Knights on Ice — You’re Fired

Those words were made famous by Donald Trump at the end of each and every episode of the TV show “The Apprentice.” As much as we all know that it was a reality show with a script, yesterday morning some 2,500 miles away from Las Vegas, Gerard Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly were summoned to GM Kelly McCrimmon’s hotel room to be told that very same thing. “You’re fired.”

It was part of a script that wasn’t just written after their 4^th loss in a row in Buffalo on Tuesday night. In fact, it was drafted long before that. It had to be, because the hiring of Peter DeBoer didn’t happen overnight.

Also, part of the script was delivering this news while the team was as far away as possible from Las Vegas. It was the most efficient way to minimize and control the expected fallout from the firing of a family member. Yes, the VGK players and coaches are part of the family that has been adopted by the entire city of Las Vegas and beyond, perhaps including you, since Oct. 1, 2017.

The powers that be knew that not only would this firing be controversial, but given that his replacement would be the former head coach of the San Jose Sharks, there would be blood in the water from the VGK fan base. Indeed, the VGK organization has encouraged the bad blood between these two teams. It was an instant rivalry that erupted almost spontaneously in year one (sometimes rivalries like this take years to develop). So it was good for business.

The Internet blew up. Phone lines into local-radio sports shows were lighting up. The local media headed to City National Arena, the Knights’ HQ, to try to get interviews from team officials, George McPhee to be exact, as only one reporter attended the McCrimmon presser in Ottawa. Las Vegas journalists were met with an order to leave CNA, with further instructions that interviewing VGK fans at the arena would not be allowed.

This isn’t surprising. A cloak of secrecy has surrounded this team pretty much from Day One in 2017. As much as the general public believes that members of the media know a lot more about the team than most people do, it’s not true. We know as much about the team as we report to you, but that just means we know it slightly in advance.

I did have a suspicion that something going on with the team wasn’t right. It was only a feeling, but I wrote about it twice last week, in posts with headlines of “Anyone Ready for a Bag Skate?” and “Maybe We Should Read Between the Lines.” I’m not psychic, nor do I possess a crystal ball, but being around Gallant and the players over 2-1/2 years, you see things that seem out of place.

On Tuesday night when I was writing about the game against Buffalo, I deleted a paragraph of the post in which I wondered when Gallant might have to start worrying about his tenure as the head coach. Instead, I said the same thing, but in a softer and more indirect way, stating that the team was in a very fragile state. In sports, even though the head is fine and the problem is really with the body, it’s easier to cut off the head off than to dismember the body. This is why coaches are the first to go, followed by the general manager. You can’t just fire the players.

Here’s what I wrote. “It’s not often that a veteran will call an opposing team inferior, but last night a very frustrated Mark Stone called the Buffalo Sabres just that. Here are his exact words. ‘It’s tougher, especially when you’re losing to teams you know that you’re better than, and we’re a better hockey team. We just have to find ways to put the puck in the net, and we’ve kind of gotten stale the last bunch of games.’”

Then I added, “These words are very telling of the level of frustration that is currently affecting not only Mark Stone, but the entire VGK organization.”

Yes, I was saying that something is just not right with the team, but I never wanted to lay the blame on the shoulders of Gallant alone. The VGK play as a team, so they should accept the accolades and the criticism together. Little did I know that Gallant’s grave had been dug long before the team left on this 8-game road trip. It was going to happen when George McPhee decided to lower Gallant’s body into the hole that was waiting for him, and what better way than when the entire organization is about as far away from their headquarters as geographically as possible. It’s called “damage control,” and everyone up to owner William Foley knew there’d be a lot of damage to control, as evidenced by the outrage that consumed this entire city immediately.

The organizations claim it’s 100% performance-based. Really? Based on what performance? A 4-game losing streak? Gallant’s replacement himself was fired last month for a 10-game losing streak, with his team in last place in the much-maligned Pacific Division. After the Buffalo game, the VGK are just 3 points out of first place. This reeks of something other than performance.

What could it be? We’ll never know. But we sure can have opinions.

One is that Gallant lost the room; in other words, the players tuned him out. I don’t for one second believe this and if you watch the Fleury interview at the bottom of this post, you can see how upset he is about what happened to Gallant.

Another is that Gallant had a falling-out with McPhee and McCrimmon over the use of specific players (Eakin comes to mind first, along with one or two others), plus the new defensive system that was implemented. Was the new defensive scheme an order from above that Gallant was forced to use? Or was it Gallant’s baby that McPhee and McCrimmon didn’t like? In interviews, Bill Foley has mentioned that Gallant could be stubborn at times, so there’s that. When Gallant was asked about the new defensive structure, he played it off as just a few tweaks.

There was also the full-control thing. Under normal circumstances, a coach is hired first; then he assembles his coaching staff. That didn’t happen with Gallant. Before he arrived, goaltending coach David Prior was already on board. At numerous times when asked by the media who would get the next start, Fleury or Subban, Gallant made it a point to let us all know that he was deferring to Prior. Don’t get me wrong, Prior is an excellent coach and Fleury has improved under him, but Gallant never fully had complete control of his team and maybe that irked him. This also helped McPhee to have a little more control of things.

“Sometimes you have a feeling” is how McCrimmon explained what played into the decision to let Gallant go. He also said, “Best thing for the organization.”

Well, if that’s true, why not be more forthcoming and accessible to the media, so we can keep our readers informed as to the thoughts of the brain trust of the VGK?

You’ve created a love affair with the city and the best way to keep a relationship healthy is with good communication. Right now, that’s lacking big time. Las Vegas and the rabid fans here deserve better. They were there for you long before you had a pair of skates or a stick for the team, before you had a player or T-Mobile. Ten thousand fans put up their money on a wing and a prayer and they made the VGK become a reality. Without them, you don’t have a team. They don’t need exact details, but something to make them feel like they’re are part of the family would be great. This is what you created. Don’t turn away from them now. They have always respected your hockey knowledge.

Now on to the new coach. I understand the immediate resistance to DeBoer, but swirl this around in your brain for consideration. Does he really have any loyalty to the San Jose Sharks? After all, they fired him also. What better way to stick it far up the San Jose Sharks’ ass than to take the VGK deep into the playoffs? That’s not just wishful thinking; DeBoer has taken two different teams to the Stanley Cup Finals in both the East and West, in his first full year as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks and the NJ Devils. He made the playoffs in his 4 full seasons with the San Jose Sharks. He’s not a bad coach, even though for VGK fans, it’s only natural to hate him. But right now, he is the VGK coach and he has every reason in the world to take your team as far as he possibly can.

We will all miss Turk Gallant. He was not only a fine coach, but a fine man. He treated the media respectfully (even if he did explode on the Review-Journal reporter after the Philadelphia game). Little did we know at the time he already was feeling the heat from above, which might explain his uncharacteristic response. So much so that on his way out of the presser, he slammed the door, nearly knocking it off the hinges. He was also clearly heard screaming at someone to “get off the fucking phone,” another sign that Gallant knew things weren’t good in VGKland.

But don’t worry about Gallant. He’ll land on his feet. In my opinion, he’ll wind up at the very least in Seattle to head their expansion team, if other NHL teams don’t come knocking first. 

Take a deep breath and realize your team is only 3 points out of first place and well within striking distance of any of the other 4 playoff spots that are available beyond the Pacific Division Champion.

Remember: Vegas Born Vegas Strong.

Your comment and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me directly at [email protected] or you can leave your input on my Facebook page or the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy.

Fleury on DeBoer