In present-day media culture, sound-bytes tend to be swallowed faster than
a donut in Don Koharski's house. So let's continue the analysis of the current search for the new coach of the New York Rangers by delving into a little more detail. And it looks like Herb Brooks is the flavor of the week...
A Different Grading System
Brooks is known for putting an emphasis on offense and skill. Certainly, many Ranger fans will remember the days of the 'smurfs' under his guidance.
But has he evolved his philosophies to adapt to today's clutch-and-grab NHL?
For most coaches, we can analyze their philosophies and the relation to our current and developing roster. But it's difficult to do so with Herb Brooks, because his most recent episode was the Olympics, which consisted of NHL players but not NHL rules.
The Olympics
Larger ice surface. More skill. Different rules, such as automatic icing. So when Brooks helped construct the US Olympic Team in Salt Lake, there is not a direct correlation to what he'll want to do in the NHL. But it's a start...
The Forwards
He employed a four-line attacking style that had a blend of power and skill on every unit. Each line had a power forward: John LeClair, Keith Tkachuk, Billy Guerin, or Adam Deadmarsh. The players were gritty, such as Doug Weight, Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte, and all had scoring capability.
No glaring submissions were made to suggest an inclination to stray away from a certain style of play. Candidates left off include Scott Gomez, Craig Conroy and Shawn McEachern.
The Defensemen
OK, pay attention, because here's where it gets interesting.
Leetch, Poti and Rafalski as offensive defensemen. That's cool.
Chris Chelios and Aaron Miller as two defensive defensemen. That's cool.
Gary Suter, Phil Housley as the other two defensemen. That's not cool.
We understand the puck-possession style Brooks advocated for the large Olympic ice surface, but this group was notoriously soft, and left without an elite crease clearing defensemen. And it's not as if there weren't any candidates available.
Derian Hatcher was there for the taking, even as a seventh d-man. Others with more grit to their games include Matthieu Schneider, Sean Hill, Paul Mara and Hal Gill.
Goaltending
Not much to complain about with Richter, Dunham and Barrasso. The last is a debatable choice, but with Richter's knees an unknown variable, going with another veteran is understandable. Brooks also gave ice time to Dunham early in the tournament, before relying on Richter when the going got serious.
The Team Morale
No doubt about Brooks' ability to bring a team together. The US team played with heart and emotion and it showed on the ice, leading to the Silver medal.
So would he make the Rangers a better team?
Well, yes.
Brooks would take the Rangers to the playoffs. He'd find a way to motivate and inspire the troops to make it to the dance after five fruitless seasons.
There would be no questioning his leadership, even with the star-studded Rangers team. He has the Miracle on Ice to fall back on, and the players already respect him.
He'd improve the forward lines, finding a balance between crease-crashers and snipers.
He'd be an asset in the free agent market, where USA players Bill Guerin, Tony Amonte, and Chris Chelios (not to mention Mike Richter) are available.
Assuming Richter is resigned, Brooks will still likely give time to Blackburn during the regular season, leaning on Richter only when the playoffs rolled around.
So is he the right choice?
Well, no.
The demise of the American Olympic team rested in their lack of ability to clear the front of the net. If the team didn't have the puck, they were floundering in their defensive end. Sound familiar?
Brooks' seeming lack of confidence in crease-clearing, bruising defensemen points to the departures of Tomas Kloucek and Dale Purinton. It also means the team's most essential areas of concern - a coherent defensive system and the penalty kill - are not on the front burner.
It would be same the problems.
FOF is all for stressing entertainment into the game of hockey, and offensive creativity is an advantage for the Rangers with players like Bure and Lindros on the team.
But the Rangers are in desperate need of a defensive system to rely upon when necessary. The team is crying out for a penalty kill that doesn't watch as our goaltender is pushed into the back of the net by crease crashing forwards.
Brooks is not known for his defensive systems, which is evident in his NHL career and in the recent Olympics. And you just can't expect to outscore your opponent in today's clutch-and-grab NHL without instilling a defensive core that is ingrained into the players' psyche.
Brooks would make certain we'd reach the playoffs, but it's likely we'd arrive in the seventh or eighth seed and lose in the first round.
Conclusion
Slats, keep looking...
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