Thought on Cheech

[MadMann]

I noticed that another thread was locked because we started talking about Cheech. I would like to know what most people think about how this team is being coached so I started this dedicated thread. Pleas keep posts respectfull.

Ill start it off I guess. I htink Cheech would have been good as our assistant coach . Our power play is horrible/non-existant. We have gotten a heck of a lot better at breaking out of our zone but still seem to have trouble cycling the puck and maintaining offensive zone attacks. I think two of the main problems with this team are: 1) not placing bodies infront of the net for point shots (I would also like to say way more of these) 2)not clearing traffic from infront of our own net. If the D cant control the rebounds then you had better make sure your atleast tying up on of the forwards waiting to clean it up.

I think if I came out to watch a practice I would be thoroughly dissapointed.

[ItsGameTime]

This thread is on a tight leash based on what happened in the last one.

To anyone posting in here, keep it respectful like MadMann said or action will have to be taken by me or another one of the Mods.

[Phil Margonis]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.

[ItsGameTime]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.

I don't care about negativity...

I do care about negativity that can't be backed by a solid arguement. I think Cheech has done a very good job thus far given he hasn't had a full lineup for 99% of it.

[Casey]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.


Hahahahahahahahahahhahah HA! Great post Phil! I totally agree with you in a sarcastic sense, but for some unknown reason I think you might get people agreeing with you in a legitimate sense!

[ItsGameTime]

Hahahahahahahahahahhahah HA! Great post Phil! I totally agree with you in a sarcastic sense, but for some unknown reason I think you might get people agreeing with you in a legitimate sense!

I think the sarcasm is thick enough that Superman himself wouldn't be able to cut through it

[ItsGameTime]

I find it surprising at the timing of these threads though.:w00t: I'm pretty sure most other fans question everything after a bad loss too. Human emotions are a funny thing!

[SassyDogsFan]

I like the Coach, this is a new team, new arena and all the bugs must be worked out as with anything new.

[myleslong]

I like the Coach, this is a new team, new arena and all the bugs must be worked out as with anything new.
I think there's a problem inherent in the transition from from assistant to head coach. It has been my experience that there's a good cop/bad cop setup in place,with the assistant being the good cop. When the assistant moves to head coach,there must be a change of roles, and I think that when there's a number of carryover players from previous years, this change becomes more difficult. I think I see this between some of the veterans, and the coach. Hopefully, as the team evolves,and coach becomes more comfortable in his role,he will get the respect of all the players. GO DOGS!

[ICEDOGFEVER]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.
Don't forget he gives a great interview.

[ICEDOGFEVER]

I like the Coach, this is a new team, new arena and all the bugs must be worked out as with anything new.
This is far from a new team. Wait till next year, you will see a new team.

[ICEDOGFEVER]

I think there's a problem inherent in the transition from from assistant to head coach. It has been my experience that there's a good cop/bad cop setup in place,with the assistant being the good cop. When the assistant moves to head coach,there must be a change of roles, and I think that when there's a number of carryover players from previous years, this change becomes more difficult. I think I see this between some of the veterans, and the coach. Hopefully, as the team evolves,and coach becomes more comfortable in his role,he will get the respect of all the players. GO DOGS!
In order to get respect from the players, he should first show respect to the players. He can start by not swearing at them during a game. What a motivator.

[MadMann]

I dont really understand the comment about the timing of these posts. PM and I have said bad things about this coach since the very begginning of the season.
We have given multiple reasons why he is a bad head coach and I have yet to hear one thing that changes my opinions. The cheech lovers are full of exuses though.

[ICEDOGFEVER]

The team should hire more assistant coaches. Most teams have 2 or 3 assistant coaches, why do we only have one.

[Phil Margonis]

the only thing i hear in cheech's defence is that a) he's a rookie and b) we've had injuries.
i remember reading in the paper he was actually using the injuries as an excuse. i couldn't believe it. even if that is the reason you're losing you can't say that. "the injuries mean it's an opportunity for another guy to step up" that's what every good coach says.
kitchener came into our building with 8 guys out of their line up at world junior time and they pounded us pretty good. hose 8 guys weren't joe schmo 4th liner either they were their best players. they could have used an excuse on the road like "well geez we had so many guys out we just couldn't win". but they worked hard and got the result so injuries can't be an excuse. every team gets them you have to battle through it even when its difficult.

[skatee]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.


that is the most sarcastic post ive seen to date!
i am sure you are biting your tongue very hard right now ;)

[cope]

I think there's a problem inherent in the transition from from assistant to head coach. It has been my experience that there's a good cop/bad cop setup in place,with the assistant being the good cop. When the assistant moves to head coach,there must be a change of roles, and I think that when there's a number of carryover players from previous years, this change becomes more difficult. I think I see this between some of the veterans, and the coach. Hopefully, as the team evolves,and coach becomes more comfortable in his role,he will get the respect of all the players. GO DOGS!


Good Point. Nice Post

[cope]

The team should hire more assistant coaches. Most teams have 2 or 3 assistant coaches, why do we only have one.


Good Question, we do have a goalie coach, not sure how involved he is with the team.

[cope]

In order to get respect from the players, he should first show respect to the players. He can start by not swearing at them during a game. What a motivator.


No disrepect intended here, but this happens on every team, and the most kids this age swear at teammates, friends and coaches.

I see this comment come up often, but see it as a personal attack on the coach, not a comment about his coaching ability.

For that matter, fans have sworn at opposing players, that doesn't make the players or fans bad player or fans. If it is appropriate or their are better words to use is another debate.

[Swifty14]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.



Couldn't have said it better myself! I also think he is the front runner for coach of the year!:thumbsup:

[ItsGameTime]

Don't get me wrong guys, I'm not saying Mario should be coach of the year but with the line up he's had I think he's done an admirable and at least adequate job behind our bench. Rather than be fault finders lets try and think about the positives. You talk about the Kitchener game when they had a depleted line up and won, what about all the games we had a depleted line up and won? You can bash the coach but give credit where credit is due. We have won games with 3 or 4 Jr B. players in the lineup and a bunch of regulars out.

[ICEDOGFEVER]

He's done such a good job, maybe he will be promoted to the pro's. Aren't the leafs looking for a GM. I know I'll miss him.

[ItsGameTime]

He's done such a good job, maybe he will be promoted to the pro's. Aren't the leafs looking for a GM.
This is the Ice Dogs fan section, don't bring that sorry excuse for an NHL team into this!!! :p

[ICEDOGFEVER]

This is the Ice Dogs fan section, don't bring that sorry excuse for an NHL team into this!!! :p
I'm just trying to get his name on the list of potential GM's so we don't have to deal with him again next year. Let's face it, they are going to be a young team next year and we need a teacher and a motivator, coach Cicchillo is none of these.

