Well, to the delight of some nd the utter shock of
others, the Patrick Roy coaching era in Colorado is over. Unless he takes a job
with the Nuggets or Broncos. That’s a joke because it is unlikely. Get it?
So, analysis on the Roy coaching era is this: One
great year, the rest were terrible. Done. So what comes next? Well the Avs need
a coach. Training camp is in a month. The season; 2 months.
As a team with a young, talented core, the Avs need a
strong, experienced coach that can implement good defensive systems, promote
puck possession (because that’s a no brainer, not because of fancy stats), and
a strong strategy for offense. This is all obvious and not news to any of you
reading this. But it is apparently news to the Avs upper management. So who do
the Avs go for? Listed below is potential candidates with their current roles
on other teams. Hopefully the Avs don’t screw this up.
Promote from within?
Tim
Army: Defensive/Powerplay man on the Avs. Should he get the
job? No. Avs need a new voice. Avs need change.
David
Farrish: No.
Nolan
Pratt: Not experienced.
Poach from other NHL teams?
Paul
McLean: He has some good experience with the Senators and
some minor success. He could be a good fresh voice for the Avs. He is currently
the assistant coach in Anaheim.
Todd
Richards: As an NHL Head Coach he had 5 winning seasons out of
7 with record of 204-183-37. He is currently the assistant coach in Tampa Bay.
Terry
Murray: Murray is old. He is 65 but has a solid coaching
record of 499-383-89-41. Yes, he coached when there were still ties. He is
currently the assistant coach in Buffalo.
Jacques
Martin: He was the long time successful coach of the senators
and now has some Stanley Cup experience. He could be great for the young Avs core. He
is currently the assistant coach in Pittsburgh.
Kevin
Dineen: Dineen coached Florida through one great season, a forgettable
lockout shortened season, and 16 games before being fired in 2013-14. He has a
losing record, but has gained more experience as the assistant coach of the
Hawks.
Kirk
Muller: Muller is behind the bench as the Blues assistant, an
with Mike Yeo taking over for Hitchcock next year, it seems a chance at getting
the top spot is lower than tree moss on a Mississippi tree stump. He coached
terrible Hurricane teams to respectable seasons. He’d be a good fit.
Claude
Noel: Noel coached the Jets to losing seasons and wasn’t
very good. No thanks.
Adam
Oates: Oates co-coached the Devils before taking the reigns
in Washington. His team only lost 18 regulation games in his first year and
missed the playoffs his second year. When Ovi doesn’t perform, the coach gets
canned. Oates defensive style could help the Avs, but hinder the talent up
front.
Ron
Rolston: Rolston is coaching the Coyotes AHL team, and had unsuccessful
runs in Buffalo.
Craig
Berube: Berube is bench boss in the AHL for the Wolves. He
coached the Flyers to a 78-58-28 record. Again, AHL seasoning could have paid
off.
Dale
Hunter: He has had NHL experience as another coach on
Ovechkin’s hit list, but likely won’t leave the London Knights again for a big
league call.
Terry
Murray: Murray is coaching the Sabres in an assistant role,
but has had a long coaching tenure. Since 1990 he has coached 4 teams in 1012
games, winning 499.
John
Mclean: John McLean was a police officer before a bunch of
crazy stuff happened to him, and made him do crazy things as a result. And he failed
as a coach for the Devils going 9-22-2.
Craig
Ramsay: Ramsay is a consultant with the Habs but last coached
the Thrashers. Remember them? That was fun. He went 66-71-7-12 for 3 teams in 4
seasons. No thanks.
Marc
Crawford: Former Avs coach, Canucks coach, Steve Moore
contributor, Stars coach, and hothead that lost in on Scotty Bowman. Nostalgia
hasn’t worked thus far. Let’s not go there.
Bob
Hartley: See previous note on nostalgia. Old coach in New
league.
Mike
Kitchen: Kitchen was a head coach in St. Louis for 3 years,
winning 38 of 131 games. He has since honed his coaching game as the assistant
in Chicago. And they’ve been pretty good. It would be nice if the Avs played
like them.
Joe Sacco: Yea. No.
Joe Sacco: Yea. No.
These are just a few candidates. Some head coaches in
the AHL or in junior hockey could fit too, but does this team really need
another rookie coach? No. They need experience.
Other Reading:
Other Reading:
