I know what you are probably saying to yourself right now: "Wow, two blogs in two days? How did I get so lucky?" Well my friends, fortunately for you, yesterday was a good day to be the former head coach of a Los Angeles area sports team. So, as an avid reader of GameTime, TBD©, I recommend that you send a heart felt thank you to the Green Wave of Tulane University and the NHL's St. Louis Blues.
While I was driving home from work yesterday (listening 710 ESPN as I always do), I was informed of this glorious announcement out of New Orleans, Louisiana. I could not decide if it was fact or fiction; I could not help but laugh a little. Now, I am not trying to downplay any of the great accomplishments Bob Toledo had at UCLA. He led the Bruins to twenty straight victories from 1997 to 1998, two Pac-10 titles (1997 and 1998), and one Rose Bowl (1998, Washington St. was co-champion in 1997 and played in the Rose Bowl as a result of having beaten the Bruins in the season opener). You have to admire a coach who's goal is to win the NCAA championship every year. I know there are a lot of coaches who are content with just getting a bowl invite.
But here is the thing with Bobby T (I don't think anyone has probably ever called him Bobby T...but it does just kinda roll of the tongue), because he coaches to win titles, the season ends with one loss. I am sure anyone who lived in Westwood from 1996 to 2002 will tell you, once the Bruins lost their first game of the season, it was a crap shoot the rest of the way. One loss, and the season was bound to end with several uninspired losses to lesser opponents; teams that the Bruins should have demolished. Take the 2000 team as an example: the Bruins won their first three games, including wins over 3rd-ranked Alabama in week 1 and 3rd-ranked Michigan in week 3. After a week 4 loss to Oregon (when the Bruins, ironically enough, were the 3rd-ranked team in the nation), the team ended 6-6 with a loss to Wisconsin in the Sun Bowl...the SUN BOWL. So here is my point: Tulane, like the rest of New Orleans, is rebuilding; and though I have a lot of respect for Bob Toledo as a coach, I am not sure he is the best coach to rebuild an organization. He is more of a coach that can help take the team to the next level.
But enough talk about Bob Toledo. He, my dear readers, is but an appetizer to the main course of this post. I have told you from the beginning it would happen. I warned you this day would come. And thanks to one of my least favorite (yet surprisingly bright) organizations in the NHL, that day is today.
Late last night, while getting my daily dose of SportsCenter, my attention was drawn to a notice that scrolled by on the sports ticker. A quick Google search confirmed the joyous news. Andy Murray has returned to NHL!
True to my word, I am now a fan of the St. Louis Blues; except, of course, when they play the Kings (like, say, on January 18, 2007 when AM makes his triumphant return to the Staples Center...right Dad?). I must admit, it is an unexpected jump by St. Louis all the way up to my second favorite hockey team. A quick perusal of the St. Louis Blues website reveals that it might be a few years before the Blues and the Kings square off in the Western Conference finals. The Blues are currently dead last in the NHL at 7-17-4, good for 18 points. They have scored the fewest goals (65), rank dead last in powerplay efficiency (10.9%), and have the second worst home record in the entire league (4-9-2).
Take a closer look at the their roster, however, and you will see that AM has some talent to work with. The Blues have a decent mixture of good veterans and talented young guns. Unfortunately though, AM is also taking over a team with a bad run of injuries as of late. Many of the Blues' key offseason acquisitions have missed much of the season (which, I'm sad to say, is nothing new to AM...the Kings only had there star players for about 20 games a season while he was coach). However, if there is one thing AM knows how to do, it is to get the most out of the hand he is dealt. When the Kings had a healthy Jason Allison, Adam Deadmarsh, and Ziggy Palffy, they had one of the most dangerous lines in the NHL (during the 2001-2002 season, the "LAPD" line was the highest scoring line in the league from November 15th until the end of the season). The next season, with Allison and Deadmarsh playing in a combined twenty-six games, AM and the Kings barely missed the playoffs. In his final two full seasons with the Kings, AM never had a full roster (the Kings lost a combined 1165 man games to injury over those two seasons...no, that's not a typo...over eleven hundred man games in two seasons); yet the Kings were never eliminated from playoff contention until very late in the season.
It should come as no surprise that the reason the Kings were so close every year, even when things got bad, was because of AM. He does not accept excuses. He demands accountability, in both the offensive and defensive zones, out of every player on the team. He is not afraid to bench the best player on the team for a game if he is not playing to his potential. He is not afraid to make his players write essays either. Long story short, AM does not bow down to the multi-million dollar babies that many professional athletes have become. Work hard or do not play; it is that simple when it comes to AM.
Do not believe me? Prior to their first practice with their new head coach this morning, each St. Louis Blues player received a mission statement detailing AM's belief system. The following categories were listed on the cover: setting an example, listening, paying attention to detail, being demanding, caring and finding the positive. Instead of the usual light morning skate that most players are used to on game day, AM had the Blues sweating for forty-five minutes.
Welcome back Andy! Here's hoping our next plane flight together is under different circumstances.
No comments:
Post a Comment