Sorry it has been a while since I've written anything on this site, folks, I've been doing a lot of writing on the Bleacher Report, and have neglected you. Thank goodness A-Mac has been here to help pick up some of my slack.
That being said, if you want a much more hopeful view of what I'm about to write, take a look at the story on Bleacher Report.
Well, the Avalanche have done it again. Now losers of seven straight games, and 17 out of their last 18 games, the Colorado Avalanche are setting a new standard for amateurism in their games. Never before have I seen members of this once proud franchise quit so often, and so fast game in and game out.
I have said to several people that this team may be the worst team in the history of the franchise, and that is worse than the one that earned us the number three overall draft pick three years ago.
This may become a bit of a rant, and I apologize for that, so I'll cut to the chase. Joe Sacco needs to be fired. This guy seems to have one way of coaching. He does not adjust, and he does not attempt to fix anything, he just keeps plugging away with the same things and the team does not improve.
Case and point, he constantly talks about needing to skate in order to play their game. You just watch teams clog up the neutral zone against the Avs and they can't do anything. They are lost, their passing is bad, they make bad plays and boom, the puck is going the other way.
Or, the way he handles his personnel. If Sacco isn't happy with how you're playing, he benches you for a period, or makes you a healthy scratch for the game as his way of "sending a message". It worked for a while last season, and even a bit at the start of this season. Now players seem to be playing scared out of fear of being a healthy scratch! That's not coaching! Part of coaching is showing faith in your players, and Sacco does not do that.
About the only person he has done that with is Matt Hunwick, who is possibly the worst trade the Avalanche have ever made. Hunwick is constantly out for goals against, avoids physical contact at all costs, makes horrible decisions in his own zone, and is frequently found just watching the play yet he is out almost every single short handed situation. It just baffles me.
Sacco did a great job in his first year, but it seems his message has been tuned out by his players. Plus, he comes out for every press conference saying the exact same things about making mental errors and not starting the game on time. All of those things, when they are problems for more than two months of a season, are the fault of a coaching staff. One or two games, those are your players and you make adjustments. No adjustments made, same mistakes night in and night out, coaches. Joe Sacco is a good AHL coach, and he has done all he can do right now. It is time to fire Joe Sacco.
Showing posts with label Joe Sacco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joe Sacco. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Avs vs. Coyotes Recap
Avs coming off of a huge win against Buffalo, that they tried to give away but managed to pull out, and needed to keep things going for them on this 5 game home stand. But, once again, the Avs came out just plain flat.
Scoring Summary:
Period 1:
Lots of shots, but the Coyotes had most of the decent chances, and the only goal of the period. Andy stopped a shot from the point, gave a small rebound, that was won by Taylor Pyatt. While kind of being bothered by the Avs d-man, Pyatt managed to backhand it over the glove of a sliding Anderson for a 1-0 lead. Andy was in pretty decent position, just a great shot that he managed to get elevated on the backhand.
No scoring again until about 19 seconds left in the game, when Pyatt put another one in the empty. Game closed out with a 2-0 win for Phoenix.
All in all, this was possibly the most boring game that I have watched in a long, LONG time. Now, that is really Phoenix's style. They are a trap team, and take advantage of turnovers. Transition is their game, and that's how they got their goal. A clear that didn't quite get out, they threw it straight at the net, and boom, suddenly they get a rebound in behind Andy. And this is the the thing that is killing the Avs. They cannot get out of their own zone. They have about 5 shifts a game where they really get buried in their own zone and just can't get out.
Then, there is Matt Hunwick. This guy has been so horrible since getting traded over to the Avs. I think the first game he played with us I was actually a little ok with him because he could skate so well, and actually did a couple decent things in his own zone. Ever since then, it has been a non-stop parade of horrible turnovers, poor defensive play, and getting beat all over the place in his own zone. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why Joe Sacco, the Avalanche coach, has not cut this guy's ice time, or even made him a healthy scratch. Holos gives 1 away, and I see something on Twitter saying Sacco just cringed, but watch Hunwick give 5 pucks away, and he's one of the first d-men out on the next penalty kill? This makes no sense!! Sacco benched Duchene earlier this year when he wasn't getting it done. He benched Liles, and made him a healthy scratch a few times, last year when he wasn't getting the job done. He's gone to Budaj this year, when Andy has looked shakey. I don't get it. A coach that is well known for holding players who aren't playing well accountable, and allowing somebody else a chance to get the job done, who just won't take this guy off of the ice. Hunwick has no place on the penalty kill, but is out there every kill. He made about 6 really bad giveaways tonight that Andy had to bail him out on every single time. It is time for Sacco to sit him down, scratch him, send him to the minors, or just do something to tell him that what he is doing is not going to keep him on the ice. It needs to happen, or else we can get used to more losses.
