Hitchcock screwed himself out of a job for 2010?

Seriously IMO he proved today that he does not deserve to be a part of the 2010 Olympic team. Early on I was wondering why Ward was in the nets over Leclaire. His own goalie - who recorded 7 shutouts this year - did not play yet he won against Sweden. Usually teams do not win with a revolving door goalie system. Canada was very lucky in '72 that it didnt bite them.

Here's another problem. Canada is up 4-2 going into the third. Pretty safe lead but anything can happen. Does Hitchcock not take a look at the Russian roster? Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Fedorov, Semin and to a lesser extent Morozov and Afinegenov. He decides to go into a shell of a defensive trap rather than keeping a guy on the ice that has scored 12 goals in the tournament (Heatley). Why he cut down the time of the Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf line is beyond me. He should have been trying to gun for a 5th goal. He is too much of a defensive coach and that type of screw up would be costly in Vancouver '10. Sure try to prevent goals, but geez, keep your best guys out there and do what got you a 4-2 lead in the first place. Hopefully this game alone proved that he can be a detriment to this country and has the ability to be badly outcoached by a less experienced one.

One question: Did you ever see either one of Ovechkin or Kovalchuk off the ice? I barely did and I watched the whole game. Especially Ovechkin. That is how you win, with your best players, some concept eh Ken?

taking canada undefeated to the finals to lose into overtime? **** sakes hes awful doesnt deserve to be coaching! :sarcasm:


you have got to be kidding me. seriously if you think trading chance for chance with russia was going to win... i mean heatley nash and getzlaf are great but ovechkin kovy fedorov and semin would capatilize more often than not.
and winning the game isnt always having your best players on the ice ya know. pretty sure it involved playing some defense once in awhile actually preventing the goals instead of trying to get goal after goal.

How? He wasn't in net letting in those stinkers.

They really should have kept coming at the Russians, but I guess Hitchcock is a defensive coach who went with his usual habit of choking down the game. With all that firepower on the other side, the strategy was really a questionable one. I would have also preferred Leclaire in net as I'm not a huge Ward fan at all, and there's no point in not going with the guy who brought you to the finals even if the score was a little on the high side.

Seriously IMO he proved today that he does not deserve to be a part of the 2010 Olympic team. Early on I was wondering why Ward was in the nets over Leclaire. His own goalie - who recorded 7 shutouts this year - did not play yet he won against Sweden. Usually teams do not win with a revolving door goalie system. Canada was very lucky in '72 that it didnt bite them.

Here's another problem. Canada is up 4-2 going into the third. Pretty safe lead but anything can happen. Does Hitchcock not take a look at the Russian roster? Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Fedorov, Semin and to a lesser extent Morozov and Afinegenov. He decides to go into a shell of a defensive trap rather than keeping a guy on the ice that has scored 12 goals in the tournament (Heatley). Why he cut down the time of the Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf line is beyond me. He should have been trying to gun for a 5th goal. He is too much of a defensive coach and that type of screw up would be costly in Vancouver '10. Sure try to prevent goals, but geez, keep your best guys out there and do what got you a 4-2 lead in the first place. Hopefully this game alone proved that he can be a detriment to this country and has the ability to be badly outcoached by a less experienced one.

One question: Did you ever see either one of Ovechkin or Kovalchuk off the ice? I barely did and I watched the whole game. Especially Ovechkin. That is how you win, with your best players, some concept eh Ken?

This game did remind of the two WJHC that Canada lost to Russia in 2002 and 2003 after taking a 3-1 lead in 2002 and ending up losing 4-3 and then in 2003 in Halifax they were up 2-1 going into the 3rd, but Russia scored twice to beat Canada 3-2.

Not to mention the 2004 team that lost to the USA, up 3-1 in the third.

Firepower of the Russians was too strong to sit back. But, what was more telling of the coaching was the number of stretch passes the Russians were completing in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Ususally teams are able to eliminate those passes when they have a lead.

Ken Hitchcock likes to put his stamp on games and like to make sure everyone knows who is boss.

Doesn't always work for him, one of the reasons he isn't with the Flyers anymore.

Why? Because he lost 1 game in OT?

Losing one game in OT with the players we we're missing ? I'd say hes a genious.

I blame the players for sitting back in the third. I highly doubt he told them a 2 goal lead was enough to win against the Russians and to back off.

