Sabres Head Coach Search 2
- Thread starter Dreakon13
- Start date
- Status
I'm honestly shocked that interviews have everyone all excited after feeling the same way for the last two coaches' interviews
Like we literally had this exact same discussion upon the hires of Phil and Dan
This is not any sort of prediction that Gronberg would be bad, or like Phil and Dan, but how can anyone's needle be even budged an inch in the positive direction for anything less than actual on-ice success, after the decade we've just gone through? What coaches say they're going to do and what they actually do so often contradict each other that I simply need to see it actually happening before this process can bring positive emotion (negative emotion is still allowed, like if we were interviewing Carlyle)
Like we literally had this exact same discussion upon the hires of Phil and Dan
This is not any sort of prediction that Gronberg would be bad, or like Phil and Dan, but how can anyone's needle be even budged an inch in the positive direction for anything less than actual on-ice success, after the decade we've just gone through? What coaches say they're going to do and what they actually do so often contradict each other that I simply need to see it actually happening before this process can bring positive emotion (negative emotion is still allowed, like if we were interviewing Carlyle)
BloFan4Life
Registered User
Am I the only one that wants nothing to do with Gronborg?
Why isn't the guy coaching a team, besides the Swedish national teams? He talks about wanting to coach in North America so bad, but why doesn't he start with coaching a team in maybe the Swedish hockey league?
The only HC experience I see on an actual team is back in 2003 in the AWHL.
I'm actually wondering why he would even be in conversation for an NHL HC job. Makes zero sense.
Why isn't the guy coaching a team, besides the Swedish national teams? He talks about wanting to coach in North America so bad, but why doesn't he start with coaching a team in maybe the Swedish hockey league?
The only HC experience I see on an actual team is back in 2003 in the AWHL.
I'm actually wondering why he would even be in conversation for an NHL HC job. Makes zero sense.
I'm reminded of this line from Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series: “The first ten million years were the worst," said Marvin, "and the second ten million years, they were the worst too. The third ten million years I didn't enjoy at all. After that I went into a bit of a decline.”
We may be in decline.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
Since it's the media saying he's a candidate, maybe it's because he is a good interview for these media outlets?
Buffaloed
webmaster
Today is Grönborg day. Tomorrow might be Keefe day or Tippet day or Ruff day. But today is Grönborg day. Every dog has their day.
He even said it wouldn't be fair to others if he discussed the details. It was the right thing to do - showed some professionalism.
Montag DP
Sabres fan in...
I'm in pretty much the same boat. The last thing this team needs is another overhyped experiment with little relevant head coaching experience. If he ends up being the hire, I'll be hopeful but not very optimistic.
dotcommunism
Moderator
- Aug 16, 2007
- 5,182
- 3,348
Pretty much agree with this. If a potential coach says really stupid things to the media, that's one thing. It can be an indicator that he doesn't know what he's doing. But saying the "right things" means very little. Anyone can say the right thing.
GameMisconduct
Registered User
- Jul 20, 2006
- 1,300
- 724
It brings to mind a certain Penguins/Sabres coach talking about how he'd used his time off from coaching for meaningful learning and improvement in his coaching abilities.
BloFan4Life
Registered User
Completely agree. It's really not that hard to be a HC for a team either in the AHL, Overseas league, College or the NHL. IMO, a coach must have relevant coaching team experience. It's a no starter if he doesn't.
NEcoli
Registered User
- Apr 13, 2014
- 1,120
- 262
He didn't evade the question on the Rangers interview at all. He admitted speaking with them
NEcoli
Registered User
- Apr 13, 2014
- 1,120
- 262
Nordiques1979
Registered User
Knowing all your swedish prospects, Grönborg would be perfect.... in AHL! Whatever the hype is surrounding him, I wouldn't give him the key yet.
Don't get me wrong, this guy is a genius, he thinks about every little details of the game and is a master in managing athletes. But let's face it, there's a big step between Swedo national team and coaching day to day an NHL franchise.
Not there personally, Keefe or Tippett would be fine for me. I honestly still prefer Keefe.
WeDislikeEich
Registered User
- Jun 22, 2015
- 5,899
- 4,234
Correct me if I am wrong here, but what I can gather from looking at Gronborg’s coaching history, he has basically been a tournament coach the last 9 years? It looks like he hasn’t coached more than 12 games (at most) at a time since 2002?
Rikard Grönborg at eliteprospects.com
It looks like the last time he was head coach for a full season of hockey was in 2002, in the AWHL (a tier 3 junior league, not even tier 1).
It looks like he has no professional coaching experience, and only 4 years of experience coaching full seasons of hockey?
Or am I wrong? I haven’t followed his career and just started reading about him recently.
I would be fine with Grönborg if he was the hire. But personally, I see him as a risk and I don’t think the Sabres are in the best position to take another big gamble on an unproven coach.
They can’t miss on this next coaching hire, no matter who it is. Otherwise it sets us back years again and we can’t afford that after all the setbacks in this rebuild already.
I’d rather see them go with Tippett, who has proven to be a good NHL head coach. Dallas improved 21 points his first year there and Arizona improved 25pts his first year.
I just feel like Tippett is a safer choice. We need someone to get this team back to respectability and in the mix for a playoff spot year in and year out.
