Is Claude Julien Losing The Locker Room? Coach Says Bruins Lack 'Full Commitment'
By Matt Dolloff (@mattdolloff)
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's impossible to tell from afar. As a writer who spends his days at a desk and doesn't get to experience and observe the Boston Bruins locker room in person, I cannot say for certain what ails the team right now other than a lack of talent on defense.
But you only needed a TV to see how unfocused and undisciplined the Bruins were against the San Jose Sharks at the TD Garden Tuesday night, especially in the latter two periods. You didn't need to be in the building to see that their play last night, and lately as a whole, has been disorganized and wildly inconsistent, mostly on the defensive end.
There's not much you can do about a dearth of talent on the back end. But there's plenty these Bruins can do about their commitment to the team and the season.
Head coach Claude Julien called his team out after the 5-4 loss, telling reporters after the game that the Bruins do not "have the full commitment of the whole group." He added that "There's no excuse for [the way we played] tonight. We need to figure out a way [to improve] because this just isn't acceptable."
It's hard enough to succeed with a penalty-killing unit that after Tuesday night ranks dead-last in the NHL with an abysmal 70.8 percent. Helping opposing power plays with bad penalties only makes an already big problem worse.
It's clear that the problem for the Bruins is between their ears and extends beyond the rink. Even with the lack of talent on defense, Julien's system should have them playing more disciplined, responsible hockey. He is not getting that right now.
It begs the question of whether Julien is beginning to lose his grip on the locker room. It's not necessarily his fault - coaches are never meant to last with the same team forever. His job has seemingly been in jeopardy on several occasions, but in reality has remained safe for some time. You can't fire all of the players, so it's usually the coach that goes in situations like this.
Julien has one thing going for him in saying the Bruins aren't getting a full team commitment: the players seem to agree. Brad Marchand was asked if he believes the Bruins aren't getting a total team effort.
"I think so," he told reporters after the game. "We know that we're not all playing our best every night and we have to. I think right now if we're going to get out of this and we're going to start putting a few wins together we have to have everyone going every night and we can't have any passengers at all."
There goes that word again: "passengers". Do the Bruins have a similar problem with the roster in the locker room that they reportedly had with Dougie Hamilton and Reilly Smith last season? If there are indeed a few new "passengers" dragging the Bruins ship down, maybe there's a way around making significant changes on the coaching staff or front office. But for now, it's Julien who will remain under the microscope, fair or not.
If the Bruins continue to falter and hit Thanksgiving without a playoff spot - typically a bad omen for your prospects of making it in - it could be the beginning of the end of Julien's tenure in Boston. And I wouldn't blame him much for the Bruins' struggles - he's working with the roster he's been given and it's not strong enough - but when a team's competitiveness, focus, and discipline is slipping, it's often a reflection of control of the locker room slipping away from the coach.
I don't spend any time at the Garden, so I obviously can't say for sure what the problem is in that locker room. But from afar, it appears that Julien is starting to lose the team and it could spell trouble for him in the future.
It's clear as day to everyone that they need to improve their discipline and focus, and if it means someone has to go, Julien would be the odd man out. It's not necessarily fair; that's just how it goes in pro sports. I personally don't blame Julien for the Bruins' struggles, but it's hard to ignore that the team's biggest issues are ones that typically grow from problems off the ice and in the locker room. I'd put Julien more in the "scapegoat" category than "culprit" - but the coach is usually the one to go in this scenario, so the Bruins' current situation is trouble for Julien.
Something needs to change with the Bruins to battle back. And if they continue to fail, Julien may have to be the one who falls on the sword.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read more from Matt here. Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
