Melrose: "I'm going to move on"

First, let me thank those of you who e-mailed to inquire where I was over the weekend. I know there was a lot of news going on but the weekend was a long-planned break and my first days off since Aug. 31, and I thought Joe Smith kept everyone up to date.

Now, it's time to wrap up this Barry Melrose thing. Talked to him today and he reiterated what he has said during the weekend, that he believes the players revolted against him, though he said he would not name the players he believed were involved. That was a little disappointing, I have to say. Not that I want to start a he-said, she-said, but I just think if you're going to make an accusation like that, you should say to whom you are referring.

Instead, Melrose, who said he is going to be back in broadcasting "pretty quick," offered this when asked if he could say to whom he was referring:

"Nah, I don't think so. I'm done with it now. It's water under the bridge. I'm going to move on with what's going on."

For what it's worth, both Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier, the team captain, said they had not spoken to either owner Oren Koules or Len Barrie or GM Brian Lawton about Melrose's firing.

"We were not involved in any decisions," Lecavalier said. "I don't think anybody went up there and talked to ownership about it. It was their decision. It's their team."

Melrose said one of the biggest bones of contention he had with ownership and management was the minutes played by No. 1 draft choice Steven Stamkos.

"It was a constant battle between me and the owners," Melrose said. "They wanted Stamkos to play more. They wanted (Radim) Vrbata to play more. They wanted Roberts to play more. Every day was a constant battle. Every conversation was about it. I wouldn't do it. I'm a big believer you have to earn your ice time. If you're not one of best guys, you don't deserve to play, no matter how much you make."

Melrose said Stamkos will be a "great" player. "But he's not a great player right now. ... What you teach is the better he plays the more ice time he gets. That's how you teach people."

So, what have we got here. The bottom line, as Melrose said of Koules and Barrie, "I wasn't a fit for these guys."

But it went both ways. I spoke to enough players today who said Melrose's on-ice structure wasn't what it needed to be. The game certainly is not any more about throwing the puck on the ice and let the best players win. It is about giving players detailed instructions. If this happens, you go here. If that happens, you go there. It's systems. There is a lot to be said for that. I don't think anyone will argue the Lightning was the best team in 2004, but under then-coach John Tortorella, it had the best structure. The players bought it, and the team thrived.

The Tortorella regime also made extensive use of video. Did Melrose? The sentiment was, perhaps not enough.

Melrose's response: "It's (BS). we were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. We gave up fewer goals in the first period. How do you do that if thet eam doesn't have any structure?"

Melrose is actually correct on the point about first-period goals. Entering tonight's game, Tampa Bay has allowed nine, lowest in the league.

Still, take these two quotes from new coach Rick Tocchet for what they are worth. Neither was in response to any question about Melrose. in both instances he was speaking generally.

"You have to let players know exactly where they are supposed to go and supposed to be. There are no excuses now. For whatever reason, we didn't battle as hard as we should have, and it didn't look like we knew what we were doing on the ice."

And this:

"There won't be any excuses on this team. Guys will know what is expected and what their role is, and once they hit the ice, that's all they'll have to worry about is their play. They don't have to worry about where am I going, I don't know what I'm doing. They're going to have a ton of information."

In a related matter, Melrose said he does not want to coach again. "It was really perfect. My last game was against the Detroit Red Wings, the organization I started with. I think God was trying to tell me something."

So we move on to tonight's game with the Panthers.

Tocchet said an MRI exam on Ryan Malone's injured leg was negative, but did not say when the left wing, who skated briefly this morning, is expected to return. ... Mike Smith is in net. ... F Ryan Craig will be scratched. ... Tocchet spoke of a two-player setup in which he will try to keep two players together to develop chemistry (such as Jussi Jokinen and Mark Recchi) and rotate a third player onto a line. " ... Tocchet said Stamkos will take shifts at right wing with Lecavalier and St. Louis but also play some center. "We have to get him a little more minutes and see what he can do," Tocchet said.          

Comments

[Boltflasher]

More about what I call "A Tale of Two Barries" in
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Andy-Strickland/Melrose-Headed-Back-To-Television-Erik-Johnson-Ne8230/5/17943

As many as 6 Lightning players went to management about Melrose according to Strickland....and apparently, Melrose was hired because Rob Blake told (Len) Barrie that Barry was the best coach he had played for...
Thanks Rob!

