National Post (National Edition)
Panthers’ winning coach axed
Terrible optics compound controversy
Vinnie Viola made his megabucks on the financial market by forging his own path thanks in part to doing things outside the box.
Now, it seems, the majority owner of the Florida Panthers has chosen a similar route with his NHL staff, opting to go all in on a hockey department based on a groundwork of analytics, one that has never before been seen to this extent at this level of the sport.
The decision has rekindled the at-times ugly debate on social media between the advanced stats fraternity and the old schoolers who insist heart and hockey sense cannot tangibly be measured by mere numbers.
The feeling in this corner is that this is not a blackand-white issue where a line should be drawn in the golden sand of South Florida. There should be a place for analytics in the game, just like there is a spot for the intangible known as hockey sense.
There is middle ground here. So, please, enough of the Twitter wars between the analytics and non-analytics factions. It’s getting boring.
And, since this is Viola’s team, we’re all for sitting back and watching how their stats-heavy philosophy works out. They at least deserve that.
At the same time, the Panthers suddenly are under the microscope of the hockey world, as much for the questionable handling and terrible optics of the firing of coach Gerard Gallant, as for the seemingly revolutionary direction they have opted to take.
The image of Gallant waiting at the PNC Arena loading dock with his bags waiting for a town car to take him to the airport after being axed Sunday night just after the Panthers’ 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, well, those photos went viral on Sunday night. At that time, Gallant let it be known to nearby reporters that he’d been let go.
Yet, while pretty much the entire world knew what was going on, the Panthers remained mum on the situation until releasing a statement Monday morning making Gallant’s dismissal official.
Why wait? Did the team’s loyal fan base, one that undoubtedly had seen the pics of Gallant outside the Raleigh area, not deserve to know Sunday night, especially since Gallant himself had confirmed the move?
On Monday afternoon, the Panthers hierarchy held a conference call to tell its side of the story. It was an intriguing 20 minutes, a span sprinkled with both logic and spin doctoring, both at the same time.
“We wanted to develop a team and build a team that was fast, could move the puck quickly, pressure the puck in all three zones,” said general manager Tom Rowe, who now steps into the role as interim coach. “Gerard and I talked about it. He said he wanted a little bit more size, and we just decided to go in a different direction.
“Were we on the same page every day of the week? No ... philosophy was different.”
In other words, a pressing need on Gallant’s wish list was more muscle as opposed to additional hustle. Fair enough.
But here’s where we take issue with the Panthers’ explanation.
“We’ve been unhappy with the inconsistent performance,” Panthers president and CEO Matthew Caldwell said.
“I just think we can be playing better at this stage of the season. So we decided a change is necessary to move in a different direction.”
Inconsistent performance? Playing better at this stage of the season?
Let’s look at some facts that make those statements fodder for scrutiny.
First off, Gallant led the Panthers to a franchise record 103 points last season. Yes, they were eliminated in the first round by the New York Islanders, but it was obvious to those of us who covered some of those games they carried the majority of play for much of the series and probably deserved a better fate.
Secondly, the 11-10-1 Panthers are just two points out of a playoff spot despite having three of their top forwards — Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjustad and Jussi Jokinen — out of the roster due to injury.
And yet, just 22 regular season games after Gallant led your team to its best regular season ever, you are calling an injury-ravaged team “inconsistent” just a quarter of the way through the 2016-17 campaign? Did his 96-65-25 record behind the Panthers bench mean nothing at all?
And why ink him to an extension back in January when there was this obvious difference in philosophy?
The bottom line here: Because of the spotlight they’ve put on themselves with both the curious decision and timing of the Gallant firing, the pressure is now on Rowe and the Panthers management team. You think you can do better? Here’s your chance.
But if you don’t, expect the criticism to come. You have, after all, made your own bed. Now you have to sleep in it.
PANTHERS SUDDENLY ARE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE OF THE HOCKEY WORLD.