Thursday, February 7, 2008

Same Old Pacifist Jacques


With the Panthers rolling in to town tonight, don't expect many fisticuffs. That's because Jacques Martin has made it clear to his players that he doesn't like it.


Panthers coach Jacques Martin pulled Tanner Glass aside during Wednesday's practice at Scotiabank Place, letting him know he doesn't mind his players fighting -- but not when it is meaningless scrapping.

Glass got roped into fighting Toronto's Ben Ondrus in the closing minutes of Tuesday's 8-0 Panthers victory.

''You don't want to put yourself in those situations. There's no need for it,'' Martin said. ``He's done a great job all year for us. The game was won. There was nothing to prove, nothing to win.

``You have to turn those away. You don't want to get injured for the next game.''


Not saying that Jacques isn't a good coach, but his teams have always lacked toughness and character. There's a reason for that - pure stubborness on his part to change. It doesn't matter what the facts are, what the score is or what the players want. You play the system until the bitter end, and for Martin's teams, that usually means either missing the playoffs or going out in the early rounds.

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