Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Interim Tag Still On Andrew Brunette

05/22/2022 at 10:11am EDT

from Dave Hyde of the Sun-Sentinel,

Asked how he wanted his team to play trailing early that series, he said, “Hopefully mad.”

“Absolutely,’’ he admitted how frustration weighed on his players this Tampa Bay series due to their staggering power-play failure.

“Angry, hungry and not to be denied,” he said Saturday in underlining the mindset for Sunday’s Game 3, a T-shirt-worthy phrase close to Hamilton’s chorus line of, “Young, scrappy and hungry.”

If you, like me, have become a fan of Brunette’s brand of honesty, as well as the pinball Panthers offense in the regular season, it’s time to be just as direct about the possible stakes as they try to climb back into the series Sunday in Tampa.

Brunette is coaching for his job.

There’s no other way to look at how his “interim coach” tag hasn’t been lifted by now. It was Oct. 29 when Joel Quenneville was forced to resign under the gloomiest of situations, the covering up of a sexual-assault scandal a decade earlier in Chicago that took in the Panthers as collateral damage.

That makes Brunette the longest interim coach in the history of sports. Eighty-four games. Nearly seven months. He helped the Panthers to the best record in the regular season and won their first playoff series win in 26 years. Doesn’t that count for something — maybe everything?

read on

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 43 minutes ago
Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 1 hour ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 8 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 8 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 9 hours ago