Appreciation for Dan Bylsma
by Cari on Apr 27, 2010 1:03 PM EDT
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PrintAs I have watched other teams compete in the playoffs, I have been reminded of how special Dan Bylsma is and how much his attitude seems to contribute to the Penguins' success. In the days of Michel Therrien, I was used to our coach blaming players and acting helpless at his famous press conferences. For example, who could forget:
We don't have the right attitude. We like to complain about each other on the bench and on the ice. They better wake up pretty quick... I'm really disappointed with their work ethic and the concentration. Until they change their attitude, we are going to have the same results.
But now, I'm so used to Bylsma's classy press conferences that I get a little surprised when I see other coaches doing the things that Bylsma refuses to do -- calling out underperforming players, whining about the officiating, getting visibly angry or distraught, accusing players on the other team of playing dirty or diving, making tasteless jokes.
I have a little soft spot for Bruce Boudreau even though the Capitals are of course the enemy -- it's hard to dislike a man who is so clearly passionate about his team, and isn't afraid to be openly emotional about it. His local commercials are awkward and precious, and I think it's sort of touching, if misguided, that he defends Ovechkin no matter what he does.
But watching the press conferences, I think that Bylsma would handle the Capitals' situation very ditfferently (and much better). Bylsma would never call out individual players (Semin) and say that the team "played like crap." He would also project confidence instead of saying, in response to a question about not letting frustration carry over into game seven, "I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."
Bylsma projects calm and focus no matter what happens. When the team was down 3-0 in Game 6, they knew that the expectation was to "play our game" and "play the right way" regardless of the situation. As Bylsma said in an interview yesterday,
"When it was 3-0 and 3-1, it doesn’t matter what the score is, it doesn’t matter what the games are in the series. You just have to keep playing and playing and playing the right way and get to your game so you take the doubt out of the series."
And as Bill Guerin said, also yesterday,
"Dan motivates in a different way. I think he really tries to get to know each and every player's personality and what makes them tick. But I think he feels he can get to guys without threats, without embarrassing anybody."
Bylsma will express confidence in the team, and in individual players, no matter what the situation. In the rare occasions that he does lose confidence in a player (Martin Skoula), the most you get out of him is that benching the player was "a coaching decision." He also refuses to whine about the officiating or about NHL disciplinary decisions. In short, he's a class act, and I believe it's a big part of our team's success.
The content expressed in fanposts does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff here at Pensburgh.com. FanPosts are opinions expressed by fans of various teams throughout the league but may be more Pittsburgh-centric for obvious reasons.
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I agree. Nicely put.
Disco Dan is all business and never cracks. He’s steady when things are going poorly or going well, and I think that’s made the team a lot more stable than in the Therrien days.
Also have to agee with how he handles underperforming players. When he has to bench/scratch a guy like Fedotenko, Talbot, Sykora, Satan he is honest but never rude, publically. He also is loyal to the point where a guy like Fedotenko has been on the 2nd line all season and definitely gotten a fair chance. But Bylsma will go back to a guy like Talbot, realize that he’s a special player and give him the chance to show it.
Tactically I don’t agree with all of Bylsma’s decisions, but hey he’s an author, former player and SC winning coach. The man knows his team and knows what he sees a lot better than I know what I’m talking about, so I’ll take his word.
"Don't matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war and there ain't no turnin' back. I mean, s---, it's what war is, you know? Once you in it, you in it. If it's a lie, then we fight on that lie. But we gotta fight."
Thank you for commenting on my Fan Post! I agree that struggling players get more chances with Bylsma than they might get with other coaches. In Talbot’s case, I think Bylsma remembered from last season that nobody gets more pumped for the playoffs than Max Talbot, and he knew that our superstar would rise to the challenge.
You also reminded me how much I want a Dan Bylsma All Business t-shirt.
http://www.zazzle.com/all_business_tshirt-235625246623809163
So hot.
that shirt is GLORIOUS.
