In today’s hockey climate, long term tenure for coaches is an unrealistic and highly unlikely experience.  

Yes, every NHL Head Coach strives for the longevity of Lindy Ruff or Barry Trotz with one team. Ruff (Buffalo Sabres) and Trotz (Nashville Predators) have certainly beaten the odds as both have been behind the same bench for over 14 years. 

There are many factors that contribute to short-term tenancy including player contract restrictions, salary cap, seldom made blockbuster trades, and much more. 

So, this leaves teams with one option, a coaching change as the quickest and easiest way to make an impact for a slumping squad. 

Coaches in all major sports have a short shelf life. This is not breaking news, but every now and then there is a cycle that seems to raise eyebrows and go well beyond the norm. For instance, in November alone, four teams: St. Louis (Davis Payne to Ken Hitchcock), Washington (Bruce Boudreau to Dale Hunter), Carolina (Paul Maurice to Kirk Muller) and Anaheim (Randy Carlyle to Boudreau) changed their head coach, with three of those decisions falling within a three day period. In fact, Boudreau had just a six-day turnaround in coaching two different teams in the same season which according to the Elias Sports Bureau is an NHL record. 

Taking it a step further, 10 teams or one-third of the entire league, have appointed a new coach in the last six months. Moreover, two-thirds of the NHL franchises have replaced coaches at least once since 2009. In addition, only five coaches have held their same job for more than four years: (Ruff: July, 1997, Trotz: August 1997, Mike Babcock: Detroit, July, 2005, Alain Vigneault: Vancouver, June, 2006 and Claude Julien: Boston, June 2007). 

Fairness certainly does not play a role for a coach to shine, but then again winning and being fair seldom go hand in hand. "You never like that when it happens, but it’s not like coaches don’t know when they get into this profession what goes on," Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel told the Winnipeg Free Press the day after the Ducks sacked Carlyle. “You can’t concern yourself with what goes on around you like that. I’m not going to worry about things I can’t control” added Noel. 

As the old expression goes, coaches are “hired to be fired”. It is one of the realities of professional sport. The GM often tries to save his own “butt” first by making a coaching change. Sacking the coach seems as the only possible solution available when a team is not meeting expectations. Big impact trades in the salary cap era are rare due in part to the long-term multimillion-dollar contracts. Sending non-performing stars to the minors, where they continue to be paid at the NHL level is a luxury only the richest clubs, such as the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will even think about. 

Yes, the days of powerful coaches like Toe Blake, Punch Imlach, Fred Shero and Scotty Bowman, guys who were sacred and ruled the roost are long gone. 

Christmas is just over two weeks away but that doesn’t mean the holiday spirit could stop some teams from playing the role of scrooge. There are at least four coaches that remain on the hot seat, including:

• Scott Arniel, Columbus. The Blue Jackets have the worst record in the Western Conference.
• Jack Capuano, New York Islanders. The Islanders are last in the NHL in goals for.
• Joe Sacco, Colorado. The Avs are only 7-9 on home ice.
• Brent Sutter, Calgary. The Flames won just 12 of their first 27 games and Calgary has already missed the playoffs twice with Sutter at the helm.

 So, some “food for thought”. With NHL revenues expected to take a serious hit (again) next season, I wonder if it will change philosophies on hiring and firing coaches. Can teams afford to be paying for two coaches over multiple years? For instance, when Columbus fired Ken Hitchcock he was on its payroll for new nearly two years, and he didn’t come cheap. Surely, a small market team like Columbus suffered at the big dollars that Hitch was given while paying Arniel at the same time.

It’s a good time not a long time for most coaches. Sometimes there’s even an immediate positive response. The Blues were 9-2-3 in their first 14 games under Hitchcock. In other words, there is a short term “gain” for long term “Payne”.

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Move over Miami Marlins; it’s the L.A. Angels who made the biggest splash in the baseball free-agent market. 

Yes, the Marlins decided to spend money, for a change, in landing shortstop Jose Reyes, starting pitcher Mark Buehrle and closer Heath Bell, but that takes a back seat to the Angels. Both three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, who was considered the top starting free-agent pitcher, decided to take their talents to Disneyland. Pujols deal, the second-highest in baseball history, includes a full no-trade clause. It is worth $254 million over 10 years while Wilson gets $77.5 million over 5 years.

 Pujols did what was best for him and his family; take the offer with the biggest bucks and best security. St. Louis did not want to invest more than a quarter of a “Billion” dollars on one player hat is about to turn 32, and the Angels did. Pujohs gave his 11 years service to the Cardinals, helped them win two World Series and it’s certainly a blow to St. Louis he decided to leave, however, at least he did not embarrass the organization by going on an ESPN special to announce his decision.
    

Pujols earned the right to switch teams. I don’ blame him for it, however, I don’t want to hear that it wasn’t all about the money, because in the end, that’s exactly what it was all about. 

From the Quote Rack:  

Erin Andrews is reportedly upset at a new dress policy for reporters in which no suggestive clothing is allowed—-I guess Christie Hefner has finally had it with Erin disrupting operations every time she visits ‘Playboy’.

Ndamakong Suh was not injured after crashing his car into a tree. But he was seen stomping on the
tree afterward.
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

A number of luxury sportscar drivers in Japan ended up in an 11 car pileup that smashed eight
Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes – over $1 million worth of automobiles. It was one of the most expensive wrecks of the year. Following perhaps only Kim Kardashian’s wedding.

Cliff Harris, Oregon’s All-American Cornerback, was already suspended from the team (for the second time this year) when he apparently violated team rules and coach Chip Kelly dismissed him. Looks like Harris is well on his way to becoming a first round draft pick for the Bengals.

Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

A janitor at a Canada Post sorting station in Castlegar has been charged with 14 counts of mail theft for allegedly opening and stealing Christmas mail. The man will plead innocent saying he knew the presents were for BC Lions players and felt they got enough gifts from Winnipeg in the Grey Cup.

Headline: HOCKEY FIGHTS MAY INCREASE DEGENERATIVE BRAIN DISEASE RISK. This is followed by Headline: Drinking paint thinner tastes bad and Headline: Telling your wife she is fat not recommended.

Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/

Venus Williams nearly experienced a Janet Jackson Super Bowl moment in Milan when the left strap snapped on her self-designed tennis outfit while playing Flavia Pennetta, sending her rushing off the court for an unscheduled changeover.
Exhibition match? No kidding.

Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sidelinechatter/

And in case you missed it: 

Wayne Gretzky’s 22-year-old daughter, Paulina, deleted her infamously racy Twitter account. Maybe the Great One was fed up with her tweeting pics of her great two.

Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com         

 Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com.