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Heat's on Kitchen to get inspired play from Blues
Heat's on Kitchen to get inspired play from Blues
Bernie Miklasz
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 25 2004
On his first day of wearing the big skates, new Blues head coach Mike Kitchen
made no promises. Did he send the spoiled-rotten Blues players a message by
making them practice until they dropped? No. Does he plan to make any dramatic
changes to Joel Quenneville's system? No. Is Kitchen ready to reveal some
innovative solutions that will save the Blues from themselves? No.
What, you expected the new Scotty Bowman? Whatever it is that Kitchen proposes
to institute will take time to carry out. And Blues management gave Kitchen a
generous space for growth in the form of a contract that runs through 2006.
We don't want to disparage Kitchen, who certainly warrants a shot on a trial
basis. But again, why did the Blues reward an unproven head coach with a
long-term contract? If Kitchen was such a hot head-coaching prospect, then why
has it taken him 15 years to get this opportunity? NHL teams dump head coaches
with the speed of Britney Spears annulling a marriage, but Kitchen's phone
never rang until Blues general manager Larry Pleau called to promote him on
Tuesday.
Either way, it's his job. Perhaps Kitchen can do for the Blues what new and
heretofore unknown head coach Lawrence Frank did for the NBA's New Jersey Nets
- win his first 13 games. That's asking for too much. Just a jump-start would
do. Kitchen will try. He stopped Wednesday's practice several times to make
some teaching points, and the players seemed attentive.
After the first practice under Kitchen, Blues players made more phony
speeches, expressing their commitment to play more inspired, consistent hockey
than they did under the deposed Quenneville.
"We believe we're a better team than this," center Doug Weight said. "And we
have to prove it. We have to bring a lot of energy to the table, and a lot of
hard work. And we have to play for each other."
Coaches come and go, but hockey cliches never die. It's tiresome. Maybe the
Blues should bring in Kurt Russell, playing the role of the late Herb Brooks,
to come in and slap the boys around. The Blues have more whiners than
playmakers these days, and with injured captain Al MacInnis away from the
scene, no one keeps teammates in line.
The players certainly need to be scrutinized like never before. Though Weight
and others insist that they did not quit on Quenneville, they offered more
telling testimony through their play. Can Kitchen put fear back into the room?
That's what management hopes. That's about the only logical explanation for
giving Kitchen an extended deal; management wanted to equip him with muscle to
use against complacent players.
And pointing the finger at the players is fine. But let's be realistic: Other
than the top-line players, how talented is this team? On Wednesday we saw some
of the usual sights: Jamal Mayers taking a pass in the slot and missing the net
completely with a shot. And there were more inaccurate passes from defensemen
to forwards. The Blues strain to score goals; I don't see how that will change
much under Kitchen.
That's why it's a cop-out for Pleau, team president Mark Sauer and owner Bill
Laurie to rely on a coaching switch to fix the problems. What have they done
for the Blues lately?
This team clearly needs an influx of talent to upgrade its depth, but Laurie
and Sauer have basically frozen the payroll. And Pleau has badly misspent
Laurie's money. Why was goaltender Brent Johnson given a $400,000 raise? Why
waste payroll on a three-year, $2.2 million deal for enforcer Reed Low? What is
the point of paying Mayers $800,000 a year to do nothing? This misplaced
generosity explains why the Blues made cost-conscious decisions to part with
scorers Martin Rucinsky and Cory Stillman.
Here's what Kitchen inherited on Wednesday: a team short on talent and
commitment. On the ice, and off the ice.
Best of luck, Mike.
Heat's on Kitchen to get inspired play from Blues
Bernie Miklasz
Published: Wednesday, Feb. 25 2004
On his first day of wearing the big skates, new Blues head coach Mike Kitchen
made no promises. Did he send the spoiled-rotten Blues players a message by
making them practice until they dropped? No. Does he plan to make any dramatic
changes to Joel Quenneville's system? No. Is Kitchen ready to reveal some
innovative solutions that will save the Blues from themselves? No.
What, you expected the new Scotty Bowman? Whatever it is that Kitchen proposes
to institute will take time to carry out. And Blues management gave Kitchen a
generous space for growth in the form of a contract that runs through 2006.
We don't want to disparage Kitchen, who certainly warrants a shot on a trial
basis. But again, why did the Blues reward an unproven head coach with a
long-term contract? If Kitchen was such a hot head-coaching prospect, then why
has it taken him 15 years to get this opportunity? NHL teams dump head coaches
with the speed of Britney Spears annulling a marriage, but Kitchen's phone
never rang until Blues general manager Larry Pleau called to promote him on
Tuesday.
Either way, it's his job. Perhaps Kitchen can do for the Blues what new and
heretofore unknown head coach Lawrence Frank did for the NBA's New Jersey Nets
- win his first 13 games. That's asking for too much. Just a jump-start would
do. Kitchen will try. He stopped Wednesday's practice several times to make
some teaching points, and the players seemed attentive.
After the first practice under Kitchen, Blues players made more phony
speeches, expressing their commitment to play more inspired, consistent hockey
than they did under the deposed Quenneville.
"We believe we're a better team than this," center Doug Weight said. "And we
have to prove it. We have to bring a lot of energy to the table, and a lot of
hard work. And we have to play for each other."
Coaches come and go, but hockey cliches never die. It's tiresome. Maybe the
Blues should bring in Kurt Russell, playing the role of the late Herb Brooks,
to come in and slap the boys around. The Blues have more whiners than
playmakers these days, and with injured captain Al MacInnis away from the
scene, no one keeps teammates in line.
The players certainly need to be scrutinized like never before. Though Weight
and others insist that they did not quit on Quenneville, they offered more
telling testimony through their play. Can Kitchen put fear back into the room?
That's what management hopes. That's about the only logical explanation for
giving Kitchen an extended deal; management wanted to equip him with muscle to
use against complacent players.
And pointing the finger at the players is fine. But let's be realistic: Other
than the top-line players, how talented is this team? On Wednesday we saw some
of the usual sights: Jamal Mayers taking a pass in the slot and missing the net
completely with a shot. And there were more inaccurate passes from defensemen
to forwards. The Blues strain to score goals; I don't see how that will change
much under Kitchen.
That's why it's a cop-out for Pleau, team president Mark Sauer and owner Bill
Laurie to rely on a coaching switch to fix the problems. What have they done
for the Blues lately?
This team clearly needs an influx of talent to upgrade its depth, but Laurie
and Sauer have basically frozen the payroll. And Pleau has badly misspent
Laurie's money. Why was goaltender Brent Johnson given a $400,000 raise? Why
waste payroll on a three-year, $2.2 million deal for enforcer Reed Low? What is
the point of paying Mayers $800,000 a year to do nothing? This misplaced
generosity explains why the Blues made cost-conscious decisions to part with
scorers Martin Rucinsky and Cory Stillman.
Here's what Kitchen inherited on Wednesday: a team short on talent and
commitment. On the ice, and off the ice.
Best of luck, Mike.
:P 
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