Hockey Coach

Rick Bowness Leaves the Dallas Stars

It’s been speculated for months that Rick Bowness, Head Coach for the Dallas Stars, would be leaving the time following his retirement. It’d been known that Rick Bowness was preparing for retirement, with the Dallas Stars changing his position title to Interim Head Coach. His leaving of this NHL organization marks the end of an era, which saw notable changes & growth for the Dallas Stars.

The announcement of Rick Bowness retiring from the National Hockey League came from Jim Nill, Dallas Stars General manager. Jim mentioned that after an unusual & extended season in the National Hockey League, Rick has decided to move forward with his life. It wasn’t detailed who will be the 25th Head Coach for the Dallas Stars, with some rumours indicating an internal member of their coaching personnel will receive a promotion to Head Coach. New blood could evoke similar results seen with Rock Bowness in 2019/20.

Rick Bowness wasn’t meant to stand as Head Coach for the Dallas Stars. He was unexpectedly promoted after team personnel learned that their previous Head Coach, Jim Montgomery, was sustaining a substantial alcohol addiction. They’d send Montgomery to rehabilitation & later announce his effective removal from the Dallas Stars. This would provide benefits for the Stars, with Rick Bowness leading this organization to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2000. Nobody anticipated that the Dallas Stars would enter the Finals. Under the leadership of Jim Montgomery, six matches would be consecutively lost for the Dallas Stars. It showed team personnel that new leadership could evoke unexpected & positive results.

The Records

Now that Rick Bowness has entered his retirement, it’s expected that he’ll be added to the NHL Hall of Fame alongside long-time friends of Scotty Bowman & Pat Quinn. Rick Bowness sustains a career longer than four decades in the National Hockey League. Previous coaching positions for Bowness include the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Winnepeg Jets, and Phoenix Coyotes. Few coaches have amassed this record of notable positions. Throughout the career of Rick Bowness, he would acquire four Stanley Cup Championships & numerous other acolytes that’ll be remembered for decades to come.

Todd Richards Hired as Nashville Predators Assistant Coach

The Nashville Predators have selected their 2020-21 Assistant Coach. It’s been announced that Todd Richardson will be joining the professional hockey team, which likely meant a prominent payday. Assistant Coach Todd Richardson acquired the 2019-20 NHL Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightnings, which culminated his four-year stint with the team.

This is still a demotion when looking at Todd Richardson’s career. He previously was Head Coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets & Minnesota Wilds. Todd Richardson was likely hoping to ascertain his former role of Head Coach with the Nashville Predators. Rumours suggested this was possible and indicate that Richardson’s contract permits a promotion to Head Coach under certain conditions.

Nashville Predators General Manager released an official statement regarding the acquisition of Todd Richardson. David Poile expressed that his organization is pleased with obtaining Richardson, who has an extensive background in professional coaching. GM David Poile evoked that Asst Coach Richardson has proven himself a winner this year & that they’re happy to welcome Todd back to the Nashville Predators programmer.

Most have forgotten that the Milwaukee Admirals are Nashville’s secondary team, which is where Todd Richardson began his career nearly two decades ago. GM David Poile was pleased with offering an Assistant Coaching position, which likely indicated will turn into Head Coach by 2022-23. Todd Richardson is proving himself to the Nashville Predators a 2nd time almost guarantees his return to the role of Head Coach. His previous stint with the organization saw Richardson acquire the 2004 AHL Calder Cup with future hockey champions like Dan Hamhuis & Shea Weber.

A Wealth of Knowledge

The Head Coach for Nashville Predators evoked his support for Todd Richardson. Coach Hynes mentioned his prominent excitement to acquiring Richardson for the 2021-22 NHL Season. Hynes & Poile both believe that the wealth of knowledge, leadership, and experience brought by Todd Richardson will be overwhelming. Coach Hynes is correct when account for Richardson’s communication skillsets, teaching capabilities, and formidable work ethic. It should be clarified that the Nashville Predators didn’t issue details regarding this contract & its length sustainability. There’s a possibility that Todd Richardson’s role as Assistant Coach could be temporary to one season.