Avs play next on Saturday against the Islanders. Time for the Avs to wake up again. This Western Conference is really, REALLY close from seeds 4-13. The Avs are going to find themselves out of the playoff picture really fast here if they don't start playing with some urgency. Hopefully Stewie will be returning soon
Scoring Summary:
Period 1:
Lots of shots, but the Coyotes had most of the decent chances, and the only goal of the period. Andy stopped a shot from the point, gave a small rebound, that was won by Taylor Pyatt. While kind of being bothered by the Avs d-man, Pyatt managed to backhand it over the glove of a sliding Anderson for a 1-0 lead. Andy was in pretty decent position, just a great shot that he managed to get elevated on the backhand.
No scoring again until about 19 seconds left in the game, when Pyatt put another one in the empty. Game closed out with a 2-0 win for Phoenix.
All in all, this was possibly the most boring game that I have watched in a long, LONG time. Now, that is really Phoenix's style. They are a trap team, and take advantage of turnovers. Transition is their game, and that's how they got their goal. A clear that didn't quite get out, they threw it straight at the net, and boom, suddenly they get a rebound in behind Andy. And this is the the thing that is killing the Avs. They cannot get out of their own zone. They have about 5 shifts a game where they really get buried in their own zone and just can't get out.
Then, there is Matt Hunwick. This guy has been so horrible since getting traded over to the Avs. I think the first game he played with us I was actually a little ok with him because he could skate so well, and actually did a couple decent things in his own zone. Ever since then, it has been a non-stop parade of horrible turnovers, poor defensive play, and getting beat all over the place in his own zone. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why Joe Sacco, the Avalanche coach, has not cut this guy's ice time, or even made him a healthy scratch. Holos gives 1 away, and I see something on Twitter saying Sacco just cringed, but watch Hunwick give 5 pucks away, and he's one of the first d-men out on the next penalty kill? This makes no sense!! Sacco benched Duchene earlier this year when he wasn't getting it done. He benched Liles, and made him a healthy scratch a few times, last year when he wasn't getting the job done. He's gone to Budaj this year, when Andy has looked shakey. I don't get it. A coach that is well known for holding players who aren't playing well accountable, and allowing somebody else a chance to get the job done, who just won't take this guy off of the ice. Hunwick has no place on the penalty kill, but is out there every kill. He made about 6 really bad giveaways tonight that Andy had to bail him out on every single time. It is time for Sacco to sit him down, scratch him, send him to the minors, or just do something to tell him that what he is doing is not going to keep him on the ice. It needs to happen, or else we can get used to more losses.
Avs play next on Saturday against the Islanders. Time for the Avs to wake up again. This Western Conference is really, REALLY close from seeds 4-13. The Avs are going to find themselves out of the playoff picture really fast here if they don't start playing with some urgency. Hopefully Stewie will be returning soon
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Vancouver Woes
The Avs are having issues in Vancouver. Not just troubles of the winning kind either. Though the Avs just did lose tonight, 4-2, they lost a bunch more than just a game. For the second time in as many trips to Vancouver, the Avs lost goalie Craigh Anderson, this time to an apparent groin injury. Then, later in the game, Adam Foote went down with a leg injury that sure didn't look too nice in the replay. A knee to knee incident where you immediately saw that Foote couldn't support his weight anymore, and had to be helped off of the ice.
As if that wasn't enough, the game winning goal for Vancouver was scored when Tambellini, #10 for the Cannucks, hit backup goalie, Peter Budaj, in the head with his stick, which then bopped an airborne puck straight back into the net. This was the second game in a row where Vancouver scored a goal off of Budaj's head. You just can't ask for luck this bad against a team.
Plus, after the Avs had pulled back to within one goal, they managed to give the puck away at their own blue line which lead from one Sedin, to the other, then the Alex Burrows, and then to the back of the net. This was definitely more about poor puck possession than bad luck, but the whole night was just off for the Avs. Poor play in their own zone, constantly making bad attempts to clear the puck which resulted in several shifts where they were pretty much just running around in their own zone, not getting enough offensive pressure, and still taking too many penalties (though they did manage to keep Vancouver's #1 rated power play off of the score board tonight) led to this loss.
