The past month saw several former NHL players come forward with stories of physical and mental abuse by former coaches Mike Babcock, Marc Crawford, Darryl Sutter and Bill Peters.
The latter lost his job with the Calgary Flames after former defenceman Akim Aliu revealed Peters hurled racist insults at him during their tenure with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs a decade ago.
Peters's actions were an extreme case, but Aliu's story opened the floodgates as former players accused Babcock, Crawford, and Sutter of abusive behaviour. It led to a meeting last week between Aliu and league officials, and indications there could be changes in the relationship between coaches and players.
Hockey history abounds with stories of manipulative coaches like Scotty Bowman to aggressive ones like Mike Keenan. In recent years, however, those methods of coaching have slowly fallen out of fashion. Today's successful bench bosses, such as the New York Islanders' Barry Trotz and the Vegas Golden Knights' Gerard Gallant, are considered “players' coaches,” capable of elevating their players through encouragement and instruction.
Critics believe this could put too much power in the hands of the players while limiting a coach's effectiveness. However, the shift away from old-school coaching tactics merely reflect the ongoing changes in society. Yesterday's players tolerated abusive behaviour from some of their coaches, but today's players are increasingly unwilling to continue that dubious tradition.
Leafs, Canadiens in trouble
A season that began with much promise for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens is in danger of derailment two months later.
Despite a potent offence featuring Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, the Leafs' porous defence and weak back-up goaltending sent them tumbling out of playoff contention by early December. Those issue continue to dog the Leafs despite their recent coaching changes.
The Canadiens were within three points of the division-leading Boston Bruins by mid-November, but an eight-game winless streak sent them spiralling down the standings. A lack of skilled defensive depth and goaltender Carey Price's recent struggles accounts for the Canadiens' difficulty hanging onto leads.
Both clubs must address these issues soon, but there's currently not much help available in the trade market. Too many teams are still in playoff contention, while the few willing to sell will set high asking prices for their available talent.
Subban struggling
Acquired from the Nashville Predators last summer, P.K. Subban was expected to help turn the New Jersey Devils into a playoff contender. Instead, the former Norris Trophy winner is on pace for a career-worst season.
As the Devils flounder in the standings, the 30-year-old defenceman has just five points in 29 games and plus-minus of minus-15. His poor play prompted the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis to suggest the blue-liner has put more focus on marketing himself than in playing hockey.
Subban's struggles could be attributed to the Devils' overall poor play. If he doesn't improve, however, it will raise concerns that his best seasons are behind him.
Lyle Richardson is a freelance writer with the Sporting News and runs the website Spector’s Hockey. His column will appear in The Guardian throughout the NHL hockey season.
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