Once we get there, the Sabres will be in a better spot to take a shot on an up and coming coach (if needed to get them over the hump).
Right now, I just feel like we need someone that’s been there and done it before. Not another guy with little real professional head coaching experience to speak of that’s never been through the grind of a long NHL season and will be learning on the job.
The Sabres don’t seem like the best team right now for on the job training. It’s a big task at hand.
If I were Botterill, I’d be thinking about the fact that only 2 GMs in Sabres history have had the chance to hire more than 2 coaches - Scotty Bowman and iirc Punch Imlach.
Rikard Grönborg at eliteprospects.com
It looks like the last time he was head coach for a full season of hockey was in 2002, in the AWHL (a tier 3 junior league, not even tier 1).
It looks like he has no professional coaching experience, and only 4 years of experience coaching full seasons of hockey?
Or am I wrong? I haven’t followed his career and just started reading about him recently.
I would be fine with Grönborg if he was the hire. But personally, I see him as a risk and I don’t think the Sabres are in the best position to take another big gamble on an unproven coach.
They can’t miss on this next coaching hire, no matter who it is. Otherwise it sets us back years again and we can’t afford that after all the setbacks in this rebuild already.
I’d rather see them go with Tippett, who has proven to be a good NHL head coach. Dallas improved 21 points his first year there and Arizona improved 25pts his first year.
I just feel like Tippett is a safer choice. We need someone to get this team back to respectability and in the mix for a playoff spot year in and year out.
Once we get there, the Sabres will be in a better spot to take a shot on an up and coming coach (if needed to get them over the hump).
Right now, I just feel like we need someone that’s been there and done it before. Not another guy with little real professional head coaching experience to speak of that’s never been through the grind of a long NHL season and will be learning on the job.
The Sabres don’t seem like the best team right now for on the job training. It’s a big task at hand.
If I were Botterill, I’d be thinking about the fact that only 2 GMs in Sabres history have had the chance to hire more than 2 coaches - Scotty Bowman and iirc Punch Imlach.
WeDislikeEich
Registered User
- Jun 22, 2015
- 5,899
- 4,234
If we are going the inexperienced NHL coach route I would prefer Keefe too. He would be at the top of my list.
What I like about Gronborg is that he is the ultimate hybrid coach.
It's not like bringing over a Swedish coach that might alienate the North American players with any uncertainty with the language or culture. He has lived, played and coached in North America and knows the north American game and systems and integrated it with European style and systems.
His coaching philosophy matches mine when I coached. Create a system to maximize your lineup and talent, don't pick a single system and try to shoehorn everyone into it. Put players in position to succeed.
If he could attract an EK65 in free agency or any other Prominat Swedish or European player that would be a huge cherry on top but there are a lot of very good young European prospects and players in the system already that would relate to him.
Gronborg with a veteran NHL coach as assistant/Associate to help guide him through any NHL hiccups in his first season would be ideal.
Royal Thunder
Frolunda Mode
- Feb 21, 2012
- 4,407
- 3,427
If I didn't have hope then I probably wouldn't enjoy sports very much. Phil is gone, we are due for a good coach, and Botterill seems to be very open minded in his search and genuinely trying to find the best candidate out there.
Ace
Registered User
- Oct 29, 2015
- 23,528
- 28,427
Because that job isn’t open anymore.
It was shrewd to make it known to listeners that his name didn’t appear out of thin air when he was getting interviews in the league last year...and there is no reason to not talk about it since the position has been filled.
And man...I honestly don’t know how anyone could watch this organization and say they don’t want another experiment. All they do. All they do. The only thing they do. Is fail to experiment. They follow the leaders and trot out their lesser versions of what other teams get. That’s all they do.
If there is one organization that should be desperately looking to be ahead of the curve on something it’s the Buffalo f***ing Sabres.
If there is a group of undiscovered by this league top candidates in Europe...and teams haven’t broken that ice yet...break that f***er wide open and get the best guy.
In three years someone else will have and the Sabres will follow the leaders and trot out their lesser version of it.
Buffaloed
webmaster
We're not thinking outside the box enough. Coaches are disposable, especially on the Sabres. Yet we wring our hands over whether this is the one that can deliver us to the promised land. As far as I'm concerned we can hire Grönborg, fire him immediately after his 10 game win streak, and bring in Chris Taylor. Why are we even trying to pretend the next coach will be here for more than 2 years? 
Buffalo Norsemen
Registered User
Lots of Keefe envy out there but the odds MLSE & Dubas let's him leave Toronto is slim whether it is promotion or whatever. Of course if he is allowed to interview leave I will be pleasantly surprised and optimistic.
I'm really happy with how the process has gone so far, so I don't have overall pessimism about it - I'm just not getting tingles from a dumb interview
if you're botterill, there are no options left that are safe and good. you can bring in an older, established guy with warts that will probably be marginally better than housley but not good enough to stop you from getting fired in a few years, or you swing for the fences on an unknown quantity and hope he turns out to be the next big thing. gronberg and keefe are really the only two names being discussed right now that fit the latter category. to hire any of the retreads currently being discussed would be disappointing as a fan, but it would likely be a job-ender for botterill.
- Status
