Hiring Barry Melrose was a dubious decision. A man who hadn't coached in 13 years; whose connection to hockey was as a media observer; whose credentials hinged on his success with a Kings team anchored by Wayne Gretzky 15 years ago; whose success with young players was nearly two decades in the past, was asked to succeed in an NHL he knew only from the outside.

A huge organization-wide turnover tore the fabric of the Lightning; shredded it, actually. New owners, new management, new coach, massive player changes -- these are not the ingredients of success.

There's a lot of question as to whether 16 games were enough to judge Melrose and his ability to mold the team. And they are legitimate questions, if based on the assumption the hiring was wise from the start.

But from the standpoint of the lack of early success, as well as the inability to create a workable framework for the talent on hand, Melrose's firing was warranted, and his hiring was fatally flawed.

From a public relations standpoint, Melrose was as good as it got. Millions of hockey fans knew Melrose from watching him on TV, so he gave the team a recognizable name to replace John Tortorella.

Under Torterella, the team won the Stanley Cup in 2004. But there are reasons why this team went from the penthouse to the first overall pick in last summer's NHL draft.

The Lightning, especially with this year's personnel upheaval, required a coach with recent experience and impeccable credentials.

Rumblings out of Tampa have pointed to internal strife and lack of leadership this season. Take a look at what St. Petersburg Times columnist Gary Shelton wrote Friday before the firing. The column says there had not been a connection in the circuitry necessary to bring the Lightning to full power.

Also see:

Damian Cristodero, St. Pete Times:

Melrose failed to motivate

Melrose isn't totally to blame, and there's no truer bromide than this: It's far easier to fire the coach than fire the players.

Ownership takes blame for its radical personnel changes, made with good intentions but leaving the team with little ability to mold itself into workable units. And lineup changes never stopped, witnessed by the recent trade of defenseman Matt Carle to the Flyers.

Chemists at some point must stop swirling their beakers. Cooks have to put away the beaters and spatulas. Let the ingredients settle, sample the product and then decide what to do next.

But the Lightning hadn't, and it's likely they still haven't. Consider Erik Erlendsson's Thursday blog on the Tampa Tribune site: Had GM Brian Lawton put out word that his roster was open for the picking?

Now comes Melrose's firing, the anointment of Rick Tocchet as interim coach and potential continuation of change sparked by Tocchet's apparent temporary status.

The Lightning has admitted Melrose's hiring was a mistake. It should now stop all discussion of player personnel moves and allow Tocchet time to see if he can concoct something that will be stable. Or, if Tocchet is simply a placeholder, allow another coach to mold his players into a team.

As colleague Craig Custance points out, Tocchet is a respected hockey man -- even if there is one big, fat blemish on his record from his part in a gambling scandal. He's done the time, and he deserves a second chance -- under close scrutiny to make sure his gambling habit is not only in remission, but under ice-cold control.

Lightning players now must look at themselves, settle their internal problems and remember how the guys still on the team from their 2004 Cup team bonded to achieve ultimate success. Take a look in the mirror, Vincent Lecavalier. There should be a line behind you as every man on the team pauses for introspection.

If that chemical reaction hasn't produced victories -- or at least more consistent performance -- Lawton can break out his chemistry set again.

Ray Slover is an associate editor for Sporting News. E-mail him at rslover@sportingnews.com.

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Say hello to the Los Angeles Kings. Maybe it's the ping-pong table they installed in their practice facility dressing room. Maybe it's the change from Marc Crawford to Terry Murray -- OK, so it's a lot about the more relaxed atmosphere Murray brings to the team, including his version of ping-pong diplomacy.

And a recent surge of success has a lot to do with the emergence of Erik Ersberg as the Kings' best goaltender.

With Thursday's victory over the Dallas Stars, Ersberg is on a 4-0-1 run, which began with a 1-0 overtime loss.

Murray is riding his hot hand while getting acquainted with the guy who could become his franchise goalie.

