Craig Ramsey has been fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
apparent to me, and to (head coach) John (Tortorella), that we still had some fundamental philosophical differences between our head coach and our associate coach on a number of issues,” general manager Jay Feaster said in the release. “After having a series of meetings with various members of the organization, we have regretfully, yet necessarily, chosen to make a change in the coaching staff effective immediately.”We thank Craig for his seven years of service to this franchise and for his hard work and dedication in helping us become Stanley Cup Champions. Rammer will always be a part of the Lightning family as a member of that Stanley Cup Championship team’s success.”
I’ve wondered and worried on this blog if Rammer’s health was proving detrimental to the Lightning last season, and while Special Teams rebounded to an extent this year — this “philosophical” difference that Feaster has stated in the press release is news to me.
This comes on the heels of what I was going to write a post about when I found out the Ramsay news — the good news of the day where Feaster reports the Lightning will not be purging payroll after all. The team’s projected salary for 2007-08 will remain at $44 Million dollars while money, if needed, will be available for an acquisition to boost a playoff run.
No word yet on a replacement for Craig, but my best wishes are with him and his family…
