TonySoprano11
It's a very delicate situation.
Like a number of you on here, I too am becoming apathetic at the performance of this team over the last several years. As a fan it's difficult to tune in game after game, year after year and see the tires sputtering - a little forward and a little backwards with no real progress being made.
I like Bryan Murray and I think he has a great hockey mind, but I often think what a terrible decision this franchise made back seven years ago after it reached it's highest achievement in modern franchise history.
I cannot recall any other team in any major sport reaching the finals and then replacing their coach and general manager the following season. Why the hell would any team do this? We finally found a successful combination of personnel management and coaching - and then we changed everything the next season.
Bryan Murray was a great coach, he took this franchise further than any other coach had before. He had the right mix of experience, moxy, composure, and nurturing behind the bench. Muckler, for all his faults, did assemble a team worthy of reaching the Stanley Cup finals. We had the single best line in hockey, a speedy puck moving defense with one of the best shutdown pair in the game.
Muckler had, what I believe, is incredible clout and respect in the hockey world. He was able to attract players like Hasek to come to this franchise. He was able to go out, swing a deal, and get the players the team needed when they needed it. Not to mention he was a great negotiator. Remember when he almost had Redden, Chara, and Hossa all locked up to identical deals on salary and term? Redden and Chara were on board but Hossa nixed the deal (all part of the sour relationship and sign/trade afterwards).
The very next season after we went to the finals for the first time in franchise history, we changed GMs and coaches. In the front office we lost the legendary status and respect of Muckler, and turned into a house of nepotism and hardline tactics. Behind the bench we saw a revolving door of Jr level coaches totally destroy the chemistry of this one champion bound team.
Since then we broke up the best line in hockey, and sold them off for spare parts. Our defense became slow, young, and mistake prone. The on ice face of the franchise walked away to play his final year for another team. We have had a revolving door of goaltenders, only finally to be straightened out by a journeyman goaltender who's former team traded him for next to nothing just to move him out of town.
When we look at our team now what real improvements can we see from seven years ago when this horrible decision was made? We tout our prospects but which among them besides Karlsson has really worked? The book is still out on Zbad and Cowen. Silfverberg is gone. Stone, Prince, Puempel, Hoffman, - are these the guys that are going to be bona fide NHL players leading this team (any team) into the stanley cup?
I have been patient, and I know lots of other fanbases have suffered longer, but I am starting to really lose my hope and enthusiasm for this franchise while under the master plan of the Murray clan. I understand why everyone was high on the guy after '07 - but man, its been a long and dark ride under his hand ever since.
I like Bryan Murray and I think he has a great hockey mind, but I often think what a terrible decision this franchise made back seven years ago after it reached it's highest achievement in modern franchise history.
I cannot recall any other team in any major sport reaching the finals and then replacing their coach and general manager the following season. Why the hell would any team do this? We finally found a successful combination of personnel management and coaching - and then we changed everything the next season.
Bryan Murray was a great coach, he took this franchise further than any other coach had before. He had the right mix of experience, moxy, composure, and nurturing behind the bench. Muckler, for all his faults, did assemble a team worthy of reaching the Stanley Cup finals. We had the single best line in hockey, a speedy puck moving defense with one of the best shutdown pair in the game.
Muckler had, what I believe, is incredible clout and respect in the hockey world. He was able to attract players like Hasek to come to this franchise. He was able to go out, swing a deal, and get the players the team needed when they needed it. Not to mention he was a great negotiator. Remember when he almost had Redden, Chara, and Hossa all locked up to identical deals on salary and term? Redden and Chara were on board but Hossa nixed the deal (all part of the sour relationship and sign/trade afterwards).
The very next season after we went to the finals for the first time in franchise history, we changed GMs and coaches. In the front office we lost the legendary status and respect of Muckler, and turned into a house of nepotism and hardline tactics. Behind the bench we saw a revolving door of Jr level coaches totally destroy the chemistry of this one champion bound team.
Since then we broke up the best line in hockey, and sold them off for spare parts. Our defense became slow, young, and mistake prone. The on ice face of the franchise walked away to play his final year for another team. We have had a revolving door of goaltenders, only finally to be straightened out by a journeyman goaltender who's former team traded him for next to nothing just to move him out of town.
When we look at our team now what real improvements can we see from seven years ago when this horrible decision was made? We tout our prospects but which among them besides Karlsson has really worked? The book is still out on Zbad and Cowen. Silfverberg is gone. Stone, Prince, Puempel, Hoffman, - are these the guys that are going to be bona fide NHL players leading this team (any team) into the stanley cup?
I have been patient, and I know lots of other fanbases have suffered longer, but I am starting to really lose my hope and enthusiasm for this franchise while under the master plan of the Murray clan. I understand why everyone was high on the guy after '07 - but man, its been a long and dark ride under his hand ever since.