Nieuwendyk Fires Tippett, Hires Crawford and Fails First Test

by Jonathan Willis on Jun 11, 2009 8:31 AM MDT

Brett Hull had already paid the price for his mistakes in Dallas, as had his co-GM Les Jackson, and after six years perhaps it was inevitable that Dave Tippett was going to be fired too.

Oilers fans tend to underrate Marc Crawford out of distaste; he's coached ten seasons for other Northwest Division teams and twelve seasons in the Western Conference. He won a Cup with Colorado and was the man behind the bench during the Todd Bertuzzi ugliness and during Brian Burke's time in Vancouver - none of which has made him popular in Edmonton. He's also a middling CBC commentator who mangles names ("Alex" Hemsky, Dwayne "Rolofson") and sometimes says "we" when he talks about the Canucks.

None of that really matters; he seems like an unpleasant and arrogant sort but he's also been a remarkably successful coach, so it isn't like Dallas is doing something crazy and hiring Barry Melrose.

That said, I think this move was a mistake.

Dave Tippett spent four seasons as the head coach of the Houston Aeros in the AHL. The team's record improved every year, and in 1999 they went 54-15-13 and won the Calder Cup. The next season, Tippett became an assistant coach in Los Angeles, where he spent three seasons.

Dallas has been an incredible regular-season team during Tippett's time there; prior to this year he'd never missed the playoffs, and the Stars had never lost more than 30 regulation games in a season. Their lowest winning percentage, prior to this year, was .591. They went to the Conference finals last year; the year before that they narrowly lost their first round series, going seven games against Vancouver.

Much like Joel Quenneville and Ken Hitchcock, Tippett won't be unemployed long. He's one of the better coaches in the game, and the implosion in Dallas this season isn't remotely close to being his fault. Someone other than Joe Nieuwendyk will see that.

Like I said, Marc Crawford is a capable coach, so it isn't like these Stars are going to step into an elevator shaft. But this move is still a mistake.

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Sometimes even good coaches outlive their usefulness, as too many players stop listening to him.

Tippett is just collateral damage from the disaster that Brett Hull was. If he had a better playoff record he might have survived.

I think he will likely be hired before MacT. New Jersey seems like an ideal place for Tippett.

by godot10 on Jun 11, 2009 10:58 AM MDT reply actions

Thank goodness

No more Alex Hemsky and Dwayne Rolofson on the HNiC late game.

Tippett is a very fine coach who I was touting for the Oiler job if Dallas let him go. The timing turned out to be wrong, but I agree he won’t stay on the unemployment line for long, unless he decides to take a breather, collect his salary and take a job behind a microphone somewhere. I hear HNiC has an opening.

http:www.oildroppings.blogspot.com

by Bruce McCurdy on Jun 11, 2009 12:18 PM MDT reply actions

Huge Mistake

I think this is a huge mistake and one that seemed to be made far too quickly. This move would make more sense if they were off to a terrible start again this year after the first 20 games. From my understanding Tippet is more of a players coach and Crawford is completely opposite. Based on the significant effects that Avery seemed to have on the entire team, it showed me that negativity, force and calling players out is not how to get the best out of this team and that is exactly what Crawford brings.

I am not aware of any past history between Nieuwendyk and Crawford which makes this move even more odd and almost panicy to put his stamp on the team. Tippet would have been fired at the same time as the re-organaization happened if it was felt that he had any responsibility to the teams demise. I see this as a huge backfire.

Tippet will be gone within the next 10 days, if he wants to. NJ would be a great fit for him and they would be lucky to have him.

by toprightcorner on Jun 11, 2009 2:21 PM MDT reply actions

About the only connection I can think of is the 1998 Olympics. Crawford picked Nieuwendyk in the shootout vs the Czechs leaving Gretzky on the bench. Maybe this is a big thank you.

by ryanbatty on Jun 11, 2009 2:24 PM MDT up reply actions

TRC: You’re right about Tippett being a potentially good fit in Jersey. Good call … now let’s see what happens.

http:www.oildroppings.blogspot.com

by Bruce McCurdy on Jun 11, 2009 2:27 PM MDT up reply actions

From a hockey standpoint I’m not a huge fan of this move, but as an Oiler fan it’s all good. Dallas can be lousy and I don’t have to listen to Crawford, sounds like a great deal to me.

by ryanbatty on Jun 11, 2009 2:23 PM MDT reply actions

If I’m Daryl Sutter, I’d hire Tippet …

by puckdonkey on Jun 12, 2009 8:07 AM MDT reply actions

Me too

But I’d say the smart money is on Lou Lamoriello.

It's only my opinion, but it's right.

Writer for The Copper & Blue, OilersNation, and CanucksArmy.

by Jonathan Willis on Jun 12, 2009 8:41 AM MDT reply actions

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