If you missed yesterday’s episode of Sportsnet‘s ‘Hockey Central’, you missed a pretty telling conversation in which Doug MacLean — who I should everyone is pretty tight with the Murray family — shed some light on the Senators firing of Paul MacLean.
When asked about how the firing of MacLean could start of chain of events that sees coaches elsewhere be fired, MacLean talked about how the hiring and firing process has changed referencing Ottawa’s situation. I’ve transcribed the important highlights of the episode below, but I have also embedded the audio of the show at the bottom of this post.
Doug MacLean: “Yes, there would be some tightness (in Edmonton) and there is tightness in a few other places. As history has shown, when one coach goes, sometimes GMs get itchy fingers or as I keep alluding to, owners get itchy fingers because they’re the ones who typically make the firings in today’s NHL. Sorry, I’m not buying that GMs are still doing it.”
Darren Millard: “So is that who made the decision in Ottawa?”
MacLean: “I would say that he had a lot to do with it, there’s no doubt in my mind. None, as a matter of fact.”
Later on…
MacLean: “Listen, I’m glad Dave Cameron got the job. He’s a friend of mine. We were teammates. He’s a good hockey man. He’s paid his dues. I’m glad he gets a chance, but Dave was promised this job three or four years ago when he was coaching at St. Mike’s and the World Juniors by Eugene Melnyk.”
Billy Jaffe: “There you go.”
MacLean: “He didn’t get (the job) at that time. Bryan (Murray) wanted Paul MacLean and they hired Paul MacLean. What does he do? He brought them some good seasons. (He won) coach of the year. I don’t like the piling on on Paul MacLean. We all knew he was on the hot seat. I don’t like the piling on.”
Millard: “Piling on by who?”
MacLean: “By the media. By everybody within their organization.”
When MacLean discussed how long this piling on has gone, the conversation turned to how Bryan Murray had to fight for Paul MacLean’s job on numerous occasions.
MacLean: “This has been going on for over a year.”
Jaffe: “So why did he give him a three-year deal?”
MacLean: “Well, that happened before it started to really crumble which was last season. Part way through last season is when things really started to crumble. I remember one night when they got hammered in Boston. They lost like 7-3 or something and that was really the night that (MacLean) was on the hot seat – big time. Bryan had to work to get through that and Bryan had to work at the end of the season to keep Paul and give him another chance. And there was lots of talk that he would be under the hot seat all year – which he’s been. But you know what? This team plays soft. This team plays loose. This team gives up a ton of scoring chances. Can Dave turn that around? I hope so for Dave and Bryan’s sake, but I just don’t like (the piling on).”
Update: 2:05 pm
I received clarification via Twitter that it actually was not the Boston game. MacLean mistakenly referenced the Boston game from February 8, 2014 , but he actually meant the Montreal game that finished 7-4 that took place on April 4, 2014. The Senators were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs on April 8, 2014.
Update: 1:00 pm
Sportsnet published an article featuring comments from Detroit head coach Mike Babcock who had MacLean as an assistant in Anaheim and in Detroit.
Of note, Babcock reflected on how the MacLean firing situation was different because of the involvement of ownership:
“I always side with the coach, [but Senators general manager] Bryan Murray is a real good friend of mine as well. These are hard decisions for people, and when ownership is involved, that can make it even more difficult,” Babcock said.
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