Tocchet responds to Melrose

By now, you've read the transcript or listened to what former Lightning coach Barry Melrose had to say Tuesday on a Toronto radio station about how current Tampa bay coach Rick Tocchet, basically, is a puppet of ownership and that No. 1 draft pick Steve Stamkos is not ready for the NHL.

We'll have a larger story in Wednesday's paper, but Tocchet was so upset with Melrose's characterization, he felt like he had to sound off.

On Melrose continuing to bash the Lightning: "Yeah, I'm disappointed. I'm not a fan of people who go to the mike all the time to air their dirty laundry. You have a problem, it should have been done before."

On Melrose saying Tocchet is being directed by ownership: "I take it personally, to be honest with you. I'm not a puppet. Ownership doesn't tell me who to play. They are very supportive of me. I have a great coaching staff that helps me make decisions. Like I said, this is our training camp now. We're starting to put a system in place, which I think we're getting better at. We now have a system. ... The only reason I am commenting on this is it was insinuated I was told what to do, and in 24 years in the NHL, the people who know me, I'm not a puppet or told what to do by ownership. That's the only thing. I'm not going to comment on Barry's coaching techniques, for me, it's to set the record straight. Ownership has not told me who to play."

On Melrose saying Stamkos is not ready for the NHL: "I just think he's wrong. I don't think his assessment is right. I think Steve Stamkos is a dynamic young player. It's my job, and our staff's, to teach him to play the right way. He's done that sometimes, and sometimes he's made mistakes, and that's the process of a young guy."

Bottom line: "I'm not going to talk about it any more. I'm the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The decisions are made by me as to who is on the ice, with the help of a great hockey staff. ... To me, our franchise doesn't need this right now. We're reeling. We're trying to win. We're trying to get the guys to play the right way. I just think if we all put this to rest, I don't want to hear Barry on every weekly radio show. That's why I want to get this out. That's what this is all about."

Like I said, a full story in Wednesday's paper, but thought you'd like a taste.   

Comments

[hyjyljyj]

"All this while wearing the scowl to tell people to buzz off about any references to past gaming indescetions. Just like Pete Rose"

Somehow this gaming stuff just doesn't pass the As If You Really Care Test. Pete Rose bet on his OWN team to win--as if you really care. Tocchet and Gretzky bet on some basketball games--as if you really care.

Me neither.

Besides, judging from the ovation given to Bill Clinton for being at the arena in Buffalo last night, hockey people are the kind of people who are willing to forgive indiscretions. (New to the game, he was overheard asking an aide, "Whaddya mean, 'the ref shoulda made the call for hookers'? That's YOUR job, dammit!") :p

[leo]

Yeah, SteveR.
Heard about that the other day. Caught up a few days ago, the Sidenator and the Malkinator.
After the initial Hab boost that had Us leading by a million, guess We figured no one would catch up.
Hopefully, the Hab freaks will get the ball rollin' again.
Nice ID4 speech, though.
P.

[Oscar]

Nice going Coach. Spoken like a true ex-Captain.

Wow Tocchet has got his hands full!

First he has to mollycoddle and train an 18 year old so as not to damage the psyche, stagnate, or burn him out.

Next he is needed to harness "Wild Thing" Downie and help him stay in this league (a lot of similarity in Tocchet and Downie's styles of play).

After that, he'll need to coax competititveness and CONSISTENCY from a room full of dead heads; to include the systematic urging of our D-6 to play at the NHL level.

Then, and most important--- he must show....actually, physically, clearly demonstrate to Mr. Lecavalier how to be a leader, the Captain of an NHL hockey club.

All this while wearing the scowl to tell people to buzz off about any references to past gaming indescetions. Just like Pete Rose, tell them where to go and get on with what you have to do!

Busy guy. Can he drive the zamboni too?

Go Bolts!

[Steve R]

leo, what are your thoughts on the Pens fans and Caps joining forces for this:

http://thepensblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/ovechkin-counter-offensive.html

[leo]

I don't usually do this, but only fair to warn y'all.
Name Zanobiev (or whatever) ring a bell? KHL Star.
We want him up north. Little problem: he has to go through waivers first.
Which means, again, that the lowest-point total team gets first dibs on the wire.
Heads up.
P.

