Peter Laviolette: where does he rank among coaches?

[MrSnrub]

One Cup with the Hurricanes, a Final with the Flyers (and Michael Leighton in net!) and potentially another Final with Nashville. Top 5? 3?

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[Juicy Pop]

He certainly has the most jam of any coach in history.

 

[Sarcastic]

He's on the list.

 

[Dishface]

He's a wild card for sure. Being fired by a couple of teams and successful with a few teams (both with Carolina) I can see getting ranked from 5 to 12 if his past is taken seriously.

 

[Leafs24Seven*]

For active coaches?

He is in that 3-6 immediately after Babcock and Quenneville, very very good coach.

 

[Juicy Pop]

He's a wild card for sure. Being fired by a couple of teams and successful with a few teams (both with Carolina) I can see getting ranked from 5 to 12 if his past is taken seriously.

I think firing Lavi was a mistake for Philly but I guess someone had to take the fall at that point in time.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Top 5 for sure:

D. Sutter
Quenneville
Laviolette
Sullivan
Vigneault

He is in that 3-6 immediately after Babcock and Quenneville, very very good coach.

What exactly puts him "after" Babcock? Babcock is in that tier 2 with Trotz, Hitchcock, Cooper, etc. Defensive coaches who play a braindead grind game.

 

[Dishface]

I think firing Lavi was a mistake for Philly but I guess someone had to take the fall at that point in time.

They definitely pulled the trigger on that too quickly after that start and a loss vs Carolina was the nail in the coffin of course.

 

[Your Reality Check]

he certainly has the most jam of any coach in history.

Jam!

 

[Leafs24Seven*]

What exactly puts him "after" Babcock? Babcock is in that tier 2 with Trotz, Hitchcock, Cooper, etc. Defensive coaches who play a braindead grind game.

Easy there champion, jf you need "splaining" what makes Babs a top coach then you should watch some hockey once in awhile. Braindead grind game? Guess i watched a different Leafs team this season

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Easy there champion, jf you need "splaining" what makes Babs a top coach then you should watch some hockey once in awhile. Braindead grind game? Guess i watched a different Leafs team this season

The Leafs were good despite Babcock. Once he whips them into shape they'll be Capitals north, right down to the playoff disapointment (or did you not watch the entire Detroit Red Wings era of Babcock?)

 

[Kovaz]

Top 5 for sure:

D. Sutter
Quenneville
Laviolette
Sullivan
Vigneault



What exactly puts him "after" Babcock? Babcock is in that tier 2 with Trotz, Hitchcock, Cooper, etc. Defensive coaches who play a braindead grind game.

I think the Leafs being the most high-event team in hockey kind of disagrees with that, no? They were top-5 at shot generation and bottom-5 at shot suppression, which to me is literally the opposite of "braindead grind game." I know when I've watched the Leafs in the last two years, I've seen a well-organized transition game that generates a ton of speed and puck control in the neutral zone. They can't defend for **** though, so if you want to criticize Babcock maybe point to the part of the game where they actually struggle.

 

[MrSnrub]

I think the Leafs being the most high-event team in hockey kind of disagrees with that, no? They were top-5 at shot generation and bottom-5 at shot suppression, which to me is literally the opposite of "braindead grind game." I know when I've watched the Leafs in the last two years, I've seen a well-organized transition game that generates a ton of speed and puck control in the neutral zone. They can't defend for **** though, so if you want to criticize Babcock maybe point to the part of the game where they actually struggle.

This is not a Babcock thread.

 

[Moncherry]

The Leafs were good despite Babcock. Once he whips them into shape they'll be Capitals north, right down to the playoff disapointment (or did you not watch the entire Detroit Red Wings era of Babcock?)

The era where they won a Cup and went to the finals twice?

No, the Leafs were not good despite Babcock. He has been instrumental in the team's culture change, shift to a possession game, and development of the young players. No, he is not a defensive coach who plays a "braindead" grinding game. You really don't know what the hell you're talking about. It's also ironic that you use being a defensive, grinding coach as a negative and yet rank Sutter as the best coach.

But you can't expect much more from someone who ranks Vigneault as a top 5 coach. Go ask Rangers fans what they think of that.

 

[Terry Yake]

easily top 5

guy is one hell of a playoff coach

 

[c9777666]

Let's not forget his work with the Islanders when he ended a 7 year playoff drought, got the Isles to the playoffs after a ghastly stretch for the franchise as they made a 42-point turnaround from 2001 to 2002

 

[thedustman]

Top 5 for sure:

D. Sutter
Quenneville
Laviolette
Sullivan
Vigneault



What exactly puts him "after" Babcock? Babcock is in that tier 2 with Trotz, Hitchcock, Cooper, etc. Defensive coaches who play a braindead grind game.

uuhhhh, what?

 

[Arturs Irbe]

Currently top 4.

 

[AD Skinner]

I think Laviolette is a great motivator, which is why he has success everywhere he goes. He can get a group of people to really buy into skating and shooting and hitting harder than the other guys all game long. I also think that is why he has a short shelf life- eventually that message becomes white noise. This is just fan theory though I certainly don't have any special insight

 

[hohosaregood]

He's always been one of the best coaches in the league.

 

[Juicy Pop]

I think Laviolette is a great motivator, which is why he has success everywhere he goes. He can get a group of people to really buy into skating and shooting and hitting harder than the other guys all game long. I also think that is why he has a short shelf life- eventually that message becomes white noise. This is just fan theory though I certainly don't have any special insight

I buy that given that he's a disciplinarian with an edge [watch the Flyers-Rangers 24/7 and you'll get a very good sense of that]. Once the system starts to fail, whether due to personnel or otherwise, that intense personality becomes tiring and then it's sort of all downhill from there.

 

[GarbageGoal]

I've followed his career since he was a player/captain/assistant coach in the mid 90's in Providence. I always knew he'd be a top notch coach. Never the most talented player on the ice but always the smartest and most focused. He's gotten a raw deal several times, starting in Boston when they kept passing on him with the final straw being hiring Robbie Ftorek over him. He got jobbed by Milbury and a bunch of whining overrated "veterans" on Long Island. I do think his intensity is often his downfall after awhile, but he will always have a job waiting for him somewhere. I'm pulling hard for Nashville because of him.

 

[tade]

I miss him so much on the Flyers. I hope Nashville wins the Cup. Go Preds Go! He's my favourite coach in the NHL.

 

[Fugazy]

Definitely a top 10 coach, probably closer to top 5 at this point.

 

[PromisedLand]

Lavy won the cup with the canes without many superstars or stacked roster. And with Philly went to the cup finals with basically a 2B goalie.

Lavy likes to play fast paced high octane hockey; which is a stark contrast to Trotz and the reason subban for weber trade was made.

What I also like about him is that he has made adjustments in his coaching style on how to play in neutral and defensive zone without changing fast high octane tone of hockey.

He is too 5 from r sure.

My top 5 coaches in recent memory:

Quenneville
Sullivan
Sutter
Laviolette
Cooper