The "Fire Michel Therrien" Thread

[trader997]

I find it awfully funny that people in Pittsburgh complain with the team's performance. Your defense is composed of a bunch of 4th-6th dmen and rookies plus you have a bad backup goaltender as your starter. Even with Crosby and Malkin, your team should be losing many more games than they are.

Just look at the Lightning. On paper they probably have a better defense and a better goaltender. They have Lecavalier and St.Louis up front. Yet they can't win a game. They couldn't win a game last year either under Tortorella. But somehow you guys want to bring in Tortorella to replace Therrien... LOL

This thread sounds like a spoiled kid crying because he didn't get 5 times as many gifts as his friends for Christmas. Enjoy winning with your two men team and quit complaining already.

Yes we're winning but we're not playing good hockey since the beginning of the season. We haven't played for 60 min. 2 games in a row and most of our wins came in OT/Shootout. Hopefully we'll play like a cup contender when Gonch and Whitney returns because right now, it's a fact, we're playing *hitty hockey and for everybody who's watching the games, you can't deny it.

 

[shureshot66]

it's just the typical message board mentality. do i think therrien is a top coach in the league? no, not really. but given the pens' situation so far this season, i think he's done a pretty damned good job. given the team's recent trend of starting so poorly, i was expecting a much worse record to start the season without gonchar and whitney. i mean, losing gonchar especially is just an enormous blow at both ends of the ice -- of *course* the power play is going to struggle and the defense is going to look shoddy in the third period. and yet, the pens just finished november at 9-2-1 and have set themselves up to still challenge for the division down the stretch.

to me, there's nothing there that comes close to meriting firing the guy. but that's just how things go on the site here in general. with the very notable exceptions of teams like detroit, san jose and right now boston, there's a "Fire <coach's name here>!" thread on most of the active boards.

there's a bunch of rangers fans who want renney out, and they've had a great start. check out the devils' GDT from last night... most of it's whining about sutter. i mean, really? you have brodeur, madden, and rolston -- probably three of their five most important players along with parise and elias (maybe martin) -- and more all out injured. and they just had a five-game winning streak regardless. but it's sutter's fault.

i don't think i need to even get into the flyers fans' relationship with stevens. someone mentioned philly fans are thrilled that therrien is still the coach here -- last i checked, we're now on the third season of being the better team, a 17-6 record head-to-head, including a decisive win in the ECFs. the two franchises have been in the league for more than 40 seasons now and this is only ... what, the second extended stretch in that time where the pens have definitely had the upper hand?

this simply isn't a guy who deserves to be fired right now.

 

[maxpenguins6630]

Should we fire Therrien as soon as we have a chance and replace him by Pete Laviolette? I don't think so but I really like Laviolette...

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Should we fire Therrien as soon as we have a chance and replace him by Pete Laviolette? I don't think so but I really like Laviolette...

 

[jmelm]

Ooops, did I just bump this thread?

In all seriousness, it's time for Therien to go. When you have a team playing so badly and when you have more than half the players under-achieving, you know it's time for the coach to go.

Too bad we missed the boat on Quenneville, but there are plenty of guys that would be better than Therien/Yeo/Savard at this point.

Shero just has to be willing to swallow his ego and admit he made the mistake of signing MT to an unnecessary 3 year contract when he was already signed for this year.

 

[Fordy]

One of the only mistakes Shero's made. Dump him. When a barely .500 no-name Toronto Maple Leaf team beats you 7-2, there are no excuses left to be made. The Leafs played a great puck possession game and all Therrien can do is pull Fleury and put Crosby and Malkin together, never-mind the dump-and-chase and the other glaring holes in his coaching. It doesn't go past Crosby-Malkin and pulling the goalie with him.

 

[jmelm]

One of the only mistakes Shero's made. Dump him. When a barely .500 no-name Toronto Maple Leaf team beats you 7-2, there are no excuses left to be made. The Leafs played a great puck possession game and all Therrien can do is pull Fleury and put Crosby and Malkin together, never-mind the dump-and-chase and the other glaring holes in his coaching. It doesn't go past Crosby-Malkin and pulling the goalie with him.

Well let's not forget to polish Therrien's nob a little bit for his willingness and "strategic thinking" to change the lines up constantly.

