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Fire Hitch?
Naw... ain't gonna happen. They've rode it out this far so why would they can him now?
The season has been lost for quite some time.
There are only 24 games left.
They've certainly suffered more embarrassing losses than the one to the Avalanche on the road the other night.
So why now? What put it over the top?
The only folks that truly know the answer to that question are the ones that pull the strings behind the curtains down at Nationwide. That minor detail won't stop me from speculating however!
It was clear that ownership/management did not want to fire Hitch. Any coach that hangs on as long as Hitch did in what I believe was the worst losing string in the history of the club (when taken as a whole) had to have the support of those above him.
They gave him every chance to try to get this thing turned around including a needless trade that accomplished absolutely nothing. That says alot about the respect those in the organization have for the job Hitch has done for this franchise.
While this season has been a total disaster we can't lose track of the fact that Ken Hitchcock rescued this organization from the depths of hockey hell and not only delivered hope to the few CBJ fans left at the time but also it's first ever winning season and playoff berth.
Clearly he isn't the only reason for this train wreck but in the wide wide world of pro sports the head coach is always first on the chopping block. Everybody should feel responsible when a coach gets fired from management right on down the line to the players of whom many did not hold up their end of the bargain and perform at their highest levels.
So why now?
It's all about the pesos essays!
Take it to the bank that first and foremost this is a move to save whatever season ticket holders they can. As much as they didn't want to part with Hitch it was either him or a whole bunch of cash out the door in the form of lost ticket sales. That can't happen in a gate driven league like the NHL and a market like Columbus that counts on those sales for revenue sharing.
Of course that wasn't the only reason.
Something clearly wasn't working. Hitch is known as a defensive coach yet the Jackets are one of the worst defensive clubs in the NHL. The team had tuned him out.
Jackets management would never air it's dirty laundry for us hockey nerds to chew on but there had to be some friction behind the scenes here. Hitch is a coach that thinks as far as the next game. He doesn't care about developing players or the future - his job is to win now. Hard to fault him for that. However this is a franchise, and a league for that matter, that lives and dies on it's youth. A head coach in the NHL these days must be able to develop players "on the fly". The youth was not be served in Columbus and that had to be a major area of concern.
Does Hitch-hockey still work in this league? I think it can but the shelf life is short. Then again the shelf life for any coach in any system in this league is short which is evident by Hitch being the 6th longest tenured coach in the league with just 4 years under his belt. Hitch's brand of hockey is a hard way to play and whether they want to or not players eventually burn out.
Mix messages. Double standards. I'm just a fan on the outside looking in and I sure didn't know which way Hitch was comin half the time. Players singled out when 90% of the team was just as guilty. "Win and your in" quickly because "win and well... let's start the other guy"... Anyone who follows this team could see Hitch has his favorites and his leash was unfairly short for particular players - most being the young and skilled variety.
At the end of the day it's about wins & losses.
2006-2007: 28-29-5
2007-2008: 34-36-12
2008-2009: 41-31-10
2009-2010: 22-27-9
Overall: 125-123-36
Hitch raised expectations in this town and in a way, his own success has been his downfall. If you would have asked fans 4 years ago if they would take an overall record two games above .500 we might be surprised with the answers - it was that bad before he arrived.
My bet is if we were to ask Hitch about his time in this city off the record he would say he poured his heart and soul into doing everything he could to churn out a winner. I think he would say that management expected him to cook a fillet mignon with mostly table scraps. I think he would say it was the biggest challenge of this coaching career thus far and he left it all on the table. I would think he'd say that there are passionate fans in this market but not enough of them.
I think Hitch's legacy over time here will be one of admiration.
People will admire him for turning the franchise into something respectable which was something that boarded on mission impossible before he arrived.
We will remember him for accomplishing that mission and leading this franchise into it's first ever post season.
We will remember him turning Rick Nash into a penalty killer and two way player. Will will remember out of the box ideas like Nik Zherdev at center, rolling the TV on the ice for tape review at practice and his Hitch-tionary of phrases like "heavy", "all in", "light on the puck" and "reckless" among many MANY others.
For those that tour the locker room you can thank Hitch for the wall of fame that recognizes Blue Jacket players accomplishments such as leader in goals, assists, points, games played, etc. None of that existed before he got here.
