When is it time for a coach to go?

My brother is a die hard Nashville Predators fan. He has always supported head coach Barry Trotz. Recently though, he and his fellow Predators fans have wondered about whether it was time for a change.

My question is this...how do you know when a coach needs to go?

Usually, the answer is easy. If your team sucks and has sucked for many years, it's time for a change (see Gallant, Gerard). But what about if your team has done really well in recent years? What if you have been with your team for what seems like ages, and you've had success while there? How much success is enough for you to be held onto?

Yes, this is a hockey blog, but I have to bring up a football tie-in. The Tennessee Titans had a superb year last year. I think they had a total of two losses (but I am too lazy to go check). Their head coach, Jeff Fisher, is the longest tenured coach in the NFL.

Well, the Titans have started the year 0-6. And of course, now there is talk that maybe Jeff Fisher's job is on the line. I have to ask...WHY? He has been there for ages. He knows how to win. He has proven that for many seasons. Now, just because of one bad year, it's time to let him go?

I'm not sure I understand this logic. Can a coach "forget" how to win? If he has coached a winning team for many seasons, has made the playoffs almost every year, came a yard or two away from a Super Bowl victory (arguably), does he all of a sudden forget what brought his teams that success? My short answer is "no."

All professional teams, be it the NFL or NHL or whatever, have to have a combination of many things in order to be successful. You can have the best players in the world but you won't win a championship without a good game plan put into practice by a good coach. You can have a good coach, but your team won't win if you don't have the talent on the ice.

I disagree with firing Trotz at this point. His team slipped a bit last year, yes. But look at his body of work. The guy knows how to coach a team...in fact he coached what I would call several bad teams to respectable records over the years. He has lost a lot of talent from his roster in recent years (Paul Kariya comes immediately to mind). Perhaps this is why his team is underperforming.

As a Jackets fan, I don't mind if the Predators keep losing, I really don't. But at the same time, I want to offer an honest opinion on the situation. That would be to hold onto Trotz for another year. Then, if the Preds have not turned it around, part ways with him. But first, see what he can do with this "rebuilding" roster. I understand that sometimes a good shakeup is in order, but I would disagree with doing it right now. The guy knows how to win. Give him a year or two to work with what he's got and see if he can do it again.

And Go Jackets.