Photo by Linda Hamilton

Tampa Bay Lightning fans have been buzzing since the news of Guy Boucher’s dismissal broke yesterday. Who is the guy who will take his spot behind the bench? A veteran like Lindy Ruff or the wildly successful AHL coach already in the organization? Per Darren Dreger of TSN, Steve Yzerman’s man is Syracuse Crunch head coach Jon Cooper. Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times stated that no contract has been signed, so nothing is official as of yet.

Sports radio is already buzzing about the prospect. Is this the right move for the struggling Lightning? Should they have taken on a more experienced coach like Lindy Ruff? The point is a bit moot at this point. Cooper’s success with the Admirals and now the Crunch put him on the radar of a lot of teams. If he didn’t become a head coach at the NHL level, there was a very real possibility he would have done so somewhere else.

The shortened season will hopefully give him time to acclimatize to the NHL and the locker room dynamics here. A number of his guys are already up with the Bolts. Ideally the veterans will buy in based on their success.

Update: And it’s official. Jon Cooper becomes the eighth head coach in Lightning history. Cooper should have his first game with the Bolts at Friday’s home game against the Devils.

Photo by Linda Hamilton

It seems as though it’s been predicted all season long, but it’s finally happened. The Lightning have fired Guy Boucher as their head coach this morning. Assistant coaches Dan LaCroix and Martin Raymond will handle coaching duties behind the bench in tonight’s game at Winnipeg.

Boucher leaves the Lightning with a record of 84-62-16. After experiencing wild success in his first season as head coach, the Lightning never seemed to live up to the promise of the 2011 playoffs. As of today, the Bolts are 13-17-1 and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.

GM Steven Yzerman issued the following statement when announcing the news:

Via the Official Lightning Website:

“Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done. But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise.”

» Continue reading “Lightning Release Guy Boucher As Head Coach”

Eric Brewer Photo by Linda Hamilton

My second topic for this segment is veteran defenseman Eric Brewer.  This one is tough because I think the Lightning have the tools to turn things around quickly – and Brewer would be an important piece during the stretch run.  That being said, there are some young defensemen like Mark Barberio and Radko Gudas knocking on the door. Keith Aulie is already in the NHL and proving that he belongs. Let’s take a look at both sides: » Continue reading “Trade Deadline Talk: Eric Brewer”

Schemin’ Steve Yzerman honed his skills on the forest moon of Endor.

While doing a little research on the 2013 draft class I came across Nikita Zadorov.  The 17 year old Russian-born defenseman is playing his first North American season for the London Knights of the OHL.  Despite not being a legal adult in the eyes of many countries, Zadorov clocks in at 6′ 5″ and 229 lbs.  Many pundits see Zadorov’s stock rising and Brendan of Dobber Prospects sees him as a top 10 talent that could be the first OHL defenseman taken in 2013.  If the Tampa Bay ends up in a similar draft position (10th overall or so), could Zadorov be on their radar? » Continue reading “Le Cinq Nikitas: A Lockout-Induced Thought”

Tyler Johnson gets low for faceoffs…so low that no one saw him on draft day. Picture from the Syracuse Crunch FB page

This Syracuse Crunch team sure is special, isn’t it?   The NHL lockout drags on, but one benefit for the Tampa Bay Lightning is the ability to see its young guns play together and grow as a dominant team.  The Crunch played three games this weekend (2-1 loss vs. Binghamton, 4-1 win at Albany, 6-1 win at Worcester) and are now 12-3-1-1 through 17 games.  This puts them in first in the East Division as well as the entire Eastern Conference.

Take some time to absorb all of these bullet points and try not to get giddy (I couldn’t resist) thinking about some of these guys contributing at the NHL level. » Continue reading “Number Crunch: Syracuse Dominating As A Team”

Nikita Kucherov photo by lapresse.ca

The Russian Factor.  It has become a part of the drafting lexicon in the NHL, used to explain why a talented player isn’t drafted as soon as they should be.  This didn’t scare Steve Yzerman in 2011, though, when he used the Lightning’s 58th overall pick to select Nikita Kucherov.  The 19 year old has drawn comparisons to Marian Hossa and was touted as a 1st round talent if not for his heritage.  The risky draft pick seemed like a coup when Kucherov joined the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL.  He was in North America, he’d get acclimated to the style of play, and he’d become a force for the Lightning in future years.  Perhaps that was wishful thinking. » Continue reading “Nikita Kucherov Hits the Trade Block, Future in North America Uncertain”

PC Labrie photo by Alexis Boucher

Hockey’s here! » Continue reading “Lightning Farmhands En Route to Newfoundland”

Slater Koekkoek photo by Jason Haas

It was a draft pick that caught everyone off guard.  With highly touted forwards like Filip Forsberg and Teuvo Teravainen still on the board, Steve Yzerman announced his team’s 10th overall selection this past June – defenseman Slater Koekkoek from Peterborough in the OHL.  Koekkoek has undeniable talent, but was considered a very risky pick after a severe shoulder injury in November of 2011.  Yzerman has shown the hockey world that he’s not afraid to gamble on young players with injury histories.  In two of his first three drafts, Yzerman’s Lightning drafted a player in the top 10 with injury concerns: Brett Connolly, 6th overall in 2010 and Koekkoek.

Thus far, Connolly’s hip problems haven’t been an issue.  However, it took all of one game back for Koekkoek’s injury history to rear its ugly head.   During the Peterborough Petes’ first exhibition game, he took a huge hit from Oshawa’s Boone Jenner (Columbus) and, after serving a delay-of-game penalty later in the shift, left the ice and didn’t return.  Had Yzerman bet the house and lost? » Continue reading “For Petes’ Sake: Slater Koekkoek Injured in Preseason Action”

Do or do not. There is no try.

A long time ago in an arena by the bay… two hockey bloggers found themselves sitting at home on a Friday night. Dinner had been consumed, pajamas were on,  and the only thing left to do was to find a movie on television. Enter “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back”.

As the movies progressed, Jason Haas and I did the only thing we could to make the evening complete. We cast Lightning players past and present in George Lucas’ space epic.  The original trilogy only, of course. We’re not complete heathens.

Who’s who in our Lightning/Star Wars crossover? Read on…

» Continue reading “Bolt Wars: Who’s Scruffy-Looking?”

In the face of a large issue like an impending lockout, you wouldn’t think there was anything that could tick off hockey fans more than that. Apparently this isn’t true for some Lightning fans. Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times wrote a piece that sent some into a tizzy. All over a number.

For the first time since former captain Dave Andreychuk retired after the 2005-2006 season, a Bolts player will have the #25 on their sweater. As the news spread, so did the Twitter outrage. It’s easy to understand why some people are so upset.

That may be why this next statement may be surprising. There is NOTHING wrong with Matt Carle wearing #25 when he takes the ice for Tampa Bay.

» Continue reading “Dave Andreychuk, Matt Carle, & The Number 25″