Farewell, Michel Therrien.

The revolving door that is the Penguins Head Coach position has deposited Michel Therrien on the street, two and a half years after replacing Eddie Olczyk. Therrien was rewarded with a three year contract extension worth $3 million after coaching the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. This season has been a disappointment to say the least and since about the middle of January his job has been on life support.

Therrien accomplished some good things while he was behind the bench. Success eluded the team after the Olczyk fiasco. New coach Therrien could not help salvage the season and lead them to the playoffs. He became famous that season for his "soff" post-game rant. Therrien's broken English rants were very entertaining, especially because he seemingly could not grasp the idea of the plural tense. My favorite quote was: "A lot of guy don't care. Dey say dey care, but dey don't care."

In 2006-07, he coached the Penguins to their first playoff birth since the 2000-01 season. Although the Pens were bounced out of the series by the Ottawa Senators in five games, one could get the feeling that the Penguins' fortunes were about to change. During the most recent season, 2007-08, Therrien coached the Penguins to their sixth division title, the Eastern Conference championship and two games from winning the Stanley Cup.

He was not without his faults, however. He was a tough, demanding coach. Coaches like that are good for a young, undisciplined team like the Penguins under Olczyk. After a while, though, they tend to burn out their players and the message gets lost. These types of coaches also tend to not last long at their posts. Scotty Bowman was a tough coach who was hated by a lot of his players. The biggest difference is that Bowman has the Stanley Cup rings to backup his demands, Therrien doesn't.

He had a tendency to publicly call out and criticize players, such as dressing defencemen Ryan Whitney and Brooks Orpik as wingers when their performance dipped last season. Other strange personnel decisions included playing promising young defenseman Alex Goligoski as a winger for a few games, supposedly benching winger Miroslav Satan and then playing him so he could play his 1,000th game and letting slumping back-up goalie Dany Sabourin play on the father's trip just because his dad was there to watch. His decision to put Max Talbot out as the sixth man in game five of the finals last year was gold, though, as Talbot scored the tying goal and sent the game to overtime which the Penguins eventually won.

Therrien also seemed to get flustered when his system wasn't working and it was like he didn't know what to do to fix it. He would thrown together line combinations like he was picking out of a hat and the players were guaranteed to find new linemates almost every shift. His only real trick when he needed offense was to pair Malkin and Crosby on the same line. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.


All in all, he was a good coach. He was exactly what the team needed after the disaster that was Eddie Olczyk. He brought the discipline that was missing and was rewarded by two good seasons of hockey and almost won a Stanley Cup. The saddest part is his firing. If the players quit on him and purposely lost to get him fired, they should be held accountable. Winning and losing is 50% coaching and 50% playing. The players are just as responsible, if not more, for the disappointing season this year. So, good luck to you in the future, Michel.

Today There's Gonna Be a Jailbreak.

It was about 4:45 this afternoon. I had just returned from class and sat down to start some homework. I happened to glance outside and saw that the wind had died down and the street had dried off. I looked over at the thermometer and saw that the outside temperature read 62.3 degrees. I looked back at the computer and said out loud: "what the hell am I doing sitting here?!" I jumped up, grabbed my jacket and helmet and reported to my motorcycle.


I peeled off the cover for the first time in what seemed like years. I had almost forgotten what my Triumph looked like. Before I could tear up the streets, though, the tires needed a little air and the battery needed installed. Once everything was ready, I pulled the choke lever and hit the starter.

Magic.

The rhythmic idle of the British twin brought an instant smile to my face. It was like hearing the voice of an old friend, one you hadn't talked to in a while. I put on my gear while slowly reducing the choke. Once ready, I rolled the bike out of the garage, shut the door and then set my sights on the road ahead.

I took the long way around the neighborhood to warm the bike a little. It stumbled a bit as it was off choke a little early. When I got to the stop sign at the end of the street I was ready to go. I pulled out onto the street, gave the bike some throttled and got an immediate case of insta-grin. I had almost forgotten how much fun riding a bike is. I thought to myself "some people have a therapist, I have a motorcycle."

