Hitchcock will be back! Signs one-year extension.

[glen a richter]

It's official: Yeo to coach the Blues after Hitchcock leaves, starting with 2017-18 season.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=8 ... L|STL|home

Christ almighty, why???

Ken Hitchcock's love for defense, amplified.
Andy Murray's hatred for youth, amplified.

If they don't win the Cup in 16-17, assume the window is shut.

[ecbm]

It's official: Yeo to coach the Blues after Hitchcock leaves, starting with 2017-18 season.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=8 ... L|STL|home

Why would they do this? What an uninspired hire.

So this is guaranteed to be a Hitchcock-type team for four more seasons?

I guess this means Armstrong gets to stick around until he feels like retiring too?

I feel like we're about to see the mid/late-90s version of the Blues where the team could make the playoffs each year without any real hope of them making noise. Hiring Yeo is a take-the-wind-out-of-your-sails type of move regardless...announcing a year in advance that he will be the team's HC is about as demoralizing a development as could have happened so far. The Penguins winning the cup really should underline for everyone how passé defense-first-and-only coaching is. The Blues lost to the Sharks because in those 4 games, they scored 5 goals total. I'm guessing this point will be completely lost on our coaching staff.

[glen a richter]

This offseason is off to a horrible start. Knowing where the team is headed for the next 4 years will make it evident what gets done with the draft pick in 2 weeks... gritty forward with limited offensive potential. Remember: Steve Ott was a 1st round pick. We'll be taking someone like him because he fits Yeo's mold. I've said in the past and I stick by it: Mike Yeo couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. He had a semi-decent run 2 years ago because Dubnyk played out of his mind. Other than that, he's garbage. His teams were ok in spite of him, not because of him. Sound like someone else we know???

I'm thoroughly disgusted that Stillman let this happen. Change ownership now, please.

[ecbm]

If they don't win the Cup in 16-17, assume the window is shut.

I wish you were right. This contract tells me that we're going to see the club bash their heads against the wall in the exact same way for four more years, probably convincing themselves that it's still possible long after the core is past its prime and in need of rebuilding.

Too early to drink, I guess...

[ecbm]

I'm thoroughly disgusted that Stillman let this happen.

I'm certainly disappointed. I worry that his thinking about the club has been completely captured by the GM/HC that were in place when he arrived. A team coached for decade by Hitchcock & Yeo isn't really the wave of the future in 2016.

[dmiles2186]

Maybe this Yeo stuff warrants it's own thread....but keeping this going....

I'm a little conflicted. It's not an exciting hire, that's for sure. But looking at his numbers: 35-36-11 his first year, 26-19-3 during the lockout year, 43-27-12, 46-28-8, and then 23-22-10 before being fire. All told: 173-132-44 for 390 points in 349 games.

He missed the playoffs that first year, then lost 3 straight times to the Blackhawks, which is a tough draw for anyone. First one was in the first round, the next two were in the 2nd round. But twice they were the lower seed (once against us, unfortunately) and won their first round matchup.

The guy is a year and a half away from coaching his first game for the Blues. I'm not going to completely write this group off now because it's way too far ahead of the games actually being played. Yeo is 42, so he's a young guy. And the thing is, sometimes it takes a guy getting fired for him to see what he was doing wrong and correct it. He's young enough that he could make some adjustments to his coaching style. Plus, he's got a year to get a feel for the locker room, the players, the organization, so that's all positive to me.

I'm going to try to be optimistic about this.

[Kerfuffle]

I didn't think Yeo was a bad coach but I felt he was a coach for a young team that needs to develop players. The Blues are a contending team so that's where I'm not seeing the fit. Yes you got guys like Tank and Fabbri that are young but the rest of the core are vets ready to take the next step.

[gaijin]

Dude. Either grow a goatee or don't.

We'll talk after you've figured out this simplest of tasks.

[KrustyKevo]

Dude. Either grow a goatee or don't.

We'll talk after you've figured out this simplest of tasks.

LOL

[dmiles2186]

On the /r/hockey thread about this, a lot of Wild fans do not like this at all. They think Yeo will work wonders here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/comment ... oach_rick/

[F Keenan]

This guy....

[gaijin]

[dmiles2186]

[Toasted Oates]

Maybe this Yeo stuff warrants it's own thread....but keeping this going....

