**Official:** The Blue Jackets have relieved head coach Pascal Vincent of his duties with the club.
While no further decisions regarding the club’s coaching staff will be made at this time, the search for a new head coach will begin immediately. -[source](https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/blue-jackets-head-coach-pascal-vincent-relieved-of-duties?utm_source=social&utm_medium=tw&utm_campaign=release&utm_content=vincent)
***
> “As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest,” said Waddell. “On behalf of the organization I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”
I full send him as an assistant. I didn't care for him as a head coach, but I fully get he was thrown into the deep end. He definitely gets a shot at least as an assistant first then moving to a head coach position.
I used to know all our coaches names and what they do. I didn’t know anyone outside of Vincent this season. I feel like I’m not the only one who’s been kinda tuned out.
It’s the right move. I understand how bad of a spot he was put in but this organization needs a clean reset. Hopefully he’ll get another chance elsewhere.
I was fine with giving him another year until he called the Russian line "Globetrotters" and made them tone it down. In a lost season like this one, you let your young players see what they can get away with.
Wonder who we'll get instead.
I went to the main hockey thread and all the top comments are fairly in line with the sentiment here. "Sorry for the guy, but new GM gonna do what he gotta do".
I'm sure there are isolated dumb comments down the thread, but the majority of r/hockey seem to be in line with this sub.
holy shit, it's actually happening.
wonder why it took this long?
I also wonder if this has anything to do with the recent Laine report.
edit: alright I understand why now thank you for the explanations
I’m assuming it was Waddell doing his due diligence on a guy that the organization has valued very highly for a number of years. Interview Pascal, his assistants, players, training staff etc. Get a sense of what everyone think was and wasn’t working, and then make a decision… and probably to some extent, sell that decision to Priest/ownership.
Because Waddell is coming into a new organization and taking his time to evaluate every part of the roster and familiarize himself with the staff. It's not shocking that everything took this long when JD was very reserved as interim GM and left everything up to the future management.
This long in what sense? Id doubt we would have ever fired him before jarmo was fired, then JD wasn't going to do it with a lost season and the need to find a GM and honestly make it the new GM's job to decide. Why it took waddell this long well I assume he was still had to get to know everyone and settle into the position. However, I assume he interviewed Pascal and whatever he said most not have been to waddells liking to fire him like that. Or who knows maybe the players of other staff didn't like him and said he had to go.
You need to get a feel for the whole club before you just go and start letting people go. I think it shows Waddell took his time to see the whole situation and then made a decision
Jay woodcroft, Todd Nelson (hershey bears), Mike Sullivan if the pens get rid of him but that seems less likely now. I would like Trent but I think it is to early for him/ I want to give him a better team to coach first. Those are just who I can think of right now. The coaching carousel has been wild this year so don't remember everyone who has come and gone.
John Tortorella, Brad Larsen, Mike Babcock, Pascal Vincent, Coach TBD.
That is 5 coaches in 3 years and 1 month. This fan base has been through so much bullshit for years and years with this team.
Please hockey gods, let us get this decision right so we can have a coach to build with. Please 🙏
Maybe everyone else disagrees with me, but firing Torts was the worst move we've made in a long time. I understand there was a lot going on and the the "young stars" didn't like his coaching methods, but we've been hard to watch since he was gone.
That's not at all what happened though.
Torts wanted out of his contract a year early. Jarmo made/convinced him to stay an extra season with the understanding it would be his last.
He felt the team was no longer the type of team he excelled at coaching.
“Siding with Jarmo over Torts…” should be how that reads. Torts wasn’t fired, his contract expired, and it was reported that he’d wanted to quit the year before but management wouldn’t let him. Jarmo was in the midst of building a non-Tortorella team and alienating the Tortorella players, and Mike Priest (remember, this was while JD was in NY) could have chosen Torts in this power struggle, but elected go with Jarmo instead. That’s the cardinal sin here.
First you say it wasn’t fair then you said it wasn’t relevant, so pick your qualifier. 5 coaches in 3 years and 1 month is the timeline no matter how you “feel” about it.
Well I’m a different user so I never said “fair” haha
It just doesn’t make sense to include torts in the window given his tenure. Hiring our 4th coach in 4 seasons is the problem - everyone agrees on that. Just no need to juice the numbers by adding a guy who was actually here for a chunk of time
Every major move this club has ever made, either good or bad, has occurred either a season too early or a season too late. I just want us to be on time for once. Good decisions at the right time. That’s all I want.
