by Steve Giacobello

After 54 games, and a disappointing record of 21-26-6, Bryan Trottier was fired as head coach of the New York Rangers by GM Glen Sather. After three consecutive losses in which the Rangers were out-scored a combined 16-5, Glen Sather had seen enough. Trottier, in his first role as a head coach, was unable to get any positive results or come close getting the Rangers to live up to the high expectations that were expected of them. Sather said that his decision had more to do with the lack of discipline and accountability that has been put on the team rather than the overall position of them. 

In the 54 games that Trottier was the head coach, the Rangers have been the most frustrating and inconsistent team ever to play on Broadway. It was a mystery what team was going to show up night after night. In Trottier’s defense, he inherited a team that was badly lacking any depth what so ever, and was hammered by injuries all season long with no reliable or experienced players to turn to as replacements. Let’s face it, when you have to use Dave Karpa as a forward because of injuries, you’re really weak in depth. 

He was forced to throw an 18 year old – Dan Blackburn – as goalie, with very little experience, into a high pressure situation behind a weak core of defenseman that has been brutal since the pre-season. 

This team was poorly built, and weak in every area from game #1, and the injuries just made matters worse for a rookie head coach. Just to many problems, and not enough ways to answer them that you can blame Trottier for. On the other hand, Trottier has to take a lot of blame, and be held responsible for some things that led to him being fired also. 

Poor defense, lack of chemistry, inconsistency, ineffective power play, no discipline, and bad match-ups during games are all responsibilities of the coach, and the Rangers were poor in all those areas. Trottier never seemed to reward those who played hard, and continued to stick with players who were a non-factor no matter how many chances they were given. 

To say that Sather made the right move firing Trottier is a tough call….so is saying that Trottier deserved to be fired……but either way, the Rangers continue to be a franchise with no hope or direction. Glen Sather said he hired Trottier because after reading his answers to the questionnaire he had Trots fill out, he felt like he was listening to himself talk….I guess that means he doesn’t have any answers to the Rangers problems either.