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE.
by katielynn906 on Apr 27, 2010 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions
But I can see how some people can take his laid-backness as a sense of him not being competitive enough.
I remember Game 5 and early on in Game 6 where enough of us were praying for him to light a fire under the Pens when the game started going to hell.
I think without guys like Sid and Billy G who know when to turn it up and inspire their teammates for Bylsma, Disco Dan would’ve been canned a while ago.
I’m sorry, but I’ve been in a lot of situations where people confuse screaming, insults, and general rudeness with passion, inspiration, and concern. (If you can’t think of any of those in your life, you can just watch the news to see plenty of that nonsense.) It’s pretty obvious that things are working better for the Penguins than they are for, say, the Rangers. If it’s players like Crosby and Guerin doing the pumping up and inspiring, well, Bylsma’s very smart to trust those players and let them do it.
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.
by GreenEyedLilo on Apr 28, 2010 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I think we’ve all said at times, “I hope Bylsma is yelling at them in the locker room right now.” because we’re frustrated and want to yell at them ourselves… but that doesn’t necessarily motivate the team in the best way. We have seen plenty of teams with emotional screaming coaches continue to play poorly. Bylsma seems to believe that the best thing for his team is to keep them calm and focused. Guys always seem to step up in the locker room (as Craig Adams did during Game 6) and motivation from peers can mean a lot more than motivation from a coach, especially if that coach is always yelling at the team to try harder.
So as long as the players motivate each other to “get desperate” as Crosby put it, Bylsma seems to feel that it’s his job to keep the team focused — something that is very important in a technical game where mistakes are costly. That way, they can get motivated but they aren’t too upset and panicked to do it right.
Refuses to whine about officiating...
Why would he, they’re on our side! ;-)
Seriously, nice post. I love having a coach like Bylsma, for all the reasons you mentioned.
Also, as a sometimes-selfish fan, I love how good he is to us fans. Quick story, and yes, it comes with a picture.
We were in Carolina for game 3 last year, sitting on the glass in the Pens d-zone for 1st and 3rd periods, so we were on the end down from the Pens’ bench. Bylsma and crew had to walk in front of us to get to the bench. We’re in there behind Fleury and Tanger, next to the guys with the awesome Malkin signs.
The guys next to us were a little drunk, but fun drunk, not obnoxious drunk. The first time Bylsma came our way, one of the guys positioned himself so that his buddy could take a picture of him just as Dan walked by. Coach noticed this and he was cool enough to stop for a half second, just long enough for the guy to get a great pic. Before the 2nd period, he did it again so the other guy could get his pic with Bylsma, and before the 3rd he stopped again so my wife could take a picture of both guys with the coach. We just thought it was so cool. Obviously he had a playoff game to worry about, but just that little gesture for his fans was really nice.
Now, when we’re lucky enough to be behind the bench, I’ll have my LET’S GO PENS sign pressed up against the glass when they come out and he and Tony G will usually give it a good pounding.
He’s a professional who shows respect to his players, and I think they respond with generally great performances.
12 wins to go.
Let's go Pens!
by PensAreYourDaddy on Apr 27, 2010 5:49 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
That’s a great story — most coaches wouldn’t do that, or at least they wouldn’t do it three times. Especially during a playoff game! But it doesn’t surprise me since Bylsma seems to respect and appreciate fans of the team. (as seen at the parade, and on the Dan Bylsma show)
He is an all-business professional behind the bench and at press conferences, but Disco is also a fun, happy guy who loves hockey and loves coaching the team. In one of the articles I linked, Jordan Staal talked about how Bylsma makes practice enjoyable:
“I’m usually not a morning guy, but with [Bylsma], every day seems like a new day and there’s something new to learn. He takes ownership to do that and get everyone else on the same page and be excited about learning and getting better. It’s exciting to drive to the rink and know that’s what you’re coming to.”