I had no real destination, I was out for a ride. I took the winding road I live off of to another winding road and rode the few miles to my former hometown of Aliquippa. I encountered some traffic but that didn't bother me. It's a 60 plus degree day in February, nothing short of a crash would bring me down. Almost like a sign from the heavens, the traffic disappeared as I got to the twisty sections. I focused all of my concentration on the rad ahead. I pitched the bike into the corner, used my hips to lift the bike and then set up for the next corner. I was awash in the experience. It reaffirmed my love for motorcycles.

When I entered Aliquippa, I turned down the street I used to live on. It's nothing fancy, just some homes built in 50's, owned by mostly old Italian families who take good care of them. When I got to the stop sign at the end of the street, a guy in a Subaru wagon was waving and honking his horn at me. My first thought was "great, what fell off?," but it turned out he just wanted to check my bike out. Not to toot my own horn(no pun intended) but, as a Bonneville owner, you get used to this. After a few minutes of talking, we said our goodbyes and I headed for home.

I turned onto a lovely road with a myriad of straights, turns and elevation changes that took me right to my house. It's like my own, private section of the Nurburgring. I rambled down the road at a brisk but moderate pace. There was still some dust on the road from the recent snow storms and I didn't feel like crashing. The best parts of the road are the last few turns before you reach my neighborhood. They start with a tight, downhill right-hand turn. The grade of the road angles a bit sharper as you exit the turn, which leads to a hairpin, left-hand turn. After this hairpin, the road leads to series of uphill esses. The crest of the hill drops down suddenly and then there is the right-hand turn into my neighborhood.

I again take the long way back to my house and then pulled in the garage. I sat on the bike for a few minutes, engine off, just thinking. It was just an 11 mile ride over roads I had traveled numerous times. I hadn't gone to someplace I'd never been before. No, this time, it was all about the ride. Call it cliche if you want, but it's the truth. After not riding since December 27, it felt good to be free. It felt good to feel the wind, hear the noises and smell the smells.

Cycle World show - Cleveland.

This Sunday, my dad and I went to the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show held in the I-X center in Cleveland, Ohio. The I-X Center is a huge convention center type building by the Cleveland airport.

How big is the I-X center? Big enough to hold a motorcycle show, a home show and have a Ferris wheel inside.

Every major motorcycle manufacturer that sells bikes in America was there except for Triumph and MV Agusta.

Apparently, Triumph wanted their own people to load and unload their bikes and were told that only the Teamsters will be handling those duties. Triumph balked at the idea and refused to be present at the show.

It was a bit of a let down that Triumph wasn't there, but I practically have the specs of their bikes memorized and whenever I want to go sit on a Bonneville and make vroom noises, I can just go and sit on mine.

Here are a few notes and thoughts about the companies there, or at least the ones I nabbed brochures from:

Aprilia:
I am lusting after the RS125. It's a 125cc 2-stroke with 32hp and weighs 280lbs dry. It's a track only bike but I don't care, I want one. I think it wins the most-fun-bike-that-isn't-a-Vmax-award.

The RSV1000's are absolutely gorgeous.

The Tuono 1000's are absolutely hideous.

Ducati:
Ducati's lineup is a like a supermodel with two misplaced moles, right on her face. Those moles are the Multistrada and the new Streetfighter.

I can't figure out the design philosophy behind the Multistrada and I don't think I want to know it, either.

As for the Streetfighter, all is well until you look at that headlight. Calling it out-of-place doesn't do it justice; it's ugly.

As for the rest:
The new Monsters are cool. I didn't like them at first but after seeing a few, I like them.

The Superbikes are just stunning. If they don't get you excited, then you have to be dead. They win the Best-looking-faired-Ducati-since-the-bevel 900SS award.

The Sportclassics take the cake, though. They are easily the best looking Ducati's since the bevel-drive era. The only bike that can match them in style and grace is the Moto Guzzi California Vintage.

Buell:
I have always been a tentative Buell fan. I like their interesting ideas and different approach to engineering but I feel the Sportster-based Thunderstorm engine is the weak link. Since the debut of the Rotax-built Helicon v-twin, Buell finally makes sense.

