New post just for Trout...

This post is dedicated to Trout, Rick, and all the mates on zonk. Hopefully this will generate some discussion on here instead of just the rants me and House had on the GST thing.

And things have gotten quiet since RT has vanished... :-(

And Trout, hopefully this will not be inconvenience for you!!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11359-NHL-New_Jersey_Devils-Ottawa_Senators-Memorable_coaching_changes_in_the_NHL-280208

The Ottawa Senators fired head coach John Paddock on Wednesday (Feb. 27), with GM Bryan Murray taking over.

The Sens, who had been leading the Eastern Conference from Day One until just recently, have been playing poorly of late. Back-to-back shutout losses (5-0 and 4-0 to the Maple Leafs and Bruins, respectively) paved the way for Paddock's firing.

Whispers have been that the team had quit on Paddock, as the team that started out the season 15-2-0 has struggled in recent weeks, allowing the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens to catch up in the standings.

Some will blame GM Murray instead of the team's woes, for the failure to move controversial goaltender Ray Emery and being unable to acquire Nikolai Khabibulan and Marian Hossa, two players that the Senators were rumored to be after prior to the trade deadline.

Will the coaching change have any significant impact on the Senators?

We will find out once the playoffs starts.

For now though, let's take a trip back to memory lane and look at some other memorable mid-season coaching changes by playoff-bound teams.

The New Jersey Devils were leading the Eastern Conference for much of the 1999-2000 season, and Martin Brodeur looked to break Bernie Parent's single-season wins record by a goaltender. However, thanks to a mini-slump by the team (5-10-2 in 17 games) near the end, GM Lou Lamoriello fired coach Robbie Ftorek with only eight games left.

Larry Robinson, Ftorek's replacement, guided the Devils to a 4-4 record in the remaining regular season games and the team finished two points behind Philadelphia for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The team, however, woke up in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With the Devils down three games to one to the Flyers, Robinson called out his team to the media. The players seemingly listened, and the Devils rallied for three straight wins to get to the Stanley Cup Final, where they beat the Dallas Stars to capture their second championship in six seasons.

In a similar move last season, Lamoriello was at it again, firing coach Claude Julien on April 2, 2007 despite the Devils' 47-24-8 record.

Meanwhile, a similiar fate happened to Ftorek again in Boston three seasons after his New Jersey experience. When he was fired in 2000, Ftorek had guided the Devils to 41 wins in their first 74 games. While with the Bruins in 2002-03, his record was 33-28-8-4 but he again got the boot with only nine games left as Boston GM Mike O'Connell took over.

The 2006-07 Devils and 2002-03 Bruins didn't accomplish much in the playoffs following the coaching changes.

But what could top the mess that took place in New York in 1988-89? Rangers bench boss Michel Bergeron was fired by GM Phil Esposito with two games remaining in the season, with the Blueshirts having already clinched a playoff berth ages ago--but had allowed Washington and Pittsburgh to overtake them in the standings.

With New York on a 3-10-0 slide and losers of three straight, Bergeron was relieved on April Fool's, with Esposito taking over with just two days (and two games) left before the season ended.

The Rangers lost both games, and then fell in four straight to the Penguins once the playoffs rolled around.

So, what will happen to the 2007-08 Senators?

Will Murray's impact on Ottawa be similar to that of Robinson's in New Jersey eight seasons ago, or will it be irrelevant a la Esposito in New York a couple decades ago?

Discuss.