Housley Named Sabres Head Coach

[pi2000]

Yup - lol - that's the tired excuse "They needed to learn the coach's system" or "They're still learning his system".       

 

Vegas must have a bunch of Rhodes Scholars on the roster -  they seemed to learn their new coach's system pretty darn quick!   lol   

 

Housley essentially gets a pass on any evaluation or critique for this entire season, because he and Botterill are 'evaluating'.  Maybe the Sabres should have just sat out the season and scrimmaged at KeyBank Center, since this season was a total throwaway apparently. 

 

Total Ownership and Total and complete accountability should start for Housley with game 1 of the 2018-19 season.  No. More. Excuses.

 

If things go south, I sure don't want to read anything about 'evaluation' or 'learning the system' as excuses for Housley this fall - At that point, it's prime time, and  overdue time to p@#$ or get off the proverbial pot!     And if its looking poor after 20, 25 games, can his behind!  We shouldn't countenance a loser!  

 

I agree.

 

That said, I've seen nothing to suggest Housley deserves the chance to continue coaching this team.    If his name was Dan Bylsma instead of Phil Housley people would be clamoring for him to be fired.   But since he's a former Sabre, hall-of-famer, came from a successful Nashville organization, etc... he gets a free pass.   Mind-boggling.   

 

If he somehow turns this team around next season, I'll happily eat crow, but my money is on another slow start, same excuses, he'll praise their effort, etc. etc... and it will be another lost season before we hit Thanksgiving.    Yay. 

[Huckleberry]

I actually want ruff back 

[Randall Flagg]

I agree.

 

That said, I've seen nothing to suggest Housley deserves the chance to continue coaching this team.    If his name was Dan Bylsma instead of Phil Housley people would be clamoring for him to be fired.   But since he's a former Sabre, hall-of-famer, came from a successful Nashville organization, etc... he gets a free pass.   Mind-boggling.   

 

If he somehow turns this team around next season, I'll happily eat crow, but my money is on another slow start, same excuses, he'll praise their effort, etc. etc... and it will be another lost season before we hit Thanksgiving.    Yay. 

Revisionist history. Everyone was fine with Dan Bylsma in April of his first season. The calls started for him the same time they'll start for Phil if we start out playing terrible hockey next year. 

 

Mind-boggling.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[Weave]

I don't think "former Sabre" etc. etc. has anything to do with giving Phil the benefit of the doubt.  I think it comes down to 1 thing really.  Most on here are emotionally invested in Phil because he was our 1st choice.  the only one who was clamoring for DB was GODD.  Noone else was emotionally invested in the choice so it was easy to want him off the island early.

[North Buffalo]

I actually want ruff back

 

Nfw, Ruff really... not after he flopped with Dallas and ended up helping force a Ranger rebuild. Love Ruff dont want him back.

Im fine with Phil on a short leash. Like what hes trying to do. Talent laking on this team. This year sucked but not sure anyone with this team’s talent would have made enough of a difference. So add some talent next year and see what happens.

[Jacque Richard]

I actually want ruff back

 

bad move. Only buffalo fans want a retread

Housley get thirty games to right the ship

Edited April 9, 2018 by Jacque Richard

[LGR4GM]

If they start next season badly, Housley should be on the hot seat. No more excuses. Losers make excuses.

[Brawndo]

I wonder if Davis Payne or Chris Hajt or Andrew Allen survive.

[WildCard]

I wonder if Davis Payne or Chris Hajt or Andrew Allen survive.

Allen needs to go. He failed at his job in every conceivable way possible

[pi2000]

Revisionist history. Everyone was fine with Dan Bylsma in April of his first season. The calls started for him the same time they'll start for Phil if we start out playing terrible hockey next year.

 

Mind-boggling.

Yeah everybody was fine with Bylsma in April of his first season because they improved by 27 points.

 

His second yearz without Eichel for almost half the season, they drop 3 points in the standings and he gets run out of town.

 

Enter Housley with an improved roster and playoff bubble expectations... boom, a 16 point drop... but sure, let's keep him around.

[PerreaultForever]

Maybe the core, or key elements of this team, are uncoachable. Maybe. 

 

They certainly didn't improve over the course of the season. We aren't like Florida that started slow and ended upwards. We started as disorganized crap and we ended as disorganized crap. Does anyone actually think this roster looks promising for the near future at all? 

[Randall Flagg]

Yeah everybody was fine with Bylsma in April of his first season because they improved by 27 points.

