Mike Keenan: The NHL’s Last Great Asshole Coach

[Humpzilla]

Gold!

http://deadspin.com/5958837/mike-kee...-asshole-coach

[Flyer_Frank]

Great stuff, and Roenick pulls no punches. Early on for sure I thought Keenan put himself ahead of his teams, a real coaching no-no in my book, but lots of players say generally good things about him and you can't argue with his results. I really like Keenan's analyst work on Versus.

[Maggie3and Me]

In Chicago his rants were legend.

I would have loved to see Manson catch him. Roenick paints a very funny picture of the chase between these two.

Good post, Hump.

[kam]

Excellent job by Roenick, I would have loved to see Manson in his skates chasing Keenan. Keenan is my all time favorite coach and the NHL needs him back, he made good player into great players and turned some softies into tough bastards. If it weren’t for him I don’t think we would have seen players like Grimson, Peluso, Ian Laperriere, Marchment etc.. .have careers like they did. Under someone else they could have easily been lost in the minors or just another player in the NHL I think.

Roenick also made a great point in "today's players are too touchy about criticism." It's not just players but an entire generation of clowns in that age group and below.

[frenchfry]

Great find. Roenick sometimes spews sh!t for attention, but I personally believe this stuff. Despite the the fact my OP, True or not, I wish he still was coaching.

[BROKEN*ORBITAL]

My favourite Iron Mike moment came in 2001-2002 when he was coach and GM of the Florida Panthers. That infamous Panthers club was gooning it up under Keenan's watch. The likes of Peter Worrell, Paul Laus, Brad Ference, Lance Ward, Joey Tetarenko, and Jason Wiemer were starting trouble on a nightly basis (the 6 of them would combine for over 1100 pims that season).

The NHL sends Mike Keenan a memo telling him to tone down the antics or his team would face fines and suspensions. Keenan's response? He immediately calls up Brad Norton and Rocky Thompson to add to the mayham.

Gotta love it.

[Gtrain15]

Thanks for the read,Hump!

[GOON 21]

Originally Posted by BROKEN*ORBITAL

My favourite Iron Mike moment came in 2001-2002 when he was coach and GM of the Florida Panthers. That infamous Panthers club was gooning it up under Keenan's watch. The likes of Peter Worrell, Paul Laus, Brad Ference, Lance Ward, Joey Tetarenko, and Jason Wiemer were starting trouble on a nightly basis (the 6 of them would combine for over 1100 pims that season).

The NHL sends Mike Keenan a memo telling him to tone down the antics or his team would face fines and suspensions. Keenan's response? He immediately calls up Brad Norton and Rocky Thompson to add to the mayham.

Gotta love it.

Is that REALLY true?



Do we have any REAL proof of this? (memo or a link, etc) - I ask because that would be pathetic for a league telling a franchise how to play or compete in a league


Yet it wouldnt surpise me either

[darius]

Michel Therrien is still coaching. He's the greatest a55hole coach ever, in my books.

[mikebflorida]

John Tortorella went to the Mike Keenan school of coaching, he would rant and rave and tear guys down and build them back up in the mold of a drill sgt.

Some nights his players hated his guts and other nights they loved him.

It has to be hard to live that kind of existence as a coach, knowing you just totally belittled a player in front of the whole team, made him feel like crap in order to get a little more out of him, it really makes coaches like Keenan and Torts seem like jerks.

I met Torts a few times and he was very friendly and soft spoken but became a raving lunatic once he's in the locker room or behind the bench.

They were also winners so there is something to be said for that, it's just got to be tough to leave the arena each night knowing your players respect you but hate your guts at the same time.

Keenan took ordinary teams to the Stanley Cup finals and so did Torts, they got the most out of players who maybe weren't all that good but they made them better by making them try harder.

Great story Hump.

[bustoff]

Sure fuked up a good Blues team...........

[darius]

Mike Keenan vs the score keeper

Mike Keenan vs The Score Keeper - YouTube

[ValJamesRules]

Great read! Thanks Hump!

Its characters like Keenan and Roenick that, for me, make hockey the most entertaining sport. This era that he writes about is the game I grew up watching. Sadly, I think we are losing that "colorfulness" that makes the sport so much damn fun.

I'd run from Manson too, even if I was the coach. He was a monster!

[mikebflorida]

Originally Posted by darius

Mike Keenan vs the score keeper

Mike Keenan vs The Score Keeper - YouTube

Wow, is that Flipper doing the commentating? Sounds like he's under water!

[Humpzilla]

Originally Posted by BROKEN*ORBITAL

My favourite Iron Mike moment came in 2001-2002 when he was coach and GM of the Florida Panthers. That infamous Panthers club was gooning it up under Keenan's watch. The likes of Peter Worrell, Paul Laus, Brad Ference, Lance Ward, Joey Tetarenko, and Jason Wiemer were starting trouble on a nightly basis (the 6 of them would combine for over 1100 pims that season).

The NHL sends Mike Keenan a memo telling him to tone down the antics or his team would face fines and suspensions. Keenan's response? He immediately calls up Brad Norton and Rocky Thompson to add to the mayham.

Gotta love it.

The season which made me a hardcore fight fan. Crazyness on a scale we may never see again.