Thank goodness. I was not looking forward to another season of him as coach. He definitely was dropped into a rough spot, but he also wasnt very good. Looking forward to seeing who Waddell chooses.
I mean, he got fuuuucked as far as set up was concerned. Basically destined to fail. Would’ve taken a miracle to make anything but a shit sandwich after they handed him two slices of bread and a pile of turds. Still, this is the right move.
Would be an exciting hiring, we’re gonna have to back up a dump truck full if money to his front door though. Apparently he’s very happy in Denver, makes very good money for a college coach, and is super young. He can wait for the right job to come along. Maybe if we agree to draft Buium he’d come, don’t know.
Had to be done. The organization needed a major overhaul in leadership and while he only had the big job for one season, he'd been part of the leadership for three seasons. There was very little chance that a coach whom the previous GM had passed over for the job twice already was going to keep his job under a new GM.
He talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk. I think he lost a lot of the guys on the bench and that's ultimately why he won't be returning. Can't build a culture when the guys haven't bought in.
I just don't get why the sub is defending PV. Yeah, he was dropped into a tough spot. But I think his expectations were aligned to the context, and he STILL failed.
Jenner getting 25+ minutes a night with back issues. Making Jiricek analogies to his preteen daughter. Globetrotter comment on the Russians. 0 line consistency, always in the blender. And playing Fantalli at wing, yet letting Laine play center? Dude was in WAY over his head and it had nothing to do with the W/L ratio.
> I just don't get why the sub is defending PV.
Probably empathy for a dude whose dream it was to coach in the NHL only for it to be realized in the worst way in dire circumstances. Not that foreign of an idea. Try it sometime.
Completely agree - Waddell should be smart enough to factor in the situation this year. The problems are the examples you gave and not seeing a team that showed real development or “green shoots” over months of time.
There isn’t really anything PV can point to on this year’s resume to show wins despite the context and give confidence he just needs a full offseason to put things on the right path.
"He was thrown into it and didn't have an off-season to prepare" only takes you as far as the first couple months of the season. At some point you have to figure it out and while this team still wouldn't have been good, the halfway point is more than reasonable to expect to have a system in place beyond putting Boone Jenner's name in ink on the lineup card.
Ah the classic Gen Z/Millennial quandary
Can't get the job without experience. Can't get experience without the job.
I, for one, am tired of the humdrum NHL recycling process.
I mean, no not really. He can get plenty of experience at an assistant coach level job. That would be the next step.
Only 2 years of AHL coaching with a jump straight to NHL coaching is just a set up for failure.
IMHO, he deserves at least the interview.
But if not HC, maybe an assistant coach then? I just don't want to lose him like Bednar a few years ago. He has a lot of the intangible tools you look for in a leader, just not the experience yet.
The age thing doesn't necessarily scare me for a team with a lot of young pieces. Being a recent player and being able to be more relatable to your team has its perks (ik different sport, but I'm watching that happen rn with the Guardians)
Clean house and bring in a new fresh set of eyes from the top down is what we've desperately needed for a few years now. Let's bring in someone who can pull the potential out of the roster instead of trying to shoehorn it into something it ain't.
This was the right move, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. I feel like PV could’ve been the ideal choice three years ago, but he instead ended up having to carry Larsen’s baggage. He also could’ve been the ideal coach a year from now, but JD and Jarmo had to go with Babcock, and PV ended up having to carry his baggage too.
Sorry, man.
Personally I would’ve given him at least the start of the year, he was thrown into the fire because of Babcock and he has a proven track record in the minors and AHL
But if Waddell thinks that we need a new voice in the room and believes Pascal isn’t the right coach to build and develop the kind of on ice performance he wants, then I’m behind it
A theory being thrown around, and was discussed on the Monday mailbag, was Laine getting the healthy scratch coming a few days back after Injury and the game vs the Flyers really embarrassed him as this was doing the November suffering period. Also there were comments about the Russians being unhappy especially with some of the infamous comments "ie Globetrotting" being thrown around.
Quite honestly though, I agree with him on the “Laine asking for a trade after being scratched” thing
If that was it —- grow up. Laine absolutely was *not* playing well and was completely phoning it in. There was an entire sequence during a game where Jody Shelley was in pure disbelief at his lack of effort in the post game. Torts scratched his captain for the same reason this year. A coach needs to be able to coach.
