I don’t profess to be prophetic. But for once it appears my timing was spot-on.
Hours after I posted my previous article about Penguins goaltending coach Mike Buckley, he was relieved of his duties. Andy Chiodo, who served as goaltender development coach for the past three seasons, has been hired as his replacement.
“Andy has done a terrific job mentoring our young goaltenders. In addition to on- and off-ice training, he emphasizes the importance of life habits and mental approach to the game,” said Pens general manager Ron Hextall. “We know Andy will be a great addition to the coaching staff. The Penguins are grateful to Mike Buckley for his contributions to the team and wish him and his family the best going forward.”
Originally drafted by the Islanders in 2001, Chiodo, 38, was a seventh-round pick of the Penguins back in 2003. The Toronto native appeared in eight games for the black and gold in 2003-04. He posted a 3-4-1 record with a 3.46 goals against average and .892 save percentage.
Ahead of the news, eh Rick?,
Disclaimer – I have come to bury Caeser not to praise him.
As most readers here on Penguin Poop know, I have been calling for this for several years now.
There is a time to be cautious and a time to be bold. In sports where each season is a separate and distinct life, there is no time to be cautious, as soon as red flags start appearing, you have to act. Red flags started appearing almost immediately.
I don’t know if Chiodo can fix Jarry and DeSmith or not. We will have to wait and see. All that we can say for sure is that Buckley was not helping them at all and probably hurting them.