Coaching in the NHL isn't so Easy

Coaching in hockey can be one of the hardest jobs in the league. They always say you can’t fire the whole team so the coach is always the first to go when a team is struggling. So far in the NHL, there have been five different head coaches that have been fired including the Florida Panthers head coach Gerald Gallant and New York Islanders head coach Jack Capuano.

In this case for most teams who are struggling, it sometimes is the exact thing that needs to happen. Just a year ago, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Johnson was fired after a slow start and interim head coach Mike Sullivan at the he ended up taking the Penguins all the way to the Stanley cup finals and winning it in six games.. After Mike Sullivan was fired, the Penguins went 33-16-5 in the regular season and eventually won the Stanley cup. http://www.hockey-reference.com/coaches/sullimi01c.html

For the New York Islanders, it was a move that had to happen. The team is coming off one off their first playoff series win in 23 years and the next season they are taking a step backward. There is a certain message that gets sent out and the players respond to it. Some players feel like they let their former coach down and it gets to the guys going. The Islanders quickly have moved up the standings and a nearing a playoff spot. http://www.espn.com/nhl/standings

It is an extremely hard business to get in and it makes what some of the greatest coaches have done even more spectacular, but sometimes things need to happen to certain teams in order for it to perform. Last year was an example that making a head coaching decision can lead to a team winning a Stanley Cup. That moment last year is going to really change how organizations move forward when they are struggling. Sometimes all the players need is a new voice hat can get them going.