A Clean Slate: Tampa Bay Lightning Fires Coach and GM

April 12th, 2010 by JC De La Torre Leave a reply »
It's a raw deal for former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Rick Tocchet. Tampa Bay's new owner, Jeffery Vinik decided his franchise needed a clean slate, firing both Tocchet and general manager Brian Lawton in a sweep that basically resets the franchise and purges it of any remenants of the Koules-Barrie era (or more accurately, error).

Tocchet dealt with an insecure GM who sabotaged his hockey team because he wouldn't become one of his "yes men".

He was frustrated by the uneven ownership of the OK Hockey Group, attempts to trade superstars Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, as well as the teams inability to find help behind the blue line.

Make no mistake, folks. Lawton was as horrible a general manager as he was a player in the league.

Tocchet wasn't a bad head coach, despite his 53-69-26 record. He inherited a zoo in the wake of dumb and dumber's hiring of the immortal Barry Melrose. He had to guide a young player in Steven Stamkos, handle vets like Marty St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier all while trying to install a system during the season.

In his second season (his first without the interim label), Tocchet had this ...

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