Defense, Defense, Defense...

Those entertaining-hockey-hating-boring-stupid-defensive-minded NHL coaches! Whether you just enjoy watching a quality hockey game with great flow or manage a fantasy hockey team, odds are you hate these guys with a fiery passion.

Although the "New" NHL is suppose to be all about scoring, these coaches are still abroad. The left-wing locks and the neutral zone traps that were employed by many prior to the lockout may not be as prevalent in today's NHL, but these defensive masterminds have still found new ways to trap, stymie, and limit their opponents offensively.

What kind of success have these defensive coaches had? Let's start by looking at the Stanley Cup winning coaches starting with the first season after the lockout:

- Peter Laviolette - His 'Canes were 19th in goals against and 3rd in goals for. Laviolette employed a highly offensive system, and was willing to go chance-for-chance with his opponents.

- Randy Carlyle - His Ducks ranked 7th in goals against and were tied for 8th in goals for. Carlyle's system was fairly defensive, though not to the point where it was constricting. Carlyle relies heavily on match-ups. During the Ducks' dream season he allowed the offensive players to focus on offense and the defensive players to focus on defense.

- Mike Babcock - His Wings were 1st in goals against and were 3rd in goals for. Babcock has always taught strong defense (His Ducks' run to the cup final in '02-'03 featured one of the most boring styles of play - ever. They also didn't have nearly the talent of the Wings, so Babcock smartly coached to his teams' strength.). His Wings played a solid puck-control game, allowing their best defense to be a good offense.

- Dan Bylsma - The Pens of '08-'09 ranked 17th in goals against and 5th in goals for. Bylsma only coached the Pens for a quarter of the season, in which they took on a significant offensive persona.

Looking at these stats, we can come to these numbers and conclusions:

- All of these teams could score goals. The average 'goals for' finish of the four post-lockout champs was 4.75.
- How these teams faired defensively varied - significantly. The average finish for 'goals against' amongst these four teams is 11th, meaning slightly above average. The range is also quite wide, ranging all the way from 1st to 19th.

Now let's look at the average numbers from the previous four Cup champs prior to the lock-out:

'00-'01 Colorado Avalanche - 3rd in goals against, 4th in goals for.
'01-'02 Detroit Red Wings - 3rd in goals against, 2nd in goals for.
'02-'03 New Jersey Devils - 1st in goals against, 14th in goals for.
'03-'04 Tampa Bay Lightning - 10th in goals against, 3rd in goals for.

The average 'goals against' finish for these four Cup champs is 4.25, while the average 'goals for' finish was 5.75.

These numbers don't lie.

The four post-lockout winners have finished, on average, 6.75 spots lower in 'goals against,' but 1.00 spots higher in 'goals for.' While three of the four of the pre-lockout winners finished amongst the top three in 'goals against,' only one of the four post-lockout winners even finished in the top six.

The difference is black and white.

So, this begs the question - can a defensive-minded coach win in the "New" NHL?

I'd say, 'No.'

While a defensive-minded coach can make a poor team average - something Jacques Lemaire was able to do with the Wild, and that Barry Trotz has done forever in Nashville - to win in the new NHL you need to be able to consistently score goals, something these coaches constantly sacrifice for the sake of defense. The top-end teams find ways to play a viable defensive game while not sacrificing much on the offensive side of the puck.

One of the most currently talked about defensive-minded coaches in the NHL is Ken Hitchcock. The Jackets' Bench Boss has won a Stanley Cup in '98-'99 with the Stars, and has since made stops in Philadelphia and now Columbus.

Hitchcock has just two playoff victories since the lockout, and zero playoff series victories.

Like him or not, he should be commended for the way he has been able to transform the likes of Mike Modano, Brett Hull, and Rick Nash from offensive dynamos into excellent 200 feet players.

Hitchcock is the consummate defensive-minded coach. He refuses to play young players big minutes until he feels that they are able to cope 100% with their defense responsibilities. 'Hitch' also has no problem playing guys better suited for third and fourth line roles on his top two lines, believing their defensive capabilities can off-set some of the defensive liability that his offensive players may present.

Last season, Hitchcock's defensive system elevated the Jackets from the doldrums of the Western Conference and into the playoffs, where they were swept in four games by the Red Wings.

I hope the Jackets are content with just making the playoffs. Because under Hitchcock, that is all they can hope to accomplish.

For the Jackets to be successful in the long-run, they will need to allow their young players to mature, learn the finer points of being NHL players, and then prosper.

Jakub Voracek. Derick Brassard. Nikita Filatov. I'm all for these players learning how to play defense, but in Hitchcock's system their growth is being significantly stunted.

When Hitchcock was able to mold guys like Modano, Hull, and Nash into quality defensive players to go along with their offensive prowess, they had all already learned how to score at the NHL level, play in a prominent offensive role, and be go-to players for their teams offensively.

Voracek, Brassard, Filatov - these guys haven't learned that just yet. Brassard to some extent has, due in large part to a year of seasoning in the AHL, but on the whole, these kids have yet to learn what it is to log quality minutes and be go-to guys offensively.

Hitchcock, along with many other defensive coaches, such as Barry Trotz and Jacques Lemaire, need to accept that playing your talented youth is a vital part of the game as it is played today. Lemaire is probably just as bad as Hitchcock, if not worse. James Sheppard, Colton Gillies, Benoit Pouliot - the list goes on. He is largely to blame for the horrid development of these players. Trotz isn't quite as bad with training his youth, but still helped drive a very talented, sure-to-be star in Alexander Radulov away from the Preds and into the hands of the KHL.

NHL management needs to learn that a good defensive-minded coach can successfully keep a mediocre or poor team afloat, and in the playoff picture.

What they cannot do is build an NHL team into a true Stanley Cup contender.