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Coaching trend Here's a hint: In the NHL, it rhymes with 'hired'Posted: Monday December 30, 2002 4:18 PM
Already, four NHL teams have fired -- or, if you prefer the corporate euphemism, dismissed -- their coaches. This recent spate of coaching activity before the schedule reaches the midpoint comes on the heels of an offseason in which seven new coaches signed on for duty -- five of them first-time NHL bench bosses. That’s almost 37 percent turnover in a six-month period. Amid the coaching chaos, I wondered if any type of pattern or trend was emerging -- other than the inevitable hiring-firing cycle. In the short-term, players-turned-coaches are front and center. Three of the four pink slip recipients -- Darryl Sutter in San Jose, Greg Gilbert in Calgary and Curt Fraser in Atlanta -- were longtime NHLers. The replacements in all four cities -- including Denver, where Bob Hartley was relieved of his duties with the Colorado Avalanche -- all played in the NHL. But this list alone is fraught with idiosyncrasies. Tony Granato took over the Avalanche after a long and productive NHL career -- and I’m talking right after. His prior coaching experience consists of the time he spent as Hartley’s assistant this season. In Atlanta, the Thrashers' interim situation is unique in that GM Don Waddell assumed the coaching role. That's a rarity. Waddell has been at the helm twice thus far, giving him two games of NHL coaching experience, which he wryly pointed out is double his total of NHL appearances as a player. In fact, Waddell’s last coaching gig anywhere was in 1992 for the San Diego Gulls of the now defunct IHL, where he -- you guessed it -- served as both the coach and GM. Sutter’s situation is exactly the opposite -- he of the long NHL career as both a NHL player and coach. And he was out of coaching all of a month -- no decade hiatus for him. The Sharks sent him packing, and he landed in his home province of Alberta behind the Flames’ bench. He replaces Gilbert, who replaced Don Hay, who had replaced Brian Sutter -- Darryl’s brother, who now coaches the Chicago Blackhawks. Talk about coming full circle. Only Ron Wilson, who took over for Sutter in San Jose, made his way back behind the bench in the conventional manner. First, the Washington Capitals fired him this past summer. Second, Wilson filled his time as many deposed coaches now do -- by turning to broadcasting. Most coaches will tell you that they view their stint in front of the camera as temporary -- Don Cherry and Barry Melrose notwithstanding -- and Wilson was no different. His gig between periods on TSN’s Canadian telecasts was indeed shortlived. In all, 13 former NHL players now guide NHL teams -- including the Thrashers' pending situation. When the season began, the number was 12. And of the seven men who went behind the bench for the first time in October, four of them -- Dave Lewis in Detroit, Bryan Trottier in New York, Dave Tippett in Dallas and Bruce Cassidy in Washington -- played in the NHL. Coupled with the in-season activity involving former players, maybe a trend is afoot whereby NHL playing experience is becoming a desired commodity when it comes to coaching in the bigs. Well, maybe, maybe not. Despite what has transpired among the ranks of NHL coaches over the last half of the calendar year, some of the biggest names in the profession remain "career coaches." That certainly is true in the Eastern Conference, with high profile head honchos Mike Keenan in Florida, Ken Hitchcock in Philadelphia, Pat Burns in New Jersey and Jacques Martin in Ottawa. But before you start jumping to conclusions about a conference bias, remember that for each of those guys there is a counterpart who had a long career as player as well -- Pat Quinn in Toronto, Rick Kehoe in Pittsburgh, Lindy Ruff in Buffalo and Robbie Ftorek in Boston. Same out west. On the one hand, Dave King in Columbus and Andy Murray in Los Angeles are worthy representatives of the career coaching side of the equation. On the other, you have Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota, Joel Quenneville in St. Louis and Craig MacTavish in Edmonton. Patterns? Trends? Certainties? None seem to emerge when it comes to landing an NHL coaching job. After that, there really is only one pervasive eventuality associated with the chosen brethren. And it rhymes with "hired."
Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for CNNSI.com.
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