SKscout Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 I should probably be more clear. I don't blame Iggy personally for where this team ended up. It's not something he chose to do to us. I AM blaming his presence and captaincy of the team though and mainly on 2 points. Point 1: The owners loved him and WE loved him, probably too much. This was crippling for coaches because at the end of the day Iggy was going to play his game the way he wanted to play it. Being the captain and well respected as a player this was deadly for any coach. Now I will admit and argue that we should have found a coach who could recognize this. Realize that this room is never going to be his and just build and coach around it but we didn't and it's fairly clear that Iggy didn't really buy into anyone system (with the possible exception of Playfair). This not only handcuffed the coaches it also hand cuffs the GM. He can't move Iggy and he knows it, and so does EVERYONE else. Because of this he was shown far too much difference. The Bruins and Pens issue is a perfect example. In every other NTC waiving that I can remember the guy gives a list of teams and gets shipped to one of them. In Iggy's case even though we did the deal with the Bruins for some reason we backflip on that and he signs with the Pens instead. It made us look bad, it made Feaster look like a joke, all around it was just bad business. Add to the fact that we held on to him for at least 2 if not 3 years too long to get a proper return and the fact he was so loved but everyone who paid the bills and it doomed us to this deep rebuild we are in. Had we loved him a little less and been willing to part with him sooner we would not be where we are today. Point 2: Iggy's personality + captaincy fostered the country club. I would hope it's clear now that Iggy's laid back and relaxed personality along with his willingness to take the teams faults all on his shoulders was not a net positive to the team culture, at least not with him being the captain. This unintentionally fostered the country club atmosphere certainly, don't get me wrong they went out and played "hard" but if they lost it almost seemed like "oh well we tried". Adding to that the fact that ownership would do everything they could to get the guys on the team that Iggy wanted to play with (Bertuzzi being the most notable example) and it can't help but foster this culture. Iggy, at least subconsciously, knows that he's not going anywhere and anyone Iggy really likes is sticking around as well so at the end of the day nobody on the top line, probably top 2 honestly ever felt they had to earn their spot regardless of what the Management and Advertising was saying. We built a team around him that should have easily carried a cup. Hell look at the team in the 09-10 season. The back end was Kipper, Regher, Jbow, Pahneuf, Bean, Sarich, White. How the hell does that back end not win you a cup I sure as hell don't know. Especially considering we have Iggy, Borque, Glenncross, Backlund, Joker, Lankow, Stajan, Conroy, etc in front. Certainly not a deadly crop of forwards but a team capable of rolling 4 solid lines that all threaten to score. Imagine how much BETTER Montreal would be with Iggy and that back end. They would easily be cup favourites and at the beginning of that season we were certainly in everyone's top 6 if not top 4 list of cup contenders. Were did we finish... oh yeah 90 points and 5 points out of even making the playoffs. I offer as some proof the fact that our culture 180'd in a single year (almost unheard of) and the fact that Iggy isn't even wearing an A on his Jersey in Boston as some evidence. Iggy is a fantastic player to have on your team, and ANY and EVERY team would be lucky to have him but he's used best if you allow him to go do his thing and be a veteran voice / positive attitude in the room rather than the voice everyone is expected to follow. Boston had it right and was very smart by not offering him an A on the shirt, Iggy is better served and serves better if he can lend his presence and experience without having to try and lead, and he had a fantastic year and solid playoffs because of it IMHO. Now as to the idea of Sutter being able to take us anywhere if he had stayed coaching, honestly the idea that if Sutter had stayed behind the bench this would be different is kinda laughable. Can nobody else remember his last season on the bench? It was obvious at that time that he was losing the room. He wanted to play "truculent" hockey and Iggy dropped weight, got a little faster and wanted to play a finesse game. it was the whole reason that Playfair (who was better at coaching that kind of team) got the job and Sutter picked the GM seat. I'd like to see Iggy hoist a cup and with the career he's had I think he kind of deserves it though honestly Kipper deserved it more IMHO as he carried far more of the load in his time here. Having said that though I have to admit that there is a little (nasty) piece of me that is happy to see Iggy rolling out of the playoffs and to see Sutter hoist a cup and Gods willing a second this year. To me is a beacon reminder of what could have been if they had played Sutter's game after the 04 run and subsequent lockout. I think I am done, I said my piece and then some. Again to clarify I don't blame Iggy directly, I don't believe that he made any conscious decisions or effort to harm this team (far from it) but the situation around his personality and presence did cause us to land where we are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 I've said this many times. The Flames were a very consistent team under Brent Sutter. This concept of night and day effort was fabricated by the media who didn't understand what was happening. The problem was, Brent Sutter lacked X's and O's and lacked a good team system. The Flames showed up to play EVERY GAME but only as individuals. When the other team didn't show up to play, then the Flames won. But when the other team did show up to play, then the Flames lost. From an outside perspective, the Flames appeared to be Cup contenders one game and a lottery team the next. There was no winning consistency but that was primarily attributed to Brent Sutter. Iginla is notorious for being a slow starter before picking it up by December. Other than that, there wasn't a country club mentality to the degree everyone was lead to believe. It was very professional in the locker room and everyone wanted to win. It was Brent Sutter's lack of team strategy that didn't give them a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted May 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2014 Interesting that sources are saying Thornton and Marchand could be considered expendable, but also saying that the Bruins (including Cam Neely) would like to keep Iginla on the team... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted May 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2014 It was a shame that the Bruins run ended so soon this season, but it was good to see that Iggy still has "truculence"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carty Posted June 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 From... http://www.boston.com/blogs/sports/hockey/bruins/bruinsdaily/2014/06/off-season_of_decisions_awaits.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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