 

[GuinosWin71]

if this thread is a petition i am putting my name on it

 

[Darth Sidious*]

if this thread is a petition i am putting my name on it

after tonight's game, I want to put my name down as well.

 

[Gold Diamond]

*sigh* Therrien is not going to be fired anytime soon. Not unless the teams quits on him (long losing streak) or has multiple early playoff exits.

The problems with this team cannot be fixed by a coaching change. Unless its Yeo

 

[SirJordanStaal11*]

I think us being out shot EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. is a good recipe for Therrien being ****canned.


Wins are not going to pile up being out shot every night. They just won't. We've gotten lucky to win as many games as we have under Therrien because this has been an ongoing problem with him since he took over.


I don't know if it is Therrien's system or what, but we get out shot all the time and it's pathetic.

 

[Gooch]

While I would be a very happy camper hearing that Therrien gets fired and while I believe he has certainly qualified to be fired I just don't realistically see it happening. I really hope my gut feeling is wrong here, but the recent extention given to him and commentators all constantly talking Therrien up like he is a great coach leaving no indication of disgust with him amongst anybody but us. I just think there would at least be rumors about him hanging by a thread before he actually goes.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Honestly, more nights like tonight will give the anti-Therrien faction some momentum...no question about that.

If this thing isn't turned around in the next couple of weeks, if Whitney doesn't make an impact upon his return, if nothing improves after we get Gill, Zigomanis and Kennedy back...well then I think this becomes a POSSIBILITY.

Having said that, those are three pretty important role players for us and we're missing each quite badly right now...Gill, Zigomanis and Kennedy. Let's not forget that.

 

[Katawah]

Ooops, did I just bump this thread?

In all seriousness, it's time for Therien to go. When you have a team playing so badly and when you have more than half the players under-achieving, you know it's time for the coach to go.

Too bad we missed the boat on Quenneville, but there are plenty of guys that would be better than Therien/Yeo/Savard at this point.

Shero just has to be willing to swallow his ego and admit he made the mistake of signing MT to an unnecessary 3 year contract when he was already signed for this year.

I'm glad you bumped this thread. I'm glad somebody did.

As I wrote already .. I'll say it again ..

I think this team is finally showing the cumulative effects of being drained and dragged-down by Therrien .. over the long haul. They are finally getting sick and tired of him .. and it's about time they are! I honestly thought it would only be a matter of time until this would finally set-in. And now I think we're finally seeing it manifesting. It has been festering for quite a while .. and now it's presenting itself in its ugliness.

And yet STILL most people are seemingly unaware of this elephant in the livingroom. This is going to (unfortunatley) probably require a long, painful, drawn-out period of time before the Ownership and enough of a critical-mass of the fandom finally come to the realization that MT and his staff must go. And by then, the season might be blown .. meaning missing the Playoffs.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

I hope we fire MT, replace him with another coach that will do equally as bad (if not worse) and then fire him as well, then we finally realize that this team is pretty much bad regardless of who we have behind the bench. Injuries have hurt this team's progression, as has a general lack of depth on the wings, our over-dependence on Geno and Sid, and generally soft defensive play.

Tonight it wasn't just a poorly coached game by Sid MT (as much as we try to convince ourselves that it was the only reason), but also the fact that this team came out with zero conviction and inspiration from the opening faceoff. Some bad goals from MAF didn't help, but neither did Geno's turnovers, Sid's poor effort, and the horrendous display by our defense.

This team is just lacking in every single area right now, and it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than just firing MT in order to get them back at the same level they were at last season.

 

[jmelm]

I hope we fire MT, replace him with another coach that will do equally as bad (if not worse) and then fire him as well, then we finally realize that this team is pretty much bad regardless of who we have behind the bench. Injuries have hurt this team's progression, as has a general lack of depth on the wings, our over-dependence on Geno and Sid, and generally soft defensive play.

Tonight it wasn't just a poorly coached game by MT (as much as we try to convince ourselves that it was the only reason), but also the fact that this team came out with zero conviction and inspiration from the opening faceoff. Some bad goals from MAF didn't help, but neither did Geno's turnovers, Sid's poor effort, and the horrendous display by our defense.

This team is just lacking in every single area right now, and it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than just firing MT in order to get them back at the same level they were at last season.

