The Official "Marc Crawford Needs to Be Fired" Post

Marc Crawford should be fired. The reasons for this are three-fold:

1) This team has under-achieved.

There’s absolutely no reason a team with Anze Kopitar, Alex Frolov, Dustin Brown, Mike Cammalleri, Michal Handzus, Kyle Calder, Patrick O’Sullivan, Rob Blake, Lubomir Visnovsky, Jack Johnson and Jason Labarbera should be in last place in the entire NHL. Look at the talent on the teams just above us; hell, look at the talent on Nashville, the team that just decimated us. Guys like Tom Preissing, Brad Stuart, Rob Blake, and Lubo were all capable if not excellent defenseman under different coaches: now, all of a sudden, they're responsible for the 2nd worst defense in hockey? That doesn't compute. If it’s not the talent, it has to be the coaching, and that ultimately falls completely on Marc Crawford. It may not be fair, but that’s how it works.

2) This team has looked listless.

It’s not just that the Kings have been losing, it’s that they’ve been coming out unfocused and lazy. It wasn’t that the Kings got 3 goals scored on them early yesterday* that upset me so much, it’s that they looked like they didn’t care. Jack Johnson let David Legwand skate right by him on that third goal and made a half-hearted stab at the puck before Legwand slid it underneath Labarbera’s pads. I mean, what the fuck. If your team is getting beat for goals when they have everyone back, that’s a problem with coaching, and that ultimately falls completely on Marc Crawford.

3) This Quote

“This is the first game in months where we played poorly.”

Psst! Umm, Marc, do you mind if I tell you a secret? You guys JUST HAD AN 8 GAME LOSING STREAK!!!!!!!! Did you play well in this game? Or what about this one? I remember this one, you guys played great there. I mean, it's not like the Kings are losing games because pucks are bouncing off posts and people's asses and into the net. We're not outshooting teams, or beating them in the corners; we're sucking, and we have all season. That quote is the most delusional thing I’ve ever read, and I’ve read Mein Kampf. Seriously, how can you allow a guy this removed from reality to still walk freely in society, let alone the Kings’ dressing room?

Look, since Marc Crawford took over the reigns as head coach, the Kings have a .39 winning percentage. That’s atrocious. Maybe Lombardi wants to wait until the end of the season in order to give Crawford 2 full seasons to make his case (or ensure that we get a high draft pick). Whatever, this season’s over anyway. But he needs to be fired because he’s exactly the wrong coach for this team. The Kings need a guy who will preach defensive basics while staying positive in the locker room. They don't need an offensive coach because they're talented enough to score anyway; they need a coach who will keep them honest defensively. Marc Crawford would be a great coach for a playoff team, because he can keep them focused and prevent them from getting a big head. But he’s not right for this team. I feel kind of bad advocating someone losing their job, but Marc Crawford needs to be fired.



*By the way, did you know the Kings have allowed more goals in the 2nd or 3rd than they have in the 1st? I thought it would be the other way around.