Everyone is focusing in on the article and not on what’s happening. Let’s reassess the situation here:
Helene Elliot wrote an article that basically implies sources that the Kings are looking to fire Terry Murray. OK, as Waves mentioned, this is not a RUMOR, but REPORTING which as Rich Hammond said, can stand on its own. Bold move by a veteran reporter to put her reputation on the line with an article such as this and seeing as how she is a vet of the sport of journalism, I don’t see her making this report without something pretty concrete, right? The reporter makes the difference.
That being said, why would the Kings send Terry Murray on an extended road trip if they were about to fire him. Yes, I know he’s still the coach, but do coaches usually get fired on the road? If Terry was to get fired in the middle of this roadie, you’d have to believe Stevens would step in until they get home, but then there’s that ‘He’s just like Terry Murray’ thing which means he could get the axe too. Just seems to me like a bad time to pull the trigger. It should have been after the loss to the Habs, or at the latest, the Wild so the new coach would get a game at home to settle in before the long trip. Now, most likely, this won’t happen until they get back, right before Christmas. As good-natured and loyal as Dean Lombardi is, I don’t see him firing coaches right before Christmas. Just a belief based on how I see DL’s character.
I believe Dean probably wanted Helene to write that article. Sound crazy? Not really. The public pressure to fire TM is at an all time high. What better way to releive the pressure than to put out a story like this? Like I said, road trips are not usually times to fire the coach and the holidays are not either. To me, this absolutely smells like Dean Lombardi buying time for his coach to dig himself out of this mediocrity pit and redeem himself.
How many of us would want Dean Lombardi as our boss…think about it. Really. Put your feelings aside about the state of this team we all love for a minute and put yourself in Terry Murray’s cement shoes. Dean is being a pretty fantastic boss right now. Personally, I can truly admire that. DL is taking some heat for not moving on this sooner, but Terry has done a fine job up to last season and turned a bunch of kids into a defensive juggernaut. I still believe there needs to be a coaching change because I think TM has done the job we’ve needed and can’t go further, BUT Dean knows this guy better than any of us…
Now to the point: I believe that DL hs basically given TM this road trip to turn his fortunes around or else he’ll have to do something. I’m sure TM is fully aware of the situation and if he’s smart, he’ll relay this to his players. They’re not stupid, they know what’s up. If they have any pride as hockey players, they will stand up and play hard for their coach, even if they disagree with him because it’s about WINNING and WINNING can cure a lot of disagreements.
It’ll be interesting to see where this goes. I hope TM and the boys get that 500th win for TM tomorrow night, right the ship and get 8 of 8 points on this roadie. I believe Terry Murray’s fate is sealed but not decided. There are two options and the players will ultimately decide his fate by their play. Let’s see what kind of honor these guys have and let’s see if Terry Murray can get them to use it for his, theirs and our benefit.
John Stevens better not get a axe either from being a PK coach..He the only one that deserves to have a job..
JK and TM could go away…
interesting take…
i also have a hard time believing dl would fire his coach before the holiday…the first of the year makes sense to me for a variety of reasons…
yea i agree ,But i think his boss might be on his butt.Either TM or he going with TM as well.
Since everyone had truly high expectations last Oct, with the way things are going, the bloggers have a right to be mad. There is way to much talent on this team to be where they are right now. Not only not winning, but the way they are playing. No gusto, no nastiness at all. They just seem to be going thru the motions. Truly believe they have tuned out TM. A new coach who demands 100% for 60 minutes is truly needed.
Sealed means fate decided…
…As in, “The envelope containing the document has been sealed, for delivery.”
…Unless one practices the art of shooting the messenger.
When I mean ‘Sealed’, I do mean decided. The 2 choices refer to when.
Now or later (Like after the first of the year).
“Bold move by a veteran reporter to put her reputation on the line with an article such as this.”
Totally. Which is why it’s probably very true. She stands to gain nothing by reporting this if it wasn’t very real.
“What better way to releive the pressure than to put out a story like this?”
I part ways with you here. If anything, this article dumped gasoline on an already volatile situation. The pressure just went through the roof, especially going up against the champs.
Did you see how dejected TM looked in the post game interview? The guy looks done to me…and now this and then Boston. Probably the worst set of circumstances one can imagine.
Road or not, I think the axe is falling very soon.
As for winning tomorrow, I would love that. But I can’t recall a game where I felt the Kings had less of a chance to win this season. All signs point to blowout by the Bruins. Hope I’m wrong, but man it doesn’t look good.
