Since as early as last season fans have been calling for Quenneville's head:
"He juggles lines too much!"
"He won't stick with a goaltender!"
"He sits on leads!"
"He wears bad ties!"
For months those cries were heard and unheeded. At one point, fans who felt Q should go were called chuckleheads who didn't understand hockey. But even as the Avalanche snuck into the playoffs amidst injuries, many peoples still felt Quenneville was the wrong coach for the team.
Then the Avalanche dispatched of the Minnesota Wild in a series where Quenneville appeared to outcoach an excellent coach in Jacques Lemaire. You started to wonder if maybe we'd been too hard on Quenneville. Then the Detroit Red Wings rolled in, swept the Avalanche out of the second round for the second time in Avs last two playoff appearances and we were back to square one. Granted that the Wings are playing amazing hockey and the Avalanche had a decimated lineup, but there didn't seem to be much of a gameplan in effect and the team was playing uninspired hockey.
Once the playoffs were over for the Avalanche, the question became primary on everybody's mind. Will Quenneville stay or will he go? Will he leave of his own accord or will Giguere tell him his services were no longer necessary? Will he stay but with a fashion consultant?
Joe over at MHH has been blogging faster than most people talk as more and more details on the Q's status trickle in. But today, the breaking point on the Quenneville saga may have been reached. In Rick Sadowski's blog at the Rocky Mountain News, Sadowski reports that Francois Giguere has headed out east to observe the World Championships.
You could say Giguere is going to enjoy some hockey but for the most part, when a GM heads halfway across the continent in the offseason, he's doing it as a business trip. And who's at the Worlds that Giguere could be interested in? Pat Burns of course. Back behind the bench, Burns is an assistant coach for Team Canada - 4-0 so far TYVM - and appears to still have the coaching fire in him.
Would a 3-time Jack Adams award winner - the only 3-time award winner in history - be the right fit for the Avalanche? Well, I certainly can't see him being any worse. Sure, you could claim his 88-89 win came on the back of Patrick Roy but my goodness, the man won the award while coaching the friggin' Leafs! You find me a coach who can win an award while coaching a team in Toronto and I'll show you a man who deserves a job.
But reegardless if Pat Burns comes aboard, my feeling is that Joel Quenneville has worn out his welcome with the Colorado Avalanche and Francois Giguere is echoing that sentiment by not extending his contract.
Related Links
Offseason Playbook: Forwards
Offseason Playbook: Defense
Offseason Playbook: Goaltending
Dater's take on Quenneville
Better know a free agent: Joel Quenneville
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5 months ago
I think it is a little unfair that Quenneville got so much blame for the series against Detroit. The fact of the matter is that the Avs were killed by injuries and faced a much better Red Wing team. Coaching had very little to do with it. That being said, it was clear that changes had to be made and someone was going to have to take the fall. It'll be a fresh start for an organization that will very soon and for the first time be entering a Sakic-less era.
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