 

His second yearz without Eichel for almost half the season, they drop 3 points in the standings and he gets run out of town.

 

Enter Housley with an improved roster and playoff bubble expectations... boom, a 16 point drop... but sure, let's keep him around.

You claimed that everyone was all over Bylsma's ass but is fine with Housley. I told you that's not true. There wasn't a peep here about Bylsma being fired until it was clear what his philosophy was and it was failing, after about 10 games of his second season.

 

People have been calling for Housley's head since game 7 of his FIRST year. The general board tenor has been far more negative than you claim, as a reflection of our place in the standings.

 

I'm not here to tell you Phil is doing a better job than Dan, I'm just telling you that the narrative you paint, as usual, doesn't reflect reality. 

The "fire Phil" thread was created four months ago, corresponding to 10 months before Bylsma's was, and already has 400 posts.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[pi2000]

You claimed that everyone was all over Bylsma's ass but is fine with Housley. I told you that's not true. There wasn't a peep here about Bylsma being fired until it was clear what his philosophy was and it was failing, after about 10 games of his second season.

 

People have been calling for Housley's head since game 7 of his FIRST year. The general board tenor has been far more negative than you claim, as a reflection of our place in the standings.

 

I'm not here to tell you Phil is doing a better job than Dan, I'm just telling you that the narrative you paint, as usual, doesn't reflect reality.

 

The "fire Phil" thread was created four months ago, corresponding to 10 months before Bylsma's was, and already has 400 posts.

Can you point me to one post (besides mine) that says to fire Phil right now? Every post I read say he should be fired early next season if they don't improve.

 

90% of this board was begging for Bylsma to be canned back in March last year, nobody wanted to give him a chance with an improved roster and healthy Eichel.

[Randall Flagg]

Edit: it was actually late November of his second season, so 11 months in hand.

[Sabre fan]

Yeah everybody was fine with Bylsma in April of his first season because they improved by 27 points.

 

His second yearz without Eichel for almost half the season, they drop 3 points in the standings and he gets run out of town.

 

Enter Housley with an improved roster and playoff bubble expectations... boom, a 16 point drop... but sure, let's keep him around.

funny my son and I were comparing last year\s roster with this years and you are correct in stating that this year's team clearly was much better on paper. We should have improved by even 10 or 15 points yet produced yet another big fail. Can the blame be put on Housley? good question. clearly something is amiss for sure... 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Sabre fan

[Jsixspd]

Revisionist history. Everyone was fine with Dan Bylsma in April of his first season. The calls started for him the same time they'll start for Phil if we start out playing terrible hockey next year. 

 

Mind-boggling.

 Well,  the Sabres went from 54 points to 81 points in Bylsma's first season as HC.  While it was a bit disappointing, the improvement was apparent.    Therefore, April 2016 was quite a bit kinder to Disco here at SS.    

 

I was never keen on the Bylsma hire.  Housley I had no feeling one way or another - for me it was just "wait and see"

 

Still waiting.  

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Jsixspd

[Doohickie]

Yup - lol - that's the tired excuse "They needed to learn the coach's system" or "They're still learning his system".       

 

Vegas must have a bunch of Rhodes Scholars on the roster -  they seemed to learn their new coach's system pretty darn quick!   lol   

 

Housley essentially gets a pass on any evaluation or critique for this entire season, because he and Botterill are 'evaluating'.  Maybe the Sabres should have just sat out the season and scrimmaged at KeyBank Center, since this season was a total throwaway apparently. 

 

Total Ownership and Total and complete accountability should start for Housley with game 1 of the 2018-19 season.  No. More. Excuses.

 

If things go south, I sure don't want to read anything about 'evaluation' or 'learning the system' as excuses for Housley this fall - At that point, it's prime time, and  overdue time to p@#$ or get off the proverbial pot!     And if its looking poor after 20, 25 games, can his behind!  We shouldn't countenance a loser!  

 

That's pretty much what they did, innit?

[LGR4GM]

Can you point me to one post (besides mine) that says to fire Phil right now? Every post I read say he should be fired early next season if they don't improve.

 

90% of this board was begging for Bylsma to be canned back in March last year, nobody wanted to give him a chance with an improved roster and healthy Eichel.

