Therrien: How to Build a Star

By Paulo Cerqueira, Staff Writer,  All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — They say in life there are only two certainties: death and taxes. However for many Montreal Canadiens fans a third life certainty can be added: a three game losing streaks means something is clearly wrong with the team and major changes need to be made.

Case in point is the whole Michel Therrien vs P.K. Subban saga that has been brewing since last year but that seems to be gaining more and more steam over this losing streak. Every reporter, columnist, blogger and fan have become Dr. Phil and every action is being analyzed and discussed as if people know beyond a shadow of a doubt what is going on in the locker room and behind closed doors.

The “supposed friction” between the coach and the Norris trophy winner can be traced by many to the days of Michel Therrien, the then panelist of RDS’s L’antichambre, not being very kind in his way of depicting the way Subban was playing under Jacques Martin. Subban’s larger than life persona always seemed to rub Therrien the wrong way back then. When Marc Bergevin named Therrien as the head coach of the Canadiens, the speculation of how he could co-exist with his young defenseman was front in center in the minds of many.

Even though, to many, the two seemed to have their “growing pains” last year, no one can deny that Subban had his best season under the guidance of Therrien. It was a season that culminated with P.K. being named the NHL’s best defensemen. So what is so different in the handling of Subban by Therrien last season versus the handling of number 76 this year? Is it really that different? Is it worse?

The reality of the situation is that you have a coach of a hockey team who is constantly trying to get the best out of his players. That is what a coach is paid for — to make sure his team is performing. Many might not like Michel Therrien as a coach or agree with some of his methods but I am pretty sure he is more qualified than most of his detractors. You don’t become a head coach in the NHL without qualifications and without being smart enough to do that job.

As reporters, columnists, bloggers and fans, everything we see come out of a Habs press conference or 24CH is a well-orchestrated symphony. Does anyone really think that when Michel Therrien talks about “that defensemen making a mistake”, he doesn’t know what exactly he is doing? When 24CH shows us P.K. being reprimanded and chewed out by his coach between periods, do people really think that was an “editing blunder?” If everyone really thinks that, please give me a call. I have this beautiful rainbow coloured unicorn that I have been trying to sell, that I know you will just love!

I won’t pretend to have any more knowledge of the situation than I really do but I will however give credit where credit is due. I think Michel Therrien is where he is today because he is a smart man and he has learned from past experiences which make him a better coach. Of course at times I am perplexed but the ice time Subban is given. Yes, like you, it often makes me cringe when I hear him singling out P.K. the way he does. But I also see Subban everyday becoming a better player with every game he plays. P.K. is learning how to be a true NHL superstar, not just a good player, an elite player. His decision making in certain game situations is getting better, his way of dealing with the media has improved. This cannot be denied.

For everyone who saw the 24CH tongue lashing P.K. received as tough love from the coach, I saw it as a coach who knows how to deal with each of his players differently because they are all individuals that have different buttons to push. The most important part of that whole sequence was not the screaming by the coach. It’s the fact that P.K., after Therrien’s explosion, asks his coach what exactly he needs to differently to make sure it doesn’t happen again because he is not sure he understands. So tell me, if the relationship between the two was so awful, would Subban really sit there trying to get help from his coach after being somewhat berated by him? Highly unlikely. So the fact that he did do that and that the Habs in turn allowed it to be aired on the show, should speak volumes to the relationship between the two men. It probably also confirms that when Therrien does single out Subban in the media, everyone else is more offended that P.K. is himself. Yet no one seems to have picked up on that.

In this day of social media and 24hr sports channels everything is blown out of proportion and many opinions become facts. Imagine how Scotty Bowman’s actions with Guy Lafleur back when Flower was breaking into the league would have made headlines on RDS and TSN. Or how much Twitter would be buzzing during every team practice with the two going at it on the ice. I am not comparing the winningest coach in NHL history and the Hall of Famer to Therrien and Subban, I am merely trying to show that sometimes issues are amplified by external factors that have nothing to do with what’s really going on. All we have here is a coach who is using the methods he feels he needs to use to get the best out of his player, which in turn will get the best out of his team. So at the end of the day it’s not whether it’s a case of tough love or building a superstar, but rather using tough love to build a superstar.

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