[ajax]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AiBjhHODOzqOfzu7D8GO9sk5nYcB?slug=ys-mclaren120908&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Saw this article. Lightning could get him cheapo, no? Vrbata money freed up, what's to lose?
Read the last 20 threads or so. WOW, this takes the cake. PD do you really believe half the stuff that you print. I never knew dreamed of such deep deep plots in Tampa. Dr. Evil, Ultimate Schemer, back-stabber, swindler, con-artist. To be so successful it is amazing these guys fooled everyone but PD. Exhausting to read all that you (know) I am going to start calling you Jerry Fletcher. For all of you that saw the movie it is smack dead on.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800290380/info

[Patrick]

Boyle a Norris candidate? No wonder you spend so much time on our forum instead of your own canadian forum. You must have been laughed off them all and now post here in exile.

PD only has one interest, seeing the lightning leave tampa. He probably concluded it would happen years before now - just like how he was listing what our actual attendance will be NEXT year earlier.

Ominous voice - "PD's crystal ball has spoken!!"

[D]

Hey, Melrose. Shut yer yap!

[hockeytalkie]

pd,

maybe those links to players exist. i dont have access to their portfolios. maybe you know someone at bear mountain or whatever. agin i dont know. maybe they did influence decision making, i dont know. but i will stand by my source's info as to how the firing went down. it's that much of a lead pipe lock! from day one, the way he ran practices was a joke. and the players smelled a fertilizer salesman right away. that's why no one said anything to the media. including those outside your bear mountain 6.

yes a GM should be hired first in a situation like this. but the bottom line is melrose should not be behind any nhl bench. you say he and 99 are pals, but 99 knew better than make the mistake of hiring him. mullet and OK are pals too, but OK didn't know better. if everything else had been done right and your alleged UFA conspirators had not come here, melrose was still a mistake PERIOD. end of discussion.

[BrianB23]

PD Face it, Melrose is a terrible coach. He barely made it to the Stanley Cup finals, and that was in his first year behind an NHL bench with the former coach's players and the Great One scoring goals... and even then he still lost the Cup in rather pathetic fashion.

THATS IT! That's his only claim to coaching fame. All he knows how to do is flap his lips and insult the Lightning, which he has done consistently for years! (Anyone remember the 2004 Playoffs??)

[leo]

On our rendez-vous tomorrow night.
Looks like you'll be facing Halak.
Carbo said that if you want to play against the Priceberg, you've got to EARN it.
(Ok, I made up that last part...)
P.

[Brittany]

PD, I agree with you on the fact that the first move they should have made was to hire a GM. When they made all of those moves, they didn't really have a plan and you can see that now with the way Lawton is trying to get things situated. But again, I will say at least they tried something. They overpaid Malone, sure. But that is what happens when you have no farm team and you have to get your players from FA, you over pay. Almost every time. If we didn't pay him that, he would have gotten it from someplace else.

I'm also not going to bother typing why Vinny being traded would be a death sentence again because I've said it already. He is not only the face of the franchise, he IS the franchise. No Vinny, no more Tampa Bay Lightning, no matter what we got in return. You don't just trade 3 of the 4 most popular players away (although, without Vinny, there is no need for Marty either) and hope the fans will forgive you. That stuff might work up in Canada, but it doesn't work down here.

[hockeytalkie]

so what about mike sullivan? tocchet didn't hire him. is he just biding his time, waiting in the wings like brutus as well?

(a-ha, yet another conspiracy)

[PD]

Brittany a bit of a straw man with Palace, they cut to the bone and wanted out.

They couldn't find an outright buyer so they took the OK leveraged deal.

The point is more that with the cap money.

If Oren had the sense to realize that this wasn't a toy, he could have brought in a real GM who would have spent the cap money much more wisely and wouldn't have eviscerated the D by trading away a Norris candidate for nothing and trading for Meszaros giving up two NHlers and a 1st pick.
Game over right there.

Thats the real shame.

The guys they brought in weren't worth it and Malone, please they overpaid by 500,000 a year and gave him 6 years for playing with Malkin.

A real GM would not have given Vinny the retirement contract that dooms the team either but would have traded him for the right pieces and the team would look a whole bunch different now.

I feel sorry for Koules, he's a good guy but sold his soul with Barrie out of necessity to do the deal.

Anyway enough..Im out for a few weeks

I appreciate an adult sharing of views with you, McGz, Talkie and Flasher.

Time will prove things shortly.

