Time Running Out?

1) There are clearly 2 coaches in the NHL whom this refrain applies at the moment. LA's Marc Crawford, and Tampa bay's John Tortorella. Both teams are mired in a month+ long slumps that has both teams at or near the bottom of their respective conferences.



2) For LA, they have had that distinction for most of the season. Crawford has been on our radar as vulnerable even before the season began as one can read here: http://newfaux.blogspot.com/2007/10/who-gets-axe-first.html#links They got off to a slow start and other than a brief spurt in early November, have been either bad or down right awful all season. Right now they are mired in a 1-9 string that SHOULD be the last straw for Dean Lombardi. The Kings and Lombardi admittedly screwed up this off season by not improving their goaltending situation, but with their roster they should be better than they are. Therefore we believe a change is needed!


3) As for Tampa Bay, they have been plagued all season long by inept goaltending. As one broadcaster bemusedly asked last night, "How long until 'Mount Tortorella' erupts?" His in reference to yet another Tampa Bay loss with less than stellar goaltending. The Lightning were hardly picked to win a Cup this season, but many thought they were at least decent enough to be a playoff contender. Like the Kings some blame needs to be spread to jay Feaster for not improving his goaltending. Most saw that as a clear weakness LAST season, and they did nothing to change this. Recent call up, Finnish youngster Ramo doesn't appear ready and therefore, isn't the answer. despite having one of the leagues best lines in St. Louis and Vinny & Vinny, they are now tied for 14th with the caps in the East. As our contributor here Antz says, "the team is probably tuning out Tortorella" and his frequent rants. Unlike LA, there were preseason expectations in the sunshine state, so their current 2-7-1 slide may cost Johnny T his job.