[Mike13]

Very interesting stuff going on with the Bolts these past few days. I am honestly EXTREMELY shocked that they had enough life to come back and tie the game after trailing by 3. Ordinarily, they take the rest of the game off when they get into that situation. Glad to see them come back the way they did. And notably, very happy to see Vrbata finally get a goal!!!

[Boltflasher]

Also, enjoyed meeting TWG and again Coach Bill and Chic!!...

[Boltflasher]

Back from the game...great performance from the Bolts except for penaly killing. Attendance: 16,176....pretty good for a Tues night for a team not playing well (for those who jumped to conclusions). The crowd was late arriving as only half full at start of game but approx 85% full by 2nd period.

Bolts clearly dominated play, Stamkos and Eminger best games yet. McCabe who scored 2 more goals against Bolts admitted they were outplayed but got lucky with some bad officiating and great goaltending...

The 3-0 Panth lead, for a change, was misleading. I give credit to an energized Lightning who came back to tie it up. I did not expect to see that happen...

[mike p]

Leo, I'm not saying you are wrong, I would just like to point out the fact that Robert's signed BEFORE the Dan Boyle trade. Now the lightning still had glaring problems on defense at that time, but I am pretty sure management lured Roberts over to Tampa with good pay and assurances they would try their best to make Tampa a contender.

[Ringo]

Lousy game, Brendan O'eary

[PD]

Thx H.
Which really is the base 9500, no walk up and no 30 buses full of Panturd fans.

[Herb]

I was shocked that it was even half full. I would say 10k.

[PD]

Ajax its quite astonishing how you just go off like a psychotic volcano.

If you don't think Koules choice was sign Lecavalier or lose him to Montreal and keep Torts instead, well son then there is no hope for you and Leo bang on with V4 role crashing Mullet even it was a passive aggressive one , playing like a girl for 15 games other than the Toronto media game
No checking from him no leadership, nuttin.Hung Melrose out to dry.

[PD]

Herb ,guess the attendance tonight?

[PD]

No L, but I do think you heard it on CJAD before Melrose got the news.
The cool kids in the room knew,thats how Maquire knew through the rat.

Actually I recall you announcing on the blog but it was just out already.

[léo]

Appreciate that, MikeP.
1.25mil$ + bonuses.
Seems quite a lot to attract this particular player with a "promised contending team".
MikeP, 'member all the griping about the lack of D BEFORE the season even started?
No one in their right minds saw the Bolters, as is, as a "contender." So how could Roberts?
He came for the JOB, Mike, not for the "contention" of the team.
I'm not saying V4 had anything to do with the Mullet thing, but it's much more PLAUSIBLE that he did than Roberts or Recchi.
IMO.
P.

[Herb]

So I heard that he could be first as
well, I concur.

[mike p]

Purely for the sake of numbers leo, roberts makes 1.250mil and can make up to 2.07mil with his bonuses. That puts him in 9th on the lightning for players, based on their cap hit.

[ajax]

Bolts tie it up. Leaf jersey goes back to the yardwork drawer. Don't know nothing about the game, but this. 50 shots on a goal ain't ever a bad thing. Harmony is a fickle thing in sports, and confidence is oh so dear to success. A game like this, never know?? Look at Montreal, dominating for 10 game stretch and last 4 games have 3 losses and have only scored 6 goals, total. Winning and losing is a very fine line mates. Look at Atlanta, 5 wins in a row, just two weeks after losing 3 games in 5 nights all by like 4 goals. Marathon, not a sprint. I do like one stat that I can't resist to comment on. The three guys with about the least minutes tonight? Lundin, Roberts and Gratton. Oh, silly me, those are the three I said last week they need to get rid of. Lundin had 8 minutes in the first period when we had a slew of penalties and only 7 minutes the rest of the night. Kudos to Tocchet for doing some positive things. I imagine Gratton and his evening waltz is going to be shopped. The boy has no heart to be a checking center. Just doesn't have the mindset to help this team. Stamkos and Vrbata 17 minutes each. Got to stick with the skaters, it is a skating game. Oops just checked, another shootout loss. Time to change the rotation, Vinny is like 2/7 and even Jussi has missed three in a row. Great great game to come back from 3-0. Can't wait to lose my voice this weekend. HEY BEER MAN!!!!