[ItsGameTime]

I'm just trying to get his name on the list of potential GM's so we don't have to deal with him again next year. Let's face it, they are going to be a young team next year and we need a teacher and a motivator, coach Chooch is none of these.
Are you around the team 24/7? How did you come to these conclusions?

[ICEDOGFEVER]

Are you around the team 24/7? How did you come to these conclusions?
Maybe I'm on the team. You seem to dispute everything about Chooch. Maybe you should take in a practice or two then compair it to anyother teams practice and you will see what I am saying. Tell me why you think he's a good coach.

[ItsGameTime]

Maybe I'm on the team. You seem to dispute everything about Chooch. Maybe you should take in a practice or two then compair it to anyother teams practice and you will see what I am saying. Tell me why you think he's a good coach.

I said before, theres room for improvement, but I don't see the reason of being so cynical. We have had our fair share of wins with a depleted line up but a lot of people only seem to mention our losses against teams with injury depleted line ups. There's no point in bashing him now, he's going to be the coach regardless of what is said on here. I am a fan of the Ice Dogs so I will cheer them no matter what. Just because he runs a practice differently doesn't mean thats the reason he's a bad coach. He works with what he is given and expects the boys to compete and execute every night. Some games are better than others but these are still kids in the end not everything is going to be perfect. He expects effort each and every night and thats no different from any other coach no matter what team you are playing on any given night. Just like NHL teams have bad nights so do OHL teams. The other thing is that there will always be those who question the coaching but in the end the guy who's in place got the job for a reason its not like they just picked a name out of a hat.

[Phil Margonis]

ok heres a list of the coaches in the O i'd rather have that ours...

marty williamson (barrie)- not much socring talent left there but they are very competitive and hes got them to buy into their defense 1st approach

george burnett (belleville)- former NHl coach and ohl coach of the year

stan butler (brampton)- coached team Canada world juniors

robbie ftorkek (erie)- coached a few Nhl teams

dave barr (guelph)-ohl coach of the yr in 06. won a championship in the internation hockey league. former player. they play excellent defensive hockey

peter deboer (kitchener)- twice names ohl coahc of the yr. 1 losing season in 12 yrs behind the bench. fantastic job this yr keep the team focussed

dale hunter (london)- no explanation needed. they're always in 1st it seems

dave cameron (missy)- not much natural scoring talent there but he keeps them competitive. they bought into his trap system

brian kilrea (ottawa)- hall of famer

mark reeds (owen sound)- thsi team was very competitive before they traded away their captain and simmonds. still done betetr than most people thoguht in a rebuilding yr. hes won championship at different levels and his daughter is smokin hot as is his nieces

mike vellucci (plymouth)- won championship last yr

todd watson (saginaw)- assistant to plymouth last yr.

dave macqueen (sarnia)- coach of the yr in 01

craig hartsburg0 great job fro team Canada in b2b years

mike foligno (sudbury)- great nhler ledthem to the finals last yr

bob boughner (windsor)- boogie man was a great role player in buffalo. hes done a great job with a young talented team

they've all done a better job than our guy. i wish we had someone better. maybe even a former Nhler. they boys would listen to him

k im out for the night now. later

[ItsGameTime]

ok heres a list of the coaches in the O i'd rather have that ours...
marty williamson (barrie)- not much socring talent left there but they are very competitive and hes got them to buy into their defense 1st approach

george burnett (belleville)- former NHl coach and ohl coach of the year

stan butler (brampton)- coached team Canada world juniors

robbie ftorkek (erie)- coached a few Nhl teams

dave barr (guelph)-ohl coach of the yr in 06. won a championship in the internation hockey league. former player. they play excellent defensive hockey

peter deboer (kitchener)- twice names ohl coahc of the yr. 1 losing season in 12 yrs behind the bench. fantastic job this yr keep the team focussed

dale hunter (london)- no explanation needed. they're always in 1st it seems

dave cameron (missy)- not much natural scoring talent there but he keeps them competitive. they bought into his trap system

brian kilrea (ottawa)- hall of famer

mark reeds (owen sound)- thsi team was very competitive before they traded away their captain and simmonds. still done betetr than most people thoguht in a rebuilding yr. hes won championship at different levels and his daughter is smokin hot as is his nieces

mike vellucci (plymouth)- won championship last yr

todd watson (saginaw)- assistant to plymouth last yr.

dave macqueen (sarnia)- coach of the yr in 01

craig hartsburg0 great job fro team Canada in b2b years

mike foligno (sudbury)- great nhler ledthem to the finals last yr

bob boughner (windsor)- boogie man was a great role player in buffalo. hes done a great job with a young talented team

they've all done a better job than our guy. i wish we had someone better. maybe even a former Nhler. they boys would listen to him

k im out for the night now. later

So basically any other coach in the league is what you are saying.

Maybe if you put Cheech on another team he leads the team to a perfect season?

Maybe if you put any of those coaches you've listed behind our bench and you get the same result?

It's great that these coaches have been "successful" in your mind but just saying because a coach did something with one team or played/coached in the NHL doesn't automatically make him a better choice than Mario. Any of those coaches could have a bad year then come back and win it all the next. That's the great thing about the OHL.

[ItsGameTime]

That's the great thing about the OHL and hockey in general each team has a chance to go all the way no matter where you finish (other than out of the playoffs). I wouldn't say sitting 4th in the conference is bad at all. Could it be better? Yes. Can we will make a run at the OHL Championship/Mem Cup? Most certainly. What matters is how these boys come out in Game 1 of Round 1 at the Jack. That is where the real hockey starts and reputations are made. The regular season is important but the playoffs are where it really matters.

[rowdi29]

Can someone explain to me why we had a good stretch of games where we were only giving up 1 or 2 goals a game then all of a sudden we play Erie and give up 12 in 2 games. i thought the coach said they were stressing the defense part of the game which would make sense as the playoffs are coming. Or maybe its just a case where everyone is trying to pad there stats against the weaker team and put the defense on the back burner for a couple of games. Anyway i am concerned about our powerplay(are we really ranked 10th in the league). with the talent we have on this team to throw out there we should be at least top 5. I bet we'd have at least 5 more wins this year,we are way more agressive shorthanded then on the pp. Someone needs to look at this, with a smaller team we will need to capitalize on the powerplay to be successful in the playoffs...GO DOgS GO

[ICEDOGFEVER]

I said before, theres room for improvement, but I don't see the reason of being so cynical. We have had our fair share of wins with a depleted line up but a lot of people only seem to mention our losses against teams with injury depleted line ups. There's no point in bashing him now, he's going to be the coach regardless of what is said on here. I am a fan of the Ice Dogs so I will cheer them no matter what. Just because he runs a practice differently doesn't mean thats the reason he's a bad coach. He works with what he is given and expects the boys to compete and execute every night. Some games are better than others but these are still kids in the end not everything is going to be perfect. He expects effort each and every night and thats no different from any other coach no matter what team you are playing on any given night. Just like NHL teams have bad nights so do OHL teams. The other thing is that there will always be those who question the coaching but in the end the guy who's in place got the job for a reason its not like they just picked a name out of a hat.
I to am a fan. I have a great love for this team. A forum like this allows all of us to get our views and opinions out to those who want to listen. Not everyone has to agree with every comment. That's what make this site great. Let us all be allowed to continue what we are doing. If we weren't all fans of the team, do you think we would be doing this.

