Jacques Martin has taken heat this year for the Habs play. I think it is unfair. No one had any clue where the Habs were going to be in the standings this season after an overhaul, so considering they are tied for sixth how can you give him heat? Did you think they were a first place club? What has he not done for you considering the injuries?
I have seen only one grave mistake from Martin all season long. Ryan O'Byrne at forward felt desperate and nonsensical. And watching O'Byrne go from wing to wing and back again in the defensive zone in utter confusion was more comical than comforting. Bergeron at forward on the fourth line I get. He has to be on the powerplay for that shot, so he has to take a roster spot and forward is a better position for him when the team is healthy. In fact, if you feel like being kind then credit Martin for seeing the possibility. Other than O'Byrne's foray into a new and confusing world I don't see how any of the Habs problems are Martin's. He's doing very well with the talent he has.
Where I really like Martin is the manner he is using his 23 years of experience to handle delicate situations.
Truth is we could have one boiler of a goaltender controversy in this town right now, but everything that Martin does diffuses it. Importantly, he never gives away who his choice is until game day. Instead of festering on it for three days between games, second guessing the choice, talk radio has nothing to bite into. Where I work, during news conferences the reporters don't even bother to ask anymore who is starting until game day. The story never gets a chance to take flight.
I have seen some coaches come and go in Montreal and Martin strikes me everyday as a professional coach.
I know he has often been tagged with the weakness in the playoffs of not being an emotional "Any Given Sunday" kind of speech giver or a "Rudy" inspirer. However, that same character trait is a positive in the regular season. The club just went on a mini losing skid where the last thing a player, or this city needs, is an over the top panicky reaction and angry diatribe from the coach. That wears thin quickly at the pro level. It also heightens the panic in this very emotional town where the talk radio host is often pouring fuel on the fire because he is so sad his team isn't doing well. Instead, Martin keeps it level headed and concentrates on the strategical process and turning things around builds out of calmness. The lows in sport if they get emotional nutrition produce lower lows and the basement comes quickly from there.
Martin is so concentrated on diffusing difficult situations, the other night when Price was awful against St. Louis, Martin said flat out he had a strong game. Now, I'm not a fan of being lied to, but I will tell you what, the "coach rips lousy Price" story sure died in a hurry. That's a professional coach. That's a coach who gets it.
Martin has taken a group of guys who didn't even know each other before this season. Chemistry was for Gionta and Gomez. The rest barely knew each other. Teams get built. They don't just get signed. The building blocks take time.
After signing coach after coach with no NHL experience who were so busy with their own learning process they didn't have time to worry about their players' process, this coach has already been through it all. He's won some wars. He's lost some. He isn't learning the ropes. He's teaching them.
Have there been moments when line matching, or situational player choice or line choice has not been perfect? Yes. Certainly. However, I have never seen a coach able to always call the time out at the perfect moment, or have two centers on just in case at a key moment. No one is perfect.
However, for me, he's the right man for this moment.
