Anytime a team struggles, its fans will look for a scapegoat to put the blame on. For many years, it was Alain Vigneault and Dan Girardi in a tag team affair that lasted several years. The former New York Rangers’ head coach insistence on playing the aging Girardi on the top defensive pair seemingly hamstrung the team for years.
However, since those teams were expected to be legitimate contenders this made sense to complain about. A majority of the team were established veterans that were known quantities that did not need refinement. It was up to those players to play up to their ability and on most nights, that would be enough to win.