Gorilla Crouch

That You Tube clip is classic Scotty Bowman. Marc Crawford just loses his shit while Scotty coolly, calmly analyzes him before losing interest in the rube’s meltdown as Steve Yzerman and an official step in between both coaches. It’s classic Bowman, a man who never seemed flustered and who rarely had to deal with that kind of belligerence because who the hell in their right mind is going to confront or question the Red Auerbach, the John Wooden of NHL coaches?

The former head coach is headed off to Chicago to play a larger role in the Blackhawk organization than the one he held in Detroit. It shouldn’t be a surprise given his flirtation with the Maple Leafs last summer and earlier rumors this summer of his heading to Chicago. His son’s health issues is likely the main reason for deciding to leave the dominant organization in the NHL, a team he helped build up as much as anyone.

It’s kind of funny seeing Bowman don the Indian head jersey. I don’t remember him putting on the Winged Wheel sweater when he first signed on to coach in Detroit. I hope my memory is correct because it’s just a jarring image, and not in a good way like when Bowman would lace up the skates to take a spin with the Stanley Cup. This ain’t baseball where the managers have to wear a uniform as if they are going to go out there and play ball, so I prefer to keep the jersey’s on the draft picks and free agent acquisitions.

I think this would have stung much more if the move was made just after the lockout. But with Mike Babcock demonstrating that he’s clearly one of the top coaches in the game, with Ken Holland having the roster about as loaded as you can hope for with a hard salary cap, with Jim Nill continuing to produce impressive results in the draft, and with Hakan Andersson proving time and time again he’s one of the best scouts in Europe, the organization is in great hands.

I think it’s also a bit easier to handle due to the fact he’s no longer coaching. If he left as Detroit’s coach to be the Blackhawk coach it would be devastating. To serve as an executive isn’t nearly as big of a loss. It was incredible to watch him coach the Wings, to see the team he put out there on the ice. Listen to that crowd at Joe Louis Arena in the background of that clip. He will always be fondly remembered for ending the 42 year drought.

If you’ve followed sports in Michigan for the past 20 or so years you’ve seen some pretty flawed leaders. At the top of the list would be Bo Schembechler, the man who restored the luster to one of the great dynasties of college football but could never win the big game that would lead to a National Championship. The Lions have been a textbook case of how you go out and hire the wrong guy again and again and again. With that being said I am a big Rod Marinelli fan, I just wish he wasn’t stuck with Matt Millen as the guy who provides him with the talent he has to work with. It’s like someone giving you a bag of dogshit and telling you to make an omelette.

The Pistons had a great but deeply flawed coach in Larry Brown. I hated the move to hire Brown as you knew exactly how it would end but he TOPPED THAT by being a bigger weasel than you could have imagined. Sparky Anderson is the only coach in Bowman’s league, but that was playing a sport where making the playoffs is a much, much more difficult proposition. If only Anderson had a general manager feeding him the steady stream of high-profile talent the Red Wings handed to Bowman.

And that was the great thing about having Scotty Bowman as coach: you knew you were rarely going to see your team get outcoached. Now of course that doesn’t guarantee you’ll make it out of the first round, much less win the championship every year; that’s just the nature of the game. But Bowman was the man responsible for getting the Red Wings over the hump from contender to champion.

Red Wings Scotty Bowman

August 1st, 2008
Categories: Red Wings . Author: Dave

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