I think you don't realize that you are unintentionally describing exactly WHY we should fire Therrien.

It's the coach's job to motivate his team and get them to play with conviction/inspiration, etc.

No one thinks that MT or any coach is going to replace Hossa or other players who led us to the Cup last year, but the fact is that, despite any injuries or personnel changes from last year, this team should be performing better than they are right now. A better coach would get more out of this team right now, and a better coach would get more out of an injury-free Pens team than Therrien would.

Injuries are not an excuse; it's just misdirection.

 

[Katawah]

I think you don't realize that you are unintentionally describing exactly WHY we should fire Therrien.

It's the coach's job to motivate his team and get them to play with conviction/inspiration, etc.

No one thinks that MT or any coach is going to replace Hossa or other players who led us to the Cup last year, but the fact is that, despite any injuries or personnel changes from last year, this team should be performing better than they are right now. A better coach would get more out of this team right now, and a better coach would get more out of an injury-free Pens team than Therrien would.

Injuries are not an excuse; it's just misdirection.

Well put. I wholeheartedly agree. MT is now actually a negative influence in terms of motivation. MT's "schtick" has finally backfired. I think they have finally seen through him (and through Yeo) and are beginning to get turned-off. Better that this happens now, rather than later in the season, because they have a chance to save the season now if they make a good choice as a replacement.

 

[WhatsaMaatta]

I remember everyone calling for Therrien's head last season at least twice. . . And that's about when things started turning around for the Pens. We can all hope for Therrien's dismissal(I've been on the Boudreau bandwaggon since Olczyk left) but Shero signed the guy to a long term extension with the belief that the Pens can win a Cup with him behind the bench. He's not quite as impatient and short-sighted in his goal-set as we are.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

I think you don't realize that you are unintentionally describing exactly WHY we should fire Therrien.

It's the coach's job to motivate his team and get them to play with conviction/inspiration, etc.

No one thinks that MT or any coach is going to replace Hossa or other players who led us to the Cup last year, but the fact is that, despite any injuries or personnel changes from last year, this team should be performing better than they are right now. A better coach would get more out of this team right now, and a better coach would get more out of an injury-free Pens team than Therrien would.

Injuries are not an excuse; it's just misdirection.

I do realize it's the coaches job. Yet if you really know MT, you'll know that he is widely regarded around the league as an excellent motivator, especially for young players. He's the type of coach that will lay into his players and chew them out whenever he sees them dragging their feet. He knows how to inspire his players for the most part, which tends to compensate for his lack of tactical coaching ability. If the team lacked inspiration last night, it wasn't due to MT in my opinion, as motivation and inspiration are the areas that he actually excels at as a coach.

Is MT a great coach? Not in my opinion. But would firing him and replacing him with some other hack that would probably do just as bad with this team be the solution? I doubt it very much. Perhaps people should start blaming the players a little bit more instead of continously looking for easy answers. Both Sid and Geno were absolutely lousy last night, and they should be hanging their heads in shame for their performances. Especially Geno, who was responsible for some BRUTAL turnovers. Our defense should be kicking themselves in the ass for such a soft, amateur display that allowed the Toronto Maple Laffs to complete bombard us with shots and control puck posession in our own end for most of the game. Needless to say, these guys are professionals (many of them very well paid) that should've came out with a much stronger performance that they did. Blame coaching all you want, but to me last night's game was lost by the players.

 

[jmelm]

I do realize it's the coaches job. Yet if you really know MT, you'll know that he is widely regarded around the league as an excellent motivator, especially for young players. He's the type of coach that will lay into his players and chew them out whenever he sees them dragging their feet. He knows how to inspire his players for the most part, which tends to compensate for his lack of tactical coaching ability. If the team lacked inspiration last night, it wasn't due to MT in my opinion, as motivation and inspiration are the areas that he actually excels at as a coach.

The only thing that matters is performance -- not reputation.

This team is not performing well and they are not playing motivated, inspired hockey. Therrien could be the best motivator "on paper" in the world, but if he's not motivating this team in real life (and on a regular basis) then he needs to go.