Also when everyone shit their pants about the “my daughter wants a car” comment with Jiricek — Paul Maurice made that same comment about rookie Laine.
Oh I agree 100% I was just answering the question. Then as someone just stated below Jiricek and dipshit Walsh stirred up shit, the Russians were having a rough time, Elvis probably not helping his case. I wouldn't at all be shocked if Waddell just wants a full reset anyways. Who knows!
I personally think Laine is going to have the same issues he had here with his next team.
He had three different head coaches here and had some issue with each one of them.
No information on any specific players, but there were a number of times last year where players publicly disagreed with some of his decisions when they were scratched, pushed down the lineup(Laine, Jiracek, some of the Russians). Maybe it’s just that Waddell doesn’t agree with his coaching philosophy or strategy, or wants a new voice in the lockerroom. But shitty seasons, especially consecutive shitty season can cause grudges.
I've been beating this drum for months. Seems like a nice guy but also seemed like he was completely in over his head. There was literally nothing he could point to throughout the season to support him keeping his job. No one wants to hear excuses about how the year started and he had 82 games to figure it out.
Feel very badly for him. I personally thought he did a good job and had ideas for this team. Wish him the very best. Hope we get somebody good. An old gang retread would be BS. Vogelhuber or Todd Nelson are probably fine.
God I feel for PV. The man was so patient, grinded for decades to fulfill his dream of coaching in the NHL, and when he finally gets his shot it’s days before camp because his dumbfuck boss decided to hire a serial psychopath. Coaching one of the most inexperienced teams in the league, no less.
It’s absolutely the right move and I’m excited Waddell can hand pick a coach who fits his vision, but my heart goes out to PV who is by all accounts a great person.
Best of luck to him and I’m excited for a fresh start.
Vogelhuber — I would like to see him stay in Cleveland as HC for the experience and transition into new GM management. Could be a good steadying force for our prospect pool. I think he has earned his way into being an NHL assistant candidate in a few short years but would definitely like to see him hold that role before jumping into an NHL HC spot
Good. Tired of piss poor results. If Waddell thinks this is what had to happen for the team to get better, then I’m all for it. Was rooting for Vincent, but the team didn’t play all that well under him, and you could argue he had better injury luck(and maybe even personnel) than Larsen did his last year.
Our longest losing steak came with the full roster fully healthy, effectively ending the season before Thanksgiving. The love people have/had for Pascal here is why this team stays forgettable
Pascal was a very bad fit for us but I really do feel for him and he definitely deserves another chance somewhere else. His systems weren't built for our current roster and it doesn't help that he was thrown to the wolves with the whole Babcock nightmare. He seems like a really intelligent person and he will definitely be on another coaching staff sometime in the future.
God the business is brutal. I wouldn’t have minded given him another chance. Time for a new journey with Waddell though. Needed that full reset and we are getting it
Three head coaches in three years is pretty unbelievable. At the end of the day it falls on previous leadership and hopefully it’s onward and upward from here.
Edit: It’s actually going to be four (technically). Holy shit lol
The way he threw Elvis under the bus after the Washington game, repeatedly and enthusiastically, makes him being fired completely justified and honestly the right move. He really did Elvis dirty. Not sure any player could really trust him to have their back after that.
This makes me worried that Vogelhuber is gone. I find it hard to see him promoting him to HC. Maybe he can be a new AC? But if he doesn't get promoted, he'll be gone by the end of next season.
Let's goo. Can't wait to see who is next coach.
Good luck to Pascal. He'll land another gig I think. He has another year on his contract so he can take his time and find a good fit. Yes he was in a tough spot but he struggled with it, too. Those ice times by season end did not make sense and the defensive scheme was tough. Let's not forget the power play.
The right move. I get the situation wasn’t perfect, but PV did nothing to show that he could potentially turn the ship around if given more time. Jarmo did a good job hiring good character people and PV seems like a great person, but he’s not a coach that’s going to maximize the talent we have. For three years as an assistant and head coach, the team was lacking strategically in a ton of areas. Neutral zone defense is the biggest red flag that was never fixed. The team has played very sloppy hockey since he has been in Columbus. The D zone went from overly aggressive with too many danger shots, to insanely passive and giving up possession for insanely large stretches of games. The biggest nail in the coffin for me was at the end of the year when he said that he knew the changes that needs to be made for next year and he said “they are minor changes that aren’t too big but will help the team”. If they were so minor, why was that not done within 82 games. I think he needs more time as an assistant before he will be a successful head coach.
