Subject: 1-Man’s Opinion on Sports–Tuesday. “Ducks Fire Head Coach-Can’t Fire Players”

It was an ugly ending to what had been a pretty good coaching run.

The Anaheim Ducks fired Coach Randy Carlyle in the wake of a horrid 7-game losing streak, and a stretch in which they had lost 19-of-21 games.

Carlyle, in his second tenure as Ducks coach, had led them to the Stanley Cup finals once, and to the playoffs 7-times in the last 8-seasons. His record on this return to the Ducks bench was (111-74-35)…but the good times were replaced by horrid times. The playoff losses when they had home ice advantage. The shoddy outings this year when they let their goalies get bombarded night after night with ridiculous shot totals. The lack of energy on the bench.

But this was a disaster. Stretches where it looked as if the team had quit on the coach. Horrible games in which goaltender John Gibson had to be pulled from games, including one game where he had to face 30-shots on goal in 1-period.

Injuries devastated the team. 9-players had major injuries or illness issues since last year, and they never were able to get a full roster on the ice ever this year.

GM-Bob Murray, who has rebuilt the team twice, takes over as coach for the rest of the season, and will not hire a coach to finish out the year. Though he has loaded the farm system with goal scorers like Maxime Comtois-Troy Terry-Sam Steele-Isac Lundestrom and Max Jones, none really appears ready to play at the NHL level yet.

Murray has to be held responsible for saddling the roster with a lot of hi priced veterans, some with no movement clauses, and a group of veterans loaded to play ‘heavy hockey’ when the rest of the NHL is all about speed and skill, in what has become a very different NHL game in just the last 24-months.

He had lots to say about where the Ducks are, and why he did, what he did.

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I thank Randy for being the winningest coach in our history
What’s happened here lately, it was time for change
This team has had a history of being a 2nd half team-did not see it happening

Dallas Eakins is a candidate he has done a great job in San Diego

I had to be here, I have to go downstairs and find out what has happened
I respect a lot of people I respect in this business-they told me I should have done it earlier..I wanted to wait and hope we could solve it-we couldn’t.

We have a lot of good things going in San Diego-want to leave Dallas there and have a real good end of year run with the Gulls younger players.

What’s bothered me the most-the lack of emotion-lack of push back
This team has always been a pride team-it’s gone away
Nothing else works if you don’t have pride and passion

I have to figure out why there is no leadership capability
Too many followers in the room
I am not giving up on these players-but very worried..
This team has a history of charging late-but it won’t happen this year

I have not coached before-but we have problems here..
It’s is my job…It’s got to be fixed
Trade deadline is coming-tough to change more parts

Thought about going down behind the bench for a while just to know what coaches go thru.
Looking forward to figuring out what the issues are

I take the responsibility, I need to determine what the problems are.
I want to get them to feel good about themselves and play hockey.
I am looking forward to find a leader, to get passion-emotion back

I don’t think it would be fair to put anyone (new coach) in this position right now
I thought I need to be in the trenches to learn about this

I talked to Randy at Honda Center early Sunday-we will continue to talk
We will talk about players and direction to go-he and I will continue to talk
Randy will be a senior consultant and stay in this organization

3-players have no movement clauses-I will figure this out in next 20-games
I have no fear of talking to these players about changing contracts

This is the hardest part-we have good players-but it’s not a good team
I’ve been listening a lot lately-we have to change some things
If we have to get younger-I will do it
We are not going thru 4-5 year rebuild-we have some good young players

Today was different for me-firing a coach for the first time-going in room
Wednesday I will be very nervous…Focused on watching my players

As a player-as you go thru different things-winning is much easier that losing
When players are losing-you learn about them-who steps up
Things get ugly when you lose-I will see how they react-who leads

Since 2005-we never accepted losing…they’ve been losing and seemed to accept it
When season is over, a full searching coach will take place

Losing-having been on teams with coaching changes…sometimes players get it in their head ‘it’s not their responsibility’ and others jumped on the band wagon….’that someone else was the cause’.

The 9-injuries, so many man games lost in the NHL. I have to look at everything…including why this is happening to us.

The players did not quit on Randy. There are players who care so much-we have to get their confidence back. I have always spoken to the players, and I will demand more.

I like the situation in San Diego a whole bunch…having a lot of success in AHL…I don’t think it’s wrong to bring the young draft picks up….give them a taste, get a feel for this. If we can get a positive environment going, I will call up Gulls players, but not right now. I want them to stay together and play as long as they can in San Diego.

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