Quote:
Originally Posted by Dion
Have to feel sorry for Ward as a person. Can't be easy when you're given the bad news. He gave it his best and best wasn't enough.
I wish him all the best in the future.
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I am positive that he will at least catch on somewhere as an assistant or associate. His longevity in the league in those roles suggests he is good at a lot of things.
I agree 100% with you. Seems like a good guy and I have no pleasure seeing him fired.
Sutter is the only available veteran coach I wanted to see come in, but I was so sure that he was happily retired from coaching by his own decision. I didn't think it was possible he would come back.
Timbit touched on it quite a few pages back, but few coaches can balance that line between being a hard-ass and still being loved by by his players. He doesn't care about status or hierarchy on the team, everyone has to pull their weight. I think it's too common these days that coaches fall into the trap of letting the stars reign over the the team and I suspect that is part of the issue with this roster right now.
I also like that Sutter tries to protect his players from public and media criticism and isn't afraid to take the blame for them. He'll give them hell behind the scenes, but he'll be damned if he lets others walk all over them. It's hard to do these days, but it's important for the mental fortitude of the players.