Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRed
Does anyone think we're close? I think the point is more that Hartley got a consistent hard effort out of the team, thereby instilling a competitve attitude that will pay off down the road when the talent develops.
Credit where credit is due: Hartley completely changed the culture of the team, from country club to scrappy and hungry. That's a foundation to build on, and he deserves to be acknowledged for it.
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IMO the culture and lacklustre attitude of the team since 06-07 was the #1 reason we underachieved so much. We had high end talent, but poor work ethic and a sense of entitlement going around. We can have all the game breakers and stars in the world. But if we put in a crappy effort every game, like we did more often then not in those days, it means nothing. Hartley managed to do last season was B. Sutter could not do for 3 seasons. I think he will be extended next season, and it is well deserved.
His associates also deserve a lot of credit. I had my reservations when Gelinas was hired along with Cloutier. I'm very happy I was wrong about them. Neither of those guys has gotten enough credit for helping to relay Bob's message to the players.