Almost a full week since the Stars were eliminated by Edmonton in the Western Conference finals, Pete DeBoer’s future with the club hangs in the balance.
We try not to judge good players by their worst moments. Shouldn’t we do the same with coaches?
Stars Owner Tom Gaglardi met with Jim Nill Wednesday afternoon before the general manager flew to Austin for the Texas Stars’ playoff game. DeBoer’s fate was discussed but has not been resolved. That leads me to believe he’s not coming back. The owner said the day after the Stars’ 6-3 loss eliminated them from the playoffs that he couldn’t imagine having to make a decision on his head coach.
Things change.
All indications are that several players spoke out against DeBoer in their exit interviews. His benching of goaltender Jake Oettinger just seven minutes and two goals into Game 5 was their principal concern but not their only one. On top of that, DeBoer was almost flippant two days later when he said he hadn’t talked to Oettinger and asked if he needed to worry about his relationship with other players he might have benched or demoted at various times.
This, I’m afraid, is what is going to get DeBoer fired with a year remaining on his contract. I wouldn’t do it, but, somehow, I’m not in charge. In three seasons here, all he has done is guide the Stars to three conference finals. Right now there are raw feelings about losing in five games, about not getting past those conference finals one more time, but think about this for a second. Florida is the only other team that has made it to the conference finals each of the last three seasons. The Panthers are the reigning kings of hockey and we will soon find out if they can repeat against Edmonton.
Dallas is in the class right below these two teams. Third out of 32? I’ll take that along with some occasionally petulant behavior from my head coach 100 times out of 100.
The players might be mad at DeBoer today but he’s just the easy way out. What about looking in the mirror? What about the fact he’s not wrong about Oettinger’s three Western Conference finals — a 6-12 record overall and an .853 save percentage against the Oilers this year? What about the goal scorers who vanished and left the team hopeless in the final round?
Players are young. They move on. They care about other things. As for Oettinger, his eight-year $66 million guaranteed contract kicks into gear in October. If he still needs a little extra fuel for any reason, motivation to prove his coach made a terrible mistake has been used effectively in the past.
In the spring of 1996, my first year on the Stars beat, the club was eliminated from any playoff hopes with a loss in Winnipeg. They scored just 66 points as a last-place team, a far cry from the 100-plus that is anticipated here now. There was plenty of yelling in the locker room after the game, although those of us on the other side of the door could not hear exactly what was said. It was directed at their new coach, Ken Hitchcock. The players couldn’t stand him, didn’t respect him the way they had with Bob Gainey.
I couldn’t imagine that Hitch had much future in Dallas.
The next year they went from last to first in the division. The next three seasons they went at least to the conference finals and, of course, won the Stanley Cup in 1999. Some players never cared for Hitch the entire time although winning made it a secondary emotion.
Not every team wins with a player’s coach, although that is the popular route these days; players are more empowered than ever. DeBoer made a mistake by not going back to Oettinger after the first period of Game 5. The message would have been sent, the game was still 3-1 — who knows what might have happened? I suspect the Oilers would have won the game and certainly they would have still won the series, but there would be less sound and fury over the benching of the team’s beloved young goaltender.
I’m not saying that’s the only mistake DeBoer ever made with his team or with the media. But if I’ve got a guy who has coached in 101, 101 and 100 games the last three seasons, I’m not kicking him to the curb for an untimely decision, even in a big game. Let’s be honest, Edmonton was going to win that series no matter what anyone did on this side of the ice.
Players and coaches both can learn from mistakes. After Game 5 against Edmonton a year ago — another defeat but one that left the Stars with a game to play — DeBoer took out his wrath on a popular, decorated Dallas columnist (pardon the adjectives) and told him to write whatever the (heck) he wanted.
This year he took it out on Oettinger. All Pete really needs to is that I’m a much better target.