Teams that overcame "bad culture"

robsenz

Registered User
Apr 15, 2007
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tbh I think this whole bad culture idea is just what happens when your team isn't talented or well coached enough to win. As others have said that all hinges on the GM's decision making..... For example, you take Crosby out of Pittsburgh and I bet the culture gets a lot worse, cause they're just not nearly as good without him

granted there are certain problem players around the league (crazy guys that just can't assimilate socially with their teammates), but they are few and far between. It is more about talent

Ottawa seems to have had some bad culture over the past 15 years, including when they were one of the best teams in the NHL.
 

Ignatius

LET HIM IN TO THE BOX
Apr 28, 2010
2,276
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Sin Bin
The Pens are not immune to having spurts of bad culture, the DB years in to the Johnston years I'd consider bad culture. Maybe top notch org., but they had their trial and tribulations. Mostly not being able to control themselves from the players up to the HC. It was quite embarrassing grown men couldn't get a grip and easily knocked off focus.

I think there is a lot that suggests that the Pens under Bylsma reverted to the country club ways of the past like Sid's seeming refusal to play with anyone other than grinder types despite them often holding him back. A serious lack of accountability throughout the organization lead to embarrassing playoff exits year after year.

I think the Iginla trade and quick fallout after the playoffs speaks to it perfectly. Iggy was ecstatic to get traded to Pittsburgh and choose the Penguins over the Blackhawks, Bruins, and Kings (all Stanley Cup favorites in 2013). After getting curb stomped by Boston in the ECF #12 could not get out of Pittsburgh fast enough.
 

Mobiandi

Registered User
Jan 17, 2015
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In the new millenium, I wouldn't really say that the Flames have had any culture issues. The major problem is that their front office after Fletcher was a league-wide joke until Brian Burke. His tenure as interim GM made massive strides towards the club gaining back some respect from other franchises

Jay Feaster, in particular, was a huge black mark on this organization. The guy had Kipper, Iggy, Regehr, Bouwmeester, and Cammalleri and left us with nothing for our rebuild. Obbiously there have long been rumours of meddlesome ownership throughout the years, but Treliving seems to have kept them in check better than the rest.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,373
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Mulberry Street
Define label? Actual culture problems or a rep that is not known to be true. The Capitals had the bad culture rep. Probably well earned. Trotz and Orpik fixed it.

There was a primary reason why the Caps wanted Orpik so badly and that was it.

Maybe I'm mis-remembering but I remember all sorts of stories of how Semin + Ovy were creating a Poussin locker room and the "lazy Russians" weren't that interested in winning the big one. & how they were basically sabotaging the younger players.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,373
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Mulberry Street
Thank you for proving my point.
Burke wanted to build a winner with Kessel and Phaneuf instead of building from the draft

A lot of that was an ownership. They didn't want to wait 3-5 years for a rebuild to bear fruit, they gave him a win-now mandate which is why he forked over two 1sts for Kessel.

It wasn't until Shanahan came along that they finally agreed that a rebuild was best. He was able to convince them that it was the only way to reach the ultimate goal.
 

Jerkob Slavin

Likable Jerk
Mar 8, 2012
1,205
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Monroe, NC
Carolina for sure. Karmanos was a cheap skate that would ice an AHL quality team and then blame the fans for not supporting a team that was all but eliminated from the playoffs by Christmas.

Dundon is a breath of fresh air that quickly realized that the fan experience is of paramount importance to the success of the team.
 

Malkinstheman

Registered User
Aug 12, 2012
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I feel like "culture" is just a buzz word. When a team isn't winning that word gets thrown around. These guys are professional athletes. Obviously the atmosphere isn't gonna be good if the team sucks.
 

JT Kreider

FIRE GORDIE CLARK
Dec 24, 2010
16,903
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NYC
Oilers were starting to get a bad culture with Chia but Hollsy has turned it around 360, it all starts at the top.

Because he made a trade that at best will have minimal impact on the team moving forward, at worst he traded for a one dimensional player who will be completely useless if his offensive game truly has been zapped and has been known to kinda be a dbag??

