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Entries with the tag: kirk muller
Kirk Muller Prepared For Two Types Of Camps
by Paul on 08/28/12 at 11:07 AM ET
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from Peter Koutroumpis of the Raleigh Sports Examiner,
Regardless of what will transpire in the coming weeks and months, the enthusiasm for this coming season for Muller is high, and he is ready to prepare the team according to the situation presented to him and players.
“I’m excited because of the changes (in personnel),” Muller said.
“If we had a regular camp, we want to experiment to see some chemistry develop, work on some special teams and all that area. If we get into less exhibition games, we get into a shortened schedule, then we’re going to have to invite less bodies.”
Should a shortened season take place, Muller and his staff would lose the opportunity to take as much time to evaluate individual conditioning and tactical development and jump right into team strategy and play.
Such a situation may deny some players hoping to fight for a spot on the roster the opportunity to do so during training camp
“You cut down the numbers that are going to be at camp and then you get to more of the x’s and o’s of it rather than spending some time using the ‘skating legs’ and getting them into a groove – we’ve got to get right into the technical and systematic part of it; so you’ve gotta’ cut right down a little quicker.’
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Muller Continues To Wear A Smile
by Paul on 12/09/11 at 11:46 AM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
The smile that creases Kirk Muller’s face is there perpetually, it seems, even in these hard, early days as the Carolina Hurricanes’ new head coach. The Hurricanes had lost four in a row under his guidance, after he replaced Paul Maurice behind the bench last week, until they slipped into Edmonton on Wednesday night and escaped with a 5-3 win, his first as an NHL head coach.
For Muller, whose Canes meet the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, retaining his good humour under trying circumstances is a personal strength and also something of a trademark. He is an eternal optimist – and even though there are no physical resemblances whatsoever, his bubbling cauldron of enthusiasm conjures up no less a figure than Bob Johnson, the Hall Of Fame coach, who memorably coined the phrase, “it’s a great day for hockey,” and made it true, even in the darkest of times.
Johnson once made a key distinction about coaching styles that is as true today as it was it in the 1980s – that you can coach by either emphasizing fear or stressing pride. Johnson cited Scotty Bowman, Mike Keenan and others of that ilk as disciples of the former approach – tough-love guys before the concept of tough love became an Oprah staple. Johnson put himself in the latter category, someone who emphasized pride, improvement, and helping the players get better every day.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Kirk Muller The New Coach In Carolina
by Paul on 11/28/11 at 01:39 PM ET
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from TSN,
The Carolina Hurricanes have fired head coach Paul Maurice and replaced him with former Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Kirk Muller.
Muller, who spent five seasons with the Canadiens as an assistant under Guy Carbonneau, Bob Gainey and Jacques Martin, joined the Nashville Predators this season as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Milwaukee.
The Hurricanes have struggled in the first quarter of the season, sitting last in the Southeast Division with an 8-13-4 record.
added 12:09pm, Official Carolina release below…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Kirk Muller- NHL Head Coach Candidate
by Paul on 01/25/11 at 11:54 AM ET
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from Francois Gagnon of Cyberpresse.ca (translated),
All indications are that Kirk Muller is in his final year in Montreal. Assistant coach since 2006, it sells the last months of the contract between the Canadian. A contract that took away valuable offers that were about to make him last summer, some NHL teams in the wake of the Canadian success in the playoffs.
Mandates as head coach in the AHL and assistant in the big league waited Muller, who played a leading role last spring.
The direction of the Canadian who preferred to keep him in Montreal rather than to entrust the reins of Bullbogs Hamilton - Randy Cunneyworth succeeded Guy Boucher - Muller began to fall a second season under the direction of Jacques Martin. Again this year, he shared the job with Perry Pearn.
Information credible guarantee that Muller would have clearly indicated an intention to stand on its own feet as soon as next year.
Crossed after the rise of two goals that allowed the Canadian to extract a precious point for the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at the Bell Centre, Muller took a step back when the press asked him to confirm or deny the information gleaned in recent weeks. After a few seconds of reflection, he politely refused to answer the question.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Kirk Muller- NHL Head Coach Candidate
by Paul on 05/14/10 at 01:02 PM ET
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from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,
A good post-season always thrusts people into the spotlight, and Montreal’s early-round success is the biggest story so far. They’ve needed the maximum 14 games, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the Canadiens’ brilliant preparation for both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
This isn’t to say Muller is solely responsible, but anyone who watched his 19-year career can see him in the plan. The Canadiens found ways to neutralize and frustrate the league’s three most dangerous offensive players - Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It’s really an amazing accomplishment, and it’s the kind of thing Muller would do many times in his 1,349-game NHL lifetime.
Clearly, Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin respects his expertise, since Muller gets prime face time during in-game timeouts. However, his greatest asset may be in understanding every possible emotion a player can go through.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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