The Firebolt, Lightning and the Ulysses are all cool and good looking. I like the Ulysses the most because it is an adventure-tour bike short enough for me.

The 1125CR had me falling all over myself. I don't know if it's the clubman-style bar that does it or it's $12,000 price tag but I just love it. I must have sat on it a dozen times. It wins the best-looking-naked-that-isn't-a-Triumph-or-Ducati award.

BMW:
R1200R. It's just perfect, there's nothing more to say.

R1200S. Same as above but with more power. Even more perfect.

K1200S. Fast. Heavy. Expensive. I'd buy one.

K1200R. As long as I don't have to look at it, it's cool.

Kawasaki:
My dad and I actually agreed on a bike. We both liked the Vulcan 900 Custom. I'm not one for cruisers but I liked this bike. The wheels look cool, the engine's not too big, not too small and you can get it in orange.

The more I look at the 250 Ninja, the more I like it. I like small displacement bikes that rev forever and that's what this Ninja is.

The rest of Kawasaki's lineup is underwhelming, except if you like cruisers or sportbikes.

Honda:
Honda has easily the most disappointing lineup. Aside from the VFR800 Interceptor and the new CBR1000RR, everything is underwhelming at best. Go to Honda's U.K. website and see what is for sale over there. What do we get? The DN-01. Thanks, Honda.

Honda is also making their own "chopper", called the Fury. It manages to look like every "chopper" made in the last five years.

Moto Guzzi:
I have already gone on about how I love the California Vintage. Now that it's available in white, I love it more so.

I like the Stelvio. It may never dethrone the BMW 1200GS as the best adventure bike but it doesn't look quite as weird as the GS, either.

Griso 1200 8V: not quite sure what category it is in but that's ok. I like it and I want one.

V7 Classic: it's a good thing this wasn't on our shores when I bought my Bonneville last year. I probably wouldn't have bought one seeing that it's slower and more expensive than a Bonneville but it looks cool and it's retro. Guzzi also showed a cafe version in Europe this year. If they ever put the 1100cc engine in there I may have to buy one. V7 Sport, anyone?

Suzuki:
Bandit 1250S: I like this bike. It's a four that's not some hyper-sports machine that wants to punish you. It's simply a nice bike that you can ride, with a four cylinder that's tuned for torque. Almost like a GS-series bike in modern trim. Plus the half-fairing looks cool.

The rest? See Kawasaki above.

Yamaha:
I don't think I can describe how awesome the new Vmax is. It's v-four is just massive. It's a two-wheeled irresponsibility machine. It's a nice reprieve from the safe, sterile society that we are moving toward.

I kinda like the FZ6/FZ1. They seem like nice, all purpose bikes the Japanese used to build before specialization took over.

Star makes arguably the best looking Japanese cruisers. I like the new V Star 950. Like the Vulcan 900, it's a nice gap between too small and too big.

Harley-Davidson:
XR1200. Possibly the best reason to step into an H-D dealer since the XR1000 and the XLCR. In fact, it's so awesome that I can even forgive the pipes for being too low and on the wrong side.

XL1200N Nightster. Possibly the best reason to step into an H-D dealer after the XR1200.

Odds and ends:

The AMA was there with some bikes from their museum. There were a couple of Suzuki GSX-R's from the 80's, two early Suzuki Katana's, a row of old dirt bikes and a perfect Honda CB750. They were also raffeling off a pair of Triumph Bonneville's, a 1959 and a 2009 Anniversary edition.

Another collection was there whose name I can't remember. I do remember the Kawasaki Z1's, Yamaha R5, Kawasaki Mach III, Suzuki GT550 and Kawasaki GPz1100 they had on display, though.

Another collection had a few ancient Harley's, an Indian Four, an Ariel single and a Moto Guzzi Ambassador among other bikes.

A cafe racer section had a couple of Tritons, a Honda CB750, a Moto Guzzi, a pair of Yamaha 2-strokes and a wicked Triumph Thruxton.

All in all, I liked the show. I got to look at and sit on bikes without a salesman bugging me. I also came away loving a few bikes way too much and had a few bikes change my opinion about them.