Habs sack Julien, Muller - Ducharme named Interim Coach

[Domoic]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

I like to think that I don't wish ill on other human beings, but Kirk Muller being fired feels of what goes around comes around to me. I used to bartend at the Keg on 4th Ave in the Westin Hotel while I was in university. Kirk Muller was the most arrogant, rude, and demeaning individual that ever sat at my bar top.

I was a bartender in Kingston when I was in university. Kirk was always nice to me, great tipper, and let me try on his Stanley Cup ring!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by cowtown75

I never understood the hype of Montreal being rated so high coming into this season. Barely made the playoffs last year. I guess beating the Pens in the first round last season created a lot of unreasonable expectations. I think their record suits them just fine.

I figured they got off to a hot start with some new acquisitions. And of course, as Price goes, so do the Habs. I actually thought their slide was a little late in coming, and that Julien was having more success than I expected. I’ve never thought of him as a great coach, despite winning in Boston.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Pretty harsh. Montreal is a difficult place to play or coach.
I expected them to finish ahead of Ottawa in the North division. Their great start put expectations way above the quality of their roster.
That and the overating of the "best goalie in the world".
They're just not that good yet.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

A little unfortunate for the Flames that they didn't get to play the Senators early when they were really struggling out of the gates. They are certainly playing a better team game now than they were when the Canucks and Oilers were getting free points from them.

It was right after that where Murray seemed to find his game. Tkachuk and Stutzle are going to be great players.

Originally Posted by troutman

The Habs were 24th last year. Why do people think they should be much better than that? If they were in the normal division with BOS, TB, FLA and TOR, where do you think they would be?

With all the changes they made they are better. I've seen every game this year, they aren't skating like they did at the start of the season. Price keeps letting in weak ones. They need to forecheck hard and roll 4 lines, skate the opposition into the ground. When they don't do that, they lose.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

People are just very frustrated, which is why some are putting no thought at all into the situation. A clear case in point ...




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Yeah fair enough. I can't just wrap my head around the people screaming "Why is Ward still here??"

He's coached 19 games since being named the head coach. Would be incredibly bush league to fire him now. Why would anyone else ever want to come here?

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Domoic

I was a bartender in Kingston when I was in university. Kirk was always nice to me, great tipper, and let me try on his Stanley Cup ring!

The other guy served his evil twin Jerk Muller

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by bax

To all the posters asking for Treliving to hire Julien- do you realize Ward is a protege of Julien? They have similar tendencies.

I thought he was a Babcock protege.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

I thought he was a Babcock protege.

That was Bill Peters who was under Babcock in Detroit. Ward was under Julien in Boston.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by bax

Yeah fair enough. I can't just wrap my head around the people screaming "Why is Ward still here??"

He's coached 19 games since being named the head coach. Would be incredibly bush league to fire him now. Why would anyone else ever want to come here?

I don ‘t think he’s great, and he certainly doesn’t seem to have been seriously considered for any HC jobs despite being around for years. But, yeah, not a long leash, especially with little training camp in a very weird year.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

I thought he was a Babcock protege.

No. Peters was a Babcock protégé. Ward spent nearly a decade in Boston before three years in NJ working with John Hynes.

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[Gaskal]

####ing Burrows?? Really Habs?

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by bax

Yeah fair enough. I can't just wrap my head around the people screaming "Why is Ward still here??"

He's coached 19 games since being named the head coach. Would be incredibly bush league to fire him now. Why would anyone else ever want to come here?

If you're only taking the last 19 games into account in his evaluation, I'm not sure what to say. Regardless of his title, he has been in the HC role, and has a body of work for that opinion beyond this season

[Redrum]

Originally Posted by blender

Saw the Julien headline.

Came here for the demands to hire him in Calgary.

Not disappointed. Or surprised.

Didn't see this post comin' though. Doesn't matter. Even if we weren't handcuffed to Ward for at least the saason, I don't think he's the guy anyway.

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Domoic

I was a bartender in Kingston when I was in university. Kirk was always nice to me, great tipper, and let me try on his Stanley Cup ring!

Interesting. Maybe I caught him on an off night.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Aleks

If you're only taking the last 19 games into account in his evaluation, I'm not sure what to say. Regardless of his title, he has been in the HC role, and has a body of work for that opinion beyond this season

TBF, mid season guys don’t have the benefit of a training camp to institute their strategies. It’s fair to judge Ward on last year as far as his ability to prepare motivate and for in game stuff, and how he handled the disruption of Peters leaving (probably his biggest plus). But I think it was also fair to wait until this year to judge his preferred game style. Last year he’d have been wiser to just maintain and improve upon Peters’ systems as opposed to wholesale changes.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

TBF, mid season guys don’t have the benefit of a training camp to institute their strategies.

mid season guys usually take ten to fifteen games to get their strategies implemented, but they most certainly do. Plenty of teams implement marked changes with mid-season hirings, whether that's Sutter in LA, Sullivan in Pitt, Bylsma in Pitt, Sutter in Calgary, Cooper in Tampa, or even Berube in St. Louis.

And IMO we did see a difference in strategy from Peters to Ward. It was just in the wrong direction.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

####ing Burrows?? Really Habs?

I’m sure he’d be a great motivator. He could bite underperforming players.

[dino7c]

It would be pretty dumb to commit to a coach because he doesn't have to quarantine during a shortened pandemic season

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Domoic

I was a bartender in Kingston when I was in university. Kirk was always nice to me, great tipper, and let me try on his Stanley Cup ring!

Muller's HC record is 80-80-27...exactly .500 pt%.

He's 1-1 against CP bartenders (.500).

Calgary Flames currently .500


It's a match made in heaven.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Aleks

If you're only taking the last 19 games into account in his evaluation, I'm not sure what to say. Regardless of his title, he has been in the HC role, and has a body of work for that opinion beyond this season

For sure- taking into account last season he actually has a stronger resume in my opinion. I'm just saying that they made the decision to hire him full time 19 games ago.

I've seen arguments that Montreal fired their coach so why can't Calgary? Big difference is Ward is 19 games into his contract and Julien was 277 games into his. His contract was up this season and they were likely making a change in the off season regardless.

If that's the kind of leash our management team is going to give, it's a bad look to the rest of the league and to potential free agents- coaches and players.