Faceoff Factor

Job Hunting: Behind the Bench

Mike Wilson | National Hockey League

Jun 18, 07:24 PM | Hype this story!

Everyone is a-buzz about the free agency and draft controversies surrounding their favorite teams this offseason. However, we can’t rule out the people who will be telling them what to do and how to do it.

That’s right…coach controversies have been equally, if not more popular to some teams who don’t have much player controversy to boil over on.

Teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs acquired former San Jose Sharks coach, Ron Wilson. Believing his ability to turn teams around (as he did in Anaheim, Washington, and San Jose) will be the determining factor to finally get Toronto into the playoffs after two seasons of missing them.

At the beginning of the offseason, eight teams (Atlanta, Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles, Ottawa, San Jose, Tampa Bay, and Toronto) were in need of a new coach.

Now, all but three are filled. Most were given to farm team coaches or, like in Wilson’s case, to experienced veteran “free agent coaches.”

The one exception is Todd McLellan, former assistant coach to Mike Babcock and the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings. McLellan accepted the San Jose position that Ron Wilson left vacant.

My taste buds agree with McLellan…shark is much better than octopus. But shark can be dangerous. If you consume too much, you get mercury poisoning. I guess time, not taste, is the only thing that can tell if this move will take San Jose further into the playoffs next season.

Why can’t my taste buds get something easy to decide like Duck and Blue Jacket? Oh well.

Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Los Angeles are the only teams left coachless.

The Thrashers have been considering John Anderson for their position. Anderson led the Chicago Wolves to a championship-winning AHL season.

By now, the secret about Tampa Bay is out. They have been talking with ESPN analyst Barry Melrose. The media, however, haven’t figured out what to make of the talks yet.

Some aren’t sold on Barry’s hiring, referring to the talks using words like “seemingly” and “possible.” Others claim they have already seen Bozo the Clown moving his suit store from Bristol, Connecticut, to Tampa, Florida.

Such a marquee blast from the past like Melrose could either disappoint horribly or result in Tampa fans writing for years to come about “the Mullet that saved the Tampa Bay Lightning.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I would definitely enjoy reading that!

However, one negative could come out of a Melrose hire in Tampa. ESPN would lose another… I mean it’s only NHL analyst. And there would be no hockey to be found on the network supposed to be the “world-wide leader of sports.”

So that leaves Los Angeles.

The Kings have one of two roads to go down. They could either pick from the pool of recently fired NHL coaches or go minor league.

Topping the list of ex-NHL coaches according to NHL.com’s Larry Wigge would be Joel Quenneville, John Paddock, John Tortorella, Paul Maurice, and Bob Hartley. I bet the Kings wished they hadn’t fired Barry Melrose back in 1995.

Speaking of which, Los Angeles could do what Tampa Bay did and find a former NHL player turn analyst. I’m going to throw Brian Engblom’s name into the ring. Hairstylists and fashion designers would close their shops and crawl into holes when Los Angeles and Tampa Bay play each other.

So, 7 of the eight teams have realistic options (the whole Engblom/Los Angeles gag doesn’t count). These coaches are going to have to get used to their new surroundings. Because when things go south, usually the first person to catch fire is the coach.

Here’s a brief list of who these new coaches need to watch out for. Only coaches known to be hired are listed.

Ron Wilson, Toronto Maple Leafs

This is pretty obvious…the media. Toronto has earned a reputation for ruining coaches. Rumor has it Paul Maurice still goes into a corner when he sees a microphone or camera.

Craig Hartsburg, Ottawa Senators

The Murray family has gained a reputation for great coaching. So I’m sure Bryan Murray expects nothing less as the general manager in Ottawa. We saw Murray’s short fuse for losing coaches when he took over the team himself late in the season.

Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks

He has a talented team and he’s been learning from one of the best for years. As long as he stays away from any Barry Melrose Stanley Cup guarantees, both he and the Sharks should be fine.

Peter DeBoer, Florida Panthers

Coming from the Ontario Hockey League, DeBoer is one of the few coaches this year who has little to lose. The only thing that could slip even more in Sunrise is fan support. The Panthers had a good second half of the season, and, for many, have high expectations for next season. Hopefully this young coach can bring a young team back into contention in the south.

Tony Granato, Colorado Avalanche

Granato needs to watch his superiors. The Avalanche demoted him to assistant coach before, but a second offence might result in the packing of his bags.

Regardless of who is hired to fill the remaining coaching spots, the eight teams who will have new coaches at the start of next season will have a lot of eyes on them.

Will these coaches have the power to save the sinking ships and set sail? Tune in next season to find out.