Sharks, DeBoer to Build on Clean Slate
(Originally published at Sports Radio Service)
Thursday, the San Jose Sharks held a press conference to introduce Peter DeBoer as head coach. DeBoer made a telling comment in relation to how or whether the team would select a new captain: “It’s a deep leadership group. I’m looking forward to getting to know the group and the players. I think what I have going for me here is I’m fresh to this group. I don’t have a history with them, I wasn’t around for the successes or the failures. I’m looking forward to going in with a clean slate and getting to know this group and we’ll make those decisions going forward.”
DeBoer was part of the coaching staff for USA at the World Championships this season. This gave him a chance to work with Sharks defenseman Brent Burns and also Todd McLellan. Once he realized that he was being seriously considered for the Sharks coaching position, his commitment to the idea of a clean slate was so strong that he resisted quizzing McLellan on the Sharks players. (more…)
McLellan to Coach Oilers, Babcock Decision Soon
(Originally published at Sports Radio Service)
As predicted by many, the Edmonton Oilers named Todd McLellan as their new head coach. McLellan and Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli spoke in a press conference Tuesday. Of his decision to join the Oilers, McLellan said:
When it came down to it, there’s a number of tremendous opportunities that exist in the National Hockey League right now and there’s a great coaching pool out there. After meeting with Peter and asking him… well, we asked each other some pretty direct questions. I liked answer and the direction that Peter was taking the conversation and obviously Peter liked my end of it so we took it from there.
A lot of times when you’re a coach and you’re going to join a team, the manager’s been in place for a number of years and he has and idea of the organization. We’re both in it together here brand new. And I think that’s a good thing right now, we get to leave our mark, and we get to formulate an identity without any preconceived notions of individuals or partners on the D or lines anything like that. It’s brand new, everybody gets a fresh start.
Todd McLellan Top Choice for Oilers
There is good reason to suppose that Todd McLellan will be the next coach of the Edmonton Oilers. At the end of the season, McLellan stated that his immediate focus would be his job as coach of Team Canada at the World Championships, so it is reasonable to assume he won’t announce a decision before that job is done. He did meet with the Oilers during the tournament, and there have been no reports of in person meetings with any other team.
McLellan has had a chance to work with some of the Oilers (Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle) this month. He has also been coaching some Flyers (Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier) and other players on NHL teams that are looking for new coaches. One could imagine that announcing his choice before the end of the tournament could be a distraction for his players. That would be regrettable, as the team is having a better tournament than they have had in years. Saturday, they defeated the Czech team 2-0 for a spot in the gold medal game Sunday. It was Canada’s first shutout of the Czechs in the world championships since 1958.
The Sharks Will Stay in San José
(Originally published at Sports Radio Service)
Friday, the San Jose Sharks and the San José Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a lease extension through 2025, with annual renewals possible through 2040.
From the Sharks press release: (more…)
Playoffs Over For Sharks, World Championships Underway
(Originally published at Sports Radio Service)
The dust has settled around the Sharks’ 2014-15 season, Todd McLellan will be choosing another team to coach, Doug Wilson will continue as San Jose general manager. Brent Burns was named a finalist for the NHL Foundation Player Award, for his work with Defending the Blue Line. The Sharks are negotiating an extension with the City of San Jose, so rumors that the team plans to leave town should die down. (more…)
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