[ItsGameTime]

I to am a fan. I have a great love for this team. A forum like this allows all of us to get our views and opinions out to those who want to listen. Not everyone has to agree with every comment. That's what make this site great. Let us all be allowed to continue what we are doing. If we weren't all fans of the team, do you think we would be doing this.
Oh I know, im not picking fights or calling people out, Im just on the other side of the fence when it comes to this topic. :cheers2:

[fishfan51]

This thread is on a tight leash based on what happened in the last one.

To anyone posting in here, keep it respectful like MadMann said or action will have to be taken by me or another one of the Mods.


I don't know what happened on the other thread, so I don't know why it was locked. With that being said, isn't this a public forum? If you have something to say about the Dogs coach that isn't flattering but is hockey related and as long as it isn't personal, what's the beef? This site isn't affiliated with organization itself...I know this because it says so in the disclaimer on the front page. Sorry if he can't take criticism but your the head coach of an OHL franchise...DEAL WITH IT!

As for my opinion on the coaching of the Dogs...well it's no secret. I think it is horrible.

This team was ranked as high a 4th in the country at the beginning of the year. Now they are 4th in their own conference, 8th in the OHL and lucky to be in the top 20 in the country. I know, I know... they have had injuries, blah blah...every team in the league has injuries. The difference is they don't use it as a crutch or an excuse.

Lack of execution= Poor coaching
Lack of discipline= Poor coaching
Lack of a powerplay= Poor coaching

Why does he bench his two best players (Caputi and Swift) midway through the second period of the biggest game of the year? (Brampton last Thursday) Is it because he thinks they are no giving a good effort? So lets add Lack of motivation to the list of things that fall under Poor coaching.

How does possibly the best goaltender in the league give up 15 goals in the last 7 periods against the leagues two worst teams? Could it be he is tired? I relize he might say that he is fine and wants to play. This is where the "COACH" says you know what have a rest and let's get the backup get some action. I mean if you are not going to play Lobby against Erie on Sunday afternoon after Dahm played the night before on the road and got home in the wee hours of the morning, when are you going to play him? I know Lobby lost last time they played Erie but by that logic, Dahm lost last time against the Battalion....so should we expect to see Lucas between the pipes tomorrow night in Brampton?

My bottom line is this...I think it is the coaching that cost us the division title. I think the Dogs will get out of the first round on sheer talent alone but will be out coached by Williamson, Cameron, or Kilrea (whoever they face in the first round) and the series will last longer then it should.

I hate to say it but I expect the Dogs to bow out in the second round to anyone of the top 3 teams in the conference.

Coaching is the Dogs achilles heal.

[joe]

I think he has been a decent coach thus far. Yes, there have been a few things that we can question: Why does he always throw the third or fourth line out after we score a big goal in a close game? Or, why don't we throw someone in front of the net on the PP? At the level these guys are playing, systems are a big part of what they do and getting away from those systems does more harm than sticking with them.

If there is one thing I would complain about is how Swifty and Caputi got benched in the second period of the latest Brampton game after that line got scored on. They were skipped a few times through the lines and it seemed to take a bit of wind out of our sails and gave Brampton the momentum going into the third. Other than that I think he's done a great job. We are 4th in a tough confrence. We should have very little trouble in the first round and the second round should be great. Any team ranked 1 though 4 in our confrence has a shot to win it all.

[MadMann]

Don't get me wrong guys, I'm not saying Mario should be coach of the year but with the line up he's had I think he's done an admirable and at least adequate job behind our bench.


Are you serious?? Show me another team in the OHL with four draft pics. This team has way more talent on it than any other team in the league. The entire reason I dont like cheech is because in the hands of any other coach in the league this team would be unstoppable.

[joe]

I should have taken so long to write my post ahhaha

[joe]

I don't know what happened on the other thread, so I don't know why it was locked. With that being said, isn't this a public forum? If you have something to say about the Dogs coach that isn't flattering but is hockey related and as long as it isn't personal, what's the beef? This site isn't affiliated with organization itself...I know this because it says so in the disclaimer on the front page. Sorry if he can't take criticism but your the head coach of an OHL franchise...DEAL WITH IT!

As for my opinion on the coaching of the Dogs...well it's no secret. I think it is horrible.

This team was ranked as high a 4th in the country at the beginning of the year. Now they are 4th in their own conference, 8th in the OHL and lucky to be in the top 20 in the country. I know, I know... they have had injuries, blah blah...every team in the league has injuries. The difference is they don't use it as a crutch or an excuse.

Lack of execution= Poor coaching
Lack of discipline= Poor coaching
Lack of a powerplay= Poor coaching

Why does he bench his two best players (Caputi and Swift) midway through the second period of the biggest game of the year? (Brampton last Thursday) Is it because he thinks they are no giving a good effort? So lets add Lack of motivation to the list of things that fall under Poor coaching.

How does possibly the best goaltender in the league give up 15 goals in the last 7 periods against the leagues two worst teams? Could it be he is tired? I relize he might say that he is fine and wants to play. This is where the "COACH" says you know what have a rest and let's get the backup get some action. I mean if you are not going to play Lobby against Erie on Sunday afternoon after Dahm played the night before on the road and got home in the wee hours of the morning, when are you going to play him? I know Lobby lost last time they played Erie but by that logic, Dahm lost last time against the Battalion....so should we expect to see Lucas between the pipes tomorrow night in Brampton?

My bottom line is this...I think it is the coaching that cost us the division title. I think the Dogs will get out of the first round on sheer talent alone but will be out coached by Williamson, Cameron, or Kilrea (whoever they face in the first round) and the series will last longer then it should.

I hate to say it but I expect the Dogs to bow out in the second round to anyone of the top 3 teams in the conference.

Coaching is the Dogs achilles heal.

I think the players should be held accountable for the discipline. As good as Swifty is, his discipline is not the greatest. He takes himself out of games sometimes and that is probably why he isn't drafted.

If any discipline that the coach should be accountable is to instill in his defencemen to protect their own end and help their goalie out. Maione and Petro love to join the rush and it may be exciting for the fans, but they leave Dahm out to dry far too often. Those plays cost turnovers, but it was PETRO that took himself out of that game because his discipline got the best of him.

Leaving Dahm out to dry has been happening far too often lately.

[ItsGameTime]

Are you serious?? Show me another team in the OHL with four draft pics. The entire reason I dont like cheech is because in the hands of any other coach in the league this team would be unstoppable.