Still can't believe people are blaming Ward for the loss. The team tried to sit on the lead, and it came back to bite them. That's a coaching mistake, sure, but I don't think it takes him out of the 2010 running.

Undefeated and lose to the Russians in OT. He's not getting considered for sure. :sarcasm:

Undefeated and lose to the Russians in OT. He's not getting considered for sure. :sarcasm:

This is what it comes to now in our country? Rewarding losing coaches with an Olympic spot? A coach who cut down minutes on our top line late in the game. Didnt you hear Pierre McGuire and Gord Miller talking? They figured the best thing to do was keep the Heatley line out there and "force the Ovechkin line to play defense". Like him or not, he was right. Russia was too talented to think that they couldnt come back from a 3 goal deficit. That is the most dangerous lead in Hockey. You just simply dont sit back on that. If you see the guys on the ice not pulling their weight you shake it up that is what a good coach does. Hitchcock was terribly outcoached and we should reward him by handing the Olympics job to him on a silver platter? Sorry, with that talent, "Silver" doesnt cut it, nor should it.

If anybody should lose their job in 2010 it is Jay Bouwmeester. He was awful all tournament long and was on for at least 3 goals against today. The Kovalchuk goal he did the flamingo and totally screened Ward. Jay Bouwmeester is too soft for 2010.

Truth is if Hitchcock had done everything you guys insisted he should of (because your all NHL coaches). If Canada had still lost in the same way, you would pick something else to disect and blame some one for.

It's no one fault, OT final game, undefeated. Amazing job.

Instead of blaming Hitchcock why not give the Russians some respect and pulling off their own version of 87. They showed a lot of heart, a lot of talent and showed the hockey world they just might be back.

Most coaches probably would of done the exact same thing, quick shifts, keep fresh and play hard, play smart.

Hitchcock can't win when it comes to who starts in NET, hind sight is never wrong.

Truth is if Hitchcock had done everything you guys insisted he should of (because your all NHL coaches). If Canada had still lost in the same way, you would pick something else to disect and blame some one for.

It's no one fault, OT final game, undefeated. Amazing job.

Instead of blaming Hitchcock why not give the Russians some respect and pulling off their own version of 87. They showed a lot of heart, a lot of talent and showed the hockey world they just might be back.

Most coaches probably would of done the exact same thing, quick shifts, keep fresh and play hard, play smart.

Hitchcock can't win when it comes to who starts in NET, hind sight is never wrong.

And i seem to remember Leclaire letting in a few softies against the Swedes as well.

The reason top line's ice time was less in the 3rd is because Canada actually had to kill 2 penalties. There were other players on the team to do that.

Oh well, I guess it's natural to see some fingerpointing following a disappointing result. While fingerpointing is useless, might just as well get it over with :) Who's next? I say, let's blame Wayne Gretzky. After all, he is the one who not had a hand in picking wrong goalies (and skaters!) for the team, he also apparently picked the wrong coach! Axe Wayne!:sarcasm:

Shedden also got out coached 10 - 0 against Russia.

Russia had the best coaching in the tournament.. no two ways about it IMO.
The game against Finland was absolutley brilliant.. Their run & gun has no worked against finland for years.
So now they shocked the Finns with a awesome defensive effort that reminded me alot of how the Czech used to play in the late 90s.

Hitchcock did a great job getting that superstar ladden Canadian team to play as a team.
This should not be seen as a negative in his resume .. Tho I'm sure in Canada it will be.

yes and it was in his evil plan all along to have rick nash chip that puck OVER the glass.... ha! ha! I can just see him wringing his hands in glee!

FOILED THEM AGAIN!


give it a rest boys.. the man obviously put his all into this. did you see the pain in his face when that goal was scored?.. boy am I glad none of you have a damned thing to do with team canada besides moan in the wind

Canada had to find that good balance between being too defensive and attacking in the 3rd. In the 2nd I think it was way too wide open game on Canada's side, Russia had several good semi-breakaways that very well could scare Hitchcock (that moment I thought if Russia continues to have those opportunities they have a chance to come back). Or... maybe players simply got a little bit tired coming 3rd period. I mean big body guys couldn't really move their legs that well anymore (in OT I think it was more notable).

Against the most opponents Canada was usually playing very high intensity and forchecking game the whole 1st period, but you cannot play like that for the whole game, eventually light-skating and hardworking team will put the preassure back at you and that what happened.