[hockeytalkie]

i'm not nitpicking. you just refuse to admit melrose has no business behind ANY nhl bench. conspiracy or not.

re old time MTL:
prior to 1969 MTL had the first right of refusal w/EVERY player w/in 50 mile radius of the city. all would agree that was where most of the best young skaters lived. but the other 5 had no chance at these players unless the habs said ok first.

it was clarence campbell who started the draft, changed this rule and basically stated you must either sign them or let them seek employment in another organization or farm system. at one point mtl had 70-80 under their umbrella while at the same time NYR had only 30! no wonder it took the Rags so long to break the 1940 curse. for example, if gilbert perrault had been born a year earlier he'd have been yet another "canadian for life"

[PD]

When you are given a job to coach a team, but set up as a puppet for an owner, Len Barrie, who wants control of those ice times and player decisions.

When half the team, including your assistant coach that you didn't hire, hang with Barrie, then W*T*F Hockey?

Even Scotty couldn't make that work. Its called dysfunction.

None of the rest means squat.

[PD]

Talkie I respect your opinion.
I guess Oren Felt differently.

[hockeytalkie]

you keep saying he never had a chance.

melrose wouldn't have had a chance with the current SJS roster b/c players have to ACTUALLY be coached/instructed/taught. not just punished or rewarded w/ice time. that's not coaching, that's being a hall monitor.

as coach he sux and everyone in league knows it. that doesn't mean he doesn't have friends though, like 99.

[PD]

You are nit picking now Talkie

No matter its just another in the chain of never ending Ill thought out moves by Barrie and Koules.

Boyle was the worst

[PD]

Not sure what you are talking about with respect to old time MTL players??

Phoenix chose Gretz because A/ he was part owner and wanted it and B/ he was/is the most recognizable name in the game.

Marketing trumped all in Phoenix.

[hockeytalkie]

correction

they overachieved ONE TIME. trust me when i say this. players DO NOT LOVE PLAYING FOR THIS GUY or any other directionless gas bag. if that were true his named would have at least come up in rumors over the last 13 years, don't you think?

he's nothing but a bad penny and OK was too stupid to see it.

[Brittany]

So PD, you are telling me that because they "hung out" there is some conspiracy going on here? I will say that I don't agree with Barrie and some of the things he has done (I tend to think Oren is the one running the show though), but honestly, get over it already. When you play hockey and are involved in hockey, it means you are going to know a lot of people. Maybe we should play 7-degrees of Kevin Bacon and see who else Barrie knows and be sure to not involve them with the Lightning, otherwise there might be more of a conspiracy going on.

I know it is easy to pick on the new owners, but I want to ask people if they think we are actually worse off with these guys then we were with PS&E. Sure, our record is crap right now and no better than when they were hear, but I think we can agree that we are better off because they are at least TRYING to help grow our farm team. Yeah, you can't buy a championship, that has been proven over and over again, but what the heck else were they supposed to do? Maybe you haven't noticed, but our scouting up until now has sucked. I mean, majorly sucked. They basically had to start over and try and get as many prospects/picks as they could and still try and sign some guys who might be able to compete now to keep the fans happy. Who else could they have gotten for us? You think Hossa was going to come sign here? I think we were all pretty happy that they were going out and trying to bring in the best players that were available. Sure, they traded Boyle away, but we need to move on, its over. Or we can continue to wish we had PS&E here, who would have our salary at the floor and bring no one here to help us. We would continue to watch guys like Darche and Oulette play on our second line and still be in last place. If you want to tell me that Malone is worse than Darche and Oulette then I don't know what to tell ya.

[hockeytalkie]

why didn't 99 hire him in PHX then? being friends w/someone and happy for them to find work is far diff than putting your money where your mouth is.

btw, 99 is "fine coach and gm." on ice greatness rarely translates into bench or front office success. and before you bring up oldtime MTL players, the main thing that brought them success w/the first 18 cups was the 100 mile radius rule back in the day.

[PD]

Nobody Talkie, they overachieved and the players loved him.

The real point is that he was hired here for the marketing spin by the drama queens then had no chance with the room because of the internal Bear mountain /tocchet group.

He never stood a chance so good for him to grab the check and be set for life.

[hockeytalkie]

and who undermined him in LA?

[PD]

Gretzky says yes, you say no
decisons decisions.

[hockeytalkie]

so melrose can coach NHLers, yes or no?

