He's Baaacccckkkkkkk!!
Jun 9, 2006 6:44:39 GMT -5
Post by Skilly on Jun 9, 2006 6:44:39 GMT -5
I didn't see this anywhere .... so if it is then please delete.
After an unwritten "banishment" from the NHL due to presumed (on my part anyway) conflict with Muckler ..... Ted Nolan is back in the NHL. This is who I wanted the Habs to go after to coach the team instead of Carbonneau. Trust me ... with Nolan behind the bench and Neil Smith as GM the Islanders will not be patsies anymore and making the playoffs became a little bit harder in the eastern conference.
From TSN
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - The revamping of the New York Islanders' front office included the introduction Thursday of general manager Neil Smith and head coach Ted Nolan, both of whom are returning to the NHL after lengthy hiatuses.
They have been given the task of reversing the fortunes of a team that missed the playoffs this season after three straight trips that ended in first-round eliminations. Before that, New York failed to qualify for the post-season for seven consecutive years.
"I'm thrilled to be back home again where I started," said Smith, who was a scout for the Islanders in the early 1980s when they began their four-year run of Stanley Cup championships. He later went on to assemble the New York Rangers team that won the Cup in 1994.
"It was because of the Islanders that I was able to make a championship team (with the Rangers). The Islanders showed me what it takes to win, what to expect out of yourself and what to expect out of your players."
Related Info
1-on-1 with Nolan
He worked as a television analyst after being fired by the Rangers after the 1999-2000 season. Smith replaces Mike Milbury, who announced in January he would step down from the position after helping find a replacement.
Nolan last coached in the NHL in 1997, the year he won the Jack Adams Award as coach of Buffalo before parting ways with the Sabres over a contract dispute. He spent the next eight years running his own business in Canada and the U.S., and coaching his son's youth team before returning to professional coaching last season with Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The 47-year-old Nolan was a finalist for the Islanders' job in 2001 but lost out to Peter Laviolette, now the coach of Stanley Cup finalist Carolina. This time he replaces Brad Shaw, who became the interim coach mid-season after Steve Stirling was let go.
Nolan called his eight years away from the NHL "the best years of my life" but said he never shook his yearning to coach again.
"I would have run down here for the opportunity," he said. "I'm really excited about coaching again in the NHL and being part of this organization. Sometimes if you miss something you pretend you don't. I just tried to close it off and pretend it wasn't there any more. But down deep I missed it."
Smith and Nolan return to an NHL that has changed significantly since they left, both in terms of on-ice rules changes and off-ice changes designed to establish parity between large- and small-market teams.
"It's very challenging for GMs," said Smith. "You saw four teams in the final four that didn't make the playoffs in 2004. The entry draft and acquisition of young players is more important than ever. The teams that do the best job with the evaluation of talent and drafting are going to be the ones who do well."
The team also announced former Islander Pat LaFontaine will join the team as a senior adviser to owner Charles Wang. That follows last week's hiring of Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier as the team's executive director of player development.
www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=168219&hubname=
After an unwritten "banishment" from the NHL due to presumed (on my part anyway) conflict with Muckler ..... Ted Nolan is back in the NHL. This is who I wanted the Habs to go after to coach the team instead of Carbonneau. Trust me ... with Nolan behind the bench and Neil Smith as GM the Islanders will not be patsies anymore and making the playoffs became a little bit harder in the eastern conference.
From TSN
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) - The revamping of the New York Islanders' front office included the introduction Thursday of general manager Neil Smith and head coach Ted Nolan, both of whom are returning to the NHL after lengthy hiatuses.
They have been given the task of reversing the fortunes of a team that missed the playoffs this season after three straight trips that ended in first-round eliminations. Before that, New York failed to qualify for the post-season for seven consecutive years.
"I'm thrilled to be back home again where I started," said Smith, who was a scout for the Islanders in the early 1980s when they began their four-year run of Stanley Cup championships. He later went on to assemble the New York Rangers team that won the Cup in 1994.
"It was because of the Islanders that I was able to make a championship team (with the Rangers). The Islanders showed me what it takes to win, what to expect out of yourself and what to expect out of your players."
Related Info
1-on-1 with Nolan
He worked as a television analyst after being fired by the Rangers after the 1999-2000 season. Smith replaces Mike Milbury, who announced in January he would step down from the position after helping find a replacement.
Nolan last coached in the NHL in 1997, the year he won the Jack Adams Award as coach of Buffalo before parting ways with the Sabres over a contract dispute. He spent the next eight years running his own business in Canada and the U.S., and coaching his son's youth team before returning to professional coaching last season with Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
The 47-year-old Nolan was a finalist for the Islanders' job in 2001 but lost out to Peter Laviolette, now the coach of Stanley Cup finalist Carolina. This time he replaces Brad Shaw, who became the interim coach mid-season after Steve Stirling was let go.
Nolan called his eight years away from the NHL "the best years of my life" but said he never shook his yearning to coach again.
"I would have run down here for the opportunity," he said. "I'm really excited about coaching again in the NHL and being part of this organization. Sometimes if you miss something you pretend you don't. I just tried to close it off and pretend it wasn't there any more. But down deep I missed it."
Smith and Nolan return to an NHL that has changed significantly since they left, both in terms of on-ice rules changes and off-ice changes designed to establish parity between large- and small-market teams.
"It's very challenging for GMs," said Smith. "You saw four teams in the final four that didn't make the playoffs in 2004. The entry draft and acquisition of young players is more important than ever. The teams that do the best job with the evaluation of talent and drafting are going to be the ones who do well."
The team also announced former Islander Pat LaFontaine will join the team as a senior adviser to owner Charles Wang. That follows last week's hiring of Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier as the team's executive director of player development.
www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=168219&hubname=
