Disappointing Penguins turn to Therrien

Will he make a difference?

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a mess, but they’re no longer Ed Olczyk’s mess. Olczyk was fired as Penguins head coach on Thursday after leading the team to an 8-17-6 record this season; he’s been replaced by ex-Montreal Canadiens coach Michel Therrien, who was essentially promoted from the Pens’ farm team in Wilkes-Barre.

Expectations had risen substantially in Pittsburgh for the 2005/06 season. Mario Lemieux was lacing them up for another year, and was well rested thanks to the lockout. Sidney Crosby was snagged with the first-overall pick in the entry draft after the balls bounced Pittsburgh’s way. And free-agent acquisitions Sergei Gonchar, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Ziggy Palffy, and Jocelyn Thibault (in goal) were brought in to bolster the team’s offensive numbers and overall depth.

Even the oddsmakers had hopped onto the Pens’ bandwagon in the preseason as well, lifting Pittsburgh’s Cup odds into the upper tier of the league along with perennial favorites like the Philadelphia Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators.

Obviously, though, it hasn’t worked out as planned. The Pens are mired in last place in the Atlantic Division, and in fact are the only team in that division with a sub-.500 record. Mario and company are also battling the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers for the dubious title of ‘team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.’

Crosby has been as-advertised for Pittsburgh this season, but Lemieux has missed time with an irregular heartbeat and took himself out of consideration for the Canadian Olympic Team because of his sub-par play. LeClair has also had trouble staying healthy this year, and Gonchar hasn’t produced as expected from the blue line. And if the Penguins thought Thibault would bring stability to the crease until Marc-Andre Fleury was ready for full-time duty they must certainly have been shocked by his woeful performance between the pipes to this point.

Needless to say, they’re not planning a parade route in Pittsburgh these days. However, the Penguins might be planning their route out of town. Years of discussions and threats have not resulted in the Pens getting a new arena built in Pittsburgh, and Mellon Arena has long been considered an out-of-date venue. Mario Lemieux himself has stated this season that the Pens’ future in Pittsburgh is very much in jeopardy, and the usual relocation destinations have started to toss their hat into the ring.

That’s the future though. Presently, the Penguins have to deal with their on-ice issues. Unlike Olczyk, who had no previous coaching experience before getting the Pittsburgh job, Therrien is a career coach who has run teams in the junior leagues, the minor leagues, and the NHL. Under Therrien, Wilkes-Barre got off to a 21-1-2-1 start this season, the best record out of the gate in American Hockey League history.

Therrien was 77-77-13-13 as the head coach of the Habs; Olczyk was 31-64-22 overall as head coach of the Penguins. Also let go on Thursday were Penguins assistant coaches Randy Hillier and Joe Mullen, goaltending coach Shane Clifford, and strength coach John Welday; their Wilkes-Barre counterparts were brought in to place them.

Olczyk, surprisingly, is the first and only head coach in the league to get the axe this season. He may not have that distinction for long though. The Columbus Blue Jackets can’t be happy with the lack of progress they’ve been making, even with Rick Nash sidelined for most of the season. That means Gerard Gallant could be the next to go. And the Boston Bruins’ season hasn’t exactly turned around since they dealt away Joe Thornton, so Mike Sullivan can’t be feeling too comfortable behind the bench in Beantown. As well, the St. Louis Blues, who never miss the playoffs, have been a disaster this season under head man Mike Kitchen.