Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” brought to you by Auto Logic, the Logical Choice.
Who’s the greatest coach in the history of the National Hockey League ?
Most would say, ” Scotty Bowman “, and most would agree, although like anything in hockey, there would be dissenting voices- in the case of Bowman, mine would be among them.
But among those who hold Bowman as the pinnacle of NHL coaching excellence is Matthew DiBiase of Philadelphia, the author of ” Bench Bosses. “
” Bench Bosses ” examines the coaching elite in the NHL, not by style, certainly not by personality, but strictly by a numerical formula, a rating that crunches numbers and in the end, spit out the name of Scotty Bowman.
Speaking last week with Matthew DiBiase, it’s obvious he stands by the final results of the formula and will defend the rankings heartily.
What I also found interesting about our discussion was how highly Mike Babcock is rated numerically.
DiBiase’s belief is that Babcock’s consistent excellence is a trait and no matter how miserable the Leafs are out of the gate, better days under Babcock and ahead with Babcock are almost a certainty.
Leaf fans, it’s right there in black & white in ” Bench Bosses “.
I’m Fred Wallace