The Minnesota Wild are 3-4-3 over their last 10 games and they’re slowly sinking in the Central Division. Problem areas exist all over the ice for the Wild, but to date, head coach Mike Yeo has publicly absorbed the blame. That all changed in an interview following his team’s loss at home to the Philadelphia Flyers.
This time, Yeo openly criticized his team and accused the squad of lacking a winning attitude, as seen on TwinCities.com.
“They’re the ones out there performing. I’m not trying to say that I’m not responsible for this. I always believe that (as a) coach, what you see on the ice is your responsibility. But at the same time, there’s been a lot of attempts and a lot of different ways and at some point, it’s got to come from them, too.”
When asked what the Wild are missing, Yeo answered:
“A winner’s attitude. Teamwork. Those things in particular.”
Yeo isn’t wrong, but it’s usually not a good sign when the head coach starts publicly assigning blame. Yeo has assisted in building the Wild into a strong defensive squad, but that quality seems to have gone missing through large chunks of 2014-15. The Wild are allowing an average of 2.75 goals per night (21st in the NHL). With their defensive reputation missing, suddenly the heat is on the Wild to find some answer.
Yeo, the youngest coach in the league, received a three-year extension from the Wild prior to the 2014-15 season. The organization believed he was the right man to carry the Wild to the next level. The club’s struggles this year shouldn’t reflect on Yeo, but they inevitably will unless the team is able to turn things around.