The Avs play tomorrow in Edmonton, and they had better look better than they did tonight. Joe Sacco said in the teams pre-game skate that these three games, which started with the Cannucks tonight, should be easy ones to motivate for. Well, while they weren't as horrible as they were the last time they played the Cannucks, they sure didn't look as if they were ready to come out and beat the Cannucks tonight. Tomorrow against the Oilers, a team that they should definitely beat, and then again on Saturday against the Wild, another team that has been bottom dwelling, that they should beat. Let's see how motivated and prepared this team is, because games against those kinds of teams, the teams that you really should be whenever you play them, is one of the things that will make you or break you when it's time to see who makes the playoffs.
As if that wasn't enough, the game winning goal for Vancouver was scored when Tambellini, #10 for the Cannucks, hit backup goalie, Peter Budaj, in the head with his stick, which then bopped an airborne puck straight back into the net. This was the second game in a row where Vancouver scored a goal off of Budaj's head. You just can't ask for luck this bad against a team.
Plus, after the Avs had pulled back to within one goal, they managed to give the puck away at their own blue line which lead from one Sedin, to the other, then the Alex Burrows, and then to the back of the net. This was definitely more about poor puck possession than bad luck, but the whole night was just off for the Avs. Poor play in their own zone, constantly making bad attempts to clear the puck which resulted in several shifts where they were pretty much just running around in their own zone, not getting enough offensive pressure, and still taking too many penalties (though they did manage to keep Vancouver's #1 rated power play off of the score board tonight) led to this loss.
The Avs play tomorrow in Edmonton, and they had better look better than they did tonight. Joe Sacco said in the teams pre-game skate that these three games, which started with the Cannucks tonight, should be easy ones to motivate for. Well, while they weren't as horrible as they were the last time they played the Cannucks, they sure didn't look as if they were ready to come out and beat the Cannucks tonight. Tomorrow against the Oilers, a team that they should definitely beat, and then again on Saturday against the Wild, another team that has been bottom dwelling, that they should beat. Let's see how motivated and prepared this team is, because games against those kinds of teams, the teams that you really should be whenever you play them, is one of the things that will make you or break you when it's time to see who makes the playoffs.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Avs out, Sharks move on.
Well, after 4 games in the playoffs that nobody expected to go the way they did, the Avs finally succumbed to the attack of the Sharks in games 5 & 6. The Sharks win, Avs go home, but all is not so bad. Sure, the sting of losing in the playoffs is never very fun, but there is so much positive for the Avalanche as they look into the up-coming offseason.
Firstly, the Avs should be congratulated, and should feel very good about their season. Most people picked the Avs to, once again, be the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference, have no shot at the playoffs, and barely be a blip on anybody's radar. Well, they definitely overcame that, and while the whole team is obviously to be given credit, there are 3 people, in my opinion, that did more than their share. 1. You can't turn things around without a coach that people believe in, and the players clearly believe in Joe Sacco. Many people were thinking that Patrick Roy may make a return to Colorado to coach the lowly Avs team, mostly as a ploy to get people back in the stands, but they went with Sacco, who had been the coach of their AHL affiliate in Lake Erie. Great move. Makes total sense, especially for a young team. Bring up the coach that most of them have already played for, know what to expect of him, and know what is expected of them. Sacco could be considered for the Jack Adams trophy with the huge turn-around the Avs had this year, but probably won't be given all the credit he deserves.
Second, Matt Duchene. There were some who thought it would be a mistake for Duchene to come right up to the league so quickly, and thought that he might need some more time with his junior team to develop. Well, a season later, Duchene led all rookies in points, in the top 2 for rookies in goals scored. In my estimation, he WILL win the Calder, for rookie of the year. He provided energy, tenacity, and amazing maturity from a kid, yes, a kid, who is only recently 19 years old. If I'm the Avs, the second this kid's third year comes up, you sign him to a HUGE contract extension and keep him around until he's 80, just to be safe. The Avs will continue to get great things from him.
Third, and most obviously, the signing of Craig Anderson. Nobody knew who this guy was, as he was an underused back-up in Florida, though last year he was third in the league in save %. Again, I know he won't win this award, but you look at things, and what player has been more valuable to his team than Anderson has been to the Avs? He played 71 of 82 games, faced the most shots of any goalie in the NHL, had 7 shutouts this year, and still kept a very respectable .917 save %. Without Andy in net, the Avs would have been those bottom dwellers. It seems there is finally some stability in the Colorado net again. Though I don't know if playing him another 71 games would be wise. Yes, he's young, but that many games and that many shots will wear down anybody.
