CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

“You feel for Craig, he’s a good man, a friend of mine and a very good coach,” said Panthers coach Pete DeBoer. “A lot of this job is circumstance. I know having had talks with Craig when we played [against each other], he was doing everything he could to get that team turned around. It’s unfortunate.”

DeBoer was talking about the firing of Ottawa coach Craig Hartsburg – a problem of time and place.

Not everyone has been as kind in their evaluation of Chicago’s firing of Denis Savard. The Blackhawks had hired Joel Quenneville who seemed to be waiting in the wings for Savard to falter.

DENIS SAVARD

“If the Blackhawks lose four out of five games, will Denis Savard be looking over his shoulder? queried Eric McErlain.

“That’s not it at all,” [Blackhawks GM] Dale Tallon told TSN.

“That’s not why we brought him in. Joel is here to help me more than anything,” Tallon added.

Tallon says Quenneville and Savard have talked and there are no issues or concerns.”

Then a short while later Tallon said:

“This was an extremely hard day for this organization and for me personally. Denis is forever a part of our organization. We made a tough decision that we strongly feel is the right one as we continue to evaluate our team and create a championship caliber organization that can sustain success…It was a flat camp and we got out of the gate flat. It just didn’t seem that we carried over the energy that we had to finish the year last year. We felt we needed to send a message and invigorate this team…It’s about moving forward, about achieving and winning and developing a consistent approach. And we felt we needed a more experienced person in that position and that’s why we made the decision.”

Some of the players were devestated. Patrick Kane was in tears:

“The two were close, and the reality that Savard was gone struck him in waves on Thursday. The first came when he found out in the locker room, and it hit him throughout the night…He sent Savard a text message and was planning to call later Friday, a conversation that figured to be emotional.”

“He was my first coach in the league,” Kane said. “I think he was just more than anything a great friend. Just the situations he brought us in, he played us a lot last year, upcoming rookies (Kane and Jonathan Toews), 18 and 19 years old. It’s difficult to see him go…It was definitely a love relationship, where he just wanted to get the best out of me…It’s difficult to see him go.”

“This early in the season, it’s really weird,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “It’s definitely something I didn’t see coming. We all take responsibility for our own actions, what’s happened so far. It’s tough…There’s no doubt what he’s done for this team and this organization. On a personal note, I wish him all the best. It’s tough to swallow.”

Some such as newcomer Brian Campbell didn’t really care:

“I think it shows young guys they’re committed. There are expectations to make the playoffs. I feel we can make the playoffs. It’s very serious. It’s not OK when it comes to April (to say) ‘oh well, we’ll try again next year.’ No, there’s accountability and you have to make the playoffs or else things will change and not everybody sitting in this locker room will be here next year.”

Did he think the team needed a change?

“That’s not my decision to make,” Campbell said. “I’m here to play hockey and work hard, and whoever is in command I listen to and play my hardest for.”

Savard – like the rest of the hockey world – was surprised.

“I felt I had the team going on the right track,” Savard said. “I know that every game we played we got better. We could have won in New York and we could have won against Nashville, but that’s the nature of the business, I suppose. It’s not about Denis Savard.”

CRAIG HARTSBURG

Ottawa’s GM Terry Murray said:

“…it’s sad and I guess a happy day in another regard. I released Craig Hartsburg last night, obviously based on the record, the team performance lately and the competitive level of our team over a period of time. We kept hoping that there would be some change in our performance that didn’t seem to be taking place…I think when we started this year, we all believed this group would be a good team. We had fairly high expectations.

We also believed that we would rebound from a shaky start. We kept hoping that it would be some change in our performance, which didn’t seem to be taking place.

I think when you make a coaching change, there’s a reason for doing it. I hope there’s a real legitimate reason and that is to find out the level of performance this group is capable of. Is it what we’re playing like now, or is it what we’ve seen out of a lot of these players in the past?”

Murray took part of the blame.

“I’ve changed the coach, but it definitely is on my shoulders, everything that happens here I take full responsibility for and I should,” he said.

The players were supportive of Hartsburg.

“We’re not going to put the blame on Craig and say it’s his fault,” said captain Daniel Alfredsson. “We don’t feel that way. We know we haven’t performed to the level we’re capable of and hopefully Cory can come in and give us some more energy because that’s been lacking lately…(Hartsburg) couldn’t get the most out of us. I don’t know if it was a bad time for him to come in. He’s a good coach. I think he will come back.”

“Obviously, we were a little bit surprised coming to the rink today, but not all that surprised given the way the season’s gone,” said centre Jason Spezza, one of the team’s stars accused of underachieving and contributing to Hartsburg’s demise.

“We feel a lot of responsibility for it, obviously,” Dany Heatley said. “It’s never a great thing when your coach gets fired. As players if we win, coaches stay, we lose, coaches go.”

The Hockey News wrote “Despite the coaching carousel, Alfredsson and Spezza scoffed at suggestions the players are developing a reputation as “coach killers.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Spezza said.”

Of the seven coaches fired so far this season, Hartsburg was the only one to apologize for his team’s performance.

“He understands, he was apologetic a little bit in that he didn’t get them to play the way he thought he could when he came here,” said Murray.

“I’m very disappointed in what’s happened both in being fired and also in how our team has played,” said Hartsburg. “I’m not here to make excuses or blame others. As I coach I take great pride in my team’s work ethic, high level of competing and team play…I take responsibility for those not being good enough…I leave here knowing that I did my best and I guess my best just wasn’t good enough.”

He also wished his players the best:  “They are a good bunch of guys and I hope they turn things around very quickly.”

Contrast this to Barry Melrose:

“I hope that Tampa Bay doesn’t win a game the rest of the year.”