Yesterday, I talked about the potential fallout from the Columbus Blue Jackets' struggles early in the season. Well, if they are indeed going to go after a new coach, it will not be Ken Hitchcock. This morning, it was announced that the St. Louis Blues have fired Davis Payne and named Hitchcock to replace him. This comes as a surprise, but not in the way that you would expect. Currently, the Blues have 12 points, which isn't so bad compared to the Blue Jackets. However, the Blues' struggles are not necessarily in the standings as much as they are in the consistency of their play. Consider that in the recent week or so of the season, they played well against the Canucks (both games within nine days of one another) in both games, yet had a wretched game against the Oilers on October 30. Payne's dismissal comes as the Blues are trying to instill some veteran leadership into the locker room, which explains Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner being signed in the off-season and now, Hitchcock being named the head coach. The young players on the team do have the talent to succeed, but have never truly had the veterans to help harness that talent. Now, there is no excuse.
No comments:
Post a Comment