[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Seriously, if one more of you brings up the whole "he doesn't talk to players after a loss" thing, I'm going to reach through my monitor and throat punch you.

It's already been established that this is actually quite common amongst NHL coaches, and rarely does it do any good to beat up on players that are already down or pissed about a loss immediately after the event. These are pros, they don't need to be told they sucked that night. They already know it (most of the time), and need time to process what happened in that game. Leaving it until the next morning's meeting is perfectly reasonable.

It is not indicative of being able to communicate effectively with the players, nor is it a proxy for "mentally preparing" a team. Quite frankly, the players have to do most of their mental preparation themselves. The coach is responsible for communicating the game plan and things each individual needs to work on. They are not Svengali's capable of manipulating their players with mind control.

It's fine to be angry, just make sure it's something to actually be angry about.

Any coach would tell you that's part of their responsibility. You can go on and on with examples in the history of professional sports (and probably amateur sports) on how great coaches mentally prepared their teams. Phil Jackson used to use zen techniques to build mental strength on the Chicago Bulls. Heck, even our last coach, crap on his system all you want -- how did he get any results? Motivation.

Now I'm not sure if Gulutzan does something to try to motivate them. I'm sure he does something. But whatever it is it seems highly ineffective.