WC: So can Canada STOP picking Ken Hitchcock as a coach now?

[puckfan13]

Hopefully this was his last chance as head coach. The next two years will be time for Canada to focus on finding the best assistants for Babcock, assuming the NHL heads to Sochi 2014.

Babcock, Boucher, Bylsma and Ruff/Trotz doesn't sound too bad to me.

Boucher with one of the deadliest powerplays and penchant for dealing with personalities alongisde Bylsma's icy cool demeanor and the wizardry he brings to the PK. All of the coaches coach the biggest stars in the game (Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Stamkos, St. Louis, Crosby, Malkin) so they know what they're dealing with and they've won championships. Can't see how they could go wrong with that.

Edit: My mistake - Bylsma is American How was he not on the American staff for the Olympics?? He just came off a Cup win.

 

[begbeee]

I have said it before the tournament when Hitchcock was nominated for national team coach:
"That is actually a chance for other teams to win the tournament."

Canada came with almost junior team (doesnt mean bad) and you have made Hitchcock as a head coach??

a) his style is almost useless on international ice
b) he, I would say, hate players under 30

Bad, bad choice by your managment and you're payin' for it now.

Ken Hitchcock, when asked by Russian if Kovalchuk is a nightmare for him. "He wasn't much of a nightmare at the Olympics." No he wasnt, but life is not just about olympics.

Chico was on NHL live and they asked him do they think Hitchcock is the guy for the Devils job.

Chico was not a fan at all saying the team needs a teacher and not someone players fear showing up to the rink to play for. According to Devils, but says a lot about Hitchcock.

 

[pepty]

Maybe time has past Hitchcock by,but its also past time to say goodbye to Mark Messier as either coach or GM in International hockey as well.

 

[vezna*]

lol i love how europeans use WC as example of their superiority over us

we'll win the Olympics, enjoy your WC medals

 

[MoonDragn]

Chico was not a fan at all saying the team needs a teacher and not someone players fear showing up to the rink to play for.[/I] According to Devils, but says a lot about Hitchcock.

Totally agree with Chico. In fact I think I would rather have Chico as coach before Hitchcock.

 

[Ziostilon]

really thought they were going to go with Mark Messier

isn't that why they sent him to coach in the Spengler Cup, and that other tournament in Germany

 

[begbeee]

Dude Really? Our WC teams don't even have our best players. This team was full of young guys.

oh and by the way there is a reason why Ken Hitchcock isn't a coach in the NHL anymore.

I think any of the team have not their best players and I also think no team will ever have best players (nor during Olympic) b/c of injuries. Hitchcock, well, any national association is capable to determin who is best option for team and if Hitchcock is not, blame your association not Hitchcock. Slovaks or Czechs maybe didnt have best available guy on the earth too...

According to another poster above, well if Nash, Spezza, Tavares or Phaneuf is for you bunch of nobodies

And last thing: thankfuly to WC the competition in hockey is raising and for Canada it will be harder to win every year more and more. Maybe you're already late on this train...

 

[Drij]

]I think any of the team have not their best players and I also think no team will ever have best players (nor during Olympic) b/c of injuries.[/B] Hitchcock, well, any national association is capable to determin who is best option for team and if Hitchcock is not, blame your association not Hitchcock. Slovaks or Czechs maybe didnt have best available guy on the earth too...

According to another poster above, well if Nash, Spezza, Tavares or Phaneuf is for you bunch of nobodies

And last thing: thankfuly to WC the competition in hockey is raising and for Canada it will be harder to win every year more and more. Maybe you're already late on this train...

To put it in perspective:
Russia had 12 Olympic players on their team. Canada had 1.

Nash was the only Olympic player. Spezza and Phaneuf will never make the Olympic team. Tavares might make it one day.

 

[BobDobolina]

Chico was on NHL live and they asked him do they think Hitchcock is the guy for the Devils job.

