From the beginning I felt Ivan Hlinka was in over his head as an NHL head coach, so it doesn't surprise me that the Pittsburgh Penguins fired him Monday.

General manager Craig Patrick's nature is to give people chances. Because the Penguins had invested a year in Hlinka's NHL development, Patrick felt Hlinka should be given an opportunity this season. Remember, the Penguins made it to the Eastern Conference finals a year ago with Hlinka as the coach.

One problem seemed to be Jaromir Jagr's relationship with Hlinka. With Jagr gone to Washington, why wouldn't you want to see if Hlinka could do the job? If I were Patrick, I would have done the same thing. But Hlinka failed the offseason test, a challenge from his bosses to learn English and improve his communciation. Communication may not have been his only problem, but he took no steps to at least attempt a cure.

In his brief tenure Hlinka was one of the great non-coaches in NHL history. He never seemed to understand what was required of an NHL head coach. One must be organized, be able to communicate, and be able to motivate. Hlinka did not fare well in any of the three areas.

Hlinka's replacement, Rick Kehoe, has never been a head coach in 13 years as an assistant in Pittsburgh. The Penguins are running such a tight financial ship that it made sense for them to promote from within. The positive is that Kehoe and assistants Randy Hillier and Joe Mullen are bright coaches. They had no voice with Hlinka -- none. The language barrier and Hlinka's inflexibility prevented them from having their suggestions heard.

I expect Kehoe, Hillier and Mullen to coach more by committee, which might be a bad thing. They will all have valuable input. If Kehoe and Mullen can't right the Penguins' faltering power play, which is 0-for-19 after four games, nobody can. Kehoe and Mullen were both gifted offensive players who were power-play specialists. They bring a great offensive awareness.

The coaching move may not be the answer in Pittsburgh, but it's an upgrade that isn't costing the franchise any more money.

Former NHL center Bill Clement is a hockey analyst for ESPN.