had to resurrect this thread....
story just came out here on the toronto star, that i'm sure is just going to take this city by storm, especially after last week's lewiske's comments about the leafs where he said:
“there are players we have in our organization today whose numbers are off the chart good and whose character is just terrible. I don’t care how good your numbers are, if you have bad character, you are doomed for failure."
the last week toronto has been isolating that comment directly on the shoulders of phil kessel (seeing as he is the only guy on the leafs with any kind of stats that could be looked at as positive).
now this comes out... basically the newly hired assistant coach decided to discuss initial disagreements with kessel about team strategy (ideas around break out plays) at some minor league coaching clinic. good old toronto media round up 3 coaches that attended, interviewed them and then put this article out...
http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/...y_feschuk.html
Quote:
“Spotter said that when he went to Phil (with the breakout play), Phil said, I’m not doing it,” said one of the attendees, a former professional player.
Said another: “Spott was saying (that) these are the things I’ve got to deal with now that I’ve never had to deal with. In the AHL (where Spott coached last season with the Toronto Marlies), when you’re the coach what you say goes. Whereas now that I’m here (in the NHL), I’ve got a guy telling me: No. I’m not going to do that.”
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Quote:
“Spott said Carlyle’s attitude was that we’re fired before (Kessel is) out of here, the hierarchy doesn’t want to deal with Phil. He scores 30 (goals) a year and that’s all they want,” said one of the attendees. “(Spott said) Phil hates coaches. He hates Randy. He hates me and I don’t even know him yet.”
One of the minor-hockey coaches who was in attendance said Spott spoke of Kessel’s alleged hatred of coaches with his “tongue in cheek.” Another said he was “shocked” at Spott’s candour. Indeed, given the club’s historic bent toward secrecy, the clinic amounted to a rare window into the inner workings of the Leafs
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Quote:
Spott was complimentary of Kessel, telling his audience that the winger is one of the smartest hockey minds he’s worked with. Spott also marvelled at how Kessel — who Spott estimated during the lecture is “15 pounds overweight” — remains an explosive speedster.
The Leafs assistant shared other tidbits. He told the clinic that the team’s search for better defensive play will see them strongly discourage defencemen from making high-risk keep-in plays at the opposing blue line — pinching, in the parlance. Spott said that Toronto’s defencemen will be instructed to “never trust a forward” to backcheck or cover.
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Quote:
As for the breakout play, Spott said in his presentation that he and Kessel ultimately reached a compromise. According to attendees, Spott explained his original strategy like so. With the Leafs moving the puck out of their zone up the left boards, the scheme called for Kessel, the right winger, to speed across the blue line toward the left wing — thus pushing back the opposing defenceman who, in previous seasons, has too often stymied the Toronto breakout by keeping the puck in. Spott told the clinic that Kessel didn’t like the idea; the player prefers the strategy of staying closer to the right wing awaiting the kind of cross-ice pass that would put him in a foot race with the opposing team’s left defenceman.
“(Kessel) originally said no, and then he said he’d meet Spott halfway and come to the middle, but that he wouldn’t go all the way across like Spott originally wanted. But it’s Phil’s show,” said one of the minor-hockey coaches who was in attendance.
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there's just soo much stupid here in my opinion. is this coach really not ready for the big time, sure seems like he doesn't have the sense to keep dressing room stuff of the big club, inside the dressing room. if he really didn't think the media in toronto would be all over this, then he's not smart enough to work in this market.
that alone leaves me siding with kessel, his idea was probably crap.