What's With All The Retiring and Firing?

It can't just be me that noticed a strange influx in the firing of head coaches this season/off-season, and with that, it also seems strange to have so many retirements slammed on us at once, doesn't it?

Let's take a look at the crazyness of front-office movement first - all drama included - firing, hiring, and interim positions filled

Anaheim - No moves made... yet.  Has that crazy Burke-to-Toronto rumor settled down by now?

Calgary - Mike Keenan was hired as head coach mid-season, but looks like he will be staying put as there hasn't been any mention of otherwise.

Chicago - With old WWW (surname: Wirtz; don't know his full name, just saw enough of the WWW to tattoo it on my brain) passing away last season, it looks like the close-proximity Original Six rivals of my Wings might go through a revival.  Unfortunately nothing has happened yet.  To the GM, I offer my honest advice, even coming from a Wing Nut you can trust it - DUMP ROBERT LANG!  Get rid of the man!  I don't care if he has another season, trade him or, better yet, buy out his contract.  I'm sure by now you've noticed he has no work ethic, only when he wants to be effective.  The man was a regular streaker with us, I'm sure he's no different with you all.

Colorado - Quenneville out, Granato in as coach.  Yep, no surprise that Q's gone.  But I don't really know Granato to judge him.  I do know he got into quite the screaming match with our coach Babcock this season though, during a 4-0 beating of the Avs :)  I love fiery coaches, really.  Up until then Babs had always had on a stern but quiet face.  Thank you Granato for showing me that fire that Babs hides so well!  So I guess you get a cookie for your attempts at riling up your team too.

Columbus - Hitchcock still around, GM still there... no moves even with another failed cup attempt, eh?  I know there was rumors circulating about sending Nikolai Zherdev to San Jose a bit ago, so maybe you're sticking with the player movement instead of just office staff.  Well, can I squeak in my word?  Yes - MOVE Zherdev... but not to SJ.  Know who he'd fit in fabulous with, because he clearly doesn't excel under Hitchcock's smothering?  He'd fit in with Detroit marvelously.  I love the kid's defensive capabilities as a center, and if you'd let him breathe, play his own way, and put him with Nash... you'd be set!  But alas, you're stuck in your own way.  So, have fun shuffling puzzle pieces to put together a contender when you have the right pieces but won't flip them over to see the colors.

Dallas -  You have two great co-GMs who put together a dandy team to give my boys in red a run for their money.  Best not be moving anyone in the office, they seem to have a good collective head on their shoulders.

Detroit - Babcock just signed to a 3-year deal, hooray!  Press conference was at 11 this morning and held no surprises :)  This team is exactly as he likes it, with kids waiting on the sidelines also to his liking, so we should be set for many years, even beyond these three.

Edmonton - Just... to avoid going off on you which is completely unnecessary and highly illogical this season... don't do crap.  End of story.

Minnesota - I believe you just re-signed your coach, right?  Other than that, I'm surprisingly in the dark considering your location in relation to Michigan.  Huh.  Mental note to self: add some Wild RSS feeds to the NewsFire feed reader...

Nashville - Trotz stays?  Really?  I'm shocked.  I get that you're sentimental about him being the only coach and all that jazz, but the standard early-exits of the playoffs?  They have to be disappointing.  Just might be time to find another guy.  Why not Paddock?  He had the Senators kicking ass at the beginning of 07-08...

Los Angeles - Coach Marc Crawford fired today.  Hah, no surprise there!  Worst in the NHL aughta get the boot.  But taking a hard look at the other office staff might not be a bad idea.  Ever think it could just be the choices you're making about your team?

Phoenix - I give your office staff two big thumbs up!  Yes, really.  You guys did the best thing imaginable by picking up the Bryz last season and I guarantee you, if you make a few more key moves this off-season (your recent high draft picks have to be on the verge of busting out - maybe give up some 09 draft picks for UFAs?) you could be a contender.  I know the Pacific Division is good, but I don't think you realize how much Bryzgalov could give you!