That's debatable and entirely unmeasureable.

This team has way more talent on it than any other team in the league.

To say we have way more talent than any other team in the league is a product of wearing Ice Dog coloured glasses. We do have a very talented team but to say we have way more talent than any other team in the league is an overstatement, IMO.

[MadMann]

That's debatable and entirely unmeasureable.



To say we have way more talent than any other team in the league is a product of wearing Ice Dog coloured glasses. We do have a very talented team but to say we have way more talent than any other team in the league is an overstatement, IMO.

Show me another team with four draft pics. One first rouner two seconds and a fourth. Thats pretty impressive.

[ItsGameTime]

Show me another team with four draft pics.
You mean another team with four players who were drafted last year?

And what is this attempting to prove?

[MadMann]

pointing out that we have the MOST tallented team in the league. with the least tallented coach

[Dogie style]

Dudes!!!!!! I'm not a big fan of the Chooch but reality is that the man put his resume in and Browner or Burkes picked him. now is it really his fault that he may lack experience and can't teach our boys hockey drills? NO!!!!!! I say NO!!!!! the fault starts with the general manager. Chooch got the job and hes making the best of it EXPERIENCED OR NOT EXPERIENCED. i ASK YOU THIS SINCE WERE ALL EXPERIENCED HOCKEY FANATICS AND PLAYED A HIGH LEVEL OF HOCKEY WHY NOT SEND SOME DRILLS OR BREAKOUTS AND EVEN POWERPLAY DRILS!!!!!!!! I just wish that he does or can motivate the desciplanary attitudes as our brother stated earlier. Descipline can be controlled by the coach it's no deffirent than desciplaning youre own kids. And as for motivation well hes in a league all by himself theire is nothing worse than humiliation yes I say humiliation that is deffenately not a motivator but a charector screwup!!!!!!

[Standing Room Only]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">reading through this thread and keep reading if we weren't injured/suspended.. we have been and a good coach can "coach" through these problems. Icedogs have many problems cann't score on PP, different lines every shift, inconsisent defence. Maybe we need more help on the coaching front like more assistant coaches.
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[ItsGameTime]

pointing out that we have the MOST tallented team in the league. with the least tallented coach

Do you mean NHL draft picks?

[crash*29]

Show me another team with four draft pics. One first rouner two seconds and a fourth. Thats pretty impressive.

Just from the last two drafts 06 and 07! Kitchner has 6; (1 2nd, 4 3rd, 1 4rd) to continue the Soo has 4 picks, Belleville has 5; (3 2nd, 1 3rd, 1 5th), plus Brampton has 5; (1 1st, 1 2nd, 1 3rd, 1 4th, 1 5th), last but not least ERIE has 4!

Who has the most talented team in the OHL if we go by NHL picks! Oh least we forget even Snow was a 3rd!

[ItsGameTime]

Yeah I was going to say off the top of my head here are two examples....

Kitchener
Nick Spaling, Steve Mason, Josh Unice, Robert Bortuzzo, Matt Halischuk, Yannick Weber, Ben Shutron

High Draft Eligible for this years draft: Mikkel Bodker

Brampton
Luke Lynes, Cory Emmerton, John de Gray, Bobby Sanguinetti, Bryan Pitton

High Draft eligible for this years draft: Cody Hodgson

[cope]

This is killing me... Forget about the other teams, lets just think about what Madmann claims...

And lets stick to FACTS, Madmann....

Two of those stars you claim were suppose to ensure we have a glorious season have played 21 and 25 games for us this year. And Legein's 25 games includes that last 3 games he plays for us. But lets give you those games. This means two of those drafted 4 players that give us the most talented team (which we don't have see above posts) only played 1/4 to 1/3 of the season for us. Again not an excuse, like you nay sayers want to think, but fact. If you don't believe it, look it up on the OHL or Icedog website.

So, I ask you Madmann, tell me any team in the OHL this year or of recent years, two lose half of their NHL drafted talent, and continued for the rest of the year to tear up the CHL and maintain for the whole year their top 5 ranking and move up and not drop in rankings.

I think it will be alot harder for you to find that team, then us to find teams with more then 4 NHL draft picks.

Again, nothing personal, just facts.... If you think they aren't facts, then please show me where these guys played more games for us.

[crash*29]

ok heres a list of the coaches in the O i'd rather have that ours...

marty williamson (barrie)- not much socring talent left there but they are very competitive and hes got them to buy into their defense 1st approach

george burnett (belleville)- former NHl coach and ohl coach of the year

stan butler (brampton)- coached team Canada world juniors

robbie ftorkek (erie)- coached a few Nhl teams

dave barr (guelph)-ohl coach of the yr in 06. won a championship in the internation hockey league. former player. they play excellent defensive hockey

peter deboer (kitchener)- twice names ohl coahc of the yr. 1 losing season in 12 yrs behind the bench. fantastic job this yr keep the team focussed

dale hunter (london)- no explanation needed. they're always in 1st it seems

dave cameron (missy)- not much natural scoring talent there but he keeps them competitive. they bought into his trap system

brian kilrea (ottawa)- hall of famer

mark reeds (owen sound)- thsi team was very competitive before they traded away their captain and simmonds. still done betetr than most people thoguht in a rebuilding yr. hes won championship at different levels and his daughter is smokin hot as is his nieces

mike vellucci (plymouth)- won championship last yr

todd watson (saginaw)- assistant to plymouth last yr.

dave macqueen (sarnia)- coach of the yr in 01

craig hartsburg0 great job fro team Canada in b2b years

mike foligno (sudbury)- great nhler ledthem to the finals last yr

bob boughner (windsor)- boogie man was a great role player in buffalo. hes done a great job with a young talented team

they've all done a better job than our guy. i wish we had someone better. maybe even a former Nhler. they boys would listen to him

k im out for the night now. later


If every coach is better then Cheech! Because they played in the NHL, or coached in the AHL, or NHL! How did they get Cheech?

2000-2001 Rick Vaive former NHLer, Capt. of the Leafs, Coached in the ECHL, AHL and had a Record of 3-56-7-2

2001-2002 Don Cherry "LEGEND" was 11-47-6-4

2002-2003 Steve Ludzik former NHLer 23-31-11-3 was also the GM the only person to do both jobs!

2003-2006 Greg Gilbert former NHL coach, now Marlies coach 91-82-21-12
he also had a different GM every year his last year was Brown's 1st!

Every year they were either out of playoffs or knocked out in the first rd. except 2003-04. Where they made the Finals before losing to Guelph. That team had Patrick O'Sullivan, Cody Bass, David Shantz, Bradley Snetsinger, and Swifty!

So prior experience doesn't really mean much! Nothing against KILLER but even he never had great years!

Cheech and McCourt 1st yr coaches with good experience, 4th in Conf! Not a bad first year! Small players in small rink don't match; they came from a large rink you can't turn a team around that fast!