Canada had to find that good balance between being too defensive and attacking in the 3rd. In the 2nd I think it was way too wide open game on Canada's side, Russia had several good semi-breakaways that very well could scare Hitchcock (that moment I thought if Russia continues to have those opportunities they have a chance to come back). Or... maybe players simply got a little bit tired coming 3rd period. I mean big body guys couldn't really move their legs that well anymore (in OT I think it was more notable).

Against the most opponents Canada was usually playing very high intensity and forchecking game the whole 1st period, but you cannot play like that for the whole game, eventually light-skating and hardworking team will put the preassure back at you and that what happened.

No, what happened is that Canada tried to play a shut down third period rather than keep the pedal to the metal. If they had done that and force the Ovechkin line to play defense, they would have won. That was a coaching/tactical error to resort to shut down hockey.

The problem with Hitch is that he'll get his offense in the first and second periods and then BAM, he shuts it down for the third and relies strictly on defense. He's done that everywhere he's been as a coach. And I'm sorry, every marvels at how great of a coach he is, but the last time he won the Stanley Cup was almost 10 years ago. His reputation of being a great coach and a winner is losing it's luster now. He needs to adapt to how the game is being played and quit trying to coach the game like it's 1998.

The sad thing is, this was a guy who built offensive powerhouses in Kamloops in the WHL, so it's not as if the guy doesn't know how play offensive hockey or how to use that to his advantage. That's what really irks me most about him. He's a genius when it comes to offensive hockey, yet he sticks strictly to defensive play. I just don't get the man at all.

Yeah Hitchcock has, Canada doesn't want a coach that leads their team to an undefeated run and within 1 goal of winning the World Title. No we don't want a coach like that at all.

I think someone already posted on the GDT that Hitchcock ruled himself out of Vancouver 2010.

I don't think it was very good coaching by Hitch to allow over a minute shifts by his topline, you could tell tehy didin't have the same energy at the end of the game as in the beginning. Also he should be blamed for Canada becoming too passive in the 3rd period. And I didn't find Canada's defense to be allways very organized.

Ward won the gold last year.

That was Leclaire's first time in that tourney. How was it a mistake to put Ward in net?

Yeah Hitchcock has, Canada doesn't want a coach that leads their team to an undefeated run and within 1 goal of winning the World Title. No we don't want a coach like that at all.

But they lost when it matters most because of a tactical error by the coaching staff. That's the glaring omission you're seeming to forget. If Hitchcock doesn't ride his horses hard in the first and second period, he doesn't have to go into shut down mode in the third because the guys are worn out. Once again, it's a tactical error and that all goes back to coaching. His game plan never changes.

I've read most of the thread and didn't see this point but forgive me if it has already been made. Does anyone think that one of the reason Cam Ward started this game was because of the fact that he plays in the SouthWest division? Meaning he had the chance to play/see guys like Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, and Semin 8 times this season? He would know the tendencies and habits of those shooters more than LeClaire would.

He said before the tournament started that he wouldn't want to coach again in 2010, so I don't think he screwed up on that.

spezza continues to float and lose

Yeah Hitchcock has, Canada doesn't want a coach that leads their team to an undefeated run and within 1 goal of winning the World Title. No we don't want a coach like that at all.

If you are being serious I agree with you completely. Failure isnt an option. This isnt the Maple Leafs here. This is supposed to be our game, won on our turf. Hitchcock played a part in screwing that up royally. He had a star studded team let's face it. But so did Brent Sutter in '05 at the WJC. What do you do with a team like that? Let them play! Hitchcock failed at that once the game went on.

One question: Did you ever see either one of Ovechkin or Kovalchuk off the ice? I barely did and I watched the whole game. Especially Ovechkin. That is how you win, with your best players, some concept eh Ken?


Ovechkin played 17:35. Kovalchuk played 16:19. Heatley (18:29), Nash (18:08), and Getzlaf (19:31) each played more. Great post, though.

The big problem with Russian coaching is that they dont rely on the stars enough, just being happy to roll 4 lines. Finally, Bykov made the move to sit the fourth line yesterday (Sushinksy), but it wasn't until the third period that he did that. He continued to use all 8 d-men though.

I've read most of the thread and didn't see this point but forgive me if it has already been made. Does anyone think that one of the reason Cam Ward started this game was because of the fact that he plays in the SouthWest division? Meaning he had the chance to play/see guys like Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, and Semin 8 times this season? He would know the tendencies and habits of those shooters more than LeClaire would.

