2008-2009 Season - Year of Rookie Coaches
Next season, we are going to see several “rookie” coaches behind the benches across the NHL. We’ve got Todd McLellan, an assistant to Stanley Cup-winning coach, Mike Babcock, heading over to lead the San Jose Sharks.
The Ottawa Senators will now be under the direction of Craig Hartsburg, who will join the NHL after a successful run in the OHL in Sault Ste. Marie (I should not that he did try the NHL with Chicago and Anaheim but was just average).
The Florida Panthers will be led by Peter DeBoer, who was also being considered for the Ottawa position. He has coached and managed the Kitchener Rangers for the past seven years and, in that time, the team has captured two OHL championships, a Memorial Cup championship and a runner-up finish at the junior hockey championships this year. He has also been named OHL’s coach of the year twice.
All in all, it should be interesting to see how these “new guys” shake things up. I think Ottawa has the most to gain while the Sharks stand to lose the most. All I know is that things were not great for the Calgary Flames during the 2006-2007 season when Jim Playfair tested out his head coaching skills so, it can really go either way. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…
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POSTED IN: Florida Panthers, NHL, News, Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks
2 opinions for 2008-2009 Season - Year of Rookie Coaches
Barry T. Delaney
Jul 3, 2008 at 12:15 pm
No where have I seen if Mike Kitchen is still coaching in Florida in 2009 would you advise.
Jeanne
Jul 3, 2008 at 12:21 pm
haven’t heard that - instead, I heard that Peter DeBoer is coaching Florida
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