Lastly, every coach has to start somewhere it now time for Cheech! Let him run with it for awhile!

[cope]

If every coach is better then Cheech! Because they played in the NHL, or coached in the AHL, or NHL! How did they get Cheech?

2000-2001 Rick Vaive former NHLer, Capt. of the Leafs, Coached in the ECHL, AHL and had a Record of 3-56-7-2

2001-2002 Don Cherry "LEGEND" was 11-47-6-4

2002-2003 Steve Ludzik former NHLer 23-31-11-3 was also the GM the only person to do both jobs!

2003-2006 Greg Gilbert former NHL coach, now Marlies coach 91-82-21-12
he also had a different GM every year his last year was Brown's 1st!

Every year they were either out of playoffs or knocked out in the first rd. except 2003-04. Where they made the Finals before losing to Guelph. That team had Patrick O'Sullivan, Cody Bass, David Shantz, Bradley Snetsinger, and Swifty!

So prior experience doesn't really mean much! Nothing against KILLER but even he never had great years!

Cheech and McCourt 1st yr coaches with good experience, 4th in Conf! Not a bad first year! Small players in small rink don't match; they came from a large rink you can't turn a team around that fast!

Lastly, every coach has to start somewhere it now time for Cheech! Let him run with it for awhile!


Good points....

[Casey]

Couldn't have said it better myself! I also think he is the front runner for coach of the year!:thumbsup:

ahahahahahahahahhaha Thats hilarious

[WellandDogsFan]

I noticed that another thread was locked because we started talking about Cheech.
The other thread was locked because it got off topic. the topic was Jay Gilbert. When I posted for the subject matter to return to Gilbert there was a response saying that the thread had run its course so lets talk about the coach. I gave fair warning that I was going to lock it because it was no long a thread concerning the title.

[WellandDogsFan]

lol
if anyone dare say anything negative about the coach it's coming down

i love cichillo personally <3 he's pushed all the right buttons this season. he sounds very intelligent in the media. he handles the goaltending well. the power play is good. no let downs or unfocussed efforts vs weaker teams.
we didn't turn the puck over at all or keep making the same mistakes through the entire 1st half of the season. he handled the van laren situation with class. we play a sound defensive game.
PM lets get the facts straigth. What you wrote about the thread coming down if anyone bashes the coach is absolutely not true at all. Debate about the coaching staff all you like. The second there is name calling or being disrespectful to or about anyone then it will get locked. Period.

[WellandDogsFan]

Good Question, we do have a goalie coach, not sure how involved he is with the team.
The goalie coach is there once or twice a week working with the goalies for about 10-15 mins prior to practice then he leaves once practice starts. I am not aware if he works more with the goalies than that.

[WellandDogsFan]

When refering to the coach, please refer to him as: "coach", "Mario", "Cicchillo" "Cheech", "that guy behind the bench" or anyting else that doesnt involve name calling . Please stop refering to him as "Chooch". All posts that refer to him in this manner will be deleted. Lets not resort to name calling ladies and gentlemen. As I have stated previously, keep it from becoming personal.

For the most part, this thread has sparked some good debate without turning into a personal grudge match. Lets keep it this way.

Thank you

[MadMann]

Just from the last two drafts 06 and 07! Kitchner has 6; (1 2nd, 4 3rd, 1 4rd) to continue the Soo has 4 picks, Belleville has 5; (3 2nd, 1 3rd, 1 5th), plus Brampton has 5; (1 1st, 1 2nd, 1 3rd, 1 4th, 1 5th), last but not least ERIE has 4!

Who has the most talented team in the OHL if we go by NHL picks! Oh least we forget even Snow was a 3rd!


So atleast you showed me three out of four teams that have the same draft picks as us. One of those teams being Kitchener wich has a great coach and is the best team in Canada. Great point. thanks for bringing that to light. And the other two teams are both ahead of us in the standings. The last team scored twelve goals on us in two games. Watch Erie next season. Youll see what a good coach and a good team can do. They are a super young team this year.

[crash*29]

I don't know how good their coaching is? He has been fired twice from the NHL and the AHL!

[MadMann]

As opposed to have never being a head coach, at all, anywhere, for any team. I started this post to hear different opinions of the coach. Ive heard a few good points for both sides so far so thank you for that. I kind of want to keep arguing down to a minimmum though so i think this will be my last post in this thread. I hope the opinions keep coming though:thumbup:

[skatee]

This is killing me... Forget about the other teams, lets just think about what Madmann claims...

And lets stick to FACTS, Madmann....

Two of those stars you claim were suppose to ensure we have a glorious season have played 21 and 25 games for us this year. And Legein's 25 games includes that last 3 games he plays for us. But lets give you those games. This means two of those drafted 4 players that give us the most talented team (which we don't have see above posts) only played 1/4 to 1/3 of the season for us. Again not an excuse, like you nay sayers want to think, but fact. If you don't believe it, look it up on the OHL or Icedog website.

So, I ask you Madmann, tell me any team in the OHL this year or of recent years, two lose half of their NHL drafted talent, and continued for the rest of the year to tear up the CHL and maintain for the whole year their top 5 ranking and move up and not drop in rankings.

I think it will be alot harder for you to find that team, then us to find teams with more then 4 NHL draft picks.

Again, nothing personal, just facts.... If you think they aren't facts, then please show me where these guys played more games for us.

good post..

[WellandDogsFan]

As opposed to have never being a head coach, at all, anywhere, for any team. I started this post to hear different opinions of the coach. Ive heard a few good points for both sides so far so thank you for that. I kind of want to keep arguing down to a minimmum though so i think this will be my last post in this thread. I hope the opinions keep coming though:thumbup:
Cicchillo has been a very successful head coach at all the levels he has coached. Prior to joining the IceDogs he won two tier II Junior A Provincial Championships in four years with the Brampton Capitals.

[skatee]

As opposed to have never being a head coach, at all, anywhere, for any team. I started this post to hear different opinions of the coach. Ive heard a few good points for both sides so far so thank you for that. I kind of want to keep arguing down to a minimmum though so i think this will be my last post in this thread. I hope the opinions keep coming though:thumbup:

i dont disagree about ftorek.. hopefully erie turns it around next season
however.. you have to start somewhere in terms of getting that first job... are you dogging cheech for getting this job as his first? i give him credit!!
if you want to dog someone, then i suggest you start with dave brown.. not cicchillo.... isnt he the one who hired cheech?
(let me state i like brown, even with snow and beljo trades - i am just pointing out the obvious - he hired cheech)

[Phil Margonis]

all i know is i'd rather have an of those coaches i listed ahead of our guy. even some assisants around the league like berehowksy i'd rather give a chance to.

that post by fishfan on page #4 i believe was excellent.

[cope]

all i know is i'd rather have an of those coaches i listed ahead of our guy. even some assisants around the league like berehowksy i'd rather give a chance to.

that post by fishfan on page #4 i believe was excellent.


