Defenseman Matt Niskanen had some harsh words about the Pittsburgh Penguins and their decision to fire head coach Dan Bylsma back in June. Now with the Washington Capitals, Niskanen was open with his remarks and revealed that he thinks that – to be blunt – that the decision was a poor one.
Niskanen’s comments, as seen on Trib Live, were pretty candid regarding Bylsma’s firing.
“The organization can say whatever it wants, that it wasn’t sure what it wanted to do, all that stuff. But it was (bull). It’s not like Dan (Bylsma) was a chump or something, but that’s how he was treated. He won you guys a Cup, you know?
I was always treated really well when I was there. But, you know, I have a real problem with how those guys were treated. A lot of guys on the team were very upset by how everything happened.”
Niskanen’s opinion on the topic was one that was shared by Penguins fans and hockey fans around the league when the news was announced. It always felt a little unfair that Bylsma, a man who was at the helm during a long period of success for the Penguins, was the one cast aside for the team’s struggles to win another Cup. That’s how it goes in the NHL, but Bylsma’s firing always seemed unjustified.
