Aaron… I love Boucher. Any guy who turns down his first NHL job offer (with Columbus) shows me he is serious about what he does.

I touched upon it in another article on here. There is this new breed of coach coming up in the NHL. Way more psychologically based and, for the most part, pushing exciting, offensive hockey. The days of the strictly x’s and o’s head coaches I think are dwindling. That’s what assistant coaches are for. Teams now need intelligent leadership who provide more than just telling you where to be on the ice. They see more than just lanes and stats. It’s obvious that stats – especially the defensive ones – aren’t winning us enough games this year. (1st in defense, 3rd best PK, 3rd best road record, 4th in goal differential, 1st in 3rd period differential, etc, etc…)

I’m thinking of guys like Boucher in Tampa, Sacco in Colorado and, of course, Bylsma in Pittsburgh (who took over a team mid-season and led them to the Cup, coincidentally).

Good post CNL … look at a guy like Boucher in Tampa, his specialty is sports psychology. Knowing how to motivate and get the most out of his available talent. X’s and O’s are important, but at this level once a system is established and in place, the next most important thing is inspiring your team, being a leader.

Anyone else find it ironic that after the last game Julien spoke about the team needing to be exciting and emotional … I can’t think of anyone who epitomizes those 2 qualities less than Julien.

I agree 100% Rommel. Cats reasoning for not firing him is exactly why he should be fired. They are professionals, but they’re not bosses. Inconsistency in performance directly links to a failure of the coach knowing what buttons to push, when to push those buttons and how hard.

The problem as I see it is that, for the most part, they are doing their jobs out there but that’s it. Strictly business. Yet, we all know that it takes an above and beyond the call of duty attitude to win hockey games at this level. If the players don’t believe in their boss, no matter how professional they are, you’re going to see inconsistencies in performance.

It’s like that in any walk of life. I know what my job is at work. I’m well aware of my position’s outline and the role I play within a system. I can go into work and give 75% and still easily make my mandates, once in a while have a great day, and never risk losing my job… Or I can go into work, give 110%, crush my mandates, and be a crucial cog, consistently contributing to the greater good of the whole.

The difference between those 2 me’s??

Nine times out of ten, it comes down to whether I’m inspired to give that little bit of extra, and that inspiration certainly isn’t coming from me. Why would I waste any extra effort when my 75% is good enough?

Someone has to be there to coax that extra 35% out of me. To push my buttons and light the fire when necessary. Good bosses do it daily. Great bosses make that 110% seem necessary, not optional.

No not enough with blame the Coach. It’s his JOB to have them prepared for every game. If it wasn’t his job to do that they wouldn’t need a coach and the players would just play and win all on their own. In my opinion the players are down, because they are forced to play in a system they no longer believe in. CJ did a great job taking this team and turning it around. But it’s time for a change to a more offensive minded Coach. It doesn’t mean CJ is a horrible person he just can’t take this team to the next evolution. No there’s no guarantee the next coach will be any better, but with Seguin and a possible top 5 or better player in the works for the next draft we might have 2 future star forwards to think about grooming. And again in my opinion I think we need to build the team, and system around Seguin, 2011 top 5 pick, Bergy, Rask, and Lucic instead of forcing your players into a predetermined style of play that may or may not suit their talents.

….perhaps time for Carbonneau to join Jarvis behind the bench..

Julien should be the defensive coach, not the head motivator. get Neely or Gordon or somebody with some intensity and passion behind that bench. now.

Enough with “blame the coach”. Yes, I know you can’t fire a whole hockey team, but these guys are professional hockey players and if they just don’t care enough to show up for every shift of every game then it’s because THEY are not doing their job! There are just too many players giving only half of what they are capable of and I don’t think it should be the coach’s job to be their therapist and help them figure out why they aren’t motivated enough to care. Somehow, despite some changes, this is the exact same team as last year. A handful of guys showing up for every game and giving everything they have and a bigger bunch of guys who seem happy to get away with doing just enough to win some games now and then. Maybe, instead of firing the coach, demote the players who think they don’t have to work for their place in the NHL anymore to the AHL and bring up the guys killing themselves to get here. Maybe the Bruins don’t win a Cup that way, but the way I see it they aren’t going to win one anyway this year.