy theory that he was sent in by the league to purposefully dismantle the '94 Canucks team, because apparently that's the only thing that could reasonably justify what he did to that core.
I know he's coaching right now in Russia but isn't he basically blacklisted from the NHL? There is never any mention that an NHL team is interested in having him coach again. Essentially he's been run out of the league. Does anyone else find that a little strange?
Keenan was good at coaching boomers.He is generally regarded as a bad person who was average at his job.
I don't understand Canuck fans logic on this. I lived in Vancouver during this entire era, and nothing any Canucks fan tells me makes any sense.
The 94 Canucks were a flash in the pan. You guys were NEVER contenders in that era.
Keenan was NEVER GM of the Canucks, but I'll play along.
Everything Keenan did lead to the West Coast Express era of the Canucks.
During the short-lived Tom Renney era, you were already way out of the playoffs, You were NOT contenders.
Even though Keenan is blamed for the plummet down the standings.
Check for yourself. That is false. Keenan joined AFTER the Canucks missed the playoffs.
What was the trade that absolutely CRUCIFIED him in Vancouver?
Trading the horribly slow and washed up Trevor Linden, for the best power forward in Hockey.
- Todd Bertuzzi - Best Power forward in the NHL, with back to back 90 point seasons in the DPE.
- Bryan McCabe - A potential top line Dman, who nearly put up a PPG - Who ended up being the key piece back for a SEDIN
- Jarkko Ruutu - fan favorite super-pest.
Sorry you make that trade any day of the week, especially considering the Canucks window was long closed and were rebuilding and no longer a playoff team. You can try and pretend like Linden was your Yzerman / Sakic, but he wasnt close.
Linden never topped 47 points again in his career.
What else?
Martin Gelinas, and Kirk MacLean. for Sean Burke Geoff Sanderson.
Kirk MacLean was NO LONGER A STARTER as much as you wished he were. He put up putrid numbers
6 Wins 17 Losses with a .879%
He was a giant pile of horseshit when he was traded for BURKE who went onto be a top 10 goalie for a really long-time.
Gelinas never came close to 30 goals either.
Sanderson quickly became fan favorite Brad May.
Brian Burke received ALL of the credit for the Keenan era trades.
Keenan trades aren't that bad. You just hated that you were in the basement, and pin all that hatred on Messier and Keenan.
Both of them came AFTER you guys were in the basement.
Bure played nearly the full season under Keenan.I was born in 95 so Im ill equipped to respond to this critique, but my understanding is mostly that it is a lot of hatred for how he split up Bure and Odjick, which resulted in Bure getting taken advantage of and injured and the downfall of his career. Bure was a folk hero in those days, moreso than Linden and the others
The Caps actually interviewed him during the process that Oates got the job.
I've read articles, posts and JRs book. Keenan is a wannabe Scotty Bowman who's stupid psychological tactics just won't work today.
Keenan was good at coaching boomers.
GenX and Millenials don't really respond to that militant style of coaching.
Russians still do. Hence the success he has in Russia.
Loose definition of the generation.I think you mean Gen Z. Gen X officially ends in 1981.