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Job insecurity Yet another way for an NHL coach to lose his job
Posted: Tuesday April 25, 2000 07:04 PM
The most tenuous job in professional sports is coaching a National Hockey League team. No game places a greater premium on momentum, frame of mind, bounce. The question "What have you done for me lately?" is asked of the NHL coach at the end of just about every two-minute power play. The answer is often not good. Today's example: Roger Neilson of the Philadelphia Flyers. On Feb. 20, the 65-year-old Neilson left his team to prepare for a stem cell transplant to combat bone marrow cancer. There was a great public good-bye, a bunch of sentimental good wishes. On Monday, Neilson returned and pronounced himself ready to get back to work. Oops. The Flyers were rolling through the Stanley Cup playoffs under interim coach Craig Ramsey, winners in five games against the Buffalo Sabres, getting ready for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. Oops. Roger's job just wasn't there any more. Now maybe there is some medical reason he shouldn't be back -- his doctors say he is rushing the process -- and maybe there are hockey reasons, the club doing inspired work under Ramsey. But shouldn't Neilson be his own best judge of when he should return? Shouldn't he have the chance? There is a business-first attitude here that seems ruthless. Cancer guy can't get job back. The moral, I suppose, is that if you're considering a career in professional sports, young man, maybe you should look elsewhere if you're thinking about job security. Maybe something like kicking field goals in the National Football League. Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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