There seems to be no question that general manager Garth Snow and head coach Jack Capuano face a serious crossroad when the New York Islanders take the ice this spring in the National Hockey League’s annual Stanley Cup playoffs tournament. And yes, I realize that nothing is guaranteed in today’s world of professional sports where the strange and wacky happen every day, so consider this positive reinforcement of something that, at this stage, looks to happen. For if it doesn’t, then there really is nothing to discuss, in all likelihood, about future employment status. The blizzard that blanketed the East coast yesterday and caused the cancellation of the Islanders-Flyers game at Barclays Center gave the players an unexpected day off following their complete 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Friday. After arriving back on Long Island late and in the middle of heavy snow bands and 50mph wind gusts, who could have blamed any player for wearing their pajamas inside out. Capuano has made the post-season in two of his previous four seasons at the helm and is being counted on this season to get over the hump that has been a series victory. The Islanders have not won a playoff round since 1992-93 when the late Al Arbour was commanding the ship and lost in five games to the Montreal Canadiens in the conference …show more content…
There are two schools of thought that people subscribe to. Firstly, that the head coach commands a huge chunk of the responsibility for results on the ice. That his decisions in practice, pre-game and in-game have an impact on the final score that is second to none. The other is that the head coach really just sets tactics, implements a system and then demands that grown men making millions of dollars go out and execute it like they’ve been taught their entire lives. Most of you who read me regularly or follow me on Twitter know which school I’ve been attending for some time