AV Should Make for Good TV

Alain Vigneault. The name doesn't exactly jump off the page at you like Scotty Bowman. But that's not to say the Canucks new bench boss won't do a hell of a job here in Vancouver. He's saying all the right things in his mandate to make the Canucks a hard working hockey team, which is all the Vancouver hockey fan has ever wanted. But most importantly to me, he insists he's not afraid to be frank when asked questions about the performance of both his team and players.

I don't want to hear that a guy who's paid to score goals is "doing a lot of good things out there" when he's mired in a 12 game goal-scoring drought. Don't tell me that "we're just getting a lot of bad breaks" when your penalty kill is giving up three goals every game. Praise them when they play well, but offer fair criticism when they underachieve. That's all I want and I think that's all most hockey fans want.

Vigneault says he will do just that. He says he won't attack players personally, but he will hold them accountable for their play. If that's the case, it should make for the kind of entertainment this market hasn't seen since Brian Burke left town. Some people can't stand guys like Tampa Bay's John Tortorella, a coach who has no problem with speaking his mind. "The Fonz" as he's often referrred to becuase of his uncanny resemblance to Henry Winkler, publicly ripped John Grahame after a brutal performance against the Senators during this year's playoffs.

"Three goals on four shots," fumed Tortorella after Grahame was ventilated by the Sens in the second period of Game 4. "I'm tired of the 25% rule. It's deflating. A save would be nice."

Is it throwing a player under the bus? Maybe. But Grahame was brutal in that game, and whether you like the Fonz's comments or not, he was telling the truth. I've got more respect for a guy that's honest than a guy who shields his players from any type of criticism by using cliche excuses to justify subpar performances.

Tell it like it is and don't make it personal. If that's what Alain Vigneault is bringing to the Canucks, then bring it on.