Each week sports reporters Matthew Lambert and Sam Thiel will face off on a hot topic in Minnesota sports. The world of sports is changing quickly and constantly, but we want to slow it down and take a better look at the juiciest gossip, scandal, rumor or issue that is making headlines this week in Minnesota. Lambert and Thiel will take different sides and battle it out, telling you why they are right.
This week’s topic: Mike Yeo firing
Last weekend, the Minnesota Wild fired head coach Mike Yeo in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. This week, Matthew Lambert and Sam Thiel voice their opinions about whether or not the decision was a good move. Let’s talk about it… (Recap by Sam Thiel)
Matther Lambert / Winonan
With the firing of the Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo coming this weekend, it shows the NHL is just like all other sports; they fire a coach because they don’t want to address the real problems with their organization.
Yeo is a scapegoat.
Sure, the Wild’s 23-22-10 isn’t that great of a record. Although, Yeo inherited a team who was awful and in his first season, had a 35-36-11 record. Not bad for his first year in the NHL. After that year, he’s never had a year where the Wild haven’t been at least seven games over .500.
So that’s the knock on Yeo, the record isn’t very good? So maybe we can’t point to the Wild’s “All-Star” caliber team? The Wild don’t have any players in the top 30 in goals, assists or points scored.
Where are Ryan Suter and Zach Parise in all of this? They rank second and fourth on the team in points, Suter with 35 and Parise with 32. These two are supposed to be the top players, since they are tied for 14th as the highest paid players in the league.
Moreover, Devan Dubnyk, the player the Wild “stole” at the trade deadline last year, hasn’t played well either. He’s 18-19 and has allowed 2.39 goals per game. That’s 21st in the league.
So, blame Yeo. Blame him all you want, but soon the front office will notice something. It’s the players, not the coach.
Sam Thiel / Winonan
I have lived in Minnesota for 18 years and have seen more than my fair share of losing. Trust me, I’m putting that as lightly as I can.
So let me explain why the firing of Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo is the best thing to happen to Minnesota sports since Joe Mauer brought back sideburns.
The first reason why this is a good move is because change can be a good thing. The Wild are bringing in John Torchetti as interim coach, who has served as the assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks and the interim coach for the Los Angeles Kings. Torchetti last served as the coach of the Iowa Wild, who is our AHL affiliate. If this track record isn’t good enough, look at what Paul Molitor and Mike Zimmer have done for the Twins and Vikings in their time as head coach: winning records and playoff appearances.
Another reason why getting rid of Yeo is good is because the players weren’t responding well to the changes he was making in the Wild’s free fall. Yeo heavily relied on his aging veterans like Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu while young talent like Jason Zucker and Charlie Coyle stay on the bench. Championship winning teams like to use a blend of youth and cagey veterans for a reason.
Maybe Kurt Russell reprising his role of Minnesota legend Herb Brooks should have been the better choice as coach.