"He has the opportunity to show the organization and the coaching staff," Murray told the Los Angeles Times. Ersberg continues to open Murray's eyes, building off a 14-game debut last season. This, coming off an illness that set him back early in training camp.

Ersberg, 26, has been playing down his contributions. But Times hockey columnist Helene Elliott, as usual, had him pegged. Elliott wrote after his first game that Ersberg "was the best of the Kings' mediocre goaltending bunch last season when he compiled a 2.48 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 14 games."

He started the season behind Jason LaBarbera on the depth chart, but, Elliott wrote after Ersberg's first start, "He shouldn't stay there. He deserves to play again and not to be relegated to the bench behind LaBarbera, a very average goaltender who has no upside to his game at nearly 29."

There are many problems for Murray and the Kings to solve as they rebuild. Forward line combinations are among them. Defense pairings are among them, although the waiver-wire pickup of Kyle Quincey, paired with offseason acquisition Matt Greene, is a good start.

But confidence and winning usually begin in goal and work their way up the ice. If Ersberg keeps playing well, the Kings will push their way up the Western Conference standings. Icy bits

Gotta love it: After punching down the Canadiens' Mike Komisarek, Milan Lucic roared with what Bruins play-by-play man Jack Edwards called "boyish enthusiasm." What would you expect from a 20-year-old (clearly no longer a boy, Jack, but we get the point) in a rivalry game in which Lucic's Bruins are pounding the Habs? Bruins fans, meanwhile, reveled in throwing the Montreal chant back at the Habs -- "Ole, ole-ole, ole, ole." That's hockey, baby. ...

Sounds like Brent Johnson was right about his hip injury -- he won't miss much time. If that means he'll miss a couple days of practice, it's fine for the Capitals. Johnson tells Washington Post scribe Tarik El-Bashir he'll be OK to back up Jose Theodore on Friday against the Devils. El-Bashir also reports defenseman Shaone Morrisonn's sore groin has improved enough for him to hope to play either Friday or Saturday, when the Caps play in New Jersey. ...

The Devils will start journeyman Scott Clemmensen on Friday in place of fill-in starter Kevin Weekes, the Newark Star-Ledger's Colin Stephenson reports. That decision comes after the Rangers lit up Weekes for four goals in 40 minutes. It could be a simple thing, given the Caps play on consecutive nights. Or it could be coach Brent Sutter wants to send a message to Weekes or the players in front of him. Two of the goals against Weekes were on 5-on-3s; another came from a player who had no defensive coverage. ...

Among other things going wrong in St. Louis, it's clear Manny Legace isn't the goalie we saw last season before the All-Star Game. There are contributing factors, including sloppy play in front of him; Legace's latest injury, the infamous Sarah Palin rug hip flexor incident; or his struggles to return from offseason knee surgery. Whatever it is, the "little fat kid" is not sharp. And without someone to bail their biscuits out of the fire, the Blues are in free fall. ...

Speaking of the Blues, their demotion of fourth-overall pick Alex Pietrangelo to OHL Niagara gets a thumbs-down from Norm Sanders, Blues beat writer for the Belleville News-Democrat.

Sanders writes: "By returning Pietrangelo to his junior team, what message are the Blues sending to their fans and the rest of the NHL? Mired in a six-game losing streak with only two wins in their last 10 games, do they really feel Pietrangelo can get better experience playing for the Ice Dogs than against the Blackhawks, Red Wings, Ducks and Stars?" ...

Ken Hitchcock is not above calling out players for poor performances. Here's what he said Wednesday after the Blue Jackets' 5-2 loss to the Coyotes, on the subject of Rick Nash: "You have to compete to score in this league. If you don't compete -- whether it's our captain or whatever -- if you don't compete, you don't score. Rick wasn't very effective today, for whatever reason. But he had a lot of company." ...

