Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
I'm very interested and hopeful that Sutter will have an impact, but lets not assume that the team was playing as Geoff Ward was directing.
Don't think a modern NHL coach would ask his team to play slow, to turn pucks over in low percentage risk situations, or to pinch without support for example.
They may not have been scared enough of the guy to be on their toes, which makes the group weak, and a stronger hand needed, but Ward wasn't necessarily the whole problem.
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So in other words it was in fact a coaching issue. Motivating the team is probably the most important part of the job today dealing with millionaire players. No need to sugar coat things as Ward was a nice guy but a horrible NHL head coach that couldn't last a full season before being fired. It is what it is.