Randy Carlyle has been hired as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.
Pardon? https://t.co/iKLiiPUPTA
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) June 14, 2016
Yes. You read that correctly, Biz Nasty. After his disastrous tenure with the Maple Leafs, Randy Carlyle has not only been named the head coach of another NHL team, inexplicably not the Blue Jackets, but also one from which he was previously fired.
Brian Burke was sad when when that happened.
Sad to hear about Randy Carlyle. But our coach isn't going anywhere!
— Brian Burke (@Burkie2020) December 1, 2011
A few weeks later he replaced Ron "not going anywhere" Wilson with his old buddy Randy Carlyle. Burke noted that Carlyle was a "proven winner," referring to that time when Carlyle "coached" the Ducks to win the Stanley Cup. That is a great achievement, isn't it?
It is if you view NHL coaching through the myopic "Cup wins = greatness" lens. This is, unfortunately, how the NHL old boys club works: if you win something one time you get to hang out in the spare coach pool for as long as you still want to work. This is why coaches like Carlyle who won something one time 10 years ago are recycled by team after team. It doesn't matter how spectacularly they continue to fail, they are forever "proven winners."
Carlyle's Ducks roster was stacked with some of the best talent in the NHL, including many future Hall of Fame players. Teemu Selanne was there in his prime, scoring 48 regular goals and earning 94 points in that regular season. On defence he had Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger who went on to be first-ballot Hall of Fame inductees. Then there was a whole cast of future All-Stars like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.
What did other NHL General Managers learn from this? Randy Carlyle was the reason for their success. He had "tight systems," which is a myth we busted. I do admit there was a possibility he had great systems, but wasn't able to explain them with the white board.
As the seasons rolled on, and that success didn't continue, it was somehow considered to be the players fault, which brewed a little bit of animosity.
This should work out well. No one could stand the guy when he got fired in Anaheim before and now he'ssssssss back https://t.co/3TIWik2Gzn
— Ryan Whitney (@ryanwhitney6) June 14, 2016
Hilariously, Carlyle now inherits a roster that still has some of those same players who hate him.
Pierre McGuire on why Randy Carlyle is the right choice: "Because they need a firm hand on the rudder."
— Platinum Seat Ghosts (@3rdPeriodSuits) June 14, 2016
What the hell does that even mean? Oh, right. It's Pierre "I was also a failure as a coach" McGuire so there's no expectation of it making any sense.
On the plus side, as Leafs fans, we now get to enjoy him causing a total meltdown of some other team. And for those two games per season the Leafs play the Ducks, we get to bust out all our favourite Randy Carlyle moments!
What is your favourite? Vote in our poll!
Hey Randy, if you're soliciting suggestions for ways the Ducks could add grart, I know a free agent who needs a contract!
What was the most embarrassing Carlyle moment?
Helmets cause concussions | 188 |
Scratching Clarke MacArthur in the playoffs for Frazer MacLaren | 294 |
That 10 round shootout where he didn't play Grabovski | 65 |
Getting his toast stuck in the toaster | 210 |
His two year contract extension | 171 |