When Columbus fired Gerard Gallant, and replaced him with recently-deposed Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock on November 22nd, it was that organization's first real step out of the expansion doldrums.
Funny, because Columbus has seen NHL action since October 2000. That's five seasons and part of a sixth. They've managed to string together exactly one season (last year) with a finish higher than fourth place in the Central Division, and have not come close to sniffing the playoffs. No expansion team since the Washington Capitals, who entered the league in 1974 and did not make the playoffs until 1983, has had to endure such a run of futility.
Yet, the addition of Hitch behind the bench has proven that the right mind and the right hands can improve any situation. Columbus has run off a 5-3-0 record, including big shutout road wins at Edmonton and Colorado, and an impressive 6-2 home thrashing of Ottawa on Sunday.
But things are not going to be rosy for long. See, the on-ice product has to shoulder a hefty amount of the burden for the team's perennially poor performance, and Hitchcock's rapier-like mind is already working full-time as talent evaluator. Easy times are coming for those deemed too soft, or lacking in defensive mind-set. They will be the ones demoted to Syracuse or traded. Tougher days are coming for the ones the head coach deems "work-in-progress" like youngsters Gilbert Brule, Rusty Klesla, Dan Fritsche, and sniper Rick Nash, or those deemed in need of an attitude adjustment (read: Sergei Fedorov). Those I feel the most for are the hard-nosed respected veterans, like Adam Foote, David Vyborny, Freddie Modin and Anson Carter. They will be the ones charged with bringing Hitch's message down from on high, and the ones who must deal with the portly genius' psychological gambits.
The challenge in Ohio's capital city is also a unique one for the man whose coaching pedigree allowed him to step into ready-made situations in Dallas and Philadelphia. At each of those two stops, he was placed in charge of veteran underachieving teams. In Dallas, it took one year to get the Stars from worst to first, and two more to win a Cup. In Philly, he took a team which mutinied on their former coach, and turned it into a defensive machine which reached the Conference Finals in 2004.
This time around, he faces a young team in need of guidance, confidence, and a total overhaul, something which he has not encountered since his days coaching 16-20 year olds in the Western Hockey League. Failure to adapt to a different league philosophy and a younger roster played a huge part in the Flyers' disastrous start this season. Let's hope the man who has enjoyed success at every level of his coaching life possesses the wisdom to know how to adapt to his newest circumstance.
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