There is your first look at Guy Boucher whom, according to the Dispatch, will become the Jackets new head coach should he accept their offer. That is the only youtube vid I could find and it was from his appearance in the Memorial Cup as head coach of the Drumondville Voltigeurs in 2008-2009
Should Boucher accept he would become the Jackets 7th head coach in just 10 seasons:
Dave King: 2000-2003
Doug MacLean: 2003-2004
Gerard Gallant: 2004-2006
Gary Angew: 2006
Ken Hitchcock: 2006-2010
Claude Noel: 2010
There are a couple of interim tags in there (Agnew & Noel) but that is a disturbing list when you consider the Jackets have played just 9 full NHL seasons.
First I got to give Mase1 some credit for nailing this one. I personally thought Dineen would be their guy but as Mase1 correctly pointed out last week there was clearly a reason why Howson was willing to wait so long to interview him.
Believe it or not Boucher only has two years of head coaching experience (not counting the AAA).
Boucher comes over from the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal's minor league affiliate). He was hired by them on June 29th last year and guided them to a 52-17-11 record and a berth in the conference finals. Prior to that he was head coach of the Drumondville Voltigeurs for a year where he led them to a 54-10-4 overall record.
You can view his complete profile at Wikipedia here.
So why the Howson man-crush on this guy? What makes him so special?
Clearly he's on the fast track to the NHL and judging by his win/loss record at both the Major Junior level and then at the AHL level he's on to something.
Apparently he plays an unorthodox system. A system that some question if it will work at the NHL level... then again those same questions were raised at the AHL level and well, the results speak for themselves.
According to the Dispatch Boucher runs a "1-3-1 forecheck - which is rare in its own right - but it includes a highly unusual wrinkle. While the first skater into the zone steers the puck toward the outside, the left-side defenseman skates along the left wall with two forwards to his right and the right-side defenseman trailing the play."
That's great if you have a "hockey for dummies" book handy to translate what exactly that means. Here's what I want to know:
* I want the kids to be alright. Can he work with and succeed at developing young talent "on the fly" at the NHL level? Columbus will never be a cap team and for them to win at a consistent level they must be capable of getting the most out of their youth at the NHL level to augment their lineup.
* 4th of July in December. e.g. Will his "system" translate to today's NHL and bring an exciting and winning brand of hockey to Columbus? We want fireworks in Nationwide on a nightly basis in Columbus. We want our ears ringing from the sound of that cannon.
* Cult of personality? Not that I want him jumping from the bench to tackle some dumb ass Red Wings fan (okay, maybe I do) but it would be nice to see fire from our head coach. I want to see a coach who will not take any shit from teams like Detroit and Nashville. I want to see a coach whose teams goes out with a bang and not a whimper even in those dogs days of January and February when the season is really a grind.
* Sick and tired. What will he bring to the table that the 6 other coaches haven't? I'm sick and tired of losing. I don't want promises... I don't want fancy catch phrases... I want results on the ice. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Is he capable of guiding this team to consistent success?
Personally the verdict is out for me on this hire.
I love the fact the Howson went with a new young coach with fresh ideas. Hitchcock was the right call when he was hired as this franchise was in desperate need of experience and direction but now is the time to bring in a young guy - a "new breed" so to speak who can hopefully take advantage of a more wide open NHL and of the talented but relatively unproved and untapped youth on this squad.
My biggest concern is does he have enough head coaching experience at the lower levels? Are his methods a flash in the pan that will be easily exposed and overcome at the highest level? He is now going up against the best of the best.
Regardless for Howson he now has "his guy" and this is now 100% "his team". Hitchcock was the lone remaining string attached from the previous regime. The target is squarely on his back.
Personally I don't think the franchise could afford a season like last year and certainly a repeat of that this coming season could be like a Ronald Emmerich movie.
Doomsday and Myan predictions aside this is a huge hire for Howson and nobody knows that more than he. For all our hockey sakes let's hope it's the correct one.
The next steps most certainly will be to bring in some players that fit style of play both Howson and Boucher envision. This could happen as early as the Draft on June 25th. Howson will also need to hire a minor league coach that shares a similar style and philosophy so once players are recalled they are looking at a familiar sheet of music.
Of course the first step will be to get Boucher to ink his contact offer which I wouldn't say is slam dunk. I expect it to happen but we as Jacket fans should know nothing is a gurrantee when it comes to hockey in Columbus.
One thing is for sure - if Boucher wanted a challenge, he's found one.
-LTL
