Page 1 of 2

Hitchcock fired and Clarke "allowed" to Resign

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:04 am
by Rising Sun Canuck
Ding Dong the witch is dead:lol:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=181589&hubname=nhl
Off to their worst start in 15 years, the Philadelphia Flyers cleaned house on Sunday, firing head coach Ken Hitchcock and letting general manager Bob Clarke resign.
I have no doubt that Hitch will fine a new job by next year, but Clarke his hopefully done. I was hoping that Snider would fire himself but too bad he owns the team. He and Bill Wirtz shouldn't be allowed to own a NHL franchise.

Well bye bye Clarke- thanks for screwing the nucks over with Kesler, that idoitic move plus countless others have finally caught up with you. Glad you got the axe.

Oh, I'll still never forget the way you treated Roger Neilson.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:46 am
by Delray
Amen! Hopefully they will not make the playoffs. Everytime I watch the flyer play and Umberger touches the puck I yell "kill him!"

Can we get a Gino Ojdick quote?

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:49 am
by gobi
What happened with Roger Neilson?

This is poetic justice. I hope Clarke is done for good in the NHL. Serves him right.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:55 am
by Tukaram
One more dinosaur thrown into the tar pit.

Didn't Hitchcock just sign a three-year contract extension? I wonder if he'll get paid for all those years? ;)

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:09 am
by DavidPratt_
As much as people make fun of Bob Clarke (I happen to be one of them) let's not forget a few things:

1. The Flyers have consistently made the playoffs the last several years
2. The Flyers have an impressive group of drafted young players (Richards, Carter, Niittymaki) that teams like the Canucks would kill for. Let's not forget that the Flyers have consistently drafted later than other teams due to their successful regular seasons.
3. Clarke has been the GM of teams who have made it to the Cup finals twice in Philadelphia, once in Minnesota (with the Stars), and even the team he initially built - the Florida Panthers went to the finals after he left the team to go back to Philadelphia.

Yes, I know the guy has always been well-bankrolled by the Snider family in Philadelphia but you can't argue with the record above. It was obvious based on his erratic behaviour (recent NHL draft and his crazy move to acquire Ryan Kesler) that he has either started to develop Alzheimer's or he has just lost it. Having said that - the guy has been successful.

dp

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:54 am
by Sid Dithers
DavidPratt_ wrote:As much as people make fun of Bob Clarke (I happen to be one of them) let's not forget a few things:

1. The Flyers have consistently made the playoffs the last several years
2. The Flyers have an impressive group of drafted young players (Richards, Carter, Niittymaki) that teams like the Canucks would kill for. Let's not forget that the Flyers have consistently drafted later than other teams due to their successful regular seasons.
3. Clarke has been the GM of teams who have made it to the Cup finals twice in Philadelphia, once in Minnesota (with the Stars), and even the team he initially built - the Florida Panthers went to the finals after he left the team to go back to Philadelphia.

Yes, I know the guy has always been well-bankrolled by the Snider family in Philadelphia but you can't argue with the record above. It was obvious based on his erratic behaviour (recent NHL draft and his crazy move to acquire Ryan Kesler) that he has either started to develop Alzheimer's or he has just lost it. Having said that - the guy has been successful.

dp
I can argue the record. When you've been around as many years as Clarke, you're bound to go a long way every once in a while. Its like the monkey at the typewriter; he'll type an actual word every now and then. He's had lots of money to work with, an owner who's given him a ton of rope, and the leverage of being a legend in Philly from his playing days.
How many coaches has he gone through? How many goalies has he gone through? I think he's been a disaster and has come off looking very unintelligent on many occasions. Yes the drafting has been good as of late, but lets face it, drafting is a function of your scouting staff. If they say a player is a can't-miss, you draft him. They do the work, you take the glory.
But even better than having Clarke out the door is the fact that Hitch is gone. I've never liked his coaching style in the NHL. When I think of guys who have killed the game, I think of him first, even before guys like Jacques Lemaire. Guys like Hitch try to take as much out of the player's hands as possible. If you don't want Brett Hull on your team, then ask to get him moved; don't turn him into a defense-first backchecker! As a coach, Hitch is a one-trick pony. Not much ability to adapt to the strengths of his personnel. I don't take joy in people losing their jobs, but I 'm glad he's been removed from the league for the time being. I just can't stand his mentality.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:49 pm
by Grizzly
Keenan and Milbury have had and done their fair share of bone head moves too ... they are still currently employed ... I am sure Clarkie will resurface somewhere !!

Hitchcock is a pretty good coach ... I am also sure he won't have a shortage of job interviews.

Grizz

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:25 pm
by Meerschaum
Clarke's teams in Philly did very well not so much because of his astute moves as GM, but rather because the Snider family were one of the biggest spenders in the pre-lockout NHL.

The GM's position is all about people-management skills and Clarke managed his personnel with all the subtlety of Idi fricken Amin. Look at how he treated Neilson, Lindros and his goaltenders. The guy was borderline psychopathic.

