I'm all over the Cats @ home Wed. against C-Bus with Iron Mike behind the bench. I'm sure we will get some analysis from you. Thanks Tiger and keep up the good work.
SPITS
SPITS
TIGER: New Coach Theory Wednesday!
- Thread starter spits
- Start date
spits,
I couldn't agree more, I have been looking at that game since yesterday. I will definitely be on that play tomorrow.
GL tonight with your picks!
HORNS
I couldn't agree more, I have been looking at that game since yesterday. I will definitely be on that play tomorrow.
GL tonight with your picks!
HORNS
SUNRISE ? "Iron Mike" Keenan's reputation precedes him, so during his first practice Monday, when the new Panthers coach kept the players on the ice a half-hour into the Columbus Blue Jackets' scheduled practice time, nobody said a word.
Why? "Because Mike's the boss here now," said Bret Hedican.
All the Blue Jackets sat on the visitors' bench and watched the Panthers skate and skate and skate. After it was over, Blue Jackets coach Dave King jokingly told Keenan that if any of his players broke an ankle because the ice were ripped up, the bill would be sent to the Panthers.
"You look and see 25 guys sitting on the bench waiting for the ice, it didn't matter [to Keenan]," said Blue Jackets forward and former Panther Ray Whitney. "I don't know if that was because he had his press conference and they got out there late or he just wanted to keep us waiting.
"We giggled about it. It was funny, really. We saw the hard work he was putting them through and we felt for them a bit. Well, not too much. We waited a while. Even after they got off, we had to wait for the ice to be cleaned twice and dry. We still got out there and were like, `Ugh. There are some big holes.'"
That's how much Keenan made the Panthers skate. Besides starting the evaluation process and implementing his system, Keenan wanted to test each player's fitness level.
"That was a lot of skating," Bill Lindsay said. "My first year in Calgary, it was an hour every day like that. You couldn't stay out after one of Brian Sutter's practices. You had to get off because you were so tired.
"That's as hard as I've skated in a couple of years. It was like the first day of training camp in a way. Plus, it's a new coach, so everybody had butterflies. Guys probably used a little extra energy because of the uptightness."
Lindsay joked that when the Panthers saw all the Columbus players watching and waiting, "We were just trying to figure out how we were going to make it through this. Our only hope was for those guys just to jump on."
Keenan said, "The workout was certainly an adjustment for them. It was a good, solid workout. There's always an expectation you can improve the fitness level. It'll be easier for me over time to evaluate that."
Blue Jackets center Mike Sillinger, also a former Panther who was coached by Keenan for a short time in Vancouver, said, "That's his test. I watched his first practice and it was a shape thing. He's a big believer in everyone has people that play 25 minutes and he wants everybody to be able to play 25 minutes."
Keenan uses an uptempo system, so fitness is essential.
"It's a style that demands a lot of cadence and a lot of tempo in the game," Keenan said. "It's something you have to train for. You must develop a lot of muscle memory to do it."
Hedican, who played for Keenan in Vancouver, said his arrival will be an eye-opener for youngsters who thought they had it rough under Duane Sutter.
"He practices at a high level, he makes you play at a high level and he demands a lot out of you physically and mentally," Hedican said. "The guys in here need to be ready for a challenge. If you work hard and take pride in what you do, then you shouldn't have any problems with Mike Keenan.
"Some of these young boys in this room will soon become men, though."
Roberto Luongo said the first thing he thought of when he heard the news is Keenan's tendency to pull goalies quickly, especially after questionable goals.
Keenan also won't shy away from benching players, especially if it looks like the player isn't ready to play early in games.
"He's a really fair coach, an honest coach who makes people work hard," Pavel Bure said. "Players need to know that it's his way, and that's the way it should be. If you go out there and work hard, you're fine. If you don't, you're in trouble."
Bure out Wednesday
Bure has missed five games in a row with a concussion and won't play Wednesday. He hasn't skated in more than two weeks and he's still getting headaches when he rides the stationary bike.
Why? "Because Mike's the boss here now," said Bret Hedican.
All the Blue Jackets sat on the visitors' bench and watched the Panthers skate and skate and skate. After it was over, Blue Jackets coach Dave King jokingly told Keenan that if any of his players broke an ankle because the ice were ripped up, the bill would be sent to the Panthers.
"You look and see 25 guys sitting on the bench waiting for the ice, it didn't matter [to Keenan]," said Blue Jackets forward and former Panther Ray Whitney. "I don't know if that was because he had his press conference and they got out there late or he just wanted to keep us waiting.
"We giggled about it. It was funny, really. We saw the hard work he was putting them through and we felt for them a bit. Well, not too much. We waited a while. Even after they got off, we had to wait for the ice to be cleaned twice and dry. We still got out there and were like, `Ugh. There are some big holes.'"
That's how much Keenan made the Panthers skate. Besides starting the evaluation process and implementing his system, Keenan wanted to test each player's fitness level.
"That was a lot of skating," Bill Lindsay said. "My first year in Calgary, it was an hour every day like that. You couldn't stay out after one of Brian Sutter's practices. You had to get off because you were so tired.
"That's as hard as I've skated in a couple of years. It was like the first day of training camp in a way. Plus, it's a new coach, so everybody had butterflies. Guys probably used a little extra energy because of the uptightness."
Lindsay joked that when the Panthers saw all the Columbus players watching and waiting, "We were just trying to figure out how we were going to make it through this. Our only hope was for those guys just to jump on."
Keenan said, "The workout was certainly an adjustment for them. It was a good, solid workout. There's always an expectation you can improve the fitness level. It'll be easier for me over time to evaluate that."
Blue Jackets center Mike Sillinger, also a former Panther who was coached by Keenan for a short time in Vancouver, said, "That's his test. I watched his first practice and it was a shape thing. He's a big believer in everyone has people that play 25 minutes and he wants everybody to be able to play 25 minutes."
Keenan uses an uptempo system, so fitness is essential.
"It's a style that demands a lot of cadence and a lot of tempo in the game," Keenan said. "It's something you have to train for. You must develop a lot of muscle memory to do it."
Hedican, who played for Keenan in Vancouver, said his arrival will be an eye-opener for youngsters who thought they had it rough under Duane Sutter.
"He practices at a high level, he makes you play at a high level and he demands a lot out of you physically and mentally," Hedican said. "The guys in here need to be ready for a challenge. If you work hard and take pride in what you do, then you shouldn't have any problems with Mike Keenan.
"Some of these young boys in this room will soon become men, though."
Roberto Luongo said the first thing he thought of when he heard the news is Keenan's tendency to pull goalies quickly, especially after questionable goals.
Keenan also won't shy away from benching players, especially if it looks like the player isn't ready to play early in games.
"He's a really fair coach, an honest coach who makes people work hard," Pavel Bure said. "Players need to know that it's his way, and that's the way it should be. If you go out there and work hard, you're fine. If you don't, you're in trouble."
Bure out Wednesday
Bure has missed five games in a row with a concussion and won't play Wednesday. He hasn't skated in more than two weeks and he's still getting headaches when he rides the stationary bike.
columbus update.....
EVERYBODY BACK? -- Left winger Geoff Sanderson (back bruise), right winger David Vyborny (hip strain) and defenseman Mattias Timander (bruised hip) could all return for Wednesday's game. All skated yesterday, but decisions will be made on them either today or Wednesday afternoon.
EVERYBODY BACK? -- Left winger Geoff Sanderson (back bruise), right winger David Vyborny (hip strain) and defenseman Mattias Timander (bruised hip) could all return for Wednesday's game. All skated yesterday, but decisions will be made on them either today or Wednesday afternoon.