If that was the reasoning, it was a bad one, because it means that Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, and Semin know Ward's tendencies as well. And frankly, those 3 are better shooters than Ward is a goaltender.

spezza continues to float and lose

:laugh:
yeah, he's worthless eh?

This tournament should not (and will not) be a blemish on his resume. He did a fine job throughout the tournament. Ultimately, the Russian team was just the better team, especially with the lackluster defense Canada had. If only Phaneuf decided to represent his nation instead of goofing off in the Caribbean......;)

If you are being serious I agree with you completely. Failure isnt an option. This isnt the Maple Leafs here. This is supposed to be our game, won on our turf. Hitchcock played a part in screwing that up royally. He had a star studded team let's face it. But so did Brent Sutter in '05 at the WJC. What do you do with a team like that? Let them play! Hitchcock failed at that once the game went on.

Wow, you'll see a Leafs troll in the strangest places around here.

Hitchcock tried to sit on a lead, a common affliction among NHL coaches everywhere.

It's the World Championships...who cares? I don't think this really has much impact on Hitch's chances for the Olympics. Give the guy Brodeur, Luongo, and Turco and lets see how the game ends up.

:laugh:
yeah, he's worthless eh?

that's quite a year he's had -

I hope noone ever gives this old fogie a job again. What a horrible loss.
15 shots on goal in the 1st period, and 14 in periods 2, 3 and OT combined. Ridiculous.
Shut-down hockey rarely works against an offensive powerhouse like Russia.

I just got back from Quebec City an hour ago and I'm still pissed.

For those of you saying we should be happy we got to the gold medal game, well that's simply not good enough. This team had enough talent to make it to the finals with my grandma as coach.

Seriously IMO he proved today that he does not deserve to be a part of the 2010 Olympic team. Early on I was wondering why Ward was in the nets over Leclaire. His own goalie - who recorded 7 shutouts this year - did not play yet he won against Sweden. Usually teams do not win with a revolving door goalie system. Canada was very lucky in '72 that it didnt bite them.

?

Well if he put Leclaire in and they lost, some people might have said he is biased and put his own team's goalie instead of Ward in. So no matter which goalie he put in there would be critics about the decision.

You can talk about hitchcock, but give lots of credit to bykov, the russian coach.

He exposed the Canadians with the stretch pass and the canadians had no answer for it. You heard pierre mcguire talking about it and he was absolutely right.

The only way the Canadians win that game is if their goaltending was top notch. Ward was not bad, and even great at times, but he must want that 4th goal back.

Still can't believe people are blaming Ward for the loss. The team tried to sit on the lead, and it came back to bite them. That's a coaching mistake, sure, but I don't think it takes him out of the 2010 running.

Saying he didnt play bad is debatable, but saying hes in the running for a spot in the 2010 Olympics is taking it too far.

Shedden also got out coached 10 - 0 against Russia.

Russia had the best coaching in the tournament.. no two ways about it IMO.
The game against Finland was absolutley brilliant.. Their run & gun has no worked against finland for years.
So now they shocked the Finns with a awesome defensive effort that reminded me alot of how the Czech used to play in the late 90s.

Hitchcock did a great job getting that superstar ladden Canadian team to play as a team.
This should not be seen as a negative in his resume .. Tho I'm sure in Canada it will be.

I actually think they never really did play as a team the whole tournament. It was really the top line and a few other carrying the rest along.

Saying he didnt play bad is debatable, but saying hes in the running for a spot in the 2010 Olympics is taking it too far.

I thought the whole thread was based around Hitchcock losing his chance to coach the 2010. In order to lose it, wouldn't that mean he was already in the running?

Russia was startled and thrown off it's game due to the penalty filled 1st period. Canada was very poor even strength. No sure if it was Hitchcock's fault.

[QUOTE=Big Phil;14154414]Seriously IMO he proved today that he does not deserve to be a part of the 2010 Olympic team. Early on I was wondering why Ward was in the nets over Leclaire. His own goalie - who recorded 7 shutouts this year - did not play yet he won against Sweden. Usually teams do not win with a revolving door goalie system. Canada was very lucky in '72 that it didnt bite them.

He played Ward because he won a cup and won a gold last year

Not Hitchcock's fault but his strategy is probably outdated. He was only successful during the dead puck era.