Who else feels like they've been fired out of a cannon the past couple of days?
I'm sure I know one "Guy" Scott Howson would like to fire out of a cannon... either that or throw him into a bathtub with a plugged in toaster.
I would personally like to extend a middle finger in Guy Boucher's direction for embarrassing my beloved Blue Jackets...
Look... I understand Guy Boucher has to look out for the best interests of Guy Boucher. On a lot of levels I don't blame him for passing on this job and maximizing his position and opportunity. He's looking out for #1 and as one of my favorite lyrics says "you've got to bet on yourself now cuz that's your best bet".
Being a pro coach has to be one of the most volatile employment positions existing. Yeah it can be high reward but it's also high risk. Boucher is going to put himself in the best position for him to be successful b/c as Jackets fans are all too aware it's a helluva lot easier to change 1 coach than 22 players.
I COMPLETELY get that.
I have tried to look at it from Boucher's perspective and weigh the options:
A. Team with new owner, new GM, new direction. A nice collection of of young stars and older veterans. Okay stadium and facilities. Haven't been known as "cheap" although under previous ownership the circus was in town. Less pressure to "win now" as rebuild still in progress. Have won a cup.
B. Team with stable ownership. GM on 4th year, direction unknown. A nice collection of young players and older veterans. Beautiful stadium and facilities. A well published history of being frugal. Have only had 1 winning season in 9. A lot of pressure to win now. Oh and let's not forget that whole arena-lease issue.
Which one looks more attractive? On top of that who knows what the contract terms were. Boucher got 4 years which is 1 year longer than what is typically the standard so that should tell us a little something.
Regardless I'm a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets and not Guy Boucher. So with that in mind I'm furious as to how this played out and how it made the Jackets look.
Personally I think Howson got played like a kindergartner by Mr. Boucher.
No matter the circumstances, no matter the "real story" behind the scenes, no matter the spin some folks are putting on it that's it "just business" or that the Jackets and their fans "shouldn't feel embarrassed" or slighted -- the way this played out publicly make the Jackets look like shit.
There is no other way to spin it.
I can guarantee you those in Howson's camp were dropping more F-bombs than a B52 bomber in WWII when this all broke.
I can appreciate folks trying to rationalize this and to each his own but for me when this news broke I took it like a punch squarely to the nuts.
You're telling me we can't even get some guy named Guy with just 1 year of head coaching experience to come here? On top of that we let him show this franchise up like he did?
Oh Howson you just punk'd.
Maybe there really is something to that hat trick of degrees Boucher has.
I'm telling ya, I would have given him 1 night to think it over and if he didn't accept then move on. You don't want my NHL job making close to a mil a year then screw you - I'll find someone who does.
The fact that he didn't immediately accept should have sent off alarms so loud that the friggan Columbus Fire Department should have come runnin.
Instead Columbus gave him way too much time.... time that Boucher certainly took full advantage of.
So people don't think this is a big deal.... hey that's fine and I respect that.
Let me ask you this -- imagine if the beloved Buckeyes offered a job to someone and he turned it down? What would that reaction be regardless of the spin?
But wait LTL... the Jackets aren't the Buckeyes... they aren't Chicago, they aren't Detroit... they are not a destination..
I have been told that a few times since all this broke... and THAT is the major problem with this franchise.
There is no pride. There is too much acceptance of mediocrity. The vast majority of folks do not take this team serious. They are something to do in the winter. A sideshow. People think of this team as minor league instead of major.
It's...
"Ah well.... hopefully this other guy is good"...
"Hey honey.. what's for dinner?"...
Heck Commodore even joked on Twitter that the Jackets should just hire a player/coach like slapshot.
I know he's kidding around but why not be ticked off? Heck maybe one of the reasons he didn't come here is b/c of slow and prodding d-men like Commodore!!
You know what I want to read from Commie on Twitter -- "I can't wait to play Tampa next season!!!"
You don't give some green rookie coach time to stew over this head coaching job. This isn't unrestricted free agency here where the talent is at a premium and multiple teams are in competition when the whistle blows and it's off to the races. This isn't Bill Parcells or Scotty Bowman. I'm sure Boucher is talented but he's a rookie coach with 1 year of experience! This is not a rare thing. You don't even give him an opportunity to embarrass you. Instead you embarrass him. You yank the offer and give it to someone who is excited and proud to coach this team.
Easy for me to say in hindsight right?
I appreciate Howson going after the guy he thought was right for the job but he got caught with his pants down on this one.
Am I embarrassed?
Hell yeah.
Am I upset?
Damn straight.
On the ledge?
You bet.
Over the edge?
Hangin by a thread.
I'm proud to be a fan of this team and I want them to succeed on every level. My expectations are high and I when I see some jerkoff take my squad for a ride it pisses me off.
There isn't a damn thing I can do about it which I am very aware of I but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't my reaction....and well, this is me venting.
If this teams hopes to ever be thought of in the same breath as the upper tier franchises in this league they need to start thinking and acting like one.
If you don't think there were some anxious folks down at Nationwide yesterday then look no further to how quickly it took Howson "the patient" to turn to plan "B" and hire Scott Arniel.
There are a couple of things I like about Arniel over what I've read about Boucher.
1. Arniel played 11 years in the NHL and I like the fact that the coach has that much experience playing in the league. I think it's carries significant weight with players.
2. I like what I've read from Vancouver fans (Arniel coached 4 years for their AHL squad) about his ability to motivate and work with younger players. One particular Vancouver fan oh HF is convinced Arniel will have what it takes to get those most out of a player like Filatov for instance.
3. He's got more than 1 year of experience as a professional head coach.
I still have all the same questions for Arniel as I did Boucher.
Is he good with the kids? Will his system bring an exciting brand of hockey here and light up Nationwide? Is there fire and hunger in his belly? What will he bring that 6 other coaches haven't?
Personally I wanted Kevin Dineen but I'll certainly welcome Scott Arniel and hope for the best (but prepare for the worst).
Let's see what he's got!!
-LTL