Is MT a great coach? Not in my opinion. But would firing him and replacing him with some other hack that would probably do just as bad with this team be the solution? I doubt it very much. Perhaps people should start blaming the players a little bit more instead of continously looking for easy answers. Both Sid and Geno were absolutely lousy last night, and they should be hanging their heads in shame for their performances. Especially Geno, who was responsible for some BRUTAL turnovers. Our defense should be kicking themselves in the ass for such a soft, amateur display that allowed the Toronto Maple Laffs to complete bombard us with shots and control puck posession in our own end for most of the game. Needless to say, these guys are professionals (many of them very well paid) that should've came out with a much stronger performance that they did. Blame coaching all you want, but to me last night's game was lost by the players.

Yes, but it's the job of the coaches to GET the players to play well. Sure, the players were awful last night, but it's the coaches' responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.

Even great teams will have a bad game here and there. We've just had WAY too many of them over the last few seasons. We shouldn't need to be in the playoffs or losing a game after 2 periods before this team starts to play with anything resembling effort and a sense of urgency.

And no one is suggesting we replace Therrien with "some hack", and referring to possible available coaches as a bunch of "hacks" is totally ignorant.

Lastly, however good this team may have been under Therrien at any given time, they would be better under a better coach. If we had a guy like Quenneville last year, it's very possible we could have beat Detroit and won the Cup, instead of getting badly out-coached.

We have a great team and we should have a great coach. You don't buy a new Ferrari and then take it to Sears for a tune-up and new set of tires.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

The only thing that matters is performance -- not reputation.

This team is not performing well and they are not playing motivated, inspired hockey. Therrien could be the best motivator "on paper" in the world, but if he's not motivating this team in real life (and on a regular basis) then he needs to go.




Yes, but it's the job of the coaches to GET the players to play well. Sure, the players were awful last night, but it's the coaches' responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.

Even great teams will have a bad game here and there. We've just had WAY too many of them over the last few seasons. We shouldn't need to be in the playoffs or losing a game after 2 periods before this team starts to play with anything resembling effort and a sense of urgency.

And no one is suggesting we replace Therrien with "some hack", and referring to possible available coaches as a bunch of "hacks" is totally ignorant.

Lastly, however good this team may have been under Therrien at any given time, they would be better under a better coach. If we had a guy like Quenneville last year, it's very possible we could have beat Detroit and won the Cup, instead of getting badly out-coached.

We have a great team and we should have a great coach. You don't buy a new Ferrari and then take it to Sears for a tune-up and new set of tires.

Fine. Now my question is this: What if the team suddenly goes on a resurgence during the second half of the season like they did the last two seasons in a row? Are we still gonna be asking for his head even then, or is this just more typical panic talk from us Pens fans who are ready to pull the trigger whenever we experience the least bit of struggle?

Personally, I'd like to wait and see how this team does under MT when most of our injured guys come back first. I'm sure that Shero feels the same way.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Time to put this thread to bed again. That suspected conflict between star player and coach was nothing more than a poster with bad ears.

When Crosby/Malkin start having issues with the coach, then we can bring this thread back into circulation. Otherwise, there is no story here as far as I'm concerned.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Time to put this thread to bed again. That suspected conflict between star player and coach was nothing more than a poster with bad ears.

When Crosby/Malkin start having issues with the coach, then we can bring this thread back into circulation. Otherwise, there is no story here as far as I'm concerned.

Indeed. Unfortunately though people will continue to put their only spin on things and make it seem like there's some great amount of turmoil within the team when there really isn't any to begin with (at least none that we can prove).

Lets just hope for better things to come.

 

[jmelm]

Time to put this thread to bed again. That suspected conflict between star player and coach was nothing more than a poster with bad ears.

When Crosby/Malkin start having issues with the coach, then we can bring this thread back into circulation. Otherwise, there is no story here as far as I'm concerned.

Ummm, what does this thread have to do with a suspected conflict between Therrien and any of the players? Read the title of this thread and read the posts -- it has nothing to do with such a thing. You must have the wrong thread.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Ummm, what does this thread have to do with a suspected conflict between Therrien and any of the players? Read the title of this thread and read the posts -- it has nothing to do with such a thing. You must have the wrong thread.

He's referring to the other thread that was made entitled "It's Sidney's Team" where MT's post-game comments were grossly misinterpreted, thus sparking the notion that there was some tension going on between Sid and MT. Basically a lot of talk taken out of context and misquoted.