[PD]

Pettinger is another one Talkie, Bear Mountain investor . He knew he was going to the Bolts before he was even plucked off the wire.

Your bluster is a little weak.

[PD]

In other words Hockey you have no say on the fact Tocchet and the 6 Bolts have Bear Mountain investments and hung with Barrie? Right.

You have no comment on how that affected the room and cut Melrose off at the knees.

Your insider is a little biased or uninformed and shooting the messenger doesn't change reality.

[hockeytalkie]

oh, i forgot "area 51" and princess diana

[hockeytalkie]

pd,

are trying to infer that melrose CAN or ever could coach at this level? b/c his record says otherwise. are you saying that he would have produced results by season's end if given the chance? he was a clown then and still is. my point is he NEVER should have been given the chance. at least they realized it and fixed it. must everything be a conspiracy?

while we're at it let me clear up a few other things: there was no grassy knoll gunman, hindenberg did not "blow-up" (it was a static electricity induced fire), hitler did no survive the bunker and live out his days in south america, paul is NOT dead, we DID land on the moon in 1969, Pope John Paul I was not killed b/c he was going to ordain woman priests, clinton DID "do" jen flowers and lewinsky (not vast right wing consipacy as his wife said), 9/11 was NOT an inside job, jim morrison died on 7/5/1971 in paris and is still dead. (did i miss anything?) oh yeah, tupac, james dean and andy kaufman are also still dead.

hey just in case...
pd, do you by chance carry around a copy of "catcher in rye" at all times?

geez, it's like i'm blogging with oliver stone over here! (maybe pd IS oliver stone and "p.d." stands for "paranoid director") now i'm sounding like him.

[hyjyljyj]

"when Melrose was fired, not one player wished him well or had anything positive to say. There is usually the official cordial statement with a thanks and good luck, but with Melrose- not a thing."

Big surprise, when you read Melrose saying "There were only one or two guys on that team that I cared for." Also, this '80s hack with the greased-up Just For Men hairdo, zero fashion sense, terrible tailor and swollen head has squandered some of his precious credibility capital as a professional, impartial analyst for ESPN by saying he hopes Tampa Bay doesn't win another game all season. What a dripping a-hole. Now we're all REALLY going to be hanging on your every word when it comes to analyzing any Lightning game, Melrose, you jerk.

I defended him when I thought he was on our side, now he clearly is an enemy of the team. If I'm Tocchet I print out that remark by Melrose and post it in every locker stall in that room. Just on raw anger and pride alone they might win enough games to mount at least the semblance of a comeback, all else being equal, which with this squad it isn't

I agree 100% with Tocchet that this is our training camp right now, and the sooner we accept the fact that it's September again, the saner and more enjoyable the rest of the season will be. Every big change restarts the season (except as a bonus, we get to keep the points already earned), brings a new possibility of hope for a better future, and requires a new dose of patience and tolerance from fans who love the team.*

*Note: Only applies to fans of the team who actually strongly desire for the Lightning to succeed (i.e., "boosters"). To the rest (you know who you are) it does not apply. To you the season is over, the team and its leadership are a joke, and it'll make you laugh if the Lightning come in last place again. In other words, you're in total agreement with Melrose.

Have a nice day

[HockeyBay.com]

See who is laughing the loudest about the Bolts! check this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnA2t5dLNY

[PD]

Talkie did your "insider" happen to mention that 6 or 7 Bolts and Tocchet have Bear Mountain investments with Barrie, hung out with Barrie after games and basically split the room, freezing out Melrose? He never had a chance.

Did the insider mention that the players agents went to management not the players, (semantics do hide a lot of things).

Playing 500 hockey the rest will deliver about 67 points and 14th or 15th spot in the east.

However, with a base of 9500 that would mean not much walk up and no playoffs ,vs. largest debt load in the league.

Next years seasons base would be under 7500 based on the economy alone, let alone the Barrie roster disaster.

[hockeytalkie]

while the jury is still out on tocchet he's been an nhl asst. not that that guarantees anything, but melrose was nothing more than a career minor league coach 15 years ago how much more out of touch can you get? up until his "legal" troubles he was only around the game at the highest level. and i think even the haters in this blog would agree that he hasn't been given much to work with b/c if D cant pass or carry, the all stars never even get to touch the puck much-less shoot it.

btw, we are just about out of our "on-the-job" training camp so it's time to see if he can start molding this blob into anything respectable. if they play .500 hockey from x-mas on, i say keep him.

