Blackhawks Lose To The Flyers, Hockey Twitter Mobs Point Their Pitchforks At Coach Q
This is just a small snapshot of what was the prevailing message from the Blackhawks Hockey Twitter masses last night. Fans and some media types are fed up with Coach Q. He’s arrogant, he’s a meathead, he basically lost on purpose with that lineup, he’s a moron, etc, etc. That’s the beauty of twitter. It gives people the chance to be heard. Twitter allows for instant reaction and conversation. It’s a democracy of opinions in real time. Democracy; full of variety and disorder. It dispenses equality to equals and unequals alike. You’re probably thinking that’s too eloquent and insightful for me to have written on my own…ding ding ding. That’s Plato. We’re about to get philosophical in this bitch.
I have been called a Coach Q fan boy on many occasions. I think that’s a bit extreme, but I do love Coach Q. There’s something about that mustache, his surly attitude with the media, his Whalers ties, his ability to adapt to a rapidly changing game, and his reputation as a “players’ coach”. Oh and those 750 wins and 2 Stanley Cups as well. I don’t always agree with Coach Q, he’s not infallible, but I do think he’s one of 5 or 6 coaches in the NHL who can truly impact a team. Somewhere along the way it has become fashionable to bash Coach Q and last night was especially bad after another sub-par effort that saw Teravainen and Bickell benched for Carcillo and Desjardins.
Now look it, I love Teravainen. I love him so much that I gave him his nickname. I’ve been blogging about him since he got drafted. I got basically murdered when I said I wouldn’t trade him for Kesler last year. I even learned how to make a meme basically for him.
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If I were behind the bench last night, I probably would have had Turbo in the lineup. However, I can understand the reasoning behind the lineup changes.
1) Turbo is 20 years-old, a rookie, and had 2 games in a row where he wasn’t effective. Against Carolina when he played with top players he finished with ZERO shot attempts and had a corsi differential of -10. He also created zero scoring chances. I don’t know Teravainen personally, obviously. I don’t know what makes him tick. Maybe a night in the press box or on the stationary bike will re-focus him and make him more assertive in all areas of the game. While Teuvo’s talent is obvious, it doesn’t mean that he necessarily earned the right to be back in the lineup. The only thing I know for sure, is that I don’t know anything…Socrates said that, nbd. I am willing to assume that Coach Q has a better grip on the team’s makeup than anyone else.
2) If the lineup the Hawks played in the previous two games didn’t give them the type of effort or results they were looking for, then it’s not a bad idea to insert a couple of guys who are known to bring “energy” with physical play and intense forechecking. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity—Einstein–Chief. The Blackhawks problems last night were much bigger than Carcillo and Desjardins. Having Bickell and Turbo in there likely doesn’t change the result.
3) The Blackhawks had 14 healthy forwards entering the game last night. Carcillo and Desjardins hadn’t played in a while. You never know when an injury is going to occur. You don’t want to be in a situation come playoff time where you are forced to dress Carcillo/Desjardins because someone got hurt and neither one of them has played in 8 weeks. Inserting those guys into the lineup, against an Eastern Conference team that isn’t making the playoffs isn’t a bad idea.
Obviously the Blackhawks didn’t get the results they wanted last night, but the logic behind the lineup changes wasn’t preposterous. The mark of an educated mind is to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it—boom Plato again. Coach Q isn’t a moron or a meathead. He’s a Hall Of Famer and has delivered two Stanley Cups to this City. You don’t always have to agree with him, I don’t, but the language has gotten out of control because the people calling him a meathead on twitter can’t think for themselves. I think people, hockey twitter especially, are more concerned with being on the “intellectual” side of an argument than using their own intellect. They just grab their pitchforks and join the mob. You don’t have to agree with the other side of the argument, but you should take the time to see it. Thank god that the Blackhawks aren’t a democracy. Coach Q would be fired, Sharp would’ve been traded at the deadline, and Kane would’ve been traded for Ryan Miller years ago. I do have some concerns about the Blackhawks, but a Hall Of Fame Coach isn’t one of them.