[McGz]

Herb they'd be better off picking Hedman.

[léo]

Please forgive me.
Upon rereading what I'd wrote, I noticed I'd mentioned it but not emphasized it. I'll do so now:
I don't know WHAT happened. At all. You know your team better than I do. Never said V4 talked. Never said anyone was wrong to think otherwise. Never said anyone didn't know what he or she was talking about. I only collate, hypothesize following discernable and recognizable patterns, and then present a final analysis according to my individual thought process... with all the merit THAT has, I guess.
I don't know, or forgot, how much Roberts makes but it can't be more than 1mil$. At that price, you don't got shhh to say. At that age, still in the NHL? Are teams LINING UP for Roberts? Lucky to be playin'. He don't got shhh to say, c'mon.
Add to that the fact that he ain't the captain and he doesn't have the Presence (yet, or ever) in TB to start exposin' his concerns after 10-16 bloody games and where does he find the wherewithal to do that with NO BACKUP. For him to do that, it just makes no sense to me.
Recchi, due to the fact that "there are stories" about him on other teams, ok, maybe, but still, so soon? V4 and Marty just let him do it? Didn't intervene?: "Hey, Mark, calm down. We're the leaders here. We say what's what."
No? V4 and Marty knew NOTHING about this? All behind their backs? And THEN, their INPUT after the "ratting" was not sollicited? It was a "surprise"??? Really?
Please.
PD,
Makes sense. But didn't know those 2 were bosom mates. Interesting point you bring up. Heard the show. (In fact, posted the news on this blog before your boy.) But that just means Recchi heard about the firing before the rest of the world, not that HE initiated it. Do you think I heard the news before any other BOLT PLAYER?
After 16 games. 16 bloody games.
Wow, R'n'R sure do got a lot of clout.
P.

[Herb]

Let's remember that they are playing the Florida 'Turds.

[Herb]

Just got home from the game in which I left with 13 minutes to go in the 2nd period. I have seen better college games than what I witnessed tonight. For the ones who were lucky enough to stay home I wish I would have as well. All I can hear right now is "with the first overall pick in the 2009 entry draft , the Tampa Bay Lightning pick John Tavares".

[McGz]

Lightning tie it up! Eminger sounds like he's a whole lot better than Carle at this point.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

I told everyone it was Roberts not getting along with Melrose from the start, but someone told me I didn't know what I was talking about. Ha, I know several guys with the Bolts and they are good reliable sources...they wouldn't steer anyone one wrong and are more reliable than some of our beloved sports reporters because they are there when it happens...if they say that Roberts and Melrose didn't get along, then I believe them. To find out, it was true all along and there WAS turmoil in the locker room and now you see the facts come forward. Therefore, Melrose is looking for another job and the Lightning are looking for a new coach. Soon allot of players will be playing for new teams. This team has problems that lie much deeper than just the coach and a few players. You haven't seen nothing yet...this owner amd all his minions are a bunch of drama queens and they thrive off of publicity and turmoil to grab attention for themselves. I wish it wasn't so, but I can't say that its not.

[ajax]

Just got home and the boys are down 3-1. I am looking for my Maple Leaf jersey.

[ajax]

PD you drive me crazy. Only one person got Tortorella fired and that was John. How you can say VL4 got him fired is insane. They all had it with John. Mike Smith was here for a month and said numerous times how hard it was playing under the microscope every shift, with everyone scared to say boo to Tsar John. His quitting on the team and the city is well documented, the straw that got his best friend to hand him his walking papers. Stop with the headlines, but untrue phrases. And as far as V goes, Toronto would roll out the red carpet for Vinny, and when he hammered home 40 in Toronto he would then and only then become a player to you. You just flat out can't stand for him to be successful in the wrong jersey. Two top 10 finshes in scoring is one more than Sundin his entire underachieving career. Oh yeah I forgot he was a leader(of what??) they never did anything with him.

