Not sure if this is such a great idea for the Great One....8/7/2005 5:56:54 PM
PHOENIX (CP) - Wayne Gretzky has decided to become head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, the Arizona Republic reported Sunday.
Gretzky is expected to officially be named coach Monday, several NHL sources told the Republic.
When contacted by The Canadian Press, Coyotes spokesman Rich Nairn said he could not confirm the story and that team had no events scheduled for Monday.
Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer and the managing partner of the Coyotes, had said he would wait until a new collective bargaining agreement was in place before deciding whether to take on the coaching job.
According to the Republic, former Detroit Red Wings associate coach Barry Smith will be named as one of Gretzky's two assistants.
Former Coyotes player Rick Tocchet or interim head coach Rick Bowness will be the other.
Gretzky would take over for Bowness, who stepped in as interim coach after Bob Francis was fired in the 2003-2004 season.
Gretzky is the final year of a five-year contract with the club and is a longtime friend of Coyotes general manager Mike Barnett.
He has already committed to serve as executive director for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Turin in February.
The Coyotes have a new $220-million US arena, which they have yet to play a full season in. They moved to the Glendale Arena in December 2003, but they didn't get opportunity to open a season there before the lockout began.
Official-Gretz is new PHX coach
Moderator: Shoalzie
-
Cross Traffic
- Eternal Scobode
- Posts: 2040
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:55 am
- Location: Boise, ID
Official-Gretz is new PHX coach
Good to see Barry Smith find another coaching job...he should be able to help Gretz along. The Coyotes put together a team that is capable of making the playoffs...we'll see if he's able to motivate them. He and Hull should get along well. This will either go well or fail miserably and he'll quit after a year.
I'm squarely in the "fail miserably" category. Big stars do not make good coaches, muckers and grinders are usually much more successful. This will be like Michael Jordan trying to coach NBA players, Gretz will see things on the ice that nobody else will and he'll be constantly frustrated as to why his guy didn't make that pass or see that open teammate.....etc. Bad idea but I'm sure his ego is saying he can do anything.
Life in Ontario sure has made you boys cynical. 
Gretz will do well as a head coach. I'd bet more than half the players on that team had at least one of the following:
Wayne Gretzky bedsheets
Wayne Gretzky wallpaper
Wayne Gretzky lunchbox
Wayne Gretzky watch
you get the idea. There will never be a lack of desire or respect on that team, and I can never see any player 'tuning out' the Great One. Plus he owns 18% of the team. He will do whatever it takes to succeed, and his players will be behind him.
Just don't judge him on his first year. Even Wayne Gretzky had to learn to skate, learn to score, learn to pass. He will learn to coach. He has two good ones to help him out in Bowness and Smith.
Wayne will be fine.
Gretz will do well as a head coach. I'd bet more than half the players on that team had at least one of the following:
Wayne Gretzky bedsheets
Wayne Gretzky wallpaper
Wayne Gretzky lunchbox
Wayne Gretzky watch
you get the idea. There will never be a lack of desire or respect on that team, and I can never see any player 'tuning out' the Great One. Plus he owns 18% of the team. He will do whatever it takes to succeed, and his players will be behind him.
Just don't judge him on his first year. Even Wayne Gretzky had to learn to skate, learn to score, learn to pass. He will learn to coach. He has two good ones to help him out in Bowness and Smith.
Wayne will be fine.
I have to disagree on the whole ego thing. The man has done a lot and has more money than he can spend but still manages to be relatively down to earth.Mainiac wrote: Bad idea but I'm sure his ego is saying he can do anything.
Sure he has done a bit of selling out but the man does not consider himself untouchable or above reproach and is one hell of a family man.
I had the oppurtunity to meet him several years back and he took the time out of signing autographs to comfort this little girl that clearly hated having to stand in line with her dad for 99's sig.
Now maybe he'll do well and maybe not. But just because he is one of the greatest players to ever lace em up does not mean a big ego lurks beneath.
al? wrote:Just don't judge him on his first year. Even Wayne Gretzky had to learn to skate, learn to score, learn to pass. He will learn to coach. He has two good ones to help him out in Bowness and Smith.
Wayne will be fine.
Well said. He's got a nice coaching staff around him. Bowness wasn't a great head coach but he's been around the team for the last few years. Smith is one of the best associate coaches in the game should help stabilize the dressing room as well help the defense. Tocchet will bring a grinder, tough guy approach and should help with the teams work ethic. Gretzky would be a great influence on some of their young skill players like Nagy, Comrie and Doan. Plus, you've got Brett Hull in uniform...one of the greats, a proven winner and a good friend of Gretzky. It's a great mix. They should be able to compete for playoff spot in the very competive Western Conference as long as the players listen to him and his assistants. Aside from Hull, there are no combustable elements on that team...they should be make a nice improvement on previous years and push for the 7th or 8th spot in the conference.
-
Cross Traffic
- Eternal Scobode
- Posts: 2040
- Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2005 8:55 am
- Location: Boise, ID
Heh, that is true. Even when Smith was a Flame (one of the great ironic twists in history), the fans in the Saddledome would still yell SHOOOOOOOOT!!!Hapday wrote:Even thought Flames fans HATE the Oilers, I bet every single one of you has a Steve Smith Oilers jersey in the closet.
It'd probably be better if I treated this as a rhetorical question, but definitely 1990. It's always worse when you're trying to defend the Cup.Cross Traffic wrote:Which one hurt worse? 1990 or 93?
Still a FlameFan