Therrien/Renney Out, Bylsma/Tortorella In. But Will it Matter?

There was only one game Monday night but that didn’t mean the NHL would be lacking in drama after an action packed weekend both on and off the ice.

On the coaching end Pittsburgh’s new head man Dan Bylsma picked up his first two victories as an NHL coach in two 5-4 victories over Montreal and Philadelphia respectively. The Penguins lost to Washington on Sunday but five points out of a possible eight in Bylsma’s first four games is a good start for the new headcoach who is hoping to guide the Penguins back into a playoff spot after a disappointing start to the new year for Pittsburgh.

Staying in the Atlantic Division takes us to New York where the Rangers fired Tom Renney this weekend only to name John Tortorella as his replacement on Monday. Many close to the team believe Tortorella can provide a spark for the Rangers they could not seem to get from Renney. Tortorella has a history of calling out players publically which may inject the Rangers with just the right amount of energy to help save this sinking ship by not only keeping it afloat but guiding them to the playoffs. There is no denying that Renney is a great coach who will ultimately get another job and most likely be successful in that new position. However, Tortorella sweetens the pot by adding his Stanley Cup ring and that demands the utmost respect; something Renney simply couldn’t add to the mix.

In the future there will undoubtedly be many coaching changes across the sports landscape—especially in the NHL. In reality, mid-year coaching changes tend to do very little to change the course of a team especially when they are made toward the end of a season. The players normally don’t change—save for a few here and there—while a season is ongoing and so the chances of a different outcome no matter the coach is slim to none. And this year will probably be no different as both the Penguins and Rangers will probably continue on the paths they were on before coaching changes were made because personnel remains basically the same. If there’s one thing the sports world can learn from the Pittsburgh Steelers is that consistency in coaching and upper management yields sustained, long-term success.

Melrose Bitter; Lightning Struggles Continue

As it turns out the problems in Tampa Bay extend beyond Barry Melrose, what a surprise (sense my sarcasm). In the 16 games Melrose spent as coach the Lightning were 5-7-4 which is not good but was not a terrible start for a team with a new make up on ice and behind the bench. Since Melrose was fired, interim coach Rick Tocchet has lead the Lightning to a record of 1-6-4 resulting in only six points out of a possible 22. Recently on talk radio in Toronto, Melrose continued to voice his bitterness toward being fired by saying he was glad the team has struggled so much since he left and that he hopes they go winless the rest of the year; quite frankly who can blame him? Tamp Bay is in last place in a very poor Southeast Division leaving them in last place in the Eastern Conference and in prime position to duplicate last year’s 15^th place conference finish. John Tortorella was fired last year after bringing the franchise a Stanley Cup but perhaps he had overstayed his welcome and it was time to move on. To follow Tortorella they brought in Melrose who had not coached since 1993 but had a reputation for being more of a players’ coach which Tortorella certainly was not. And after only 16 games the team turned on him and now Tampa is on their third coach in less than a full season’s worth of games and they continue to struggle. Even Tocchet has already questioned the players’ work ethic and willingness to work hard every game. It sounds like the problem lies not within Tortorella, Melrose, or Tocchet but the players and the rest of the organization itself.