San Jose - Wilson gone (to Toronto), good.  Good coach but not Cup material in my eyes.  Seemed a bit soft whenever I caught him in interviews.  If you happen to land our assistant coach, McLellan, I'm sure you'd be damn spiffy because he clearly knows what it takes to win! EDIT 7:10pm EDT:  Well, you snagged him.  Congrats to McLellan, but couldn't you have gone to your other interview as well?  I mean, I'm proud you landed your head coach job you wanted, but really?  Staying in-conference?  Couldn't you have scoped out Atlanta?  If you beat us, I'm not gonna be happy.

St. Louis - Honestly I don't follow you guys anymore... which is strange because you have one of my goalie loves and are in the same Division and everything.  Even though you failed to make the playoffs again, I'm pretty sure you're going through a "youth movement" so you're waiting to strike.  Word of advice?  Get a few good vets.  You traded away Weight to Anaheim which was d-u-m-b, so learn from it and get some other guys to train up your kids.

Vancouver - Fired the GM and heard from a friend you hired a new one in the middle of our Cup battle.  So alas, I missed the news.  Great core of guys out there, just struck by a really nasty injury bug, so I'm not sure why you even fired the guy.  Anyway.  Chin up, next season should be better.

Retirement is either up or just seeming like it as I'm out of school a bit early this year and get all the updates pretty much as it happens.  We'll start close to home, where I know the most about the situation.

Dominik Hasek, lovingly called "The Dominator" by fans and simply Dom by teammates and staff, has called it quits after 16 marvelous seasons.  He was with Chicago for two seasons before heading to Buffalo for nine, but his scattered few with Detroit are what I know him for.  In Buffalo he collected six Vezina trophies and two Hart trophies, but it was with the Winged Wheelers that he grabbed his two Stanley cups - 2002 as the starter, and 2008 as the starter who lost his position to his friend Chris Osgood in round one.  Typically known for basically having an ego and needing to be #1, no one really knew what was going on in the locker room when "Ozzie" was making killer saves and being everyone's hero.  Turns out our Dom had "grown up" and was just plain happy for his net cohort.  But this season was to be his last, claiming he felt physically 100% (and he should, he split the crease with Ozzie which kept him healthy as one should imagine for 43!) but the motivation had left him.  Honestly, 16 seasons in a net with thousands of shots a season flying your way?  I'd be lacking motivation too.  He's won it all.  Vezinas, Harts, Cups, Olympic Gold.  As much as the guy drove us nuts and stopped our hearts with his sprawling saves and charges out of his net to stop guys on a breakaway (I read he never allowed a goal while charging out, crazy, eh?)... he certainly was one of the greats and he helped revolutionize the game.  I'm proud to say he retired a Red Wing.

Trevor Linden announced his retirement officially today after 16 seasons with the Canucks and 19 in the league.  I'm afraid I can't do him much justice as I never really clung to West Coast teams due to the time difference, but his stats can speak the justice deserved.  Selected second overall in the 1988 draft, was the first Canucks rookie to score 30 goals, was named the youngest Canucks captain at 21, holds the Canucks' record for assists with 415, second place in goals with 318, received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1997, and this year the NHL Player Foundation Award (co-recipient with Vinny Lecavalier).  I sure wish I had paid more attention to him, or at least hadn't been born a year after his drafting, so I could know what he was like in his prime.  I would guess it's a surefire bet he gets his #16 retired by the club - he seems to have been a cornerstone for them.

And I know even less about him, but Mattias Norstrom of the Dallas Stars is retiring as well.

Out East, Glen Wesley retired from the Carolina Hurricanes, and I thought I knew of another, but apparently not.

Some whispers circulating about a number of guys too.  Dallas Drake (DET) is to let the team know before the Draft what his intentions are; just after the Stars' exit there was talk of Mike Modano considering the Big 'R'; and it's also been whispered that the Canucks will lose another big name in Markus Naslund - for a team that's gone through so many injuries, a front office move, a young prospect's untimely death (R.I.P. Luc Bourdon), and now a team legend's retirement, what would another big name's departure do?

I might've missed a few, as I've been swallowed by Cup Crazies of late, so excuse me for not knowing everything on the other WC teams.  This is why I need a few writers who can cover the other teams! ;)  See the column to the right, below the blurb about WCGG, for more information on writing for us.

--Amanda