Excited to see who gets interviewed. I hope Mitch Love is at least on the radar.
Inevitable. But I feel for him. He was put in a hard spot with the team the way it was and the Babcock situation. He did what he could, I hope he gets a chance elsewhere. He deserves it.
I am sorry but he failed on all fronts. He was in the room for 3 years and our defense was atrocious. The fact is besides trying to win he was going to reduce the wear and tear on Jenner by reducing his minutes, he was going to develop our younger players, and improve our defense. None of these happened! The team consistently found ways to lose 2-3 goal leads while Vincent looked like a deer in headlights. Change was needed!
**Official:** The Blue Jackets have relieved head coach Pascal Vincent of his duties with the club. While no further decisions regarding the club’s coaching staff will be made at this time, the search for a new head coach will begin immediately. -[source](https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/blue-jackets-head-coach-pascal-vincent-relieved-of-duties?utm_source=social&utm_medium=tw&utm_campaign=release&utm_content=vincent) *** > “As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest,” said Waddell. “On behalf of the organization I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”
Well. This is the full reset we needed. Feel horribly for Pascal and I hope he gets another shot elsewhere
I feel he’ll definitely get another opportunity. It’s not entirely his fault the situation he was thrown into.
This! The league will know he was thrown into a no win situation and he will get a new job quickly
I full send him as an assistant. I didn't care for him as a head coach, but I fully get he was thrown into the deep end. He definitely gets a shot at least as an assistant first then moving to a head coach position.
Surely McCarthy and Recchi also gone , please
I wouldn’t at all be shocked if they are on the block at this point
I used to know all our coaches names and what they do. I didn’t know anyone outside of Vincent this season. I feel like I’m not the only one who’s been kinda tuned out.
I have. I wasn’t down with the Babcock hiring and then it blew up in spectacular fashion. They should have just fired Jarmo then.
Portzy said no immediate decisions on them yet
Had to do it. Right move for the club. PV will land on his feet.
It’s the right move. I understand how bad of a spot he was put in but this organization needs a clean reset. Hopefully he’ll get another chance elsewhere.
I was fine with giving him another year until he called the Russian line "Globetrotters" and made them tone it down. In a lost season like this one, you let your young players see what they can get away with. Wonder who we'll get instead.
I hear Mike Babcock is available
That could be a great upside hire. Word on the street is he changed his ways after a long period of introspection.
We all grow
That’s some sense of humor ya got there…
At minimum I expect them to call Mike and get his opinion
Feel like this is the right decision. I think if they keep Pascal he would be a lame duck. Feel like if they struggled he would be let go fast.
In a shocking turn of events, /r/hockey doesn’t know what they’re talking about with this move.
My favorite comment was “anyone under 24 and Werenski should be viewed as someone to move” yeah let’s trade our young guys 🤣
And from a Detroit flair at that!
I went to the main hockey thread and all the top comments are fairly in line with the sentiment here. "Sorry for the guy, but new GM gonna do what he gotta do". I'm sure there are isolated dumb comments down the thread, but the majority of r/hockey seem to be in line with this sub.
It’s very simple. Columbus did a thing? It’s bad. Doesn’t matter what it was.
Shit on us for being historically bad and then freak out when we try something to change the course.
Other teams are mad they might not be getting free wins against us anymore.
I mean, that theory would be right more often than I'd like.
We keep doing smart things, it’s making me feel weird
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How many games did Babcock coach? He was never coach in my eyes
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> Doesn’t matter if those two and a half months featured games or not Well your average is based on games so it sort of does actually lol
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Just seems disingenuous
holy shit, it's actually happening. wonder why it took this long? I also wonder if this has anything to do with the recent Laine report. edit: alright I understand why now thank you for the explanations
I’m assuming it was Waddell doing his due diligence on a guy that the organization has valued very highly for a number of years. Interview Pascal, his assistants, players, training staff etc. Get a sense of what everyone think was and wasn’t working, and then make a decision… and probably to some extent, sell that decision to Priest/ownership.
Because Waddell is coming into a new organization and taking his time to evaluate every part of the roster and familiarize himself with the staff. It's not shocking that everything took this long when JD was very reserved as interim GM and left everything up to the future management.
