When he was behind the bench, guiding the Red Wings -- and before that, the Penguins, and before that, the Sabres, and before that, the Canadiens, and before that, the Blues -- you couldn't tell if Bowman's team was winning 8-1 or losing 8-1. He showed about as much emotion as a stone. And as far as his physical appearance, that didn't change all that much, either over the years -- save for some thinning of hair on top. He's going to be 75 next month and he looks terrific, considering all the years of travel and extended post-seasons he's coached, starting in 1968.
Bowman's not ours anymore -- possessive if you're from Detroit. He's with the Chicago Blackhawks now, as a consultant -- the same position he held with the Wings after retiring as coach in 2002. Speculation is that Bowman took the (what appears to be) lateral move to be closer to his son, Stan, who works for the Blackhawks as assistant GM.
But there's other speculation, too. And it speaks to that sameness about Bowman.
There are doubters out there. Those that think it's laughable that Bowman would leave a cushy job with the Red Wings -- an organization that's treated him perhaps better than any other he's worked for -- to simply be a consultant for another team -- his son be damned (so to speak). The doubters say that Bowman left Detroit for one reason and one reason only: to someday return as a coach.
To some, THAT may be laughable. But Bowman is a coach, first and foremost. He's done double duty very often -- as GM while being a coach. As a personnel and front office guy, Bowman isn't shabby, either. But he's a coach. Just like Chuck Daly and Hubie Brown in basketball. Dick Vermeil in football.
Tell me, is there anyone who makes you think "hockey coach" more than Scotty Bowman?
The Blackhawks are a team on the rise. They have young stars, a fair blend of veterans, and they have that organizational hunger. The Stanley Cup hasn't lived in Chicago since 1961. That's 47 years -- five more than the Red Wings' drought when they finally won in 1997. Bowman ended that nonsense in Detroit. Could he end the same in Chicago?
Consultant (for now) Bowman tries on his new threads (the 11 stands for the number of Cups he will have won as coach and/or GM, when he wins his next one)
Denis Savard is the current coach of the Blackhawks. He's a true Blackhawk, having played so many fine seasons for the team. But as a coach he hasn't found the same consistency. It's unfair, to be sure, but Savard will be under a different kind of pressure now, with his youngsters maturing, and with Scotty Bowman having his paychecks issued by the organization.
Would Bowman, really, come out of retirement, closer to age 80 than 70, to coach again?
I never thought I'd see Dick Vermeil back on the sidelines. Or Hubie Brown screaming at NBA players and referees again. So, who's to say that six years of consulting hasn't made Bowman restless to be behind an NHL bench again?
Of course, such talk means that there were some secret goings-on behind the scenes, some nudge-nudge, wink-wink stuff that said, "Yeah, come here as a 'consultant'. That's it. But if you'd ever like to coach again ..."
It would be almost as foolish, if not more so, to think that such a plan wasn't discussed, as it would be to suggest that it could have.
Scotty Bowman got his first coaching job when Lynn Patrick, the first coach of the Blues, quit early in the team's maiden season. He got the Canadiens job after Al McNeil left under fire, despite winning the 1971 Stanley Cup. Captain Henri Richard had called McNeil "incompetent" -- during the Finals, no less. Bowman left the Canadiens after being snubbed for the GM job. He then coached in Buffalo, near his home. He latched on with the Penguins after some years in TV, and became coach after the late Bob Johnson got sick with cancer. He came to Detroit when the Red Wings were looking for a top drawer coach to get them over the hump. He's been a combination of opportunistic and restless -- perfect attributes for the professional, "coach for life" type.
Do I, personally, feel that Scotty Bowman will re-emerge behind the Blackhawks' bench?
I wouldn't bet against it -- let's put it that way.
No comments:
Post a Comment