If you see Claude Noel today, you might want to give him a hug.
Hugs, after all, can be good. Even for a no-nonsense taskmaster in the macho, testosterone-fuelled, frat-boy world of the National Hockey League.
And I'm thinking that Noel, the rookie head coach of 17 Wing Winnipeg, could use some comfort because his universe is not unfolding as it should. His club has won just once in its six assignments to date, and the latest stumble came against the Ottawa Senators, who, until his Jets arrived in the nation's capital, were considered the free space on the NHL's bingo card.
Post-loss, Noel stood before a bank of microphones and notepads and looked like an ol' hound dog who'd lost the scent. Baffled, bewildered and demoralized, his baritone voice droned on in a monotonal autopsy. No highs, no lows. Just a string of matter-of-fact mutterings.
"A 19-year-old player is our best player," he said of Alexander Burmistrov. "He’s the one guy that I’m probably happy with."
His words came across more as a lament, rather than praise. It was as if having a teenager as your leading scorer is a glass half empty, not a glass h ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Patti Dawn Swansson
Claude Noel: Have the Winnipeg Jets Already Tuned out Their Head Coach?
October 21st, 2011 by Patti Dawn Swansson Leave a reply »
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