Confirmed with Link: Sabres Hire Dan Girardi in a Player Development Role

[joshjull]

I understand that point of view, but the fact that he was never actually a good player has to be held against him, no?

How good or bad a players was in the NHL or if they even played in the NHL has little to no correlation to how good or bad a coach they will be in the NHL.

I’m also baffled by you describing a guy who was a top 4 dmen for about a decade in the NHL as “never actually a good player”. Is that supposed to be a hot take to dismiss the hire?

 

[joshjull]

Right, but we know someone who did something as a player doesn't necessarily make them good at coaching others, even if they had to work for it.

Obviously he seems like a good person for the job, but it is funny how many "great hires " there are according to the analysts at times.

I think most of the press takes are just guys happy for him because they like him.

 

[Aladyyn]

I don’t think calling him “never a good player” is accurate. He played over a decade in the NHL.

I think a player development director needs to be experienced at all the levels and know the process, plus know what the demands are to advance. Girardi has certainly done that.

That's the thing though, Girardi knows how to make coaches give him ice-time, which to me is quite different to being a good player. I don't want a team full of Ristolainens. Of course he might turn out to be great in the role, I'm just skeptical until he shows me something.

 

[Aladyyn]

How good or bad a players was in the NHL or if they even played in the NHL has little to no correlation to how good or bad a coach they will be in the NHL.

I’m also baffled by you describing a guy who was a top 4 dmen for about a decade in the NHL as “never actually a good player”. Is that supposed to be a hot take to dismiss the hire?

He got his job based on his playing career, that's the only thing we can judge him on. It's not like he's proven himself as a coach at a lower level.

 

[joshjull]

He got his job based on his playing career, that's the only thing we can judge him on. It's not like he's proven himself as a coach at a lower level.

I have no expectations of him as a coach. Time will tell if it was a good hire.

 

[5 Minute Major]

he’s not being hired as a game coach. He’s working player development. I’d say Girardi’s work going from an unstaffed player to playing top 4 minutes in the NHL for over a decade qualifies him.

4 years in the OHL as well. He’s a poster child for “hard work getting you there.”

I understand he won't be behind the bench but he is a coach none the less.

My statement, I believe, is still a valid one.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I have no expectations of him as a coach. Time will tell if it was a good hire.

I agree with your take. In fact, it's the only logical take.

Friedman calling it a great hire is stupid.

 

[joshjull]

I agree with your take. In fact, it's the only logical take.

Friedman calling it a great hire is stupid.

I said in a previous post that most of the press takes I think are just liking Girardi personally and being happy for him.

 

[5 Minute Major]

I said in a previous post that most of the press takes I think are just liking Girardi personally and being happy for him.

Which I get as well.

This team just has me in a grumpy mood when I think about them.

 

[joshjull]

Which I get as well.

This team just has me in a grumpy mood when I think about them.

I totally get that.

 

[jc17]

In depth look at what goes into player development
The Overlooked Importance of Player Development - The Hockey Think Tank

And it's different at every level too.

I think this article highlights how broad development can be, and why "good hire/bad hire" is a lot of times a lousy description of a new coach. I mean, we don't even know what Girardi's true role will be, so that alone makes it almost impossible to predict his success.

We don't know how Girardi prioritizes skill, physicality, tactics, inter-squad competition. Even if we did, we don't know his process for actually developing or implementing these things. Does he choose drills with a purpose, or does he choose drills that are just considered standard? How does he coach to different personalities and skill levels? Does he create tangible and achievable goals?

There's just so much that goes into coaching, and its a bit of a pet peeve when a coach or a hire is judged by criteria that only holds a little relevance. Whether its hockey or any other sports, people always try to define coaches by their playing career, or the record with a former team, or even a stat a former team posted in a given season under that coach, but we always see these are not good indicators of future performance.

Aside from coaches with a great track record of success and those with an obvious track record of dysfunction, I think fans and media need to stop trying to define every coaching hire and admit we just have to see how it plays out.

 

[Der Jaeger]

That's the thing though, Girardi knows how to make coaches give him ice-time, which to me is quite different to being a good player. I don't want a team full of Ristolainens. Of course he might turn out to be great in the role, I'm just skeptical until he shows me something.

I understand he won't be behind the bench but he is a coach none the less.

My statement, I believe, is still a valid one.

I’m going to come at this from a coaching perspective. I coach for a Tier II (about to be Tier I) youth hockey program, where nearly every coach in our program has AHL, ECHL (or defunct league equivalent), CHL, or NCAA experience. We have one coach with NHL experience. We’re very good at player development.

Why?

Our coaches weren’t the best players. Our NHL experienced coach was a 6/7 D who stayed at home and fought. Doesn’t really matter.

Player development, as the article @Buffaloed posted, is about work ethic and habits. We teach them very well.

Skills? We are a Power Edge Pro program with proven results. The skills development path is well developed and we don’t deviate a ton.

Joe Quinn, founder of PEP, runs a coaching seminar for us at the beginning of each year. His favorite story to tell is about McDavid as a 10 year old. He wasn’t the best player in his camps. Josh Ho-sang was his most talented player. But McDavid was the hardest working. And he passed up kids quickly.

As a goalie coach, I do teach technique and skills, for sure. But my most important work is showing my goalies hard work and great work ethic. Same with my son. Same with the team I assist with during tournaments.

Girardi making the NHL undrafted speaks volumes about his work ethic and good habits. He there to work with the players Adams and Krueger give him. And he’s not going to be spending tons of time on the ice with Mittelstadt working on stick handling.

The players get plenty of skills work on their own. He’s there to teach habits and the path of hard work which will help players succeed.

You’ll be surprised how many excellent players do not see themselves well. Does Mittelstadt really know he appears lazy? Has anyone told him?

That’s player development. Not being on the ice showing a first round pick how to shoot a back hand coming of his off hand wing.

 

[Buffaloed]

He got his job based on his playing career, that's the only thing we can judge him on. It's not like he's proven himself as a coach at a lower level.

He got his job because he's a close friend of Matt Ellis and not a threat to replace him. If they really wanted a former player, Mike Foligno would have been the perfect choice. This is a team that hired a banker as its Director of Hockey Strategy because he's Kevyn Adams friend.

 

[joshjull]