I'm a little conflicted. It's not an exciting hire, that's for sure. But looking at his numbers: 35-36-11 his first year, 26-19-3 during the lockout year, 43-27-12, 46-28-8, and then 23-22-10 before being fire. All told: 173-132-44 for 390 points in 349 games.

He missed the playoffs that first year, then lost 3 straight times to the Blackhawks, which is a tough draw for anyone. First one was in the first round, the next two were in the 2nd round. But twice they were the lower seed (once against us, unfortunately) and won their first round matchup.

The guy is a year and a half away from coaching his first game for the Blues. I'm not going to completely write this group off now because it's way too far ahead of the games actually being played. Yeo is 42, so he's a young guy. And the thing is, sometimes it takes a guy getting fired for him to see what he was doing wrong and correct it. He's young enough that he could make some adjustments to his coaching style. Plus, he's got a year to get a feel for the locker room, the players, the organization, so that's all positive to me.

I'm going to try to be optimistic about this.

I agree wholeheartedly. My only gripe is he has to wait a year to take the reins. He is not Ken Hitchcock so I love him already. Get it, Coach Yeo.

[Portland Blues]

[fargoblues]

[theohall]

I will try to be optimistic, but...

1) He had talent - Ryan Suter and Zack Parise to name two.
2) He coached Granlund into nothingness, meanwhile, Granlund goes to the World Championships and looks like the talented player the Wild drafted, not the one Yeo failed to coach properly.
3) He made Vanek vanish. Worst season of his career was his 2nd year under Yeo. 41 points in 74 games. Hell, he had 41 points in 38 games in 2012-13 with the Sabres.
4) For a supposedly defensive minded coach, he needed a hot goaltender to actually get them into the playoffs in 2014-15.
5) Pominville and Zucker aren't exactly chopped liver forwards.
6) When the 32 year old defensive center Mikko Koivu is leading the team in scoring with Zach Parise on it, something isn't right.
7) A bunch of players regressed under Yeo's leadership. The only consistent ones - were the high end free agents Parise and Suter along with long time Wild center Mikko Koivu. In other words, players who will play well regardless of crappy coaching.

Bottom line, Yeo lost his team during his 5th season coaching them. The team flat out quit improving and seemed to quit even trying other than in small streaks.

This is not what the Blues need to move to the next level and take advantage of the offensive skill on this roster.

I hope this hire works, but don't expect it to work.

Doing some reading on Yeo now and will write more later.

[WaukeeBlues]

It's official: Yeo to coach the Blues after Hitchcock leaves, starting with 2017-18 season.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=8 ... L|STL|home

Christ almighty, why???

Ken Hitchcock's love for defense, amplified.
Andy Murray's hatred for youth, amplified.

If they don't win the Cup in 16-17, assume the window is shut.

Pretty much my thought.

Before Kirk Muller was let go there was some talk that he could be the heir apparent and I had gotten excited about it.

Not so much this guy. I also echo the, I'll call it MASSIVE concern about his totally losing the Wild there last season. Every coach typically reaches a point where the message just becomes stale and there's a need for a change but that was BAD last year. Bad, bad.

I don't like this move, but not much choice so we'll have to see how this goes.

[theohall]

It's official: Yeo to coach the Blues after Hitchcock leaves, starting with 2017-18 season.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=8 ... L|STL|home

Christ almighty, why???

Ken Hitchcock's love for defense, amplified.
Andy Murray's hatred for youth, amplified.

If they don't win the Cup in 16-17, assume the window is shut.

Pretty much my thought.

Before Kirk Muller was let go there was some talk that he could be the heir apparent and I had gotten excited about it.

Not so much this guy. I also echo the, I'll call it MASSIVE concern about his totally losing the Wild there last season. Every coach typically reaches a point where the message just becomes stale and there's a need for a change but that was BAD last year. Bad, bad.

I don't like this move, but not much choice so we'll have to see how this goes.

This is how bad Yeo can be in terms of over-playing veterans while not giving younger players a chance at all.

Most telling of an inability to craft a successful power play perhaps, was that Dumba, who is easily the most dynamic offensive player on the team did not see significant power play time up until a couple of weeks ago. Dumba had more shots on the power play in a single game against Tampa Bay on January 2nd than Pominville has had on the power play in the past 26 games. Incredible, considering they play the same position on the power play.