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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Waiting for Mr. Right
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thrashers general manager Don Waddell interviewed Thrashers associate coach Brad McCrimmon and Chicago Wolves coach John Anderson last week. If one of those guys — or Tampa Bay assistant Mike Sullivan — were Waddell’s top choice to become the Thrashers’ next coach, there’s a good chance the search would be over by now.
In the end, of course, the hire will be judged by how the team does on the ice in the seasons to come, not on how long it took to fill the position. But could the timeframe offer a hint at the top candidate’s identity? For example, might John Tortorella, recently fired by Tampa Bay, be choosing between the Los Angeles Kings and the Thrashers? Or might Waddell’s move depend on what the Kings do?
If that’s the case, Anderson and McCrimmon both appear to give Waddell respectable backup plans, and either would command a lower salary than a guy who has won a Stanley Cup. Remember, the Thrashers already are paying the tab for one Stanley Cup winning coach.
I had the privilege of speaking this morning with Washington Capitals coach and Jack Adams Trophy winner Bruce Boudreau, who not surprisingly spoke very highly of his close friend Anderson. One of the best points Boudreau made to me is that Anderson’s success with the Wolves can’t be attributed solely to the talented players he has had the opportunity to coach. This is kind of like the Phil Jackson argument, and it’s no more valid in hockey than in basketball. “It’s difficult to control great players,” Boudreau pointed out, and, “They’ve always had pretty good teams [talent-wise], but they haven’t always had great teams. John is always there [succeeding in the playoffs].”
By the way, what about Marc Crawford? Darren Eliot writes that Crawford lost his job with the Kings because LA decided he wasn’t the right fit for a young roster. The Thrashers have a young roster that, if anything, is about to get younger.
