ST. PAUL — Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin made it clear at John Hynes’ introductory news conference on Tuesday that the coaching change decision was a “build up.”
The Wild lost their seventh game in a row last Sunday in Detroit. Guerin saw enough and fired head coach Dean Evason and assistant Bob Woods on Monday before the Wild played their Central Division rival St. Louis Blues on home ice Tuesday night.
It was the culmination of losing 13 of their past 16 games dating back to Oct. 19. In Guerin’s words — “it was time.”
“The slate’s clean for the guys,” Guerin said. “It’s a new day. It’s a new voice. They’re going to get a new message.”
The Wild’s staff led by Evason had tried a number of things during the losing skid, but nothing worked. Even though the team started to display improvement, they still weren’t getting results. As Guerin said, “it just still didn’t feel right.”
Guerin ultimately felt the Wild needed a new voice and spark to get back to their identity as a team.
So, he hired Hynes on a multi-year deal and promoted Patrick Dwyer from the Iowa Wild to handle the defense and penalty kill as Woods' replacement.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports“It had just gotten to that point where almost no matter what they did, the guys were having a hard time executing … and generating offense,” Guerin said.
“Something had to change. ‘We can’t trade 23 players,’ is the old saying. I just had that feeling that it wasn’t going to come back.”
What's the it?
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Guerin said. “It's confidence. It’s the swagger. It’s the ability to make plays, the feeling that when you step out on the ice you’re going to accomplish something. It just didn’t seem like that was coming back.”
Regaining their confidence is the top priority right now, Guerin said, and that’s what Hynes is tasked to help with.
“I think the buy-in will be right away,” Guerin said. “You just feel like a weight’s been lifted off your shoulders. It’s tough because it comes with a tough message, a tough decision — but it’s a new chapter.”
Well, the Wild did indeed start their new chapter on a high note with a 3-1 win over the Blues Tuesday night — which ended their seven-game losing skid.