- Southern Ontario is still home, and I'm reminded of that for two weeks of every year.
- I really don't miss the humidity back home during this time of year. Standing still should not be a reason to sweat!
- London seems have made great strides in tackling its graffiti problem. Maybe Regina could pick up a few pointers?
- It only took 7.5 hours in the emergency department of one of Canada's most highly-regarded hospitals to have my broken thumb taken care of. And they say Saskatchewan's health care system is in trouble?
- I injured myself water-sliding with Jacob. There, I said it.
- Do you have any idea how many things we use our thumbs for? I'm learning.
- Toronto remains an awesome place to visit ( we hit the Hockey Hall of Fame, the CN Tower and a Blue Jays game - thanks Scott Clark! - all in one afternoon/evening), but I really have no urge to live there.
- The Jane/Finch area of Toronto scares me, even in broad daylight.
- Was anyone really surprised that Curtis Hunt chose to join Craig Hartsburg in Ottawa?
- If Dale Derkatch is handed the Pats' head coaching job, does assistant coach Terry Perkins stick around?
- Can someone please tell me who thought Steven Jyles was a better quarterback than Darian Durant? I've been pulling for DD since the first exhibition game of this year.
- Would previous editions of the Riders have survived the rash of injuries incurred by this year's team? Eric Tillman has done a tremendous job of stockpiling talent.
- Where are all the people who wondered why Weston Dressler made the roster now?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Monday musings
Now that holidays are over, I suppose I should go about updating this blog:
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7 comments:
Good to see you back in the saddle. Been interesting around Riderville for sure. It's early but Durant looks like a keeper
Hunt out..somebody new in. The question might be if anyone other than Perkins gets it, will Perkins still want to be here?
Derkatch was a fan favourite years ago. He has a couple of years of Midget AAA under his belt. Is that strong enough credentials to jump to a CHL team that needs to win more very quickly? It has rarely ever worked in the past!
Habscheid is clearly the the most qualified and experienced candidate. It would be a coup to get a guy in here who has actually coached a team to a Memorial Cup and head coached a National Jr team to gold!!! If he were willing to come here, in my mind it would be a no brainer. I hope no brainer doesn't become the operative word in the decision making process.
OF
Derkatch would be a terrible hire. He was a great junior player, but he was a guy that never, ever was willing to put in the sacrifice to go all the way. He had the option of going to the minors after Edmonton drafted him. Had he done that and put up his usually numbers I'm sure another team would have made a trade for him so that he would get out from under the great players of the Oiler's dynasty. Instead he went to Europe for 16 years which is really a 32 game season/vacation.
He scouts for a crap team in Washington then quits to go coach Midget AAA. Again Midget AAA where you basically tell the players that you play here or you don't play. Is it a gruelling schedule similar to WHL...by no means. Most AAA coaches have jobs during the day. Derkatch had the advantage of coaching his team and getting paid to do it. However he has that Reno Hightower aura of being good...good for around here.
This job should go to Terry Perkins period. Brent Parker alluded that he developed a friendship with Curtis Hunt and that is now somehow a requirement. So now to qualify you have to be willing to hang out with Brent, play golf with him, tell him he's smart, and laugh at his stupid jokes.
I clearly disagree with the comments regarding Derkatch's career and see no need to trash him. I do however agree that he would not be the right fit at this point.
Scenario a} IF Derkatch got the job there is little doubt Perkins would be gone. Having a inexperienced Midget AAA guy get it over him, no way. We would then have a rookie head coach and no doubt a rookie assistant. A recipe for disaster.
Scenario b} Perkins gets the job and we still end up with an inexperienced head coach and a rookie assistant coach. Again not much better off. During Hunt's absence Perkins never seemed to have control of the bench. That worries me over a 72 game schedule. I believe he is a 50/50 candidate at best.
I believe this is more than a time to just pick a coach. It is time to pick a coach who can take this team to the next level. You can't win a League Championship if you can't win one round of playoffs. We were supposed to have reached much loftier goals than we have over the past few years. We had talent assmebled by Brent,but yet we were gone in the 1st round twice and in 4 straight the only time we made to the 2nd round. Our coaching staff didn't get it done plain and simple. I don't care who it is but I would like to see a proven CHL winner brought in here....hey Ted Nolan's available...lol.
Old Fan
Ted Nolan and Brent Parker could never co-exist. They'd be butting heads almost immediately. Okay, yes I know you were kidding.
So, is Habscheid the logical choice then? Or, is it time for Chad Mercier's triumphant return to the Pats? Funny that no one seems to be saying much about Mercier.
You pose a couple of very intriguing questions!!
I'm sure any logical person would have to agree he is the logical choice. His resume is unmatched, he is a Saskatchewan guy, has great contacts at all levels of hockey, and he wants to come here. Logical yes, but I don't get the feeling he is a shoe in.
Mercier has as much or more WHL time as does Perkins. He was a head coach last year and is married to a Regina girl. However Perkins would never be his #2 so we would be back to having a rookie coach and a rookie assistant. Most folks I have spoken to don't like that scenario. Really what more would we get in Mercier that we don't have here in Perkins.
Back to the logical choice. Habscheid is both the logical and correct choice. If he and Perkins could work together and it was agreeable to both, Perkins could learn a lot from a winning coach like Habscheid. The Pats would have a winning coach at the helm, a strong assistant, and the best chance at improving. With the way hockey goes, likely in two or three years time Perkins would the man.
Those are just my opinions and my opinions don't mean anything. Yes I was joking about Nolan. That poor bugger can't cut a break no how. One must admit he does well with junior teams..maybe that's where he should stay.
OF
What's the deal with Harder and Vanstone shamelessly promoting Derkatch as the front runner? Would they care to disclose what factual information they have which would suggest that to be true?
In most people's mind, he would be #4 of the four names mentioned. Parker has never said he was the leading candidate yet these self proclaimed guru's are writing articles to that effect.
It is little disrespectful to the other candidates to be sure. Do either of those two writers really think Derkatch's reume is better than Habscheid? or for that matter Perkins or Mercier?
Everyone except Mercier is in their 40's so that is pretty equal. If they wanted a young coach Mercier could be the guy. I don't think that is the criteria at all.
Last year the Bonnyville Pontiacs were nothing special. The Notre Dame Hounds midget AAA didn't even get by the Regionals. That dispite the fact they run an elitist program out there and recruit from all across Canada. When Vinny Lecavelier played out there, you know what I mean. Harder was gushing about a 6.1 goals for in AAA but that means absolutely nothing in the Dub. The Pats had some of their best years under coaches who had no connection to the Pats ie; Brian Murray, Bill Laforge, Bill Boyd et al.
Parker has usually hired coaches with WHL head coach experience, or strong professional background. He should not deviate at this point. The fans deserve the best they can get.
Regarding LP promoting candidates Harder is definitely not as bad as Vanstone.
Vanstone at one time was a respected journalist. His constant whining about Henry Burris and how he hates hockey has skewed his perspective so far off the path of what is logical thinking. When you read certain columnist's articles they are based in satire and comedy. A reader knows that before he begins reading. Vanstone is completely out of touch, and it's to the point now I don't even read his column. I assume it hasn't improved. He is a like his mentor Bob Hughes, basically a cartoon of his former self. He'll end up like Bob Hughes too....fired. The Writer's at the LP are union protected so if he didn't have that little shield helping him I"m sure they would have canned him a long time ago. He's just a terrible Reporter.
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