NHL Coach of the Year Announced

The National Hockey League confirmed the finalists for their “Coach of the Year” & “Rookie of the Year” awards. Making this confirmation on July 15th, it’s known that Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks & Cale Makar from the Colorado Avalanche’s is contending for the 2019-20 Calder Memorial Trophy, which is more commonly referred to as “Rookie of the Year”. Dominik Kubalik from the Chicago Blackhawks has also entered the finals. The NHL remarked that players selected showed formidable proficiency in their skillsets.

The Coach of the Year for 2019-20 will obtain the Jack Adams Award. Receiving this title requires majority voting from NHL Broadcaster Association Members. That association allowed the National Hockey League to confirm their tree selections. Those include Alain Vigneault with the Philadelphia Flyers, Bruce Cassidy from the Boston Bruins, and the Columbus Blue Jacket’s John Tortorella. It should be clarified that all three have previously received nominations for this award. Analysts speculate that Bruce Cassidy will be victorious over Vigneault & Tortorella.

The History of Nominated Coaches

Bruce Cassidy has earned a formidable reputation in the National Hockey League. He has been coaching the Boston Bruins since 2016. It’d take two seasons for Bruce Cassidy to obtain his 1st NHL Award, with that being the President’s Trophy. This is given to the highest-rated team operating league-wide. Cassidy hasn’t ever been gifted the Jack Adams Award, which is well deserved for a coach of his talents. Bruce maintained one of the highest records in the NHL before its postponement on March 12th. The team’s record stood at 44-14-12, with a .714 Goal Average.

John Tortorella was previously nominated for the Jack Adams Award during the 2003-04 NHL Season while coaching the Tampa Bay Lightnings. Tortorella would receive another opportunity to win this award when coaching the New York Rangers in 2012. Both instances of nomination didn’t favour victory. Tortorella hopes that 3rd time marks the cham, landing him victory over his opponents. That’ll prove challenging for the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The only victor over the Jack Adams Award is Alain Vigneault, obtaining victory during the 2006-07 Season. Throughout his professional coaching career in the National Hockey League, Alain Vigneault has been nominated five times. 2020 could mark his 2nd victory over this award.

Calgary Flames GM Predicts Changes for the NHL

Brad Treliving, the General Manager for the Calgary Flames, expressed that supporters should anticipate a substantially different version of the National Hockey League. Reporters questioned the GM on his position with the COVID-19 pandemic. Brad incentivized that players, corporate staff and coaches will engage with whichever scenario is determined by the NHL Commissioner. This follows after the 2019-20 Season was halted by the forced implementation of social distancing from both Canada and America.

All sporting associations worldwide are experiencing or preparing for a season that’ll be incomplete. It doesn’t matter what happens after the dust has settled with this pandemic, sporting associations like the National Hockey League will be drastically altered. This will also apply to the NBA, MLS, NFL, MLB, ELF, Premier League and Formula One. Brad Treliving mentioned that it’ll be challenging to play the sport without any supporters, that it’ll remove a significant percentage of the atmosphere. However, creating vital entertainment for supporters while keeping their players safe has become a top priority for GMs like Brad.

Historically, operating a profitable sporting venture requires obtaining thousands of civilians in one location. This applied back in the Roman Era and is still prevalent today, prompting significant concerns that the lack of supporters will generate a considerable decline in revenue. It should be noted that 2.1 Million are infected with COVID-19, with more than 140+ thousand dying worldwide. Under these conditions, the chances for anybody to contract the novel coronavirus is substantial. That’s why the NHL will implement specialized protocols to ensure the safety of all individuals participating in these match-ups. Strategic plans of this nature will be required for upwards of two years until a vaccine is provided.

Lost funds will apply towards the termination of Ticket Sales, Concession Stands, Parking Revenue and Brand Apparel. It’ll create new challenges for the product marketers working for the