And I am 100% happy that Bylsma was fired. He was terrible. When the GM starts saying you need to be talking to your players more than watching video, when players talk about the 9 whiteboards in the locker room, and when part of your defensive strategy is to actually give up the blue line, and finally when your offensive strategy is to dump and chase like it is 2008... well you got to go. I saw more hockey played this year under Housley than I ever did under Bylsma. Bylsma was smart in the fact he tried to mask his teams flaws and tried to work with what he had. Housley I am not a big fan of but if you put a gun to my head and said I had to chose between 82 games of Bylsma hockey or 82 games of Housley hockey, I am taking Housley hockey. 

[Jacque Richard]

Housley would be gone if Pegula didn’t have pay out the GM’s, and head coaches and assistants

[North Buffalo]

And I am 100% happy that Bylsma was fired. He was terrible. When the GM starts saying you need to be talking to your players more than watching video, when players talk about the 9 whiteboards in the locker room, and when part of your defensive strategy is to actually give up the blue line, and finally when your offensive strategy is to dump and chase like it is 2008... well you got to go. I saw more hockey played this year under Housley than I ever did under Bylsma. Bylsma was smart in the fact he tried to mask his teams flaws and tried to work with what he had. Housley I am not a big fan of but if you put a gun to my head and said I had to chose between 82 games of Bylsma hockey or 82 games of Housley hockey, I am taking Housley hockey.

 

Agree, when the Sabres decided to play the style he was asking.. It was fun to watch. Just happened so infrequently. Part of it was talent, not enough of it.... so the guys who had it, had to work that much harder and seemed to burn them out for a few games afterwards. The other part was such poor goaltending. I am hoping the additions of some of the young guys next year help the effort level night in and out, but am still thinking they need another year before they can truly be competitive. Man it sucks waiting. Edited April 9, 2018 by North Buffalo

[PASabreFan]

 Well,  the Sabres went from 54 points to 81 points in Bylsma's first season as HC.  While it was a bit disappointing, the improvement was apparent.    Therefore, April 2016 was quite a bit kinder to Disco here at SS.  

I always thought the improvement was overrated. "The Sabres" didn't improve that much. You could say the franchise did. It's not like the tank roster of 14-15 carried over to Bylsma's first year.

[Swedesessed]

I agree.

 

That said, I've seen nothing to suggest Housley deserves the chance to continue coaching this team.    If his name was Dan Bylsma instead of Phil Housley people would be clamoring for him to be fired.   But since he's a former Sabre, hall-of-famer, came from a successful Nashville organization, etc... he gets a free pass.   Mind-boggling.   

 

If he somehow turns this team around next season, I'll happily eat crow, but my money is on another slow start, same excuses, he'll praise their effort, etc. etc... and it will be another lost season before we hit Thanksgiving.    Yay. 

 

 

I agree completely with this: Show Low Energy Phil the door and say thanks for the memories

[inkman]

Housley would be gone if Pegula didn’t have pay out the GM’s, and head coaches and assistants

If you want to be able to attract good personnel, you don't turn the front door into a turn style. No good coach, GM or free agent for that matter wants to go somewhere that dumps you after a few poor months.

[LTS]

Housley would be gone if Pegula didn’t have pay out the GM’s, and head coaches and assistants

 

I disagree 100% with your premise.  Even if he was able to fire Housley and everyone else with no financial repercussions there's no way he's doing that.

 

Why?

 

Because an organization that undergoes continual change and uncertainty of leadership is an organization that NO ONE wants to involved with.  

[Taro T]

I disagree 100% with your premise.  Even if he was able to fire Housley and everyone else with no financial repercussions there's no way he's doing that.

 

Why?

 

Because an organization that undergoes continual change and uncertainty of leadership is an organization that NO ONE wants to involved with.

 

Yep. Unless someone w/ much better credentials (regardless of whether they're actually better or not) becomes available, they can't fire Housley without creating additional issues. Too bad Quenneville wasn't foolishly cut loose by Chicago. He would've been a guy that could be brought in.

 

Let's see what Housley learns this off-season. Hopefully he comes back much better. (This year was a mixed bag. Though overall the season was a disaster there were positives as well.) I've remained primarily silent in discussions about Coach Phil because he was my all time least favorite Sabre player & wanted to give him at least a year once he was hired to see if there'd be a different appreciation of Coach rather than the non-appreciation of the player. (One would think that at SOME POINT in a 6 game series that he'd figure out Stephane ####ing Richer WASN'T wearing blue & gold. :censored:)

 

Figure it out this off-season & get it right.