Think Brian Burke is headed for Toronto? Think again, Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze writes for Macleans.ca: "From what I hear an emergency meeting was arranged between Steve Simmons, Al Strachan and Darren Dreger -- founders of the Truth, Rumour and My Dog Told Me Club -- where they sat down at an unassuming Swiss Chalet on the fringe of Toronto and discussed how the media will spin the story. Apparently Strachan put gravy on his fries and ordered a second root beer, which Dreger interpreted as a clear indication that Burke is bound for Boston." There's more than a little tongue in cheek in that one -- right? ...

Worth your time: James Deacon of AOL.ca says the NHL must stop defending head shots. "I have no idea why the leaders of the NHL can't -- or won't -- legislate against head shots and equally dangerous hits from behind. The risks they are taking with the health of their players are too great to be taken for no reason at all. So there has to be a good reason." Ray Slover is an associate editor for Sporting News. E-mail him at rslover@sportingnews.com.

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It is instructive, however, to take a look at the man who succeeds Burke. Bob Murray is a good hockey man, and there was little doubt among Ducks observers that he would replace Burke.

Here are a couple of good reads on the situation:

-- Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times: "To [Ducks CEO Michael] Schulman and Burke, there was never a question about who would be the new GM. While Burke considered the contract extension, he prepped Murray for the job."

Schulman echoes those sentiments.

"It was clear to me early on in the process that Bob Murray was the right man to take over from Brian. He's done terrific work, mainly behind the scenes," Schulman said at the press conference. "He's been a large part of our success, and like Burke, is committed to an entertaining, community-oriented team."

Yeah, some of that sounds like team P.R. stuff. But when making this kind of executive maneuver -- especially during the season -- it's smart for the team to have their new GM ready to hit the ice at full stride.

Murray has a good handle on the Ducks situation, thanks to Burke's preparation. "He said, 'I want you to be the next general manager.' He pushed me and pushed me and pushed me the whole time," Murray said in the Foster story.

Also from Foster: "Murray said the team needs more second-line scoring. Salary-cap issues may hamper his ability to mend that problem. The Ducks are about $800,000 below the NHL's $56.7 million salary cap for this season."

Interpretation: Murray will have to make deals to get the help he needs.

-- Dan Wood of the Orange County Register:

"Among Murray's first orders of business will be to look for his own right-hand man, ostensibly to replace himself within the club's front office. The first person he will talk to, on Saturday, is David Nonis, who succeeded Burke as general manager of the Canucks and joined the Ducks as senior advisor of hockey operations in June."

This is a smart move by Murray, who will have as his lieutenant another good hockey man who has more recent experience with the salary cap and nuances of the post-lockout game at the executive level.

Murray was in the Chicago Blackhawks' organization for 25 seasons and served as GM from 1997-99. And even though he has had his hand in management for years, he lacks the experience of running a team in the salary-cap era.

-- From Tim Sassone of the Chicago Daily Herald: "Murray, who never got a fair shake as Hawks general manager, is getting another chance. ... The Hawks -- well, Bob Pulford -- couldn't wait to dump Murray back in 1999 and bring in Mike Smith, who was a disaster as GM. Remember, Smith hired Alpo Suhonen, possibly the worst and laziest coach in the history of the franchise. It was also Smith who drafted busts Mikhail Yakubov and Pavel Vorobiev 10th and 11th overall in 2000. "Murray always had Pulford looking over his shoulder and rarely got to do the things he wanted. Maybe he'll have a little more freedom in Anaheim to show what he can do."

Still, filling Burke's shoes is a big assignment. Murray has his work cut out for him -- but it's clear he's in a better place than he was in his first GM assignment.

Icy bits

Here we were, feeling good about Brent Johnson. After all, Johnny was the week's third star for going 2-0-1 with a 1.63 goals-against average and .953 save percentage last week. SN Fantasy Hockey guru Ben Valentine names him a hot bargain pickup for poolies looking for goaltending help. And then, he gets injured in Wednesday's 5-1 romp over the Hurricanes. Johnson says he doesn't think the injury is serious. We hope not.