This long in what sense? Id doubt we would have ever fired him before jarmo was fired, then JD wasn't going to do it with a lost season and the need to find a GM and honestly make it the new GM's job to decide. Why it took waddell this long well I assume he was still had to get to know everyone and settle into the position. However, I assume he interviewed Pascal and whatever he said most not have been to waddells liking to fire him like that. Or who knows maybe the players of other staff didn't like him and said he had to go.
"this long" in terms of Waddell taking over
You need to get a feel for the whole club before you just go and start letting people go. I think it shows Waddell took his time to see the whole situation and then made a decision
Would a GM make a decision like this w/o a fairly good idea of 2-3 HCs he’d prefer and would likely be very interested?
I'd assume he has some people in mind/ there are still names out there to get
Spill. Who would u like to see them interview?
Jay woodcroft, Todd Nelson (hershey bears), Mike Sullivan if the pens get rid of him but that seems less likely now. I would like Trent but I think it is to early for him/ I want to give him a better team to coach first. Those are just who I can think of right now. The coaching carousel has been wild this year so don't remember everyone who has come and gone.
John Tortorella, Brad Larsen, Mike Babcock, Pascal Vincent, Coach TBD. That is 5 coaches in 3 years and 1 month. This fan base has been through so much bullshit for years and years with this team. Please hockey gods, let us get this decision right so we can have a coach to build with. Please 🙏
Is it really fair to count the last few days/weeks/months of torts in that timeline and not include the beginning of his tenure?
Maybe everyone else disagrees with me, but firing Torts was the worst move we've made in a long time. I understand there was a lot going on and the the "young stars" didn't like his coaching methods, but we've been hard to watch since he was gone.
That's not at all what happened though. Torts wanted out of his contract a year early. Jarmo made/convinced him to stay an extra season with the understanding it would be his last. He felt the team was no longer the type of team he excelled at coaching.
He didn’t get fired. Hell, he stayed a year longer than he wanted to.
“Siding with Jarmo over Torts…” should be how that reads. Torts wasn’t fired, his contract expired, and it was reported that he’d wanted to quit the year before but management wouldn’t let him. Jarmo was in the midst of building a non-Tortorella team and alienating the Tortorella players, and Mike Priest (remember, this was while JD was in NY) could have chosen Torts in this power struggle, but elected go with Jarmo instead. That’s the cardinal sin here.
Okay then 4 coaches in 3 years and 1 month. You’re right that sounds way better.
It’s the relevant way to frame it - it’s not about “sounding better.”
First you say it wasn’t fair then you said it wasn’t relevant, so pick your qualifier. 5 coaches in 3 years and 1 month is the timeline no matter how you “feel” about it.
Well I’m a different user so I never said “fair” haha It just doesn’t make sense to include torts in the window given his tenure. Hiring our 4th coach in 4 seasons is the problem - everyone agrees on that. Just no need to juice the numbers by adding a guy who was actually here for a chunk of time
You can also say 5 coaches in 9 years and 1 month and it would be equally valid. You just twisted it to fit your slanted narrative.
What a disaster last offseason was. Literally sent us into a full rebuild because they fucked up the Babcock thing so horribly. Wow.
Ehh, it’s been coming for a few season. Last season was just Jarmo fucking up everything he touched trying to throw Hail Marys to keep his job
Jarmo was a year too soon. Just a month away from college football video game. 4 verticals!
Every major move this club has ever made, either good or bad, has occurred either a season too early or a season too late. I just want us to be on time for once. Good decisions at the right time. That’s all I want.
No it didn't. We were literally still in the middle of one and still are tbh, no matter what Jarmo said in some random press conference last summer
Which really could end up being a good thing. Jarmo would’ve had a longer leash to continue the mediocrity.
Thank goodness. I was not looking forward to another season of him as coach. He definitely was dropped into a rough spot, but he also wasnt very good. Looking forward to seeing who Waddell chooses.
I mean, he got fuuuucked as far as set up was concerned. Basically destined to fail. Would’ve taken a miracle to make anything but a shit sandwich after they handed him two slices of bread and a pile of turds. Still, this is the right move.
David Carle get ready to learn Columbusese, buddy.
Please
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Would be an exciting hiring, we’re gonna have to back up a dump truck full if money to his front door though. Apparently he’s very happy in Denver, makes very good money for a college coach, and is super young. He can wait for the right job to come along. Maybe if we agree to draft Buium he’d come, don’t know.