Before Hitch arrived it was said the video equipment wasn't even hooked up. He brought a level of preparation and professionalism never before seen from a coach in the bows of Nationwide. He turned MacLean's old office (what GM has an office in the locker room anyhow?!) into a special teams video review room. Ever heard of the "leadership group" before the big man arrived?
Me personally I will always be thankful and grateful to a close friend of his for personally introducing me to Hitch. At this friend's request Hitch later took the time to sit down with me for lunch on a summer day before camp a few years back to discuss the finer points of the game. He even let me blog about it. After he signed a wedding gift for some die hards fans I brought along and after hearing about a CBJ season ticket holder who was retiring after 30 years of service as a firefighter he took the time to call him and wish him luck. The coolest part was he remembered on his own to do so a week later on the actual day of his retirement.
I'll always remember how he always remembered the first name of everyone he met. It's a neat trick to remain engaged in a conversation -- unfortunately it's one that I've failed at miserably trying to replicate.
One of the coolest pieces of Jackets memorabilia I have is one of his game cards from his first season behind the bench that was given to me by that same friend of his. It's framed and is proudly displayed in my humble abode. Check out this roster from the March 20th game in 2007 against the Blackhawks:
Nash Platt Zherdev
Picard Malhotra Chimera
Modin Svitov Vyborny
Shelley Brule Johnson
Fedorov Hainsey
Tollefsen Erickson
Methot Walser
Norrena
It's a wonder how we only finished two games below .500 that season after looking at that roster.
I'm here to tell you that Hitch is one of the most engaging and intelligent individuals that I've ever had the pleasure to meet. The guy lives and breathes the game and I wish I had half his passion and dedication. Sounds dumb but the news of his firing was bittersweet and I'm sad to see him go but understand why it had to happen.
This is a tough business... and he doesn't need some anonymous blogger to tell him that as he lives it every day. He'll most certainly land on his feet and I would not be at all surprised to see him grab another NHL head coaching gig this summer.
Hitch's departure is the clearest sign yet that the organization has turned it's attention towards next season.
..but firing the head coach is the easy part.
My question is what is next because as I stated in a previous post there are other major problems with this franchise. This is just one step.
What identify do the Jackets strive for now? What about filling the major holes on this roster that continue to exist? What is the plan for the trade deadline? What about Filatov -- with Hitch out is he back in play? Who else hits the road? What about addressing the drafting and development problems with this franchise? What about strength and conditioning? What about coaching? Certainly Kevin Dineen will be in the back of everyone's mind.
Off the ice what can be done about game ops? Will we ever hear directly from ownership about the future of this franchise?
For now we'll see what tricks Claud Noel has up his sleeves but I would expect the young players to get all the ice time they can handle. I would expect the Jackets trade pieces to see a whole lot of action as the organization looks to maximize their trade potential. There should be a minor bump in wins but with the Jackets having the 2nd hardest schedule left to play (tip to Kevin for that info) in the NHL I wouldn't predict any kind of miracle run -- instead they'll play just well enough to land outside of the top 5 lottery picks.
One thing is for certain and this is that these players are all out of excuses -- can't blame the coach any longer. It will be interesting to watch to see who responds and who doesn't.
This will be a big offseason for Howson. The target is firmly on his back now. No more hiding in the shadows - this is his baby. Number one on his shopping list is finding the right coach that adapts his style to this roster and not the other way around. Remember Hitch wasn't his hire but this one will "his guy". He's also got to reshuffle the deck with this roster and fill holes with players capable of filling those holes (i.e. find this team a #1 center and dman) among many other things.
Good luck Hitch and thank you for all you've done for professional hockey in Columbus! You will be missed and always appreciated!!
-LTL
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As I said eleswhere, I am kind of sad to see Hitch go, especially to be let go. When he was hired, I really felt like the Columbus Blue Jackets finally gains some credibility. As has been said by Nash, Hitch put Columbus on the hockey map. He straightened out a lot of problems that existed here. He gave the franchise its first real structure on the ice and a system of play (though that system has been heavily criticized by many).
But, clearly something was wrong. Something had to change. I truly hope that Howson has what it takes to get this train back on track.
GO JACKETS!!