After struggling for years, Johnson found a good place for himself with the Capitals. He entered Wednesday game 3-1-2 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. Since Bruce Boudreau was named coach on Nov. 22, 2007, Johnson is 9-3-3 with a 2.19 goals-against average and .925 save percentage as a starter.

Here's hoping Johnson returns soon. He deserves some good luck -- and Capitals fans don't want to worry about Jose Theodore being in goal for too long. ...

A leg injury forced Scott Gomez to miss Wednesday's victory over the Devils, a game you know he was itching to play. Here's the lowdown from Michael Obernauer of the New York Daily News:

"Gomez has undergone a slew of tests on the ailing leg, and even had multiple MRI exams this past week. 'He's had everything,' coach Tom Renney said. 'It's just pain. It's painful. ... It's precautionary as much as anything. The fact of the matter is, if it compromises the player and the team, then you've got to do the right thing."

Ray Slover is an associate editor for Sporting News. E-mail him at rslover@sportingnews.com.

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McCarty? Really? What about all those future Hall of Fame players who've worn the Winged Wheel during the past decade-plus that produced four Stanley Cups?

Those guys are no-brainers for any winning franchise. The Red Wings crank out elite talent like Detroit used to produce cars. The team does it either through the draft-and-development process or by bringing good players into the fold and making them better.

But the secret remains the success of guys like McCarty and Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby ... the Grind Line.

"It brings back memories whenever you have the three of us together," Maltby told the Detroit News a few weeks back. "We'd love to be able to duplicate some of the things we were able to do back in the '90s there. We're a little bit older and wiser. Hopefully, we can use that to our advantage."

In that same story, coach Mike Babcock gave a capsule scouting report of the aged warriors. "In Kris Draper, you have one of the best faceoff guys, great speed," Babcock said. "In Maltby, you've got a great two-way player and Mac, you've got some toughness and ability to hang on to the puck. It should be a good line for us."

Draper, 37, McCarty, 36, and Maltby, 35, have been together for the better part of 12 seasons, although McCarty did get a spell away from the team.

And here's the secret to why these guys have helped make the Red Wings a success: They never stop, they provide toughness and they are always dangerous. They play a game that Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times described as "full-contact chess, maybe, with knights and rooks toppling all over the board." That was in April 1999, and it's still true today.

Here are some other stories you should read about the Grind Line:

—The Wings acquired Draper for $1. "And who knows if that dollar was ever even paid?" McCarty says in the Detroit Free Press interview.

—Sporting News, in its 2002 Stanley Cup article, tells of how McCarty has lost a father, built a relationship with his own son and gained perspective in that victory.

—McCarty explains the secret of the Red Wings' success in a New York Times article last spring. "One of our biggest assets goes sort of unnoticed," McCarty said. "It's a family. This is our extended family. We've been through so much on the ice, but off the ice we've seen each other's kids be born and grow up and guys get married and have parents and important people pass away. These guys were here for that." That group includes not just the Grind Line, but Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom, who were on all four Cup winners.

—Maltby, in the rare season in which he could play for Team Canada, apologized to his national teammates for anything he would say or do to them in future NHL games. "The funny thing was that everyone stood there and thought, 'He's really right. He's going to do those things,' " Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz told USA Today hockey scribe Kevin Allen.

The stories go on and on. And remember, just when you thought the Grind Line was gone forever after McCarty was exiled to Calgary back in 2005, McCarty got his life back together in time to rejoin the team for last spring's Stanley Cup run.

Name another fourth line that has been as effective for so long as this group. All of them can check opponents into the ice. All of them play quality minutes. And all of them can score, as McCarty did in scoring the Red Wings' first goal on Tuesday.

Icy bits

If you didn't remember the significance of November 11, you get a game misconduct. Your penalty: Begin with this Wikipedia page and then, to borrow freely from the Guy Fawkes Day poem: Remember, remember the eleventh of November. ...

