The way forward: Tocchet, Lawton relieved of duties in Tampa

Does this mean Lawton goes back to being an agent? He gave up a pretty successful group at Octagon to take on a position with Bolts and OK Hockey.

Lawton just did an interview on Sportsnet where he pretty much blamed everybody else for the team’s problems. He said he has really only had control over the team for 9 months because of Barrie and Koules and he implied that Tocchet was a bad coach. He also didn’t deny trying to fire Tocchet earlier in the year, he just said he didn’t have the authority to that and he wished that he would have been able to choose his own coach.

Also, according to Nick Kypreos, Doug MacLean is being considered for GM or some other management job. There is also some talk in Toronto that Tampa may look at Dave Nonis.

I, having never played the game (but plenty of other team sports), have had a hard time deciding how much an NHL coach really has to do with the Wins and Losses of a team. I’ve decided that there are a few, exceptional coaches that DO have a ton to do with their team’s successes (Ruff, Pat Burns, Bowman, maybe Crawford) but beyond that, NHL coaches instill a “system” and the players he has either are able to run it or not. They either buy into or not. My best guess is that an NHL coach can be successful if he can motivate his players day in, and day out. Plain and simple. Of course, then I ask myself, why would an NHLer need to be motivated in the first place? Are they not “professionals.” So then I’m back to square one with regards to whether a coach really matters that much any way.

I’m thinking that the GM and his scouts and assistants are the reason why a team succeeds or doesn’t. How many times has Lamoriello fired a coach down the stretch and the Devs go on to success?

Stock a team with players who work hard, play solid D, opportunistically score a goal and hire a coach to ride herd over it, that’s it.

You guys deserve better stewards, top-down. Gotta like how Vinik has handled Step 1, at least. (A disciplined, systematic owner who doesn’t see himself as god’s gift to hockey? That just might work!)

And how many copies of their resumes do you bet Feaster and Button have been sending in each day?

Could find a defensive minded, puck-possesion coach!
Damn, would i like to see the Bolts play a Wild-mixed-with-Red Wings- kind of game..

Ah hell.. Who am i kidding.

Lawton’s wife is looking for a new job as well?