On Monday, the fallout that was more or less expected after the Wildcats' early exit from the playoffs occurred when Danny Flynn was removed as head coach. He will stay on as Director of Hockey Operations (or as every other team calls it, GM) while the team has already stated they are going to take their time to find a replacement behind the bench.
Before I get too far into this post, I'll preface everything by saying that I am a Danny Flynn fan. There's too much precedence in my life as a follower of junior hockey as well as my life as a (very amateurish) broadcaster to change my mind at this point. The man has been a winner in too many locales to change my mind in that regard. He has proven on more than one occasion to possess that rare gift of great hockey mind combined with great hockey connections. Virtually all assessments of the guy come back positive (I'd like to know how many times I've heard John Moore proudly remind people in the Coliseum press box he was once a teammate of Danny's on the Dartmouth Moosehead Mounties) Those type of guys are not exactly a dime a dozen.
As well, there have been a number of times in which I've entered rinks around this province to cover certain events for Rogers TV and, more specifically, gather interviews. If there's one thing I've learned about myself over the years in front of the microphone, it's that interviews are at the bottom of my list of things I'm most comfortable doing. On a couple of occasions, Danny has been in the rink as well. Not only has he always been obliging to give me a few moments of his time during intermissions, he's one guy who flat out answers a question in a concise, intelligent manner. He's a guy you want to talk to, on camera or off. So obviously, this entry has more than a tinge of bias to it. However, given the way things went down with the team this season (and beyond... more on that below), it's perhaps not hard to understand how that slant may be more justified than it appears.
I still have a hard time believing the now former coach was the complete driving force behind this "go for it" year. We've seen how Flynn has built his teams up in past seasons. Usually, it's a fine mix of talent, grit and leadership. When that mix comes together at just the right time, it makes life easier on the people running the show. That's not to say the team can coach itself... but it does mean the team will remain more readily focused on the ultimate goal. As well, the team will almost always display a tremendous amount of consistency. To a degree, they will also exhibit more on-ice discipline in the face of potential avoidable (aka "feel good") penalties. Anyone who was around for 2010 (or even 2009, who did not achieve the ultimate goal but was contentious nonetheless) know that these teams - almost completely built by the hand of Flynn - possessed these traits in spades.
Can the same be said for this year?
Since the beginning of the season, I have seen far too many instances where this team revealed it's notoriously fragile psyche. Be it in-game meltdowns, dumb penalties or numerous suspensions for unnecessary actions, the on-ice mentality of this team went part and parcel with it's inconsistent nature. A number of the players acquired did not have much history in a defined leadership role with their former teams. Being asked to assume roles of that degree with an entirely new team had to be trying. However, the time comes in every player's career in this league where some degree of responsibility has to be elevated. It simply comes with the territory. Or at least it should.
Two moments from this season - one from December, one from the past few days - keep coming to the forefront of my mind when I think about this team and what inevitably occurred in the postseason. The memory from December was the "meltdown" game in Halifax, where the Cats managed to build up a 3-1 lead only to allow both their emotions and, in turn, the game slip away in an eventual 7-3 loss. The in-game event that led to this defeat was an improperly placed faceoff location by an official. Instead of sucking up the bad call, the Cats sooked, whined and trashed their way to defeat. What was arguably a more telling indication of the makeup of this team were the comments made by the head coach afterwards. Flynn - who more often than not plays the role of non-controversial protector of players towards the public - commented about his team to the media in a way I have not seen before or since. He called out his players, referring to them as "spoiled brats". In a way, it was refreshing. It showed me that I wasn't just imagining how this team was playing. And it gave me hope that the situation could be repaired. That hope has obviously long since faded.
The second series of events was not so much what I saw, but what I read. And what I read was updates of Wildcat players - some who's time with the club is now over, some who will probably return - signing pro deals or otherwise leaving for AHL and ECHL teams virtually immediately. So quickly, in fact, that it caught the eye of at least one knowledgeable person from the hockey world. That person questioned the desire of players leaving town so soon after the end of such a sizable playoff upset (some were gone in less than 36 hours). Frankly, I can see his point. I seem to recall a certain Cape Breton squad from - ironically - 2010 of whom some players were reportedly catching up on the doings of their soon to be pro teams from the Eagles' dressing room. The same questions of character that are vaguely being thrown about in Moncton today are the same questions that were asked of that squad. I understand that at this level these kids are looking ahead to the next challenge. I just happen to think it creates a less than favorable image when they all but jump out the window of the bus in a mad dash towards the airport.
Now, this is not to say the players should bear all the blame. That old, well worn adage - you win as a team, you lose as a team - holds as much water today as it did decades ago. And, for better or for worse, Danny Flynn is the man who brought this team together. When still shopping Brandon Gormley to consummate the deal that was going to shape this franchise future, should he have gone for a deal involving youth (assuming the rumors were true that one was offered)? Should he have been hesitant to cut ties with longtime Cat Patrick Downe in October? At Christmas, should he have cut his losses? All of this is now hindsight... but at the same time, it allows for some interesting conversation. At the end of the day, Danny Flynn did what he always does. He did the best he could with what he had. You can argue to what degree he truly wanted to do the thing he did (if you read this blog regularly, you know my opinion), but regardless, he had the biggest hand in assembling the team he sent out on the ice against Victoriaville last week. Just like the rest of this team, Flynn failed.
But as big of a failure as it was, it doesn't erase many of the things that came before it. As I have said before, Flynn is not stupid. He didn't wake up one morning and suddenly forget how to manage and coach a hockey team. He simply was charged with commanding a group of players unlike any other that he's seen in his time with this club. I say this with absolutely no knowledge of the inner workings of this club. That being said, I make these comments knowing full well what I did see on the ice on several nights. And what I saw was living proof that a group of talented individuals doesn't equal a great team. A great team is something you simply can't force... no matter who stands behind the bench.
The now former Wildcat coach has often said he's a much better coach when he has better players. To be more accurate (and to paraphrase Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks in Miracle), he's also a much better coach when he has the right better players.
So Danny, in the unlikely event you manage to read this, I'm saddened to see you leave your post behind the bench. I've appreciated the teams you've paraded onto Coliseum ice more often than not over the course of the last six seasons. I'm also glad the organization is keeping you on board to play a key role in this team's rebuild. I hope to see you affiliated with the franchise for as long as possible. Over the last 18 seasons, no other single individual has done more to expand on the success of this franchise as you have.
Oh, and thanks again for the interviews.
