It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
Not for the man who, just a year ago, had brought us to within one game of another crack at hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately, this is well-worn territory for coaches in the demanding world of professional sports. It’s feast or famine here, and when you’re starving for wins, the front office tends to gets antsy for a new cook. Most of the time this is a necessary choice. It’s often the right choice given the circumstances.
Not this time though.
Guy Boucher may not be the perfect coach, most are not, but he didn’t deserve to go out like this. A stagnant 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon should not have been his swan song, and is far from the end to Boucher’s tenure in Tampa Bay I’m sure he was hoping for. When coaches get fired, people often overlook the men directly above them. They’re the ones that scout the players, ink the deals, and plug the holes that need plugging. They’re the ones that actually make the decisions.
These men are general managers, and Tampa Bay’s GM Steve Yzerman has some explaining to do.
After all, it wasn’t Boucher’s fault his team bore a striking resemblance to Jekyll & Hyde, brilliant on some nights, listless on others.
It’s also not Boucher’s fault that our goaltending, which has been our Achilles heel all season, has been inconsistent and short on depth.
“Every decision that’s made — hiring of coaches, signing players, the trades you make, who we put on the team now, who we assign to the minors — ultimately it’s my decision,” Yzerman explained Sunday. “I have a huge responsibility here.”
Yzerman has clearly gone “all in”, betting the house on the idea that changing his coach will spark the necessary changes to make this team a playoff contender next year.
I, along with many other fans around Tampa Bay, am hoping he’s right.
Looking forward, the Lightning will begin Sunday’s game against Winnipeg with assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix sharing the coaching duties. They will most likely close out the season, Yzerman’s final decision likely to be made in the offseason.
Who will coach the Bolts when they take the ice again next season?
A wild card choice is Jon Cooper, the head coach of Tampa Bay’s minor-league affiliate in Syracuse. Cooper is an aggressive young coach who has excelled in the minors. The players he sends up to Tampa are consistently ready to play, and he is a sure-fire pick to coach an NHL team in the near future. While many are high on Cooper, I believe he’s a little too young for the job and the older veterans may not respond well to his style of coaching.
The popular name being thrown around is Lindy Ruff, Buffalo’s head coach who was let go earlier this season after 16 years of service. He has decent playoff experience, the league tenure that our veterans will feel comfortable with, and an energy that Boucher clearly lacked on the bench. If we can get him, Ruff could organize our talented roster and gel them in line for a playoff run next season.
While Guy Boucher’s departure is, sadly, a premature one, Yzerman must look to the future with some urgency and make his decision so the team can move forward.
The clock is ticking Mr. Yzerman, who’s it going to be?
About the Author
Matt Foley is a freelance writer, former Tampa Bay Times contributor, and avid sports enthusiast.
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