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Melrose Fires A Slapshot At Former Employers

Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN

Barry Melrose, fired after just 16 games as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, told a Toronto radio station that he takes satisfaction from the continuing struggles of the team since his ouster.

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2008

BUFFALO, N.Y. - In the latest episode of As the Lightning Strikes, former Tampa Bay head coach Barry Melrose took shots at his former organization, including ownership and his former associate coach.

Melrose, who was fired on Nov. 14 just 16 games into a three-year contract, was a guest on a Toronto radio station Tuesday and had plenty to say in his version of how things transpired leading up to being let go.

"Basically I had guys in Tampa that wanted to run the team and I wouldn't let them,'' Melrose said while on The Fan 590 with hosts Gord Stellick and Don Landry. "I was hired to coach and I coached and I wasn't playing the right guys, I was playing certain guys too much and wasn't playing other guys enough and every day was a constant battle and the guys in charge decided they wanted to coach and they got rid of me. That's what it comes down to. Obviously it wasn't a hockey decision because it's not like they're setting the world on fire since they got rid of me. It was a decision because I was running the thing and that's the way I am. Now they've got guys in charge who let them do what they want and obviously that's not working out very well either.''

While the Lightning prepared for tonight's game against the Sabres winless in eight (0-6-2) and 1-6-4 since Melrose was fired, interim head coach Rick Tocchet took exception to Melrose's comments.

"I take it personal, to be honest, I'm not a puppet,'' Tocchet said. "Ownership doesn't tell me who to play, they have been very supportive of me, I have a great coaching staff that helps me make decisions and we're making strides now. This is our training camp right now. We're trying to get our systems into place, and we now have a system.''

Melrose was also critical of overall No. 1 draft pick Steven Stamkos, who never played more than 14 minutes a night under Melrose and was averaging less than 12 minutes a night.

"He only played 12 minutes last night and I was playing him more than that so obviously that thing has gone out the window also,'' Melrose said. "Steven's not ready for the NHL. Steven is going to be a good player, right now he's just not a strong enough physically to play against defenseman that are 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 who can skate as good as him. I think he's a minus-10 or minus-11, he just can't check in his own end well enough. I'm not sure he's not going to be a winger when he ends up being a good NHL player because Steven is a shooter. Anyone who has seen him play in junior knows he's got a great shot; I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the wing later in his career. Right now Steven is not a great NHL player by any stretch of the imagination.''

Tocchet, who has since put Stamkos on the point on the power play and often played him upwards of 19 minutes, disagreed with Melrose's analysis.

"I just think he's wrong. I don't think his assessment is right,'' Tocchet said. "I think Steve Stamkos is a dynamic young player. It's my job, and our staff's, to teach him to play the right way. He's done that sometimes, and sometimes he's made mistakes, and that's the process of a young guy.''

As the radio interview went on Tuesday, Melrose said it is his hope that the team fails to win another game the remainder of the year and remarked how there were many of his players and other members of the organization he didn't get along with.

"There are a couple of guys…I actually like Oren Koules. I think Oren's a good guy and I think Oren is good for the NHL. He's putting his heart and soul in this team. I actually hope he does well,'' Melrose said, "but the players on the team… The funny part was I never got close to any players in Tampa. With my other teams I coached I was always a player's coach, I really cared about my players. The team in Tampa, I really can say there were only a couple of players I actually cared for on that team. It was a weird team, it wasn't a Barry Melrose-type team and obviously it didn't work out very well.''

Melrose was also asked about a report from October in which co-owner Len Barrie reportedly diagramed a play on the dry erase board in the locker room.

"I wouldn't let it happen but I can guarantee you that's one of the reasons I was let go because I wouldn't let stuff like that happen and now they can do whatever they want,'' Melrose said. "It doesn't matter to me and they've got the guys in charge to let them do it. That was some of the stuff I faced. I was battling with that every day, battling with ice time. You guys read about Vinny not playing enough, Stamkos not playing enough, the old guys not playing enough. That was a constant battle. Every morning I would have that battle with people in charge. I wouldn't give in and they figured the best way to get their way was to get rid of me.''

Tocchet, a hard-nosed player during his time who often settled differences at center ice, said after discussing the matter on Tuesday that he is done talking about everything, instead focusing his energy on reversing his team's recent misfortunes.

"I'm the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The decisions are made by me as to who is on the ice, with the help of a great hockey staff,'' he said. "Our franchise doesn't need this right now. We're reeling. We're trying to win. We're trying to get the guys to play the right way. I just think if we all put this to rest . . . I don't want to hear Barry on every weekly radio show. That's why I want to get this out.''

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835

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