The way Oilers fans have celebrated trading away Lucic makes me think I've severely underestimated how big the moves of getting Panarin and Trouba are for the Rangers.
 

Burke the Legend

Registered User
Feb 22, 2012
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Summer 2009 Bob Gainey bigtime purged the Habs dressing room with the objective to makeover the culture. There were a lot of problems with poor leadership and cliques.
 

NoMessi

Registered User
Jan 2, 2009
1,697
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Penguins had a reputation as one of the league's premiere country clubs, at first it was Mario's friends and then when he retired it became the Czech national team. I half think that it only changed because Sidney Crosby would rather win hockey games than keep his buddies around. Trading his best dude Colby Armstrong and then going to two consecutive Finals must have made an impression.

So he influenced Jack Johnson to sign for 4 (or was it 5) years. Thank god he wants to win instead of playing with his friends.
 

Fixxer

Registered User
Jul 28, 2016
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Columbus was made into a disinterested retirement community under MacLean's incompetence, started to eventually learn a thing or two about professional pride thanks to the hard work of Howson (with Hitchcock assisting), and subsequently under Kekalainen and Tortorella has gotten to the point where the team has genuine self-respect now.
It sucks that I believe their "4" free agents left, as it'll be difficult to be as successful. Still, the culture has changed and fans actually are into it. I will also remember the game where Columbus beat Montreal 10-0 or so. After 8 goals, the crowd started to cheer (We want 10). The cannon and everything! They truly got this now!!
 

DrewGl

Registered User
Jul 28, 2018
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Alexandria, VA
As a Caps fans they def had a rep around the DC area as being prima donnas and hard partiers. I credit Trotz for changing the teams attitude. Obviously they still party but I think he changed the culture when they were on the ice.
 

txpd

Registered User
Jan 25, 2003
69,649
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New Bern, NC
Maybe I'm mis-remembering but I remember all sorts of stories of how Semin + Ovy were creating a Poussin locker room and the "lazy Russians" weren't that interested in winning the big one. & how they were basically sabotaging the younger players.

Demon was an issue. No question. Ov not caring about winning, though is horse shit
 
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SML2

Registered User
Jan 1, 2018
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Bad culture is a term that covers a lot of ground. Could be bad management. Could be bad coaching. Could be a toxic personality in control of the locker room, guys mixed up in nightlife, gambling, drugs... Wags hating each other, affairs with teammates significant others, you name it. It's pretty much a term for things you can't talk about in the media. Makes you wonder how much bad culture you even find out about in the first place. Every team has to have some of it. Does it hit the key players or does it derail your season is what makes it a question to ask.
 

Zeke and luther

Registered User
Aug 14, 2019
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Because he made a trade that at best will have minimal impact on the team moving forward, at worst he traded for a one dimensional player who will be completely useless if his offensive game truly has been zapped and has been known to kinda be a dbag??

The way Oilers fans have celebrated trading away Lucic makes me think I've severely underestimated how big the moves of getting Panarin and Trouba are for the Rangers.
It will be hilarious to see the oilers suck again after their fans went crazy after the lucic deal
 

hockeeyyy

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
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I feel like "culture" is just a buzz word. When a team isn't winning that word gets thrown around. These guys are professional athletes. Obviously the atmosphere isn't gonna be good if the team sucks.
Ehhhh, not really.

Just like a business or a restaurant, company culture plays a huge role in performance and happiness. No one wants to wake up dreading to go to work. Workplace culture influences work ethic, problem solving, loyalty, happiness, and team work. To say that a losing team has bad culture is a very simplistic way of looking at what culture actually means.

To answer the OP's question, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the obvious answer here. But the Chicago Blackhawks in late 2000s are another good example. I'd even argue that the Tampa Bay Lightning are probably the best example of bad culture being turned around rapidly through management versus just the players performance.
 

Nico Hischier

Registered User
Nov 22, 2017
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The devils were once called a Mickey Mouse organization by the greatest player ever and then won 3 cups in 9 years
 

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