The fine line between winning and losing has always fascinated me, it’s what makes sports so darn interesting, not to mention life itself where we always like to label things like we’re talking about a horse race.
There’s been a couple of fine examples this past week or so to illustrate my point.
Although it was likely not a surprise to most hockey fans, Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault was fired.
Someone had to take the fall for the hockey team losing in the first playoff round in back-to-back years, not to mention 10 of their last 11 playoff games – and six were at home.
And the players, as they say, can’t all be let go, although some frustrated fans might be in favour of that, and GM Mike Gillis, who is more responsible for the draft picks and trades that didn’t pan out than the coach, could be fired but he outranks the coach so that might have something to do with how things transpired.
But it’s also how you put things in perspective. Vigneault guided the Canucks to a franchise-record 313 wins over seven seasons, two regular-season titles, one coach of the year award, six Northwest Division titles and, of course, fell just one small but so huge victory short of a Stanley Cup.
And I still say that seven-game series see-sawed so many times, including what I still think was a momentum changer in an ill-advised hit in Game 3, it could have gone either way. But then again I should get over it and move on with my life, right?
Well, now Vigneault is moving on with his life and I’m sure he’ll find work soon and he should feel good about his accomplishments in Vancouver and how he conducted himself in a hockey-crazed, all-or-nothing market.
And speaking of tough markets.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had an historical meltdown in the third period in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Although it also has to be put in context as the Leafs, according to most, still outperformed expectations as they made the playoffs for the first time in recent memory and trailed 3-1 in the series and were the underdogs and….
So they’re losers, and winners? And whatever they are they’ll still sell out Air Canada Centre every night and be the constant focus of TSN and HNIC et al anyway.
On a personal note, I watched the last period of that game with my kid, who’s a die-hard Leafs fan (no, I don’t get it, either, if you must know), and although he was terribly upset, he handled it so much better than I would have if the Canucks had suffered the same fate.
So much for advanced years bringing a better sense of perspective and maturity to life’s slings and arrows, eh?
Anyway, conversely, if the Leafs had actually scored on that good chance in OT in Game 7, I’m pretty sure Bruins coach Claude Julien would be looking for a new job. Instead he just may be guiding his team to another Stanley Cup, you know like that one they won two years ago when they beat……oh, never mind.
And then there’s politics.
Christy Clark was supposed to lose the provincial election. For two long years, the polls said so. The so-called pundits said so. I’m pretty sure all those former Liberal cabinet ministers who chose to abandon ship rather than run alongside Clark thought her chances of victory were, well, not very good at all.
Right.
As they say in sports, even though the odds may be against you and the competition may be tough, you still have to play the game because you never know.
Pundits and analysts, the same ones who got it so wrong, are still trying to figure this one out and it may take some time to get it right (ahem) but obviously campaigns count and voters trump pollsters every time.
However, again like in sports, and as any hockey coach can tell you, today’s winners can be tomorrow’s losers, and vice versa, so take note and good luck to all concerned in handling whatever the future holds.
—Glenn Mitchell is the managing editor for The Morning Star