Back in October, the New York Times' Slap Shot blog asked which coach would be the first to be fired. We know now it was Denis Savard. Of the remaining four choices, anyone care to bet on the Blues' Andy Murray as next to get the short haircut? The other options in that blog were Alain Vigneault of the Canucks, Barry Melrose of the Lightning and Mike Keenan of the Flames. So really, have we eliminated anyone as a possible second victim?

With the Blues in free fall, pal Norm Sanders of the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat writes, "Murray and his staff are highlighting better play away from the puck, better goaltending, better discipline and playing with sense of urgency, or fear factor." There are plenty of culprits in the Blues' collapse after a 4-1 start, including suspect goaltending. ...

We can appreciate his point, but we disagree with Ken Campbell of The Hockey News in his suggestion Pavel Bure should be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But to be fair, here's Campbell's argument:

"I'm not about to get into comparing Bure with players who are already in the Hall of Fame just to make his case. That's because the reality is anyone who doesn't realize that Bure belongs in the Hall ahead of the likes of Bob Pulford, Dick Duff, Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies and a host of other marginal players seriously has to have his or her hockey credentials revoked. Just because the Hall has made a number of egregious errors on player inductions in the past doesn't mean it should continue to do so by going to the lowest common denominator."

Too bad Bure spent so much of his time camped by the blue line waiting for breakaway passes and so little time playing in his own zone. ...

Nice comparison on Rogers Sportsnet's Maple Leafs-Flames game: Showing film of Greg Millen in 1986 with the Blues and then showing Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala gave viewers a chance to see how much equipment changed over the past two decades.

Ray Slover is an associate editor for Sporting News. E-mail him at rslover@sportingnews.com.

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Every now and then, even the best of hockey analysts have to dive headlong into the NHL rulebook to get an answer to the pressing issues of our time.

So it was Saturday, when a dispute arose during the Washington Capitals' 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers.

Here's how The Associated Press described things:

"Tom Poti's first goal of the season made it 2-0 at 17:06. Boyd Gordon skated down the left side toward the net, where his shot was stopped by Henrik Lundqvist. But Poti was on the right side to stuff in the rebound.

"New York argued that the net was knocked off its moorings during Gordon's rush, but the protest was denied after a replay review."

Video showed the Rangers were right -- the goal was not on the ice and the left post was elevated and behind the goal line.

But the referees and video review got this one right. Here's why:

On page 113 of the NHL rulebook, you'll find Rule 78.4. It reads, in the part germane to this situation, "The goal frame shall be considered in its proper position when the flexible peg(s) are still in contact with both the goal post and the hole in the ice. The flexible pegs could be bent, but as long as they are still making contact with both the hole in the ice and the goal post, the goal frame shall be deemed to be in the ice and the goal post, the goal frame shall be deemed to be in its proper position. The goal frame could be raised somewhat on one post (or both), but as long as the flexible pegs are still in contact with the holes in the ice and the goal posts, the goal frame shall not be deemed displaced."

Look for this replay to pop up on video, and then apply what this rule.

It's the first time I've seen this rule applied. You probably haven't seen it, either. But the NHL pays its referees and goal judges to get it right, and in this case they did.

So, here's an attaboy for a job well done.

Icy bits

Take some time today to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame website for information of the four men who will become honored members on Monday.

The two players being enshrined are Glenn Anderson and Igor Larionov. Linesman Ray Scapinello and builder Ed Chynoweth join them in this class.

Also take a look at this Toronto Star story on Anderson. There's a sidebar that includes the biggest questions about the 2008 class: Who's next?

Brother, what a class that will be. Four of the following players will be enshrined a year from now.

Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Dave Andreychuk and Brian Leetch are all eligible for the first time. The guess here is, Andreychuk is the odd man out. Ray Slover is an associate editor for Sporting News. E-mail him at rslover@sportingnews.com.

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