So what's next? Well, for a while the Avs must watch the playoffs with everybody else, but I think there will be a very active free agent market this year for the Avs. Mueller will be an obvious person they will want to re-sign, as he came alive the second he step foot on the ice in Colorado. I think we'll have a decent amount of cap space to play with as well. By my guess, I doubt we will see the following people back in an Avs jersey next year, at least not at the price they currently have. Darcy Tucker, Marek Svatos, David Koci (a rather stupid signing in the first place), Brett Clark, Ruslan Salei, maybe Adam Foote (depending on whether or not he decides to retire). Svatos made 2.35 mil this year. Clark made 3.5 mil. We've already got 7.7 mil in space before letting those guys go, add in their salaries to that, and the others that are going, then there could be room for a run at a serious D-man, which may be a HUGE help to the Avs. Never know, because there are also some big offensive names coming up for free agency as well. Ilya Kovalchuck, Patrick Marleau (will depend a lot on how the Sharks do the rest of the way in the playoffs), our old buddy Wojtek Wolski is a free agent again. The Avs could add some serious fire power on to what is a very talented squad.
In the end, the Avs are in good hands. I look forward to free agency, and to the next season for the Avs. Who knows, in a couple years, my wife may even let me get season tickets! **crosses fingers!!** I'll be writing another big on the Sharks very soon, probably tomorrow.
Firstly, the Avs should be congratulated, and should feel very good about their season. Most people picked the Avs to, once again, be the bottom-dwellers of the Western Conference, have no shot at the playoffs, and barely be a blip on anybody's radar. Well, they definitely overcame that, and while the whole team is obviously to be given credit, there are 3 people, in my opinion, that did more than their share. 1. You can't turn things around without a coach that people believe in, and the players clearly believe in Joe Sacco. Many people were thinking that Patrick Roy may make a return to Colorado to coach the lowly Avs team, mostly as a ploy to get people back in the stands, but they went with Sacco, who had been the coach of their AHL affiliate in Lake Erie. Great move. Makes total sense, especially for a young team. Bring up the coach that most of them have already played for, know what to expect of him, and know what is expected of them. Sacco could be considered for the Jack Adams trophy with the huge turn-around the Avs had this year, but probably won't be given all the credit he deserves.
Second, Matt Duchene. There were some who thought it would be a mistake for Duchene to come right up to the league so quickly, and thought that he might need some more time with his junior team to develop. Well, a season later, Duchene led all rookies in points, in the top 2 for rookies in goals scored. In my estimation, he WILL win the Calder, for rookie of the year. He provided energy, tenacity, and amazing maturity from a kid, yes, a kid, who is only recently 19 years old. If I'm the Avs, the second this kid's third year comes up, you sign him to a HUGE contract extension and keep him around until he's 80, just to be safe. The Avs will continue to get great things from him.
Third, and most obviously, the signing of Craig Anderson. Nobody knew who this guy was, as he was an underused back-up in Florida, though last year he was third in the league in save %. Again, I know he won't win this award, but you look at things, and what player has been more valuable to his team than Anderson has been to the Avs? He played 71 of 82 games, faced the most shots of any goalie in the NHL, had 7 shutouts this year, and still kept a very respectable .917 save %. Without Andy in net, the Avs would have been those bottom dwellers. It seems there is finally some stability in the Colorado net again. Though I don't know if playing him another 71 games would be wise. Yes, he's young, but that many games and that many shots will wear down anybody.
So what's next? Well, for a while the Avs must watch the playoffs with everybody else, but I think there will be a very active free agent market this year for the Avs. Mueller will be an obvious person they will want to re-sign, as he came alive the second he step foot on the ice in Colorado. I think we'll have a decent amount of cap space to play with as well. By my guess, I doubt we will see the following people back in an Avs jersey next year, at least not at the price they currently have. Darcy Tucker, Marek Svatos, David Koci (a rather stupid signing in the first place), Brett Clark, Ruslan Salei, maybe Adam Foote (depending on whether or not he decides to retire). Svatos made 2.35 mil this year. Clark made 3.5 mil. We've already got 7.7 mil in space before letting those guys go, add in their salaries to that, and the others that are going, then there could be room for a run at a serious D-man, which may be a HUGE help to the Avs. Never know, because there are also some big offensive names coming up for free agency as well. Ilya Kovalchuck, Patrick Marleau (will depend a lot on how the Sharks do the rest of the way in the playoffs), our old buddy Wojtek Wolski is a free agent again. The Avs could add some serious fire power on to what is a very talented squad.
In the end, the Avs are in good hands. I look forward to free agency, and to the next season for the Avs. Who knows, in a couple years, my wife may even let me get season tickets! **crosses fingers!!** I'll be writing another big on the Sharks very soon, probably tomorrow.
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