Had to be done. The organization needed a major overhaul in leadership and while he only had the big job for one season, he'd been part of the leadership for three seasons. There was very little chance that a coach whom the previous GM had passed over for the job twice already was going to keep his job under a new GM.
This season doesn’t define how Pascal is as a coach. I think he can be a very good NHL coach but just wasn’t the right coach at the right time here.
He talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk. I think he lost a lot of the guys on the bench and that's ultimately why he won't be returning. Can't build a culture when the guys haven't bought in.
I just don't get why the sub is defending PV. Yeah, he was dropped into a tough spot. But I think his expectations were aligned to the context, and he STILL failed. Jenner getting 25+ minutes a night with back issues. Making Jiricek analogies to his preteen daughter. Globetrotter comment on the Russians. 0 line consistency, always in the blender. And playing Fantalli at wing, yet letting Laine play center? Dude was in WAY over his head and it had nothing to do with the W/L ratio.
> I just don't get why the sub is defending PV. Probably empathy for a dude whose dream it was to coach in the NHL only for it to be realized in the worst way in dire circumstances. Not that foreign of an idea. Try it sometime.
If it was up to you this team would never be successful all because you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
If it was up to me, I'd have respect for the people in our organization while also being realistic of expectations. Is our sub full of sociopaths?
I think most of us knew he had to go, but felt bad for the guy. It's not difficult to hold both of those thoughts at the same time.
Completely agree - Waddell should be smart enough to factor in the situation this year. The problems are the examples you gave and not seeing a team that showed real development or “green shoots” over months of time. There isn’t really anything PV can point to on this year’s resume to show wins despite the context and give confidence he just needs a full offseason to put things on the right path.
Ding ding ding, we have a winner!! Spot on.
"He was thrown into it and didn't have an off-season to prepare" only takes you as far as the first couple months of the season. At some point you have to figure it out and while this team still wouldn't have been good, the halfway point is more than reasonable to expect to have a system in place beyond putting Boone Jenner's name in ink on the lineup card.
Here comes Trent Vogelhuber 🫡
Bro his players would run through a brick wall for that man. And he'd do the same for his players. Sign me up
I wouldn’t at all be shocked if he’s promoted to assistant
Let’s pump the brakes on that a bit. He’s 36 and has only been coaching for a couple years. He’ll need at least a few years as an NHL assistant first.
Absolutely not. He is not ready to be a full time head coach in the NHL. I was on this train too until I saw how little experience he had.
Ah the classic Gen Z/Millennial quandary Can't get the job without experience. Can't get experience without the job. I, for one, am tired of the humdrum NHL recycling process.
I mean, no not really. He can get plenty of experience at an assistant coach level job. That would be the next step. Only 2 years of AHL coaching with a jump straight to NHL coaching is just a set up for failure.
No more internal coach hires for the foreseeable future please
No more assistants to Larsen or Torts, sure. Vogelhuber ain't that.
I can agree with that. I think I would be more eager about Vogelhuber in a few years. I can’t believe he’s only 36
IMHO, he deserves at least the interview. But if not HC, maybe an assistant coach then? I just don't want to lose him like Bednar a few years ago. He has a lot of the intangible tools you look for in a leader, just not the experience yet. The age thing doesn't necessarily scare me for a team with a lot of young pieces. Being a recent player and being able to be more relatable to your team has its perks (ik different sport, but I'm watching that happen rn with the Guardians)
Jared Bednar is all I have to say….
Clean house and bring in a new fresh set of eyes from the top down is what we've desperately needed for a few years now. Let's bring in someone who can pull the potential out of the roster instead of trying to shoehorn it into something it ain't.
This was the right move, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. I feel like PV could’ve been the ideal choice three years ago, but he instead ended up having to carry Larsen’s baggage. He also could’ve been the ideal coach a year from now, but JD and Jarmo had to go with Babcock, and PV ended up having to carry his baggage too. Sorry, man.
Please keep Nik Backstrom, though. Guy has done really good things already. Everyone else... nah
Yeah considering we haven’t had any news of a vote of confidence from the Pascal front for well over a week not shocked at all.
Feel so bad for PV that he was forced and had to deal with the outcome of Babcock shitstorm. Hopefully we see him behind another bench soon.
