WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 7: Head coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on during a NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals on April 7, 2013 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Sunday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals faced off in what was an important game for both teams. The Capitals scored 3 straight goals after being down 2-1 and won the game by a score of 4-2. After a slow start to begin the season, that Capitals have been on a tear. With the win last night, the Capitals are 8-1-1 in their last ten games. Road games continue to be an issue for the Lightning this season, as the team’s record in such games has dropped to 6-13-0. The cliche formula for making the playoffs is being at least .500 on the road, and solid at home. The Lightning are 10-7-2 in Tampa, which is a decent record. However, losing so many games on the road drags down any team in the standings, and we can see that looking at the standings. The Lightning hold the second-worst road record in the Eastern Conference (Flyers are last at 5-13-1) and sit in 14th place, just 2 points ahead of the last place Florida Panthers.

This is a team many would argue is much better than the Panthers, and fans are highly upset with the way this season has gone. With Jon Cooper’s hiring, plus the acquisition of Ben Bishop, fans hoped that the Lightning would make an improbable run into the playoffs. However, after two losses this weekend, it seems as though fans might want to begin looking for reasons to be excited for next season. Jon Cooper’s hiring was not going to be an instant fix, and anyone looking at the Lightning situation should be aware of that. The remnants of Guy Boucher’s system still remain in the for of bad habits. Turnovers and missed coverage in the defensive zone still occur the same way they occurred before Cooper took over the team. However, in every game that Cooper has coached, despite the results, there have been glimpses of his system being successfully executed. However, the mistakes made while under Boucher are still noticeable, and those mistakes are usually heavier than the successes. Boucher’s system was drilled into the Lightning players (those not with the AHL during Boucher’s stint) for more than 2 seasons. Cooper’s system will eventually override the previous system, and when that happens, every player will be on the same page. In the wins against the New Jersey Devils, and the Carolina Hurricanes, the team operated with poise and organization. In their losses, the new system employed by Cooper was sometimes hidden by remnants of how players played under Boucher.

There is reason to be excited for the future of the Lightning with Jon Cooper at the helm. Fans may be growing tired of waiting for the future, but this is still a rebuilding team. All of the pieces needed for yearly playoff runs are not quite in place yet. General Manager Steve Yzerman is working to piece together a team that will be successful on a yearly basis, not just a single season. For this reason, as hard as it is, fans must be patient.

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Guy Boucher addresses the media for the first time since being released from the Tampa Bay Lightning Taken by: Dolly Dolce

Guy Boucher has been quiet since being released from his head coaching position with the Tampa Bay Lightning last Sunday. Today he addressed the media for the first time at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum. He conducted the conference with class, in a style that only he can. I mentioned in the announcement of his firing that it was probably the hardest post I’d ever had to write. I was wrong. This one is.

The atmosphere  was solemn, as we waited expectantly unsure of what would be said. Guy Boucher had some notes prepared, thanks and such, then took questions. There was not a lot of media there, as the main writers for the Lighting were either traveling with the team, or stuck in their offices dealing with the trade deadline. We were in a small room used for birthday parties and children’s hockey meetings, the podium plain and dinged up. He deserved a better send off than that.

There were a couple of reasons for waiting until today to speak. He ‘wanted his thoughts to settle down’ and he didn’t want to be a distraction to the players and new staff. He had nothing but good things to say about the organization, and nothing but respect for the players and team management.

When asked if he was receiving offers yet, he said that he was still being paid by the Lightning for a year, however, he has been approached by other organizations. He wasn’t open to talk about who or where, but he did make it clear that he is ready now to get out there and move on.

“A lot of people have asked me my story and my story is very simple; I’m very grateful. I’m grateful for getting the chance to coach in the NHL. I’m grateful for having taken part in such a terrific organization where I was surrounded by quality people at all levels. My family and I couldn’t imagine being better treated, and welcomed and supported by the organization, by the fans and by the community.”

He thanked Jeff Vinik, Steve Yzerman, Tod Leiweke, and other Lightning staff. He especially wanted to thank the late Wayne Flemming, who passed away last week due to his struggle with brain cancer. Of course he wanted to thank the fans. He talked about the fans’ passion, and how they were always there for them, in good times and in bad. He spoke of the memories that have been made in his time with the Lightning.

“I’ll miss a lot of things, but what I’m probably going to miss the most is after every home game, those few seconds where the players get to the middle of the ice and raise their sticks to the crowd to thank them. I think those few seconds, that connection with everybody, was something extremely special and I’m going to miss that a lot.”

“Finally, I’d like to wish the Lightning all the best. I really believe they’re going to have success because there’s so many great people working for this cause. And for me, I’m ready for my next challenge.”

Today there was closure for both Boucher and for us. He didn’t close the book. He just finished a chapter. I can’t wait to read the next one.

Dolly Dolce
@HulaDolly