In my house, the hockey season ends when the Avalanche stop playing. While I haven’t watched any hockey since May 1st, I’m told there’s still some rogue teams out there playing some exhibition games for some little silver trophy. And I wonder if we need to re-evaluate the Avs postseason a bit because of what’s happening in the NHL.
The Red Wings - you know, the team that unceremoniously ripped the Avs to shreds in round two - seem to be rolling over the Dallas Stars in the Conference Finals. The Wings have won 9 straight games in the playoffs. If Dominik Hasek hadn’t decided to take a couple of mid-game siestas, the Wings could conceivably be carrying a perfect record in the postseason, which would have been a completely different take on Ray Bourque’s old “16W” t-shirts.
If the Wings keep this up, does it change our opinion of the 2007-2008 Avalanche…or of the coaching job by Joel Quenneville? Avalanche fans have such a bitter taste in our mouths after getting stomped by Detroit and it seemed like overnight the team shifted from Cup contender to a team in need of a rebuild. Against the Wild, the Avs seemed very much like a team capable of a Cup run. Four humiliating losses was all it took to toss that positive outlook out the window.
Now that the Wings are manhandling another solid team, does it paint the Avs in a bit better light? It’s looking more and more like there isn’t another NHL team that can compete with Detroit (and yes, it’s painful to write that). Should we be cutting the Avalanche - and Quenneville - a bit of a break, especially considering all the injuries we suffered?
It doesn’t change my view of Q at all. In retrospect, Q going in to the playoff run with no word on a new contract tells me that FG had his mind made up already. Despite what Detroit does, I don’t think it will every de-legitimize the separation from Q.
What I’m curious about is how the successes of Pittsburg and Detroit will effect the direction of NHL teams next year. I’m afraid many teams will overreact to emulate what they are doing. After the Ducks won the cup with big forwards that smashed you on the forecheck and intimidated you in all parts of the ice there were several teams that all of a sudden thought they needed to be more physical. Avalanche fans have no further to look than the Wild. The Wild got ousted by the Ducks and they immediately go after bigger, physical forwards and honestly that hurt them in the playoffs this year. If the Avs or any other team tries to fill their roster with purely perimeter skill guys I think they will suffer. As Herb Brooks would say, “play your game”. The Avs should find the best mix of talent that they have and the best mix that works for them. They shouldn’t try to become the Wings. I think that’s a mistake if they don’t have the players to play that style. Make no mistake that the Wings are killing it right now. However, the puck possession style of play hasn’t always paid great playoff dividends for the Wings. I think the growing maturity of Zetterburg and Datsyuk have elevated that team to new heights. Other teams would be foolish to believe they could recreate that magic overnight by emulating Detroit’s puck possession game. To be clear, I’m not suggesting that the Detroit system is a poor one or even not the right style of play for the Avs. I’m just saying that their system looks superior because of the players doing it more so than the system itself.
I guess where I’m coming from with Q is that he coached a hell of a series against Minnesota. Obviously, that wasn’t enough to change Giguere’s mind, but it swayed me back into his court a bit, and I don’t think I’m the only one. That pendulum swing back after round 2, and I’m wondering if that’s right - it’s not like any other coach has an answer.
Whoa there, Drafty, let’s not let the win over Minnesota get blown out of proportion here. Q had all of his forwards present and accounted for, his defense was motivated and his goalie was not projectile puking during the intermissions.
None of us suddenly decided that firing Q would be a good idea after game 4 of the second round. We’d been saying it most of the season. Obviously, Giguere was with us, and maybe the whole time.
And really, nobody expected the Avs to beat the Wings. We wanted them to win, but even with a full lineup of healthy forwards and a pre-meltdown goalie, the odds were against them. Then, with the injuries piling up, it was no shock at all they went down in a sweep.
Dallas, almost completely healthy, is doing no better.
I’m not one who believes the Avs need a rebuild. They did that last season and during last summer. They need a new coach and a healthy lineup. I think they’ll be just fine if they get both.
“Q had all of his forwards present and accounted for, his defense was motivated and his goalie was not projectile puking during the intermissions.”
exactly my point.
Yeah, but he had that at times during the season, too, and his results were still mixed.
So you’re now officially in the “It was the injuries’, not Q’s fault” camp?
And really, at this point, what difference does it make?
No matter the reason…what we saw in the 2 different playoffs rounds, was an emulation of the season. We looked really good for a series and we looked really bad for a series. It seemed like the Avs got a big boost from making the playoffs and ran out of gas by the second round. They went through similar spurts during the season. I think it is that inconsistency that led most of us to start carrying the pitch forks and torches and marching for around the Can demanding Q’s dismissal.
Q may very well be a good coach, but I think it is obvious from some of FG’s comments that he was not considered the “right” coach for this team, it’s style and philosophy.
Ï said all along I think Q’s best time as an Avs coach were the 2 weeks they played against Minnesota. He was coaching very well that series.
However he had, for the most part, a healthy lineup for games 1 and 2 in Detroit. Everyone agrees he botched the Theo thing in those games and that’s a pretty big mistake.
Detroit being so dominant makes me rethink how bad the Sweep was at the hands of the Wings, it doesn’t seem like it is all that bad, but it’s not making me rethink my opinion of Q.
He’s a pretty good assistant who doesn’t know how to handle full-control. He knows his stuff, but his tinkering gets in the way with his strengths.