I can't believe you just said you would rather a coach that has failed in every league he has been in or have a coach that has never won anything over our coach.

At the end of the day the fact is this. We are 4th in the conference, 2nd in the division with .595 win percentage including Lover as our goalie and the highest lost man games due to injuries, including 2 of our 4 NHL Draft Picks. Just to put this in prespective, Dahm has pretty much played as many games for the Dogs as each of those two players this year. Legein has Dahm by 4 games right now, and 3 of those 4 were last week.

Again, not saying there isn't room for improvement, not making excuses, just stating facts about our injuries and our record despite those injuries.

[conchar]

I can't believe you just said you would rather a coach that has failed in every league he has been in or have a coach that has never won anything over our coach.

At the end of the day the fact is this. We are 4th in the conference, 2nd in the division with .595 win percentage including Lover as our goalie and the highest lost man games due to injuries, including 2 of our 4 NHL Draft Picks. Just to put this in prespective, Dahm has pretty much played as many games for the Dogs as each of those two players this year. Legein has Dahm by 4 games right now, and 3 of those 4 were last week.

Again, not saying there isn't room for improvement, not making excuses, just stating facts about our injuries and our record despite those injuries.

I agree with Cope...for a first year coach and having to deal with all the adversities he has has to endure, I think he has done a reasonable job. I am not saying it could not be improved upon but surely that's what comes with more experience...we don't expect the same standard of play from our Rookies as we do with our older players. Let's give him a chance to see what he can do in the play-offs before we condemn him. Just my two cents worth.

[ICEDOGFEVER]

I don't know what happened on the other thread, so I don't know why it was locked. With that being said, isn't this a public forum? If you have something to say about the Dogs coach that isn't flattering but is hockey related and as long as it isn't personal, what's the beef? This site isn't affiliated with organization itself...I know this because it says so in the disclaimer on the front page. Sorry if he can't take criticism but your the head coach of an OHL franchise...DEAL WITH IT!

As for my opinion on the coaching of the Dogs...well it's no secret. I think it is horrible.

This team was ranked as high a 4th in the country at the beginning of the year. Now they are 4th in their own conference, 8th in the OHL and lucky to be in the top 20 in the country. I know, I know... they have had injuries, blah blah...every team in the league has injuries. The difference is they don't use it as a crutch or an excuse.

Lack of execution= Poor coaching
Lack of discipline= Poor coaching
Lack of a powerplay= Poor coaching

Why does he bench his two best players (Caputi and Swift) midway through the second period of the biggest game of the year? (Brampton last Thursday) Is it because he thinks they are no giving a good effort? So lets add Lack of motivation to the list of things that fall under Poor coaching.

How does possibly the best goaltender in the league give up 15 goals in the last 7 periods against the leagues two worst teams? Could it be he is tired? I relize he might say that he is fine and wants to play. This is where the "COACH" says you know what have a rest and let's get the backup get some action. I mean if you are not going to play Lobby against Erie on Sunday afternoon after Dahm played the night before on the road and got home in the wee hours of the morning, when are you going to play him? I know Lobby lost last time they played Erie but by that logic, Dahm lost last time against the Battalion....so should we expect to see Lucas between the pipes tomorrow night in Brampton?

My bottom line is this...I think it is the coaching that cost us the division title. I think the Dogs will get out of the first round on sheer talent alone but will be out coached by Williamson, Cameron, or Kilrea (whoever they face in the first round) and the series will last longer then it should.

I hate to say it but I expect the Dogs to bow out in the second round to anyone of the top 3 teams in the conference.

Coaching is the Dogs achilles heal.
This is the best quote I have read about the coach on this whole site. Excellent.

[cope]

I agree with Cope...for a first year coach and having to deal with all the adversities he has has to endure, I think he has done a reasonable job. I am not saying it could not be improved upon but surely that's what comes with more experience...we don't expect the same standard of play from our Rookies as we do with our older players. Let's give him a chance to see what he can do in the play-offs before we condemn him. Just my two cents worth.


Nice post.

[skatee]

I agree with Cope...for a first year coach and having to deal with all the adversities he has has to endure, I think he has done a reasonable job. I am not saying it could not be improved upon but surely that's what comes with more experience...we don't expect the same standard of play from our Rookies as we do with our older players. Let's give him a chance to see what he can do in the play-offs before we condemn him. Just my two cents worth.

agreed.
adversity with injuries etc. can be good, rather than having to have it all happen when they reach the playoffs.
brown has said it himself

[joe]

...We are 4th in the confrence, there was thread about who do you want to play/avoid in the playoffs. I think most teams want to avoid us. Legien hasn't missed a beat since his long layoff, Corrente is back shortly, and we play 3 tough teams (Brampton, Oshawa and Belleville) heading into the playoffs. I think those three games will give us a wake up call/great tune-up to get cob webs out heading into the playoffs. Those are 3 great games to play heading into the playoffs. First is out of the question and both the coaches and players know that and realize they need to use these next few games to work on a few things, win or lose. I think Mario and the staff have done not a great job, but a decent job this year. The playoffs should be great and now is the time for star players to show what they are made of. I think Petro, Legien, Caputi, Corrente, Schiestel, Swift and FOREMAN will show what they can really do. I put Foreman in caps, because I think he is the difference come playoffs. I look for him to shine and be our best player in April.

[myleslong]

...We are 4th in the confrence, there was thread about who do you want to play/avoid in the playoffs. I think most teams want to avoid us. Legien hasn't missed a beat since his long layoff, Corrente is back shortly, and we play 3 tough teams (Brampton, Oshawa and Belleville) heading into the playoffs. I think those three games will give us a wake up call/great tune-up to get cob webs out heading into the playoffs. Those are 3 great games to play heading into the playoffs. First is out of the question and both the coaches and players know that and realize they need to use these next few games to work on a few things, win or lose. I think Mario and the staff have done not a great job, but a decent job this year. The playoffs should be great and now is the time for star players to show what they are made of. I think Petro, Legien, Caputi, Corrente, Schiestel, Swift and FOREMAN will show what they can really do. I put Foreman in caps, because I think he is the difference come playoffs. I look for him to shine and be our best player in April.
Well said, joe! Let;'s hope you're right about the rest of the regular season. One thing I think is dead on is your assessment of this year's coaching"not a great job, but a decent job...". I am neither blinded by fan loyalty, nor prepared to dump on the coach just yet. Have we seen things that make us scratch our head? Certainly! But also, some of the excuses provided for him/them have merit. I think next year will be the real test, when we'll be able to see this coach's prints all over the team. The present team was clearly not put together for play on small ice. I wonder what would've been had the Dogs played all home games on a large ice surface like Hershey Centre. GO DOGS!