He has found a balance between having fun and being a friend of the players, and being a professional and a leader. And on top of that, he’s nice to the fans, making him a seriously awesome coach all around.
“takes ownership”….damn corporate claptrap has invaded the hockey world!
12 wins to go.
Let's go Pens!
by PensAreYourDaddy on Apr 27, 2010 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Bylsma as well...
But at some level, I think that a team benefits from a contrast of coaching styles. Bylsma was the perfect antidote to Therrien last year. I also believe the team’s Cup run was benefited by the schooling in defensive responsibility that Therrien gave them. Let’s hope some of those lessons remain.
"Never mistake motion for action." - Ernest Hemingway
Yeah, there’s no doubt Therrien’s structure and tough love was needed to establish a foundation, one the Pens relied on to win the Cup.
Curiously though, Therrien tactics were often questionable. Like scratching Hal Gill and shift Orpik to winger; two of what ought to have been two of his best defensive players.
Coming off the Eddie O error, uhh era things were in disarray and they needed to tighten up. Therrien was the right man for the job at the time.
"Don't matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war and there ain't no turnin' back. I mean, s---, it's what war is, you know? Once you in it, you in it. If it's a lie, then we fight on that lie. But we gotta fight."
Kinda like how Dan's the perfect man for the job now
I love the coach and there’s a reason (beyond Sid & Geno) that the Pens won the cup immediately after he took over Therrien, but if you look at the precedent set, you can’t deny that there will come a time where Dan’s relaxed and player oriented style of coaching will be out-moded and we end up hiring another slave driver like Therrien to kick this team back up.
Look at the Hornets with Byron Scott or the Bucks with Scott Skiles… (Sorry for the b-ball references but I can’t recall hockey coaches off the top of my head)
Maybe a way out of this is to eventually bring in drill sargeant-type assistants to help counter balance Dan’s style.
I think one trick is to keep a drill seargent like Therrien with the AHL team. I really wish the Pens could have kept him working with the younger guys.
Put on your dancin' shoes.
Bylsma is one of the reasons I’m proud of the Penguins as an organization, and sometimes feel a bit sorry for fans of some other teams. I think he’s plenty passionate about his team. He’s just a calmer person than some other coaches, is all. Frankly, I see other coaches, and I see him, and Bylsma usually looks more like a winner to me. He inspires confidence. If he does this for fans, I have to believe he can do this for players, too.
Growing up around NASCAR, I’ve learned that the calmer-looking crew chiefs are usually the ones whose drivers do really well. So I liked Bylsma immediately. You don’t want the “passionate” screaming hysterics in that position—athletes tend to be pretty good about doing their own screaming during competition. You need someone there who can redirect all that adrenaline and nervous energy in a constructive way.
I don’t know what he does or doesn’t do when the cameras are off, and I don’t know how long it will work, but I’m very happy to have Bylsma now. Thanks for writing this!
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast victories and drown defeats.
I agree. From what I’ve heard Bylsma say in interviews, he works very hard to maintain his composure because he is so passionate, excited, and emotional during games. But he believes very strongly in staying calm, because he doesn’t want his team to panic and lose focus. It’s hard to argue that it’s not working, given the happy results. :)
Great post Cari. We are very fortunate to have Dan Bylsma as our head coach. He is intelligent, confident, and caring.
I respectfully disagree with your opinion of BB. I think he gets too emotional to a fault and does not show much backbone when defending AO. I don’t think a coach should ever put a player under the bus in front of the media or in front of the other players in the locker room. I think Danny B’s philosophy has carried over to the players – not too high and not too low with the emotional part of the game. That is why we are a successful team.
Thanks for the comment!
I don’t think we really disagree about BB — I was trying to say that I find it hard to dislike him as a person, even though I think he handles some things poorly, including the things that you mentioned.
Great post & comments.
What a pleasant read! :)
Leafs fan living large in the Pitt and pretending like the drought is over. Go Pens!
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