I guess we do disagree here. It can’t get any more volatile that it already is, even before the article, without someone getting fired. I’m of the ilk that this is a move by Lombardi to say ‘Change is imminent’ to satisfy the masses. He doesn’t say when or how, (Hell, he doesn’t say it at all, but you gotta believe it’s coming from him or someone close to him) which is the genius of the move.
I speculate DL is giving the fans a bone here without committing to a decision. This is absolutely the wrong time to make a coaching move: start of a long roadie AND beginning of the holidays when they get back.
TM looks done to me too. I think it would be better for all parties to have TM resign instead of being fired and help pass the torch. That would pave the way for him to stay and work with the defense, which quite honestly I would have no problem seeing happen.
There may be that ‘Let me get my 500th win’ element in it. TM may want to retire anyway and it would suck to do it at 499. Best case scenario, Kings nut it up in Boston (Which I agree does not look good) and win 500 for TM. Immediately after, TM retires as head coach and becomes a defensive consultant. Everyone saves face, he gets 500, Kings can move forward AND we still have his defensive expertise at our disposal.
Anyone who believes TM is completely worthless doesn’t know hockey. His D- strategies are stellar. He just isn’t the guy to lay an offense on top of it.
Interesting scenario no doubt! I like it. If it could go down that way, it would be really classy and perhaps unprecedented?
I see a typical blood-letting transpire however. There is usually some kind of emotional release and finality to these moves. In your scenario there isn’t one.
The only problem, Waves, is that there is no way for the story to prove true unless: a) TM is fired; b) the GM comes out with the proverbial Kiss Of Death/TM is my coach until… by giving him an extention.
Remember, don’t fire a coach UNLESS YOU HAVE A REPLACEMENT ready to go…
Who would that be?
I think the Ducks pulled the trigger just to get Boudreau off the market…
RE: Replacement
Yes indeed. I think that’s the hold up. He just doesn’t have one yet. Either that or he’s just waiting one last bit to see if TM can turn it around.
I look at the ‘story situation’ differently. Effectively it is true because Eliot reported it. It’s highly doubtful she’d make up such a thing, which makes it true.
The Lakers traded Gasol, but he’s still a Laker. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t traded though.
Lamar Odom went in, said “Trade me!” after the Paul debacle and they did…
Gasol is a true professional, & wants to stay, probably will…
Kings need an OFFENSIVE Hockey coach!
–Who Dat?
By the way, buried outside this Kings debate is this NYTimes article about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/sports/hockey/in-debate-about-fighting-in-hockey-medical-experts-weigh-in.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto
Read it. This is a game-changer…
“We in science can dot the line between blows to the head, brain degeneration and all of these other issues,” said Dr. Charles H. Tator, a neurosurgeon and researcher at the Toronto Western Hospital who heads programs to reduce head and spinal-cord injuries in sports. “So in my view, it’s time for the leagues to acknowledge this serious issue and take steps to reduce blows to the brain.” Those steps, he said, included “getting fighting out of the game.”
Wow. Great article Bako. Thank you for sharing it. Totally agree. The barbarianism in staged fighting has to go. Real fighting would be hard to stop, but the fake-wrestling-fights are ridiculous IMO.
But it is the real fighting (Read fists to the noodle) & the concussion related collisions that are in this discussion…
Something must be done to protect against whiplash-style injuries, which took out Crosby (again) & Richards, to name just two…
No doubt. I would be for it. Just saying it has to start somewhere so start with the fake crap first.
Cynic, if you’re right i would just find that annoying. I would say Lombardi should spend less time playing the media and fans and just make a move. Personally, i like TM, he seems like a good guy, but i don’t care at all about his 500th win or it being near Christmas. If a dude making 15 bucks an hour at some factory gets fired right before Christmas, then yeah, that’s a bummer. NHL coach? Not really pulling heart strings, i think you can assume he’s not broke. As for win 500 Murray has had plenty of chances to earn it (maybe, i don’t know, you leave Quick in after three shutouts?)
I’ve been 50/50 on Lombardi since he’s been GM. There’s good and bad. I’m waiting to see if he can bring the postseason success. As for his style, i tend to think he’s a little cockier than is deserved in interviews, etc. Just my opinion. If this road trip goes bad, and there’s a good chance of that, and Murray lasts the trip i will probably be leaning towards an anti-Lombardi stance.
…I would assume that the anonymous source in this case is Lombardi.