[tml]

I find it interesting that the two threads that have dealt with coaching issues seem to have fostered the most passion on this site. That being said I was critical of Cheech in the earlier thread but in this one I feel a little more positive about what he has done. There has been a marked improvement in team discipline since the beginning of the season. On most nights the defensive play is a marked improvement. We must easily have one of the scariest shorthanded attacks in the league. While shorthanded we are always a threat to score and in fact score shorthanded often. We play better shorthanded than we do on the power play. I still think the guys need more positive reinforcement from the coach. The Power Play is painful to watch most nights. I think the guys pass it well enough but not fast enough. By the time they are ready to shoot the shooting lanes are clogged. Players at this age need to be taught. They will learn if they respect the teacher. Unfortunately I am not convinced that they do yet. Perhaps in the off season Cheech and Brown will sit down and evaluate the situation and Cheech will be able to see where he can improve as a teacher and a motivator. I am willing to wait and see if that happens next season.

[Dogie style]

Well said tml!!!!!

[three dog night]

The only fault I could find was playing Loverock to many times .

[skatee]

The only fault I could find was playing Loverock to many times .


i read in the standard back a while ago it was actually bill burke who stepped in and said he should play volpe - only time he has meddled in hockey operations

[strohs]

This is the best quote I have read about the coach on this whole site. Excellent.

I don't know what happened on the other thread, so I don't know why it was locked. With that being said, isn't this a public forum? If you have something to say about the Dogs coach that isn't flattering but is hockey related and as long as it isn't personal, what's the beef? This site isn't affiliated with organization itself...I know this because it says so in the disclaimer on the front page. Sorry if he can't take criticism but your the head coach of an OHL franchise...DEAL WITH IT!

As for my opinion on the coaching of the Dogs...well it's no secret. I think it is horrible.

This team was ranked as high a 4th in the country at the beginning of the year. Now they are 4th in their own conference, 8th in the OHL and lucky to be in the top 20 in the country. I know, I know... they have had injuries, blah blah...every team in the league has injuries. The difference is they don't use it as a crutch or an excuse.

Lack of execution= Poor coaching
Lack of discipline= Poor coaching
Lack of a powerplay= Poor coaching

Why does he bench his two best players (Caputi and Swift) midway through the second period of the biggest game of the year? (Brampton last Thursday) Is it because he thinks they are no giving a good effort? So lets add Lack of motivation to the list of things that fall under Poor coaching.

How does possibly the best goaltender in the league give up 15 goals in the last 7 periods against the leagues two worst teams? Could it be he is tired? I relize he might say that he is fine and wants to play. This is where the "COACH" says you know what have a rest and let's get the backup get some action. I mean if you are not going to play Lobby against Erie on Sunday afternoon after Dahm played the night before on the road and got home in the wee hours of the morning, when are you going to play him? I know Lobby lost last time they played Erie but by that logic, Dahm lost last time against the Battalion....so should we expect to see Lucas between the pipes tomorrow night in Brampton?

My bottom line is this...I think it is the coaching that cost us the division title. I think the Dogs will get out of the first round on sheer talent alone but will be out coached by Williamson, Cameron, or Kilrea (whoever they face in the first round) and the series will last longer then it should.

I hate to say it but I expect the Dogs to bow out in the second round to anyone of the top 3 teams in the conference.

Coaching is the Dogs achilles heal.


Excellent post!

[What'sUpDog]

i read in the standard back a while ago it was actually bill burke who stepped in and said he should play volpe - only time he has meddled in hockey operations

As I read the above post, I think to myself that it took 26 games before the team owner tells you to give your starting goalie a rest. Volpe starts and gets a star of the game. Now here we are going into the playoffs, with a fantastic goalie in Dahm, and I ask you, Do we have a second goalie? We are right back into the same situation as the first 26 games!!!!
We burnt Loverock out and now Cheech is taking his best shot at doing the same to Dahm. We are going into the playoffs with an untested goalie. I am sure that Lobsinger wants to prove that he can still play in the OHL but how will anyone know. If something were to happen to our beloved starting goalie(like have the flu) we bring up Volpe as back up to Lobsinger and our two goalies have a total of 6 games played between them this year.
After this you want me to state my opinion how Cheech is doing as a coach!!!!

[skatee]

it just says "26 days ago" so not surewhen published.. but this is from st. catharines standarD (part of junior hockey report(:

The Burke stops here
Bill Burke describes himself as a hands-off owner with one notable exception. The Niagara IceDogs owner stepped in during the season and demanded backup goalie Adrian Volpe play his first game.
"I said to Mario (head coach Cicchillo), 'I want Volpe to play.' And he said, 'You're talking with your heart.' But I told him no.
"I said, 'I'm talking as a dad, and it's time to play.' I didn't care if we won or lost, it was time for him to play."
Volpe ended up winning the start 4-2 over Owen Sound Nov. 25. He also won his next start Nov. 29 against Erie.
Burke said he let Dave Brown do all the work at the OHL trade deadline, but did stay close to offer his advice.
"It really becomes the business side of the deal whether you're buying a printing press or doing a trade," Burke said. "You have to work it and that's all I brought to it."
Burke sat in on the team's first 2008 draft meeting where a list of the top 100 players were available.
"I went through the list and put an X beside everyone from the region," Burke said.
The team's goal is to draft the best player, but, if all things are equal, they will shop locally.
"There's 82 or 83 season tickets in Niagara-on-the-Lake and it's not just because of the Niagara IceDogs," Burke said. "It's because Alex (Friesen) is there and how great is that? I love local kids."
---
reading that made me appreciate and admire bill even more (which i already thought very highly of him!!!)

[What'sUpDog]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Have you ever noticed that in pro sports that the winning teams have players that respect their coaches and coaches that respect their players. I don't see it on the Icedogs. Lovie Smith(Chicago Bears) Tony Dungie(Indy Colts) They don't yell. They don't swear at the players. Scotty Bowman. These coaches "coach" the teams to winning seasons. All coaches have different coaching styles but the lack of respect can be seen from my seat across the ice.
Someone wrote that we have had a good year for a first year team. You are correct but I fail to see the point when you have a team that falls behind other teams when it comes to improving as a team. With the talent that we have on the IceDogs, we could play 500 hockey the Zamboni driver coaching. No offence to the driver, we just have a talented team that hasn't come close to reching its potential.
We had an alright power play at the beginning of the year and it has slipped from there. A good coach will catch weaknesses on a team, (and they have all been mentioned.) I don't see this happening.
A good coach will also build the team for future years and develop the younger players to take over the C's & A's of the team and be the future leaders.
The last thing I don't see is the respect between the coaches. I saw McCourt get a lot out of the players in the handful of games he coached. The Dogs seemed to respond to his coaching.
Everyone has been bashing Cheech (as they should), He is the Coach, but I will commend Brownie for not bowing to the pressure in mid season. Snow-Fail, Dahm-Success, McIssac-Success. The off season is where Browie will earn his stripes.
The only way you get respect is by earning it and Cheech hasn't earned mine.

