Why Peter Laviolette Emphatically Is The Right Coach For The Rangers

The Rangers did not survive and win The 2023-24 Presidents' Trophy because Peter Laviolette is a bum coach.

Far from it. (The IT in this case also means The Stanley Cup.)

But plodding through an 82-game marathon and still finishing on top is a tribute to the total roster – which includes Matt Rempe – and the man behind the bench.

Which raises a pure and simple question – what's so good about this guy, Laviolette – and forget about his Martian haircut?

To get some good answers, The Maven mosied around NHL archives as well as pal Ross Bernstein's sweet book, "Raising Stanley – What It Takes to Claim Hockey's Ultimate Prize."

I checked out comments from those who won a Cup with Lavvy and their answers were illuminating.

Start with Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour who captured Stanley with Carolina's 2006 winners. Here's Roddy's take:

"Peter's uniqueness was his ability to get us to believe in each other. He brought a family kind of atmosphere to the team to where you got to care not just about the guy you were playing with, but also his family. You play harder for people you care about, and Peter instilled that in us. That was a big reason why we won the Cup in '06."

Matt Cullen, who was Brind'Amour's teammate, also swears by Lavvy. At one point Matty suffered through 19 games without a goal, yet Pistol Pete never gave up on Cullen.

"I call Laviolette a great coach because he gave me opportunities," Cullen recalled. "Plus, he believed in me as a player which was so important. That gave me confidence so I didn't have to worry about making mistakes or be afraid to attack the net.

"Almost every time I'd jump over the boards, he would say either 'Shoot the puck' or 'Be dynamic.' He wanted me to be offensive and to attack, which was a fantastic role for me to have. It was great to have a coach who trusted me – and Peter sure did."

Finally, there are the words of Niclas Wallin who remembered that captain Brind'Amour

wanted the Cup so badly that Roddy practically grabbed Stanley right out of Commissioner Bettman's grasp.

What Wallin respected most about Lavvy was his preparation.

"Pete didn't miss a thing," Wallin remembered. "He knew our opponents' strengths and weaknesses and was able to get us to capitalize on that stuff. He really did his homework, and that gave us – as players – plenty of confidence.

"I also liked his unique philosophy. For instance he wanted us to have our families around. He felt that if we had our wives and kids around, then we would be more relaxed and better focused on doing our jobs."

Wallin treasured the team picture with all the Canes on the ice with Stanley. To Wallin, the photo symbolized the total team effort.

"Everybody was involved," Wallin concluded, "and that was all because of Peter!"

Something tells me that most Rangers fans will agree. (Just forget about Round Three, the Conference Championship!)

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