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PANTHERS 3, BRUINS 2 Sluggish Bruins leave Keenan steamed [ Game summary ]
He has talked often about his background as an educator and he has preached respect and pride.
Last night, though, coach Mike Keenan reached his breaking point. After yet another poor start by the Bruins - on the way to a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers at the FleetCenter, their third straight setback - Keenan said he was dumbfounded. The team is in a fight for its life in the Eastern Conference playoff race, yet his players too often look as if they just showed up to play in a recreational league with nothing but a six-pack on the line.
''I'm at a loss for words,'' said the coach. ''I can't tell you what the hell is going on there. They play when they feel like it. This is the most exasperated I've been with this group.''
Keenan has tried appealing to his players' pride, to their respect for the uniform, to their self-respect. He has wondered sometimes how much certain people care.
''When you see the disjointed play, when it's up and down, that's the question you're asking yourself,'' he said. ''It's really up to the players to play the game. Coaches can do what you can and push them and cajole them, and whatever motivational techniques you want to use.
''It's the last coach, this coach, the next coach - someday they're going to have to decide on their own when they want to do it. When that day is, I have no idea.
''They're a very complacent group from time to time, for no reason. As I said, this has been a challenge.''
In other difficult times, Keenan has said the only power a coach has is controlling players' ice time. But he doesn't hold that card at the moment.
''It's kind of tough when you have this many injuries and you don't have any depth to deal with,'' he said. ''They know it. There's not really anything you can do about it.
''It shouldn't be part of the problem. They should play out of their own pride. It should never even come to that; unfortunately, it does from time to time. But not your best players. Your best players should be your best players every single night. They should take pride in the fact that they are allowed to play as much as they play, at least in my opinion. Maybe I'm really old-fashioned.''
Keenan rejected the notion that it's part of pro sports in 2001.
''I see some teams in this league that don't lose very often, that compete every night, so I don't buy that,'' he said. ''I think Colorado has lost what, [eight] games? There are a few boys over there making 7 million, 8 million, 9 million bucks a year. I don't buy that. You do your business in the summertime. You put the uniform on in the fall. You have a responsibility to yourself, your teammates, your family, and to the fans.''
Keenan was asked if there were any other buttons left to push.
''Besides the coach?'' he said. ''I guess maybe that's the next button for this group. We'll just continue to work at it. I'll just draw on my experience. Maybe someday they'll listen.''
Vaclav Prospal, playing his first game with Florida after being traded Sunday from Ottawa, and Rob Niedermayer potted second-period goals to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Prospal scored on the power play at 1:22 and Niedermayer tallied at 8:36. The Bruins rallied in the third, and at 11:26, defenseman Don Sweeney ended a Boston scoreless drought of 126 minutes 18 seconds.
Brian Rolston pulled the Bruins even with a nice individual effort at 17:38, but just 43 seconds later, amid a Boston defensive breakdown, Florida's towering center Viktor Kozlov posted up game-but-appreciably-smaller P.J. Axelsson and the Panthers put the Bruins away.
''We had a chance to get a point and we desperately needed that point,'' said defenseman Kyle McLaren. ''There were just too many mistakes at the end of the game.''
And too little desire at the beginning.
This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 1/23/2001.
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e has kept his cool when his team played poorly. He has sent his message in a deliberate, calm manner since his arrival here Oct. 25. On nights when his players started off sluggishly, he vowed to keep working with them, to teach the young Bruins how to win.