Chico was not a fan at all saying the team needs a teacher and not someone players fear showing up to the rink to play for. According to Devils, but says a lot about Hitchcock.

There's been plenty of rumors of him going there, Pierre even mentioned about it on radio and he's not a guy to spread around rumors easily. I really hope it isn't true though, Jersey is too fine of a organization for him.

 

[SeriousFan09]

To put it in perspective:
Russia had 12 Olympic players on their team. Canada had 1.

Nash was the only Olympic player. Spezza and Phaneuf will never make the Olympic team. Tavares might make it one day.

Well we Canadians always brag "We could 2 or 3 teams to the Olympics and still win!" well guess what, we sent an NHL squad (with plenty of top talent) to the Worlds and couldn't get it together. Whether it was just Hitchcock but please, the Russian team was missing some of their top players (Datsyuk, Malkin, Markov) and Ovechkin was hardly effective either.

With the roster Canada sent, there was no excuse not to at least place in the medal games. Don't blame the guys who turned down the invite, blame Hockey Canada for letting Hitchcock near a HC position in an International tournament.

 

[jore]

To put it in perspective:
Russia had 12 Olympic players on their team. Canada had 1.

Wrong perspective.

After a quick count Canada had 22 NHL players on roster while Russia had six. As most NA posters keep saying, the quality of hockey in KHL is about even, maybe slightly behind, with AHL.

 

[alcanalz]

Wrong perspective.

After a quick count Canada had 22 NHL players on roster while Russia had six. As most NA posters keep saying, the quality of hockey in KHL is about even, maybe slightly behind, with AHL.

Nice generalization but I don't think you'll find "most NA posters" saying that.

Well we Canadians always brag "We could 2 or 3 teams to the Olympics and still win!" well guess what, we sent an NHL squad (with plenty of top talent) to the Worlds and couldn't get it together. Whether it was just Hitchcock but please, the Russian team was missing some of their top players (Datsyuk, Malkin, Markov) and Ovechkin was hardly effective either.

With the roster Canada sent, there was no excuse not to at least place in the medal games. Don't blame the guys who turned down the invite, blame Hockey Canada for letting Hitchcock near a HC position in an International tournament.

And these are my thoughts as well. We had more than enough talent to win, we just didn't get it done.

Keep Hitchcock away from any Canadian team and I'll be a happy man. The game has definitely, definitely passed him by.

 

[leafsfuture]

Lets ask Nikita Filitov what he thinks of Hitch?

It was a joke that Tavares and Stewart got as little ice as they did, and that he put a line of two 20 year olds and one 19 year old as our second line.

This team was good enough to win.

 

[pepty]

really thought they were going to go with Mark Messier

isn't that why they sent him to coach in the Spengler Cup, and that other tournament in Germany

Messier has been major flop.Can't see him in any more International tournements.

 

[Dave Karp]

Seen that happen over and over again on Jackets games when Jabba the Hitch was behind the bench.

Funny. Hitch was great at protecting the league when he was in Dallas. Maybe it's the fact that the Jackets aren't a talented enough team to implement that sort of system.

This tournament was lost due to inexperience. The team was talented, for sure, but the inexperience plays a large factor in their defensive mindset. Posters are complaining about ice-time of players like Tavares, Eberle, etc. and are citing past performances. Difference is is that they aren't player against other young players; they are playing against NHL vets. On paper, the squad was good but in practicality, especially for Hitch's system, was a poor match. Everyone should be blamed for the result, not just Hitchcock.

 

[spaceman sean]

Funny. Hitch was great at protecting the league when he was in Dallas. Maybe it's the fact that the Jackets aren't a talented enough team to implement that sort of system.

This tournament was lost due to inexperience. The team was talented, for sure, but the inexperience plays a large factor in their defensive mindset. Posters are complaining about ice-time of players like Tavares, Eberle, etc. and are citing past performances. Difference is is that they aren't player against other young players; they are playing against NHL vets. On paper, the squad was good but in practicality, especially for Hitch's system, was a poor match. Everyone should be blamed for the result, not just Hitchcock.

