San Jose Sharks: Coaching Search is Underway

Doug Wilson has a difficult job in finding Ron Wilson's replacement.  Ron Wilson needed to go for reasons I have repeatedly stated in recent articles, but let's not confuse him with a bad coach. 

Until this season, he was great from October through April.  You do not become the franchise's leader in wins and winning percentage, not to mention the eighth-winningest coach in NHL history, without knowing a thing or two about your job.

Even this season, he had only some failings at home until February, and then he allowed the team to lose focus with a couple games to go in the regular season, once the President's Trophy became a statistical impossibility.

However, the playoffs are not the time for a guy behind the bench to be out-coached, and he was.  Three out of four years, his team was knocked out by a lower seed. In the other, they were seconds away from taking a 3-1 series lead.

Thus, do not tell me this was a public relations maneuver to appease season ticket holders.  This was unequivocally a hockey move.

The question is, was it the right move?  Only time will tell, but it was a sane move; the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over (and over) and expecting a different result.  Something had to change, and it is easier to replace one coach than an entire roster.

Doug Wilson has proven himself a shrewd general manager and will be thorough in his search.  However, he will not be hesitant: once he has identified his man, he will do his best to land him within the team's budget.  And he has one great negotiating asset: a roster so good it allowed Ron Wilson to be held to high expectations.

Who is the right man? 

There are a few names now known to be off the list: Jacques Martin signed long-term to be Florida's general manager, and Patrick Roy has said he does not want to coach until his youngest son is out of junior hockey.

Additionally, Dave Tippett looks like he will be keeping his job in Dallas, and despite rumours, there is no indication Marc Crawford will be leaving Los Angeles.  Only Tippett would have been ideal for this job, anyway.

Of remaining candidates, only Pat Quinn, Pat Burns, and Bob Hartley are clearly available and have significant playoff experience.  Should John Tortorella leave the Tampa Bay Lightning, he would be a strong contender as well.

Outside possibilities with some playoff coaching experience include Joel Quenneville and former Shark Tony Granato. 

Any other move is risky, as it may difficult to explain how they are an upgrade over Wilson.  This does not mean no one else should or will be a candidate, but I can only analyze those who are likely.

Joel Quenneville was knocked out by the Sharks in the first round after winning the President's Trophy, and he has little history of playoff success.  He should not even be a serious candidate for a prime job like the Sharks.

Pat Quinn has been out of the league for a couple seasons, having coached only one year in the post-lockout era.  His teams featured more physical and less open styles of play, and they historically lacked discipline and put themselves at a disadvantage because of it.

Quinn failed to bring some very talented teams to the Stanley Cup Finals, and would seem to be the next worst choice among the candidates for those reasons.

John Tortorella is not likely to be fired after one bad year in Tampa Bay, since he has recently won a Cup.  The team finished the season playing pretty well and has enough young talent to make them an attractive job, so one would think Tortorella would not want to uproot his family unnecessarily.

However, he certainly has the pedigree and tough love (perhaps an imbalance leaning more toward tough than love) personality to fit the team's needs.

Tony Granato would be an interesting choice.  He was pretty successful in Colorado and was a leader in the Sharks' locker room.  He would likely be able to impart some of his gritty personality into the Sharks' roster, and it is desperately needed.  He also received excellent tutelage under Bob Hartley. 

However, I would prefer to go to his source of that tutelage since, he is available.  Hartley has won a Cup, and is known as a taskmaster.  This may have worn thin on the Thrashers, but he got them a division title with only one forward line worthy of a Stanley Cup contender.  No matter how weak that division that was, it is an impressive feat. 

Since the Sharks are looking for a quick upgrade, I am not concerned with Hartley's style distancing him from his roster.  I am concerned with the maddening tendency of the Sharks failing to play an entire 60 minutes.  Too often, they would come out flat, try to coast on early leads, or be passive on special teams.

That will not happen if Hartley is in charge.  I do not see that happening if Pat Burns is at the helm, either.  His teams worked as hard as anyone's.  They were prepared and focused.  They won a Stanley Cup. 

If he can devote the energy necessary now that his cancer is in remission, he would be equally capable of leading this team to the Finals.  In both cases, they inherited teams that had recently won Cups, so they know how to work with talent. 

Wilson's problem may have been just that—he did not have to motivate teams that did not have the talent to get away with not working hard.  He would be a great choice in Florida or Atlanta.  He would also succeed in Colorado, where the roster is loaded with guys who want to win and know how to win.

He was the wrong choice in San Jose, horribly lacking in passionate leadership.  Silent leaders like Patrick Marleau are fine on some teams, but this team was tepid, passive, and complacent. 

They needed more than just one guy who was in his first year on the team demanding more of his teammates.  They needed their coach to do more than call out players indirectly in public to get them motivated. 

In my next article, I will examine how the coaching hire may affect the Sharks success in re-signing their own free agents and attracting others.