Few jobs in professional sports come with more pressure—and less security—than coaching in the National Hockey League. Indeed, the average tenure of an NHL head coach is 2.4 years, according to a 2014 study published by Peter Tanner on FiveThirtyEight.
Coaching our Penguins? Given the expectations that throb like an extended hangover in the wake of the ’09 Cup, the pressure to succeed must be suffocating. Falter, even a little, and talk shows and blogs literally explode with critique.
Michel Therrien? Got us to the ’08 Finals. Too gruff, too conservative. Didn’t activate the defense.