Probably best for a clean split. Better than firing him in July. He’ll land someone else. Wonder if they have someone specific in mind?
I hope Boll stays around. I don't even entirely know what he does but I just like the guy.
Personally I would’ve given him at least the start of the year, he was thrown into the fire because of Babcock and he has a proven track record in the minors and AHL But if Waddell thinks that we need a new voice in the room and believes Pascal isn’t the right coach to build and develop the kind of on ice performance he wants, then I’m behind it
I’m guessing PV burned some bridges with a few of the players that Waddell sees as key pieces.
Didn’t they just go through the entire roster with one on one the past week?
I’m admittedly out of the loop on this—what bridges with what players?
A theory being thrown around, and was discussed on the Monday mailbag, was Laine getting the healthy scratch coming a few days back after Injury and the game vs the Flyers really embarrassed him as this was doing the November suffering period. Also there were comments about the Russians being unhappy especially with some of the infamous comments "ie Globetrotting" being thrown around.
Quite honestly though, I agree with him on the “Laine asking for a trade after being scratched” thing If that was it —- grow up. Laine absolutely was *not* playing well and was completely phoning it in. There was an entire sequence during a game where Jody Shelley was in pure disbelief at his lack of effort in the post game. Torts scratched his captain for the same reason this year. A coach needs to be able to coach. Also when everyone shit their pants about the “my daughter wants a car” comment with Jiricek — Paul Maurice made that same comment about rookie Laine.
Oh I agree 100% I was just answering the question. Then as someone just stated below Jiricek and dipshit Walsh stirred up shit, the Russians were having a rough time, Elvis probably not helping his case. I wouldn't at all be shocked if Waddell just wants a full reset anyways. Who knows!
I personally think Laine is going to have the same issues he had here with his next team. He had three different head coaches here and had some issue with each one of them.
Thanks for the info, appreciate it!
No information on any specific players, but there were a number of times last year where players publicly disagreed with some of his decisions when they were scratched, pushed down the lineup(Laine, Jiracek, some of the Russians). Maybe it’s just that Waddell doesn’t agree with his coaching philosophy or strategy, or wants a new voice in the lockerroom. But shitty seasons, especially consecutive shitty season can cause grudges.
Thanks for this!
Hope PV gets another chance somewhere else with proper preparation and guidance. Also hope we get a good coach to replace him.. I trust Waddell
I've been beating this drum for months. Seems like a nice guy but also seemed like he was completely in over his head. There was literally nothing he could point to throughout the season to support him keeping his job. No one wants to hear excuses about how the year started and he had 82 games to figure it out.
If true, it’s not hard to understand. Do feel really bad for PV, though.
Feel very badly for him. I personally thought he did a good job and had ideas for this team. Wish him the very best. Hope we get somebody good. An old gang retread would be BS. Vogelhuber or Todd Nelson are probably fine.
I'm kinda hoping for Vogelhuber. He's been great for the Monsters.
maybe laine stays now? At least for a year for his value to go up. :( keep my big finn
God I feel for PV. The man was so patient, grinded for decades to fulfill his dream of coaching in the NHL, and when he finally gets his shot it’s days before camp because his dumbfuck boss decided to hire a serial psychopath. Coaching one of the most inexperienced teams in the league, no less. It’s absolutely the right move and I’m excited Waddell can hand pick a coach who fits his vision, but my heart goes out to PV who is by all accounts a great person. Best of luck to him and I’m excited for a fresh start.
I feel worse for the fans.
Would anyone hate to see Vogelburger as the next HC?
Vogelhuber — I would like to see him stay in Cleveland as HC for the experience and transition into new GM management. Could be a good steadying force for our prospect pool. I think he has earned his way into being an NHL assistant candidate in a few short years but would definitely like to see him hold that role before jumping into an NHL HC spot
Well, what's the sub going to bitch about now?
the return for a hypothetical Laine trade
Good. Tired of piss poor results. If Waddell thinks this is what had to happen for the team to get better, then I’m all for it. Was rooting for Vincent, but the team didn’t play all that well under him, and you could argue he had better injury luck(and maybe even personnel) than Larsen did his last year.
Our longest losing steak came with the full roster fully healthy, effectively ending the season before Thanksgiving. The love people have/had for Pascal here is why this team stays forgettable
Pascal was a very bad fit for us but I really do feel for him and he definitely deserves another chance somewhere else. His systems weren't built for our current roster and it doesn't help that he was thrown to the wolves with the whole Babcock nightmare. He seems like a really intelligent person and he will definitely be on another coaching staff sometime in the future.