Yeah, I know it’s annoying, but look at it from DL’s perspective. How annoying is it to have a bevy of fans screaming for your coaches head with no solution to replace him? Pretty annoying I’m guessing.
I can’t agree on your assessment of no heart strings for TM over the guy making 15 bucks an hour. You can’t buy compassion and understanding no matter how high you go or how hard you try. He’s a human being like us. He’s making his own mistakes, but he’s not entirely inept. I don’t wish bad on anyone normally, just not cool. Money is not a factor when it comes to losing a dream job because you couldn’t finish it. That’s tough to take, doesn’t matter your position.
I get your thoughts on DL, I see something being done, but to fire him just to satisfy the lynch mob when you don’t really have a solution is just as asinine as letting this mess continue.
@Jason4Kings,
Really strong take. I like Murray too and it’s never fun getting fired, but it being xmas time doesn’t factor into it for me at all. To me, it’s about the team. And since I believe it needs to happen for the team to move forward, then one could argue NOT making a move now is crapping on the team before xmas. Regardless, for me it doesn’t factor in. Compassionate, yes. Timing, not buying it. Not sure about the road trip being a consideration. I don’t know the history of when coaches got fired so who knows.
I do agree the holidays don’t matter for me either…
…but they might for Dean. I mean, It would suck if I had to fire someone near Christmas, but it happens. If TM & DL are close, it might matter to them that much more.
To quote a great superhero: “Fred (In this case Dean), you knew the job was dangerous when you took it.” – Super Chicken
@Cynic:
BOCK BOCK BOCK!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y
@wavesinair: Could it be that DL = Super Chicken? I mean Bailey looks a lot like Fred….ROTFL!
Cynic,
I’m just looking at it from a financial perspective i guess, which is what i think of when people talk about losing jobs before Christmas. That’s not a concern (i assume). As far as it being his dream job, okay. Murray’s career in hockey has gone really well though if you ask me, so i guess i’m just not getting it. From where i sit Terry Murray has had a pretty great life professionally, and he’d get another job in hockey if he wanted one.
As far as it being a lynch mob, should have never got that far. If Lombardi is not making a move because he doesn’t have a solution,like you said, then Lombardi isn’t doing his job in my opinion.
Other than that,i dig you guys posting over here. Thanks for letting me play.
Totally fair enough. You’re right that money is not the issue. He has had a great career, but it never feels good to get fired unless you really hate your job.
I do agree it should never get to a lynch mob status, but know as well as I do the reasons that lynch mob forms, and it;s not due to the voice of reason most times.
Your opinions are great man, well thought out and I enjoy them! Come over anytime.
Well, TM gone…
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy:
Yep. That’s that. Cancel Christmas.
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy: I go to get the kids from school and BLAMMO! Welp, there went my theory…LOL! I find it really bizarre to send him on the road trip and THEN fire him. There has to have been some pressure in the last 12 hours to bring the hammer now for this to have been done this way. Especially hearing that DL ripped the players a new one about being put in this position.
I refuse to cancel Christmas. Cancel Hanukkah instead. 7 days for the people with all the money? Why?
Finally TM is out! I smell another losing streak!
i feel bad now
i know i said i want him fire on Rich Blog that i no longer posting on his blog because i am tired of having that awaiting thing under my name 9 months straight its not helping its making it worse than what it is.
sucks because i miss posting lol i guess i wait into next season maybe the awaiting will go away
@KingsfanFTW:
i have it too same time!
@Jonsey: yea it sucks…It feels like am in line to buy a candy bar while everyone cutting in front of u and when they do allow ur post to come when he post another when everyone cant see what u have said
Interesting position Stevens is in. The timing, and the interim status, suggest Dean was forced to do this sooner than he wanted (to me, I should add). I’d very much like to know what sort of conversation Lombardi had with him tonight. My guess is Dean told him to coach his game, even if it comes off as TM jr. Is this a trial period for Stevens, or is he truly interim and they are just trying to tie up the person they really want? People are saying Sutter, but my gut is telling me it’s not ( my gut is often wrong though.) I wonder if we’ll see anything tomorrow night that is remarkably different, and if so would it be because Stevens is trying to demonstrate a difference between himself and Murray, or because he’s been directed to? Thoughts?
@Jason4Kings: “The timing, and the interim status, suggest Dean was forced to do this sooner than he wanted (to me, I should add). ”
Are you reading this Waves?!?! See, I’m not crazy (or at least not alone in being crazy)!
Shenanigans man…shenanigans.