Month: February 2015

Snow, Capuano and a Slow Rebuild Paying Off For the New York Islanders

Only six current NHL head coaches have been in their current position for more than four years. More than half of the other 24 have been hired in the past two seasons. Meanwhile, 17 NHL general managers have been in their positions for less than five years. Only eight were hired more than nine years ago. The NHL is a win-now league. Excuses are rarely made for coaches or GMs when evaluating performance and the “axe” is rarely far away. That is why the approach that the New York Islanders have adopted is impressive. 
Among the six longest tenured NHL head coaches, and among the nine longest serving are Islanders’ duo Jack Capuano and Garth Snow; in spite of the fact that the Long Island franchise has made the playoffs just twice in the past eight seasons, and each time they were an eighth seed and got bounced out of the first round. There are now signs that the franchise’s patient approach is paying off. The Islanders sit atop the Metropolitan division 50 games into the 2014-15 season.
The team’s roster is highlighted by the emergence of an exceptionally talented young core including; John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Travis Hamonic, Calvin De Haan and Thomas Hickey. A dynamic and deep offense has been at the core of New York’s success; they rank fourth in the NHL averaging 3.08 goals per game.
For all the credit that the players get (and deserve) and for all the importance that building a strong core has been given. Perhaps of equal importance has been the willingness and trust that the Islanders have shown in their GM and head coach. It goes against current trends in the NHL and professional sports in general, and it is starting to reap clear rewards.
Head coach Capuano deserves a lot of credit for the growth of this team’s young players. Capuano first joined the Islanders’ organization for the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach. He would find his way to the team’s AHL affiliate’s (Bridgeport Sound Tigers) head coaching role before replacing Scott Gordon in New York early in the 2010-11 season. His record since (shown below) is one that few coaches could survive.
Year
Games
Wins
Losses
OT/SO
Finish
Playoffs
2010-11
65
26
29
10
5th Atlantic
DNQ
2011-12
82
34
37
11
5th Atlantic
DNQ
2012-13
48
24
17
7
3rd Atlantic
Lost 1st round
2013-14
82
34
37
11
8th Metropolitan
DNQ
Despite starting 2014-15 with a career NHL coaching record below .500, Capuano is in elite company in terms of the league’s longest tenured coaches. Only Dave Tippett (Phoenix/Arizona), Todd McLellan (San Jose), Joel Quenneville (Chicago), Claude Julien (Boston) and Mike Babcock (Detroit) had been with their respective teams for longer. Quenneville, Babcock and Julien have all won Stanley Cups, Tippett has helped to keep the Phoenix/Arizona franchise alive, while McLellan has a fantastic regular season record in San Jose. In fact, Capuano is one of only three current NHL head coaches with a career record below .500 (before start of 2014-15).
The reality is that Capuano’s coaching record is a reflection of Islanders’ rosters that have lacked balance and depth. He has played a critical role in balancing team competitiveness with the development of emerging young stars like Strome, Lee and Nelson. He also deserves credit for the long-term development of players like Okposo and Josh Bailey, who many coaches would have given up on after indifferent starts to their careers.
Capuano has found the balance between holding players accountable for mistakes and not throwing players under the bus. He has protected his developing roster from criticism during the longer losing streaks and has successfully played the delicate development-balancing act. The fruits of that labor are clearly seen in this season’s line-up.
The 48-year old’s success has come while implementing an offensive-minded system that relies upon fore-checking, physical play and a fast-moving skating game. Capuano’s style has grown as a head coach and Islanders’ fans can be pleased that he is clearly not satisfied with his team’s position. Puck management and the team’s play away from the puck are still of particular concern.
Capuano has been afforded a patience that is rare in the NHL. Credit goes to GM Garth Snow on that count. He has treated his bench boss with fairness and shown faith in a coach who he trusts and believes in.
The former NHL goaltender, Snow, is also in some pretty impressive company when it comes to length of time on the job. Only Lou Lamoreillo, Ken Holland, David Poile, Glen Sather, Doug Wilson, Dean Lombardi and Peter Chiarelli have held their roles for longer. Chiarelli and Lombardi each have recent Stanley Cup victories, Holland and Lamoriello have marshaled dynasty eras for their respective franchises, Poile is the only GM Nashville has known, while Sather and Wilson have built teams that have enjoyed impressive levels of regular season success.
Snow hung up the skates after 11 NHL seasons spent with the Flyers, Canucks, Penguins and eventually the Islanders. He retired after the 2005-06 season and moved straight into the front office as Islanders’ GM. It wasn’t long before Snow realized that New York’s “other franchise” needed a full rebuild. Snow has stuck to his guns and stayed loyal to the organization’s top prospects. It has worked well. A long-term vision and plenty of high draft picks are a big part of today’s success.
Not only is the NHL roster loaded with young, promising talent already proving its worth at the top level, but the Islanders also possess one of the more impressive prospect pools in the league. In particular, there is a healthy stock of defensemen including Griffin Reinhart, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech.
Of course there have been mistakes made during Snow’s stint as well, the Thomas Vanek debacle being a good example. At times the vision in terms of building veteran talent into the team has been confusing. This season’s success can also be attributed to Snow’s ability to finally get that talent balance right adding Jaroslav Halak in net, Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy to the blue-line, and Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolay Kulemin to the forward group.
It’s worth remembering that Snow inherited a team that had suffered from years of mismanagement. His predecessor’s (Mike Milbury) spell in charge had been characterized by a lack of patience and over commitment to winning as soon as possible. It didn’t work as New York managed to reach the playoffs just three times between 1995 and 2006, losing in the first round each time. It is famously a period where the Islanders traded away talents such as Zdeno Chara, Roberto Luongo, Olli Jokinen, Sami Salo, Bryan McCabe and Todd Bertuzzi. The prospect cupboard was also left bare.
After 43 years playing at the Nassau Coliseum, the Islanders will make their way to a new home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, starting in September. It’s an exciting time for a franchise that has an opportunity to exploit a new market and, the combination of Snow and Capuano should ensure that the new era begins on a high. Perhaps a fan base damaged by years of mismanagement and a lack of competitiveness can allow themselves to hope for their Islanders again. Maybe a few other franchises could learn from the Isles example.

