Will Detroit coaches take
wing?
Posted: Tue June 16,
1998
Sports Illustrated hockey writer Kostya Kennedy will answer
your
NHL questions through the Stanley Cup
finals. Click here to send a
question.
It's been a whirlwind couple of days ... Cup time and all.
The season is on its last legs and a champion should be
crowned shortly. We're keeping it short and sweet today,
but keep sending your questions, and I'll keep
answering.
With the success of the Red Wings and the number of job
openings around the NHL, is there any chance Detroit could
lose one or both of its associate coaches at the end of the
season? Barry Smith and Dave Lewis arguably are the best
assistants in the league. In fact, each one of them is
better than many of the head coaches in the NHL right
now.
—Pikat, Taylor,
Mich.
They're both excellent coaches and have worked tremendously
well with Scotty Bowman. Smith in particular has a
masterful hockey mind, and his defensive system, the left-wing lock,
is a major reason for the Wings' success. If Bowman returns
next year—he'll decide soon after the finals are
over—I expect both Smith and Lewis to be back as well.
They're having a hell of a good time winning Cups in
Detroit and the organization loves
them. I agree that they both deserve chances to be head
coaches, but to say they're better than current head
coaches is pure folly—being the head man requires
particular talents. Smith and Lewis may well possess those
skills but we need to see them in
that position before judging their
worth.
Do you think Curtis Joseph will stay with the Oilers? I
hear that Pavel Bure will be going to the Rangers—is
that true? Also, how far is Edmonton from winning a
Cup?
—Herbie Jollymore, Halifax, Nova
Scotia
If CuJo decides to settle for $4 to $5 million (nice price
to have to "settle" for, eh?), I think he'll
stay. If he's adamant about upping it to $6 million or
more, then I don't think he'll stay. It's about 50-50 now.
CuJo's situation, of course,
pertains to your question about the Oilers' chances for the Cup.
And all of that relates to Glen Sather. The ownership has
to commit to Sather, and he has to accept that the Oilers'
budget, while perhaps competitive, won't be among the
highest in the league.
If Sather leaves, the Oilers won't contend. If he stays, and
Joseph stays, the Oilers aren't that far away. I think they
could beat any team in a playoff round except Detroit. Of
course, next season is a few months away and rosters will
change. But the
Oilers have the makings of an excellent team and they're
young. You should just hope Sather stays and Joseph doesn't
get too
greedy.
As for Bure to the Rangers, it's plausible, but I don't
know of any imminent deal. A lot of what the Rangers do
will depend on whether they sign goalie Mike Richter. That
will have a spillover effect on the rest of their
strategy.
Whatever happened to the great hip check? Looking at
hockey today, very few players hip-check well. The best
hip-checker ever, former Buffalo and Detroit defenseman
Mike Ramsey, appears to be weaving his unmistakable style
into the Sabres' blueliners as an assistant coach. They
played, checked and defended with an undoubtedly
Ramsey-esque influence. Do you think this is coincidence?
Do you think the Sabres will lend out Rammer so the rest of
the league can learn how to stop slashing and start
checking
cleanly?
—Scott D. Sauer,
Buffalo
Take a look at Rob Blake in Los Angeles—his hip check
is lethal. And now young Mattias Norstrom has taken it up
for L.A. as well. The hip check is hard to do, and it takes
time to learn to administer it consistently and forcefully.
I imagine, though,
that with Blake's success and a couple others', we'll see more
of it over the next few
years.
Send a question to Kostya
Kennedy, and check back Friday to read more of
his
responses.
| 
NHL Finals
