Coaching your best players Desjardins versus Hartley

[ricardodw]

They had a blurb about Willie Desjardins going out of his way to meet his core players and establish a rapport.

I found this Canucks coach Willie Desjardins went the distance to learn about his players article.

Willie Desjardins went to great lengths—and travelled great distances—to learn more about his Vancouver Canucks.
After the 57-year-old was hired as the franchise's 18th head coach in June, he hit the road to meet with members of a veteran core that will need to rebound in a big way following a miserable 2013-'14 campaign that ended with the Canucks missing the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.

It has been said so much that it has become a cliche but you always hear from coaches that the reason a team is doing poorly is that its best players are not playing like best players.

This just makes sense. The veteran core has to be playing well and leading the team.

Two years ago Hartley had a team being paid to the max with well over half the team with over 10M in career earnings. They were dreadful under achievers.

Last year there were a lot fewer veterans and Hartley coached them much better.... they exceeded incredibly low expectations.

Desjardins at least seems to understand that for the Canucks to have any success the Sedins, Hamhuis, Burrows and Bieksa all have to have good if not great seasons. If they do not play well they will not be motivated with benchings or threatened punishment .... They will all keep on cashing the cheques and will have no problem joining another NHL team than Iginla and Bouwmeester and Cammalleri had in leaving Hartley and the Flames.

This little episode with benching Wideman and apparently not having an adult discussion with Wideman does not seem to be the way to maximize the best players value with or for the Flames.

In 2-3 years .... when the Flames are coming out of the rebuild there will be a lot more of veteran multi-millionaires on long term contracts (similar to Wideman) that will have to be the Flames best players.

Anyone have confidence that Hartley will get them to play to their potential in the same manner he is able to motivate the AHL/NHL tweeners he had last year and this year?

[BurningSteel]

I hope that nothing Hartley does mirrors that of the Canucks

[Resolute 14]

You just love to hear yourself talk, don't you?

[PeteLFan]

Wideman is a vet, if he can't understand why he got benched then he has more problems then his on ice performance.

Hartley seems to be great at communicating with the kids why they sit, or what they need to work on.

I love coach Bob, hes the best coach we have had since Darryl Sutter.

[renny]

[hummdeedoo]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Anyone have confidence that Hartley will get them to play to their potential in the same manner he is able to motivate the AHL/NHL tweeners he had last year and this year?

Yes.

[Major Major]

Do you need a list of vets who played well last year? How about a list of star players who have played like stars under Hartley? I'm really not even understanding the point you're trying to make.

[devo22]

I don't even understand the point you're trying to make. Is it "Hartley can't motivate veterans"? Because Mark Giordano's 2013-14 season makes that point completely moot, and that doesn't even include Hudler setting a new career high in assists, Cammalleri being on a 34 goal pace and so on.

[Kool Keef]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Two years ago Hartley had a team being paid to the max with well over half the team with over 10M in career earnings. They were dreadful under achievers.

You're conveniently ignoring the lockout that took place before the start of that season. I imagine it had a lot to do with his ability to keep in contact with the players. As I understand it, the coaching staff kept in touch with the players during this past off-season monitoring their training.

As for underachieving... I don't care how much money that team was being paid, it sucked and many of us knew it.

[PeteMoss]

[Enoch Root]

So going to visit the players in the summer is what makes for a good coach?

Scotty Bowman just farted inexplicably

[Arya Stark]

Hartley can barely hear you because he has his one Stanley cup ring plugging his good ear.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Anyone have confidence that Hartley will get them to play to their potential in the same manner he is able to motivate the AHL/NHL tweeners he had last year and this year?

Yes.

[timbit]

Oh Ricardo....

[troutman]

Desjardins has coached one NHL game.

[handgroen]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

one image retort, so good PeteMoss

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by troutman

Desjardins has coached one NHL game.

No kidding. He could be the next Dallas Eakins for all we know.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by troutman

Desjardins has coached one NHL game.

Yes, but he has the best winning percentage of any coach in NHL history.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

Yes, but he has the best winning percentage of any coach in NHL history.

Sure, but he probably won't have that anymore if he lasts longer than Godfrey Matheson.

Edit:

If Desjardins quits his job before tonight's game, he can tie Cap Raeder's all-time head coaching record of 1-0-0.

One notes that Cap Raeder is not considered a lock to make the Hall of Fame in the builder category.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by troutman

Desjardins has coached one NHL game.

And he's mopping up after a diaster of a coach. He'd have do be the next coming of Eakins to not improve on last year's performance.