The Senators Fired the Wrong Guy | 
The Ottawa Senators have a lot of problems with their hockey club. Craig Hartsburg wasn’t one of them.
Once a team starts to flounder the first thing to change is almost always the head coach. After starting the season the 15-29-5, bad enough for 28th in the league, the Senators fired head coach Craig Hartsburg based on the 48 games he’s coached with the team. The move, not to take anything away from new head coach Cory Clouston, was the wrong one.
Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Far too often the head coach takes the blame for a poor general manager. Bryan Murray has not been able to guide a team to a Stanley Cup victory as a coach and he certainly has not been able to build a championship team, as a GM. In his 20+ years as a coach and GM in the NHL he has yet to win. With the way that the Senators are playing right now it doesn’t look like he’s going to anytime soon.
That’s not to say that Murray can’t get you close.
He has been to the finals three times. Each time however was early in his tenure before he could really make his mark on a team. In his second season with the Florida Panthers he helped them on their surprise run to the finals, in ’96, where they eventually lost to the Colorado Avalanche. He was fired in ’00 after failing to get back to the finals. Two years later he was back in the GM role this time with the Ducks. Once again he made an unlikely run to the finals, on the back of J.S. Giguere. This time he lost to the New Jersey Devils. The Ducks missed the playoffs the following season and Murray stepped down to coach the Senators. In ’07 as head coach of the Sens Murray guided them to the finals against his former team, the Ducks. However, the Ducks were a much grittier team then when Murray left and the essentially beat up the Sens over six game to capture the Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately, for Murray, as the saying goes close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And, as far as I can tell Sens owner Eugene Melnyk is looking for more than just close with his team. It’s time that he opens his eyes and hires himself a new more competent GM.
For OpenIceHockey.com, I’m Scott Vankoughnett
Topics: Bryan Murray, NHL, Ottawa Senators
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