What Makes Martin St. Louis So Effective?

Aggressive and effective fore-checking serves as the backbone for any NHL team’s offensive success.

When one thinks of the ideal NHL player that fills the role of a great fore-checker, big bodies like the Coyotes 6-foot-one 223 pound Shane Doan or the Ducks’ six-foot-two-inch, 208 pound Ryan Kesler come to mind.  Physical forwards like Kesler and Doan mostly utilize their sheer strength and ability to use their large bodies to control the boards when the puck is in the attacking third of the ice.

However, when it comes to those players who fly under the radar as providing a solid fore-check presence, few may fly so low as the Rangers’ Martin St. Louis, a forgetfulness that St. Louis makes a living off.

At 5-foot-eight-inches, St. Louis has never intimidated defenseman with his physical presence.  However, the Quebec native uses every inch of his frame to size up larger defenders when they are playing with their heads in the boards.  Although St. Louis will not regularly stand up defenders, a strategy regularly employed by larger forwards, he will instead use his lower center of gravity and quick hands to attack the defender inside their arms, making it very difficult for the defender to stay on top of the puck.

Large fore-checkers will often focus on causing their opponent to lose possession of the puck, which results in a 50/50 battle ensuing between the forward and the defender.  For St. Louis, his focus falls more on gaining possession of the puck as a direct result of his fore-check.  This approach has led to numerous scoring opportunities for St. Louis and his teammates, as their defense transitions to offense almost instantaneously from when the puck first touches St. Louis’ stick.

Through 49 games played this year, it is apparent that St. Louis’ style of play has stood the test of time.  At the ripe age of 39, St. Louis has scored 14 goals and dished out 23 assists, putting him on a pace that could result in his ninth 40-plus assist regular season in his 17 year NHL career.

As the Rangers march toward the playoffs for a fifth straight season, there is no question as to St. Louis value.  This value was no more apparent than in the Rangers 2014 run to the Stanley Cup Finals after rallying from two games down to the Pittsburgh Penguins to win in seven games.  The turning point for the inspiring play of the Rangers was fueled by the team rallying around St. Louis after his mother passed away, a tribute to what St. Louis means to the team after joining the Rangers just prior to the trade deadline in 2014.

As all teams and fans know, all it may take for a team to turn a mediocre season into one filled with Stanley’s glory is a spark at just the right time.  For the Rangers, this spark can be found every time they dump the puck into the offensive zone and St. Louis begins his chase.

Why Fans Love The NHL Trade Deadline

This year’s NHL trade deadline day is March 2nd, and unlike the trade deadline day in the NBA, NFL and MLB, hockey’s version provides fans a reason to call in sick. While it doesn’t receive nearly as much coverage in the United States as it probably should, trade deadline day is like Christmas in March for hockey fans in Canada. Although the introduction of a hard salary cap following the 2012-2013 lockout makes it harder for big and complex contracts to be moved on the last day trades can be made, there seems to be no sign of the television ratings or the transactions slowing down any time soon.

Perhaps the biggest reason for that is that die hard sports fans dream of being their favourite team’s general manager someday, and trade deadline coverage gives us some insight into what it’s actually like without ever being in our team’s boardroom as the deadline approaches. Especially in this day and age with the latest breaking news being posted on Twitter almost immediately, allowing fans to keep track of rumours and break into debates in an instant. Debate fuels adrenaline in the average sports fan more than anything else.

The curiosity and intrigue also stems from what one’s favourite team will do next. Are they buyers or are they sellers? Will they be the big winner in this year’s blockbuster deal for the latest disgruntled or impending free-agent superstar? With questions like that left to be answered as the deadline approaches, it’s easy to see why the media coverage associated with it is basically a man’s version of an afternoon soap opera with the added kick being that it’s actually based on reality and not a dramatic, fictional script.

It seems that no matter what prognosticators and analysts predict as far as how much activity is expected on trade deadline day, things pick up at the last minute and when all the math is done, hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts have changed hands and the future of a fan’s favourite franchise has been changed forever, though seldom in the ways that most experts and fans expected once a few months or even a few years have passed.

For every skilled superstar winger like Marian Gaborik that gets traded on deadline day and helps his new team win the Stanley Cup, the way he did last year with the Los Angeles Kings, there are a handful of stars that get moved and never produce a championship. That reality might not be appealing to fans of contenders, but at the end of the day it’s what makes the trade deadline such a big day for the NHL and so compelling to follow.

The good news is, whether your favourite players and teams are contenders or pretenders this year, you’ll be able to sport their new jersey after all the trades are complete thanks to the gear available here at Sports Jerseys Canada.