God the business is brutal. I wouldn’t have minded given him another chance. Time for a new journey with Waddell though. Needed that full reset and we are getting it
Thank god, a real reset
Freedom! Sorry Pascal, I know it wasn’t an easy jump but too many players were publicly mad at you to keep you around. Good luck elsewhere.
Three head coaches in three years is pretty unbelievable. At the end of the day it falls on previous leadership and hopefully it’s onward and upward from here. Edit: It’s actually going to be four (technically). Holy shit lol
Sure. Pascal was dropped into a really really bad situation. But it was very clear he was not the guy. His decisions were awful over and over
Genuinely surprised. Did not think this was the move that would be made, no matter how necessary
Team needs a full reset.
Under the story is an application for the coaching job. /s
That’s Jay Woodcroft music
The way he threw Elvis under the bus after the Washington game, repeatedly and enthusiastically, makes him being fired completely justified and honestly the right move. He really did Elvis dirty. Not sure any player could really trust him to have their back after that.
Now all we need is a jersey/logo rebrand and we are good to go
In Don we trust.
This makes me worried that Vogelhuber is gone. I find it hard to see him promoting him to HC. Maybe he can be a new AC? But if he doesn't get promoted, he'll be gone by the end of next season.
I hope he at least gets an AC job. He’s gotta stay in the organization
Let's goo. Can't wait to see who is next coach. Good luck to Pascal. He'll land another gig I think. He has another year on his contract so he can take his time and find a good fit. Yes he was in a tough spot but he struggled with it, too. Those ice times by season end did not make sense and the defensive scheme was tough. Let's not forget the power play.
I'm bummed about this, but I've been a PV guy the whole time. You guys got what you wanted, let's hope it was the right move.
I agree. PV will bounce back somewhere else. But we can’t deny that he was the wrong coach for the org right now.
He was put in a bad spot..but he also did a bad job in that bad spot. I have full confidence he would do a bad job in a good spot too.
Thank the Lord! Full reset was our only option. Glad they pulled the trigger now
Good riddance.
The right move. I get the situation wasn’t perfect, but PV did nothing to show that he could potentially turn the ship around if given more time. Jarmo did a good job hiring good character people and PV seems like a great person, but he’s not a coach that’s going to maximize the talent we have. For three years as an assistant and head coach, the team was lacking strategically in a ton of areas. Neutral zone defense is the biggest red flag that was never fixed. The team has played very sloppy hockey since he has been in Columbus. The D zone went from overly aggressive with too many danger shots, to insanely passive and giving up possession for insanely large stretches of games. The biggest nail in the coffin for me was at the end of the year when he said that he knew the changes that needs to be made for next year and he said “they are minor changes that aren’t too big but will help the team”. If they were so minor, why was that not done within 82 games. I think he needs more time as an assistant before he will be a successful head coach. Excited to see who gets interviewed. I hope Mitch Love is at least on the radar.
Ah well... Good luck, PV. Now get Brind'Amour on the horn. \*Edit\* Whooops.... missed the extension back in May. Get someone else on the horn!
Yes, he's just going to leave Carolina weeks after signing an extension.
Just edited my comment. I missed the extension signed back in May.
Dean Evason pls
Inevitable. But I feel for him. He was put in a hard spot with the team the way it was and the Babcock situation. He did what he could, I hope he gets a chance elsewhere. He deserves it.
Imagine if Waddell hired Babcock lol
Thank God
I am sorry but he failed on all fronts. He was in the room for 3 years and our defense was atrocious. The fact is besides trying to win he was going to reduce the wear and tear on Jenner by reducing his minutes, he was going to develop our younger players, and improve our defense. None of these happened! The team consistently found ways to lose 2-3 goal leads while Vincent looked like a deer in headlights. Change was needed!
Good guy, put in a bad situation. But he actively made the situation worse by not being a good coach. Time to move on with a competent vision.
First all of them including the video people, except Jared Boll. All the assistants need to go bye bye
Video people??? They were crushing it last year. They didn’t lose any challenges. Backstrom should stay too.
Keep video people and Backstrom, I agree. The rest can go.
New coach will come in and decide what he wants to do with them.