[Boltflasher]

So Lawton is clueless for firing Melrose whom he didn't hire to start with? Lawton may be making mistakes, but letting Melrose go isn't one of them...

[Badbud]

"I'm the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The decisions are made by me as to who is on the ice with the help of my great hockey staff."

and if you buy that,got some beach front for sale in down town Dallas Tx.

God, not a another UUNAMED informat.

BTW anybody still thing the "Seen Stamkos" ,was a good Idea.

He Is a boy playing vs Men and it shows.all you got to do is watch him play.

Lawton is Clueless clown for GM.

[Patrick]

hockeytalkie,

Thanks for the info. I guess we are actually lucky we have "meddlesome" management. Glad they corrected a mistake.

[Boltflasher]

Thanks talkie...

[hockeytalkie]

3 weeks back when everyone was trying to figure out who "ratted" mullet out and i said it wasn't VL4. i spoke to my insider again and this is basically what he told me.

actually no one went to mgmt and requested a change. rather mgmt sought out opinions on how things were going in the locker room and vaguely hinted at a change to get reactions. NOT A SINGLE ONE of 8 or 9 various players (and i do mean various) came to the mullet's defense or even suggested that "we need time to gel under his system" and that's when they KNEW they had to make a change. he hadn't lost the locker room, he never had it in the first place. he had no definable structure and today's player needs/wants and is used to a structured system in which he can understand what he did wrong and how to correct it.

melrose nhl coaching record speaks for itself. melrose was good for a pep rally quote but worthless beyond that. at least torts had a structure and actual accountability behind all his mantras and diatribes.

[The Voice of the Turtle]

This sets up a terrific steel cage match between Tocchet and Melrose to be held at the St. Petersburg Times Forum and promoted by Vince McMahon. Barry Melrose knows, if nothing else, how to promote himself and that is why he is paid to babble on ESPN. Rick Tocchet would probably like to punch out the Mullet Boy, but would not gamble on getting in trouble with the law for doing so...oh...did I say "gamble?"

About the team's fortunes of late, and concerning Melrose's prattle, I think I can safely say as one of the Lightning
loyal: We are not amused!

[leo]

Think he said exactly what he said, PD.
Think Barry was weak. Said it before when he walked outta practice.
Think this is a supreme effort on Barry's part to save face after his time as TB coach could only be defined as a class-A, full-on clusterhump.
Getting his job back at ESPN, how does he get the audience to take him seriously unless he says that he was right and the WHOLE TB team was wrong?
Barry is weak.
Up north, we refer to Barry as the "old, finished fool." Good riddance. Better a puppet than a fool.
That being said, I don't know anything about Tocchet aside his criminal activity.
He seems serious enough though.
Pull yeh socks up, mates; we meet on Thursday.
P.

[Randy C]

For those of us that have seen a practice run by the Mullet and our coach now, it is plain to see why the owners may have made requests of Melrose and not Tocchet. The fact that Melrose insists on keeping up the chatter about the bolts will only bring out, even more, how incompetent he was as a coach and a leader. At least we now have coaching staff with a system being communicated to the players. I see steady improvement now that wasn't there under Melrose. We have a long way to go, but with this staff we have a chance to get there.

[McGz]

What happened with the fracas Olin? Vs no longer available to me.

[JB]

Classy move by Tocchet, which makes him seem all the more out of place. There is no place for class with this new ownership. He's doomed

[mike p]

Melrose is an attention seeking clown! Good on Toc to speak up!

[olin]

...wow, anyone just see the messy Riley Cote-Mitch Fritz soiree on versus.

[McGz]

PD, you really need a new hobby man. When someone calls you out about not being a fan of this team, you never deny that. Is that a non denial, denial? Go troll the Maple Leafs' blogs.

[McGz]

Tocchet just earned mad respect. Melrose was always a bad choice for this team, and I'm glad he's gone. I said about a week ago that he would be back bad mouthing the team by the end of the week. I think I nailed it. There should have been a gag order issued in the contract, or his salary would be forfeited. Maybe Feastor could have been consulted on that matter.

[PD]

I guess that depends what the meaning of puppet is.

Some would call it a non denial, denial.

Leo this is your expertise, what did he say?