Also, he just didn't understand how the post-lockout NHL would look and work and his team is now suffering badly from having dinosaurs like Hatcher and Rathje on the ice getting schooled by the Afinogenovs and Brieres of the League and eating up cap room. Contrast the situation in Philly with Minnesota - Lemaire has been able to adapt to the new NHL. Clarke and Hitchcock haven't.

Given Clarke's "senior's moment" at the Draft - 20 years ago we'd have called that "dementia" - I don't expect we'll be seeing him again in the League. He's made too many enemies (could you see Dave Nonis giving Clarke a job as anything other than a janitor?) and can only succeed where he's been handed unlimited financial resources on a platter. That era is past.

Enjoy lock-down in the old folks home, Bobby! And try not to drool into your soup . . .

Now, how long before the Flyers sign Keenan or Quinn?

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 1:29 pm
by Grizzly
Now, how long before the Flyers sign Keenan or Quinn?
Dunno but Quinn is part of the prehistoric age too ... loves his fellow dinosaurs.

Grizz

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:12 pm
by DavidPratt_
Meerschaum wrote:Clarke's teams in Philly did very well not so much because of his astute moves as GM, but rather because the Snider family were one of the biggest spenders in the pre-lockout NHL.


Now, how long before the Flyers sign Keenan or Quinn?
Either one of those guys could come back. Particularly Quinn. Who knows? Ron Hextall could return from his short stint in LA.

dp

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:44 pm
by Meerschaum
DavidPratt_ wrote:Ron Hextall could return from his short stint in LA.
C'mon. Hiring a retired goaltender to a management position is a thing of the past. A relic of a bygone era.

Today's NHL demands fresher blood! A better and more current understanding of the League's players and their shooting tendencies.

Yep. To keep up with the likes of cutting edge clubs like the Islanders, what the Flyers really need is a current goaltender to manage their team.

I fully expect Robert Esche to be appointed Flyers' GM before the end of the season.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:55 pm
by DavidPratt_
Meerschaum wrote:
DavidPratt_ wrote:Ron Hextall could return from his short stint in LA.
C'mon. Hiring a retired goaltender to a management position is a thing of the past. A relic of a bygone era.

Today's NHL demands fresher blood! A better and more current understanding of the League's players and their shooting tendencies.

Yep. To keep up with the likes of cutting edge clubs like the Islanders, what the Flyers really need is a current goaltender to manage their team.

I fully expect Robert Esche to be appointed Flyers' GM before the end of the season.
Ron Hextall held a management role for a number of years within the Flyers organization before Dean Lombardi hired him as Assistant GM in LA this past season. Don't be surprised if a deal is worked out and he returns to the Flyers if they don't make Paul Holmgren the permanent GM. But yes, given today's idiocy maybe Niittymaki should be President and GM of the Flyers.

dp

Re: Hitchcock fired and Clarke "allowed" to Resign

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:02 pm
by DavidPratt_
Rising Sun Canuck wrote:Ding Dong the witch is dead:lol:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=181589&hubname=nhl
Off to their worst start in 15 years, the Philadelphia Flyers cleaned house on Sunday, firing head coach Ken Hitchcock and letting general manager Bob Clarke resign.
I have no doubt that Hitch will fine a new job by next year, but Clarke his hopefully done. I was hoping that Snider would fire himself but too bad he owns the team. He and Bill Wirtz shouldn't be allowed to own a NHL franchise.
Wait a minute. I don't like Bob Clarke. He has behaved like an idiot to guys like Roger Neilson and others. The stunt he pulled to offer a contract to Ryan Kesler is an example. Eric Lindros is another story. The guy was a mama's boy and a brat and quite frankly I'm happy that Clarke told the guy to beat it.

Don't compare Bill Wirtz and Chicago to the Flyers. The Flyers have consistently made the playoffs in the past 10 years AND have made the Cup finals as well. The Flyers sell out home games regularly. The Blackhawks are a team in major decline in a huge US TV market where Bill Wirtz has an issue with televising his own team.

Clarke needed to go. But guess what? He wasn't as bad as everyone was saying. Mike Milbury? Legitimate idiot. Clarke? Just a guy who's been in decline the past few years and has decided to call it quits.

As for Hitchcock...he'll bounce back. He's a quality coach. He also has a Stanley Cup ring on his finger.

dp

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:10 pm
by JonnyLaRue
I would like to take a moment to gloat here as I predicted this would happen at the beginning of the year


viewtopic.php?p=40637

/smug mode on

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:52 am
by Jovorock
I liked Clarke as a player in the old Broad Street Bullies days, but after that he has been a classless jerk. Booby must have a picture of Snyder with a Goat and recently Snyder found the copy and destroyed it.

How could a good buisness like Snyder of let a idiot of Clarke run one of his companies like this? The Kesler thing was a embassament to the Snyder family, but they deserve it.

The Flyers will miss the playoffs either way, Quinn or Keenan can't fix this, that soon!