Just like in the infancy of any relationship, Senators fans quickly became smitten with their favourite team’s new head coach, Guy Boucher.
The man is a gifted communicator. He’s relatively young. He’s bilingual. He’s seen as a progressive innovator who has no qualms bridging traditional methods with analytical data. He brought the respected Marc Crawford into the fold as an assistant coach giving the staff a little bit more cachet. He carries an element of mystery thanks to the badass scar that adorns the right side of his face – of which, he refuses to discuss its origin.
At his introductory press conference, he said all of the right things.
While preaching the importance of fixing the Senators’ defensive structure, he acknowledged that he’s more renowned for his power play work and emphasizing quick puck management to create offence.
The fact that Habs fans are jealous of Ottawa now that Boucher’s in the fold and they have to endure another season under Michel Therrien is just the kicker.
Now that we’re a little further removed from Boucher’s first few days on the job, there has been more time for this city’s journalists to unearth more perspective on what Boucher brings to the table.
Postmedia’s Ken Warren penned an article this past weekend that explored Boucher’s past and featured several quotes from players or coaches who had firsthand accounts of what kind of coach he is or was.
Most notably were the comments from a former Ottawa Senator, Cory Conacher, who played under Boucher in Tampa and in Switzerland this past season.
“He’s probably one of the least defensive coaches I’ve ever played for,” Conacher said in a phone interview with Postmedia.
“Sure, you won’t play if you’re not good in the defensive zone, but he thinks dumping the puck in (the opposition end) is just giving the puck away. He will give guys the opportunity to create and take chances offensively. He gets respect from players for that. He saw a lot in me. He gave me a chance to play.”
Over at RDS, Alexandre Pouliot-Roberge spoke with a few European journalists who covered the Swiss League and they marvelled at the structure and tactics employed by Boucher.
Despite being fired by Bern SC midway through the season when it looked like his team was destined to miss the postseason, Bern player Simon Moser credited Boucher’s system for helping the team clinch its championship.
“Après son départ, nous avons continué à suivre la structure qu’il a implantée et nous avons remporté le championnat grâce à lui.”
Translated, it essentially means that after Boucher was fired, Bern continued to use the structure that he imposed (throughout the season) and it helped them win the championship.
It all sounds so good, but like any coach who’s introduced after his predecessor crashed and burned in the previous season, the newness and sheen of the replacement has yet to wear off. Optimism abounds and it will take some time before fans and the media can micro-analyze Boucher’s actions and identify his own shortcomings.
Looking back at when Paul MacLean was hired, there was a similar amount of optimism because the Senators had hired an up and coming assistant coach who had worked under Mike Babcock. His buzzphrase demanding that his players play a “200 foot game” was catchy and made us believe that the team would return to a two-way style that made the franchise so successful during its heyday.
As a Babcock disciple, there was hope that MacLean could bring some of that Detroit magic to Ottawa and for the first two seasons, he was given a lot of credit for the Senators’ success. In his first season behind the bench in Ottawa, MacLean finished as a runner-up for the 2011-12 Jack Adams Award in his rookie season before being acknowledged as the coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” the following season.
By the end of the 2014-15, his December firing was being credited as one of the turning points of the season.
The optimism is a natural part of the hiring process (well, unless your favourite team fires its coach and quickly replaces him with John Tortorella). As easy as it is to get excited about what the Senators and Boucher are selling, there has to be a realization that Boucher cannot do it alone.
There have to be significant changes to this team’s operation and to its roster. It doesn’t have to be immediate, but Boucher cannot do it alone. His past NHL coaching experience in Tampa lends itself to this argument.
A concerted effort from management to improve the talent on the roster will go a long way to helping the organization curb its defensive woes and transition away from its high-event hockey tendencies.
Other News and Notes:
The Ottawa Senators’ fourth round selection from the 2010 NHL Draft has caught on with the San Jose Sharks.
#SJSharks announce they’ve signed winger Marcus Sorensen, 23, to ELC.
Had 43 pts, 34 PIM in 47 gms for Djurgårdens IF of (SHL) this season— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) May 13, 2016
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Sorenson became an unrestricted free agent when the Senators elected not to give him an entry-level contract.
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