[myleslong]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Have you ever noticed that in pro sports that the winning teams have players that respect their coaches and coaches that respect their players. I don't see it on the Icedogs. Lovie Smith(Chicago Bears) Tony Dungie(Indy Colts) They don't yell. They don't swear at the players. Scotty Bowman. These coaches "coach" the teams to winning seasons. All coaches have different coaching styles but the lack of respect can be seen from my seat across the ice.
Someone wrote that we have had a good year for a first year team. You are correct but I fail to see the point when you have a team that falls behind other teams when it comes to improving as a team. With the talent that we have on the IceDogs, we could play 500 hockey the Zamboni driver coaching. No offence to the driver, we just have a talented team that hasn't come close to reching its potential.
We had an alright power play at the beginning of the year and it has slipped from there. A good coach will catch weaknesses on a team, (and they have all been mentioned.) I don't see this happening.
A good coach will also build the team for future years and develop the younger players to take over the C's & A's of the team and be the future leaders.
The last thing I don't see is the respect between the coaches. I saw McCourt get a lot out of the players in the handful of games he coached. The Dogs seemed to respond to his coaching.
Everyone has been bashing Cheech (as they should), He is the Coach, but I will commend Brownie for not bowing to the pressure in mid season. Snow-Fail, Dahm-Success, McIssac-Success. The off season is where Browie will earn his stripes.
The only way you get respect is by earning it and Cheech hasn't earned mine.
What'sUpDog: I don't think it's the coach's role. nor was he hired, to earn your respect. Having said that,I agree with you that he does not have the respect of the players. particularly the veterans. As I explained in a previous post, I put a lot of that down to his having been Kelly's assistant, and expect this situation will improve as he and the younger players mature in their roles.
I have been critical of the coach throughout this season, but have concluded that, if I were GM, he'd have another year. Let's hope that, like the rookie players on the team, he goes on to develop into a bona fide OHL coach.
You mention Dave Brown. All in all, I am impressed by him and the job he has done this year. By the way, did you ever notice the similarity to Brent Butt of Corner Gas? GO DOGS!

[fishfan51]

Ask Michael Swift if they respect the coach. Better yet ask Stefan Legein what he thinks.

[Phil Margonis]

yeah cheech hasn't earny any of my respect yet either What'sUpDog.

Legein had Brent Sutter and Craig Hartsburg as coaches before so chicillo (still don't know how to really spell it lol) is a big step down. Sutter was 19-0-1 coaching the Canadian junior team internationally. He's ripping it up in NJ right now. Hartsburg led Canada to back to back Gold and both pushed every right button in those tourney's.

[What'sUpDog]

I do agree with Myles that Cheeches job isn't to earn my respect. Niether one of us will loose sleep over the lack of respect for each other.
My point was that you don't have to be the school yard bully to earn the respect of the players. This team should be better than they are. I do not think that they have been coached to their full potential. Cheech has his Favorites, we all do, but why must it take a team owner to step over the General Manager to get to the coach to say play the second goalie. Weather the reason was to give Volpe a chance or your burning Loverock out, it doen't matter. The coaches job is to develop the players and get the IceDogs to play as a TEAM, but some days I just see certain lines just playing as individuals.

[cope]

yeah cheech hasn't earny any of my respect yet either What'sUpDog.

Legein had Brent Sutter and Craig Hartsburg as coaches before so chicillo (still don't know how to really spell it lol) is a big step down. Sutter was 19-0-1 coaching the Canadian junior team internationally. He's ripping it up in NJ right now. Hartsburg led Canada to back to back Gold and both pushed every right button in those tourney's.


Craig Hartsburg.... 04 / 05 season .559 win percentage, 05 / 06 .485 win percentage, 06 / 07 .603 win percentage, 07 / 08 .682 win percentage. You actually could make the arguement that CANADA is so talented any of us could coach them and get the the gold medal round, so I don't get your point. You also forget that Mario was the Assistant coach of the uner 17 Gold medal champions that Aggy played for. Once again the postive things Mario did are left out and the negitives to everyone else you mention don't get mentioned either.

Mario, first year so far we have a .608 win percentage with two of the four drafter players playing just about as many games as Dahm.

Again, someone is brought up Mario swears at players and yells at them, these guys aren't 6 years old, they are young men trying to make a professional sports team, if they can't handle it at this level, they won't handle it at the next. BTW, I have seen Lovie, Tony and Scotty go off on national television before on their assistant coaches, refs and players for bad plays. You also see the best players in the professional sports league go off on other players, coaches, refs ect. get over it, this is 2008 and those things happen now in everyday life not just sports.

For whatever reason there are a group that don't like the coach, so be it, you are welcome to your opinion. But don't make BS statement unless you know everything, and unless you are a player, coach or employee of the dogs, you don't know everything and what you do know is opionated or second / third hand. It is so frustrating trying to follow a team when people think they know everything and post someting when they know less then 100% of what happened.

[Phil Margonis]

I don't think just anyone can coach Team canada. Canada was not a lock to win this year. USA had tons of talent and so did Sweden. Hartsburg did a great job. he sat Tavares out at the start and when he played him more tavares responded. he handled the goaltending well. he chose Mason and Mason delivered. canada had a melt down in the 3rd vs the swedes in the Gold game,. he setlled them down at intermission and it worked.
those winning % are very good too.

[cope]

Phil, here is my point, this is the post made regarding the ability to coach a team with our talent level.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
With the talent that we have on the IceDogs, we could play 500 hockey the Zamboni driver coaching. No offence to the driver, we just have a talented team that hasn't come close to reching its potential.


Team Canada has alot more talented team then the Dogs, so the statement I made about any of us being able to coach the team is just as valid.

If not, then lets give the coaches both Craig and Mario some credit for the jobs they have done this year and in the past respectivly.

As for the win %, then the dogs were at ~.500 eveyone was pissed that it should be higher with our talent level. But you just staed losing season are respectable.

The Icedogs have moved up to .608% win percentage and yet no credit is given. regardless if it is dumb luck, or actually ability to coach to increase a win % that much since the trade deadline deserves some credit.

The other fact I would like to make is we are at .608 win percentage which outside of this year is better then Hartsberg's first 3 years back as coach of the Soo.

[GoDogsGo]

he's the coach for a reason...and not us... everyone is entiteld to their opinons...
once again I say... if people think that they can do a better job... go get your coaching level's...get hired by a OHL team...and show us your stuff.... there must be a reason why we are here and they are coaching the team...
Harping on a coach when the first season isnt even done... is not fair...I think... but that is just my thought...
People are saying that some players dont respect the coach... well what does that say about the player...a little respect goes a LONG way... you dont have to like someone... but respect the position they are in....and the decisions that they make...as they are the ones hired to make those decisions... and the players are "hired" to play the game to the best of their abilities.... you cant coach drive... you either have it and show it...or you dont...