Many in the hockey world believed that Tom Rowe replacing Gerard Gallant as head coach of the Florida Panthers was predetermined long before ownership made the controversial switch last weekend.
Now that may or may not be the case. But as Rowe tells it, he wasn't involved in hatching such a plan.
"I told Vinnie Viola numerous times that Gerard Gallant was the perfect guy (to coach) this team," Rowe said in an exclusive interview with Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. "The players loved him. I think with the millennial generation, he was a great guy, because he held them accountable but didn't go overboard with it.
"I had no intention of coaching."
Rowe expressed regret for how things played out, even beyond the optics of Gallant having to wait curbside for a taxi moments after his dismissal. But at the same time, he understood, and was able to articulate why a change had to be made.
"We've spent an awful lot of money on the team - $250 million in the offseason. Vinnie locked up all the young guys, made no bones about it. He expects excellence. And if you don't know him, or never worked for anybody like Vinnie, (he's) never satisfied. Regardless of where we are record-wise. And it wasn't a terrible spot, I get it. But he expected an awful lot more."
Rowe also was willing to offer Friedman insight on the process of tapping into analytic data in preparation for games. He explained that himself and assistant general manager Eric Joyce will look at the underlying numbers of players on the opposition and attempt to devise potential mismatches.
"From a coaching perspective, that's how we use it."
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