Bruins fire O'Connell

[Delicate Genius]

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=160065&hubname=

Congrats B's fans.


lmao:

http://mikeoconnell.ytmnd.com/

 

[Johnny Mac]

Finally! Thank God.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Finally! Thank God.

I don't really follow the Bruins or care about hockey, but it seems like an overdue move to me.

I mean, you can't blame the coach for the way players play, but it seems like they've been getting squat from Thorton and Samsonov this season.

What gives?

 

[patriotspride]

All they need to do now is get a new owner and fire harry sinden then ill be impressed.

 

[Delicate Genius]

but it seems like they've been getting squat from Thorton and Samsonov this season.

What gives?

Maybe because they were both traded.

 

[Brick]

As long as Ebenezzer Jeremy owns the team and sourpuss Sinden runs it the B's will retain the "Bledsoe mediocrity" they've enjoyed for 30+ years. :bricks:

 

[Johnny Mac]

I don't really follow the Bruins or care about hockey, but it seems like an overdue move to me.

I mean, you can't blame the coach for the way players play, but it seems like they've been getting squat from Thorton and Samsonov this season.

What gives?

Well, for one thing, I think a lot of the play can be blamed on Sullivan. He's not a good coach.

As for the players, Sammy has some injury problems, but only his assists numbers were really down from his career numbers. And a lot of that has to do with him playing on some pretty crappy lines.

Thornton was putting up well over a point a game. People love to look at what he didn't do, rather than what he did. He probably should've scored more goals, and been more aggressive, but for so much of the season Sullivan ran his ridiculous dump-and-chase, no-contact play, and almost never had players crash the net, a style which other teams were taking advantage of in the new NHL.

And yes, this was way overdue. MOC got completely fleeced on the Samsonov deal, and we should've gotten more for Joe. I mean, he only has 100 points this season. :bricks:

 

[JoeSixPat]

Well, for one thing, I think a lot of the play can be blamed on Sullivan. He's not a good coach.

As for the players, Sammy has some injury problems, but only his assists numbers were really down from his career numbers. And a lot of that has to do with him playing on some pretty crappy lines.

Thornton was putting up well over a point a game. People love to look at what he didn't do, rather than what he did. He probably should've scored more goals, and been more aggressive, but for so much of the season Sullivan ran his ridiculous dump-and-chase, no-contact play, and almost never had players crash the net, a style which other teams were taking advantage of in the new NHL.

And yes, this was way overdue. MOC got completely fleeced on the Samsonov deal, and we should've gotten more for Joe. I mean, he only has 100 points this season. :bricks:

Really I don't follow hockey close enough to agree or disagree.

Of course I knew both had been traded. From a casaual observor though, it seems like the GM of the Bruins is just going out of his way to make bad trades and is now passing that blame on to the coach - who may very well be a bad coach but with the moves they made this season, they were clearly setting him up to fail.

 

[IcyPatriot]

What the Bruins need is a GM that spends 75% of his time at least...or more...on building the scouting and drafting of players.

For as long as Sinden owns this team...the Bruins will always be frugal in paying the stars of the league. Hockey teams...like every other pro team need speed, intellect and cohesiveness. Yet, I've never had the impression that we collect parts of the machine that will enhance the other parts. We always seem to be looking for bandaids when what we need to do is cultivate new cells.

Lou Lamorillo(sic) did it this way in New Jersey and it worked to varying success some would say. Harry Sinden did it when he had more energy...though cheap, at least we were only a star and a good defenseman many times from going deep in the playoffs...but at least it was good hockey, played by players who diverged their styles to form a unit.

Concerning O'Connell...well, let's just say that as a player he was okay for a fair amount of the time...but I vividly remember that he often panicked when faced with adversity...it was only the great, hard nosed prescence around him that mad him look better than he truly was. Were he playing now...well, I would rather have Hal Gill myself, at least he doesn't put the puck in his own net like O'Connell has been since he became GM.

 

[Johnny Mac]

I'd say scouting and drafting is the organization's only strong point (and it's very strong). Bergeron, Boyes, Hannu, Mark Stuart, Jurcina, Alberts. There's a lot of hope in Karsums and Kalus. It's in adding talent trough free agency and trades that they've failed, miserably. (Yes, Boyes was acquired in a trade, but he was still a prospect).

JJ has shown he's willing to spend to the cap. You just need the right players.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I'd say scouting and drafting is the organization's only strong point (and it's very strong). Bergeron, Boyes, Hannu, Mark Stuart, Jurcina, Alberts. There's a lot of hope in Karsums and Kalus. It's in adding talent trough free agency and trades that they've failed, miserably. (Yes, Boyes was acquired in a trade, but he was still a prospect).

JJ has shown he's willing to spend to the cap. You just need the right players.

Sinden looks like he's all done...jacobs has boxed himself into a corner...good.