Phoenix Coyotes Coaching Staff Has A Whalers Touch
It has been a slow news week around the NHL. No trades have been made and no major signings have occurred. Shane Doan remains un-signed and Keith Yandle remains a Phoenix Coyote. Since there is very little player news, let’s focus on the coaching staff.
When one looks over the Coyotes coaching staff, it stands out that many of the coaches played on the same team. A team that does not exist in its original city any more. A team that currently calls Raleigh, North Carolina home - the Hartford Whalers.
Head Coach Dave Tippett, Assistant Coach John Anderson, Goalie Coach Sean Burke and General Manager Don Maloney all played for the Whalers. Even former Coyotes associate coach Ulf Samuelsson played for Hartford.
A look around the NHL shows that Hartford has a large amount of former players now in the coaching business. Kevin Dineen (Florida Panthers head coach), Joel Quenneville (Chicago Blackhawks head coach) and Todd Richards (Columbus Blue Jackets head coach) all played with Hartford. Former Whalers players have also invaded front offices. Ken Holland (Detroit Red Wings general manager) and Marc Bergevin (Montreal Canadiens general manager) are both former Whalers. Even the Vice President of Player Safety, Brendan Shanahan, was a Whaler.
Former Whalers are coaching, running and influencing teams all across the NHL. They are even more prevalent and influential in the Coyotes organization.
NOTES: Shane Doan reiterated to TSN on Saturday that he wants to re-sign with the Coyotes. “Right now I’m doing everything I can to stay there and that’s kind of my goal,” Doan said in an interview with TSN. “At the same time, I’m having to do some due diligence, now in the fact that the longer it takes the more likely and the harder it seems to be to get a deal done in Phoenix.”
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