[Don in St. Pete]

Any of you conspiracy theorist's know where I can watch the Bolt game online?

[PD]

Maquire has pissedoff a lot of people. Thats why he isn't coaching anymore.

he should know.

[Larry David]

Like I said in my previous post, old guys are to be taken seriously when it comes to team performance, my big problem is that I don't think they (Recchi & Roberts) bothered to speak with Melrose, instead went and had him fired.
To me, it's all about ego with everyone involved.
VC & MSL were probably left watching a Gong Show.

Maguire is a first class PUNK, just look at him.

[PD]

Leo, I might give Roberts the benefit of the doubt but not Recchi.

Larry David's 100% right he was one of the rats in the room as Therion would attest in the past.

Want some proof you say?
Recchi and hockey stooge commentator Pierre Maquire are thick as a brick.
Who called your Montreal station CJAD the afternoon before the firing and told them Melrose was fired??..Maguire.
Got it?

Pretty despicable on Recchi's part but also on the moronic two faced owners..Melrose got the shiv.

Lecavalier is now tied to the firing of two coaches, he's out of get out of jail free cards.

Ajax, Malone is OK but not at the money and length he got..
not remotely.

[mike p]

ice time**

[mike p]

Leo, are u saying that vinny went crying to management? I really don't think that's the case. We've already seen how not vocal he is. I'd bet good money it was recchi and roberts (that's what a lot of sources are saying too) as those guys probably agreed with the managers to sign on to this team assuming it was going to be a good one. You are Gary Roberts, you come to a team promised to be contenders and you are facing an inept coach. You've played hockey for how many years? Do you really think he wouldn't go to management with all his hockey experience and knowledge of coaches? Think again leo. And if he was fired over V4 losing ice team, vinny wouldn't have had to say anything to management...they know exactly how much they're paying him and they know exactly how much they want him to play.

[GP]

Film? Was't there a NHL.com commercial of Melrose watching film with Nigel?

[GP]

Leo,

That was a good game the other night against the Flyers eh? lol

I haven't had much time to write. I switched shifts. Your team looks good and I think people need to give the Lightning a chance to find itself. It's hard to critique after less than 25% of the season. We'll ... time will tell.

[ajax]

Strange comment about film. The tool of the 23rd century. I think if you show the Lightning their positioning at the start of the game and how they generally become more passive and further apart as the game goes on, you would cure alot of ails. Film does this and day after day instills the right way versus the wrong way, 10x more effective than crying to the press every night about effort. I am curious why Melrose offered that stat about best 1st period team, the next question should of been, why the breakdown in the 2nd?? Part of me suggests a simple fact of longer changes(not exactly the swiftest team) but it is obvious to see a D that loses that edge and gets mighty comfortable back peddling. I think if you read Melroses comments he knew he wasn't getting the job done and worse he knew he didn't have the answers to correct it. Perfect match, he wanted out and we showed him the door.
I do think it was obvious the players weren't playing hard, and shame on all of them. Not to happy with that assessment, as players need to hold themselves accountable for effort and obviously some of them didn't. I haven't heard one word on Malone. For all the naysayers, the guy is obviously an important part of our success. The guy gives 110% and is versatile to be used anywhere anythime. Nice "asset" to have for our team. Vinny was obviously not a fan of Melrose and it showed. Shame on Vinny. As much as like Vinny he played much harder Sunday than I have seen in weeks. Let's get an answer on Malone gang.

[léo]

Therrien may have had problems with Recchi in PITTSBURGER because he'd been there longer than him!
But to start shootin' his mouth off BESIDE V4 and Marty in TAMPER? On a team he's been with all of a month? I don't know...
But Roberts doin' that? Never. Neh-eh-ver.
Roberts is all about TEAM. ESPECIALLY at his age. C'mon. Larry. C'mon.
I've never even PRETENDED to know as much about the Bolters as y'all do. It's y'all's team. Y'all are FINELY attuned to the auras, the pervading feelings, the underlying characters of disposition interconnecting with each other that only occurs when CLOSELY following your particular boys for a LENGTHY amount of time. Y'all not only have a step up on me but a whole dang escalator.
That being said, ROBERTS? Never. Unless...
He's SO MUCH of a team-first guy, that he SAW that MULLET was hurting the team...and then, he did what he had to do.
Even that? No. I don't see it.
He goes into the (?office) and says "Listen, don't wanna cause any waves but my vast experience is FORCING me to say that for the GOOD of your team, bla-bla-bla-whatever..."
You see Roberts doin' that?
My thought process: V4's re-signing DEPENDANT on Tortie's departure. Can we all agree on that? We even know the reasons. Remember my post during the F-1 in Mtl? When V4 and Roy were on "La Zone sportive"? 'Member?
I will assume you do.
Now, who's a better coach? Objectively? Mullet or Tort? Can we agree on Tort?
Now, Mullet cuts V4's ice-time and CALLS HIM OUT 2 games after his return from injury.
Final analysis: A LESSER coach is getting on V4's back and pissing him off just like Tortie was PLUS cutting his ice-time...
You see where I'm goin'?
I don't know who said what to the who-now.
But who cares?
Would you prefer that whoever said it had said NOTHING? And that the Mullet stayed?
I'd'a taken friggin' CREDIT, ya ask me. "Yeah, I said it! He can't coach! I went to the boss and told him he couldn't expect me to produce for this clown! Told them to dump him cuz I ACTUALLY would like to win some bloody games! Oh, and 1985 called. It wants its hair back."
A choice between "class" and Victory ain't no choice at all. But that's me.
As we say up north,
Bon débarras.
Stick that in the translator and I'm sure you'll concur.
P.

[Jim-nj]

Steve's agent said it. There!

[Amy]

The defense had nothing to do with the goals against. That was Smitty and Olie single-handedly playing better than the other team out on the ice.

I don't know about Recchi complaining, but he and Jussi sure have something going on.. so as far as I'm concerned, he can complain as long as he keeps getting goals and assists.

[Larry David]

Recchi is a travelling side show, Therrien had problems with both Recchi & Roberts.

I won't discount old guys knowing what's going and where problems lie, I will say they're both playing politics.
As players, they should know better.

[léo]

"Obvious" Larry?
Obvious to who? Mind readers and people who can see through walls?
Where do you get this certainty?
Recchi griping on a new team? ...mmmmm, maybe.
Roberts griping on a new team? Never. The guy's 53-yrs-old. "I want more ice-time!" ...mmmm, I don't see that one at all.
What makes it "obvious" to you?
P.

[Larry David]

It reminds me of Bill Barber in Philly, when players asked him what they needed to do in the playoffs during TV timeout, he said "work harder".

What's even funnier is how the exact same results can be achieved by saying it differently.

Players are creating a BS excuse for themselves, last I checked winning the battle for loose pucks wins games, beating the opposition on the boards wins games, not "making sure you're in the right place".

While I agree that a player is sometimes defined by his play away from the puck, that's not something Melrose could not or did not teach.

These guys have no heart and I really am starting to think Recchi & Roberts are WASTING everyone's time.
These 2 old people need to finally quit.

It's obvious Recchi & Roberts cried to ownership and it will haunt them in the hockey world, they have NO CLASS.

[Casper]

Welcome back, DC.

Ah fare thee well, Le Mullet. Nothing beats a failure like a try......
Karma Dude, make nice aboot people or the curved end of the stick goes up your...

Bet we wish we treated Mike Sullivan more like a human being now though, huh?

Bolts v. Panthers. Whoopie. Should be a good night to paint the seats!

Love my Lightning but the new owners have lost all cred. I hope the gang gets their s**t together.

Go Bolts!

[Hockey1stLove]

Welcome back Damian, yes Joe did a good job, but I still missed your comments.

Now that the "Melrose" time is done and gone, let's get on with the next phase of playing and winning. I think it is worth the time to try Stamkos with Vinny and Marty, and Vrbata seem more alive in the last game then I have ever seen him, possible he will begin to blossom under Coach Toc (whom he was with in Phx) so to say Let's Go Lightning!!

[Brendan]

This team had the least goals allowed in the first period because of one reason. Goaltending! There was very little defense. That quote shows just how inept and out of touch Melrose was.