It is the coach's job to pick a system that will work well with his players.
If they are too young to be able to adapt to his system, isn't he the one at fault for choosing it? You can't blame the players for his failure to analyze strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Dave Karp]

It is the coach's job to pick a system that will work well with his players.
If they are too young to be able to adapt to his system, isn't he the one at fault for choosing it? You can't blame the players for his failure to analyze strengths and weaknesses.

C'mon. It's a short tournament. He's not going to tailor a new system for the squad. Team Canada knew what they were doing when they hired him. I don't personally believe the young players bought in and/or they just couldn't adjust to his style of game quickly enough. His praise for Zajac, Kane, Vermette, etc. are prime examples of his type of players. His reliance of them is questioned by posters, but in actuality it makes total sense.

 

[spaceman sean]

C'mon. It's a short tournament. He's not going to tailor a new system for the squad. Team Canada knew what they were doing when they hired him. I don't personally believe the young players bought in and/or they just couldn't adjust to his style of game quickly enough. His praise for Zajac, Kane, Vermette, etc. are prime examples of his type of players. His reliance of them is questioned by posters, but in actuality it makes total sense.

Fair enough. I do agree that everyone should be held responsible, and it's not Canada's performance was disgraceful, but I feel that the coaches and administration should shoulder most of it. May just be a personal world view though.

 

[Kimota]

Blame the Bob Nicholson country club approach of hiring his friends.

Next time, hire the best candiate and think outide the box.

 

[walle]

Yeah, byebye Hitchcock, welcome Hanlon!

 

[umwoz]

It really doesn't make sense given how much of the team is 24 and younger each year, Hitchcock is well known as a bad coach of young players. It wouldn't surprise me to find out players have been declining invitations because of Ken.

 

[Canuck21t]

I have said it before the tournament when Hitchcock was nominated for national team coach:
"That is actually a chance for other teams to win the tournament."

Canada came with almost junior team (doesnt mean bad) and you have made Hitchcock as a head coach??

a) his style is almost useless on international ice
b) he, I would say, hate players under 30

Bad, bad choice by your managment and you're payin' for it now.

This, I agree. Stupid Hockey Canada.

Ken Hitchcock, when asked by Russian if Kovalchuk is a nightmare for him. "He wasn't much of a nightmare at the Olympics." No he wasnt, but life is not just about olympics.

I don't know what else do you want him to say? "Oh we're so scared of Kovalchuk"? His point was that Kovalchuk is not invincible.

I think any of the team have not their best players and I also think no team will ever have best players (nor during Olympic) b/c of injuries. Hitchcock, well, any national association is capable to determin who is best option for team and if Hitchcock is not, blame your association not Hitchcock. Slovaks or Czechs maybe didnt have best available guy on the earth too...

We're blaming Hockey Canada for choosing Hitchcock and we're blaming Hitchcock for being a bad coach.

Ok, so Slovaks and Czechs might not have the best available guy too, so? That's your problem, we're looking into ours.

And last thing: thankfuly to WC the competition in hockey is raising and for Canada it will be harder to win every year more and more. Maybe you're already late on this train...

We've been told about this 10 years ago. When I look at the big picture, I actually think that Canada is better now than it used to be 10-15 years ago. And seeing our young upcoming players, I'm confident in our abilities.

 

[Nakawick]

Jeez People. Canada lost one game by one goal in a game that they controlled the majority of the play. They controlled every game they played and significantly outshot and had territorial advantage in all the games. Yeah, I would have liked to see Tavares play more and hitch is not the greatest coach, but it isn't like Canada lost 5 games by multiple goals with most of their best players.

Hitch's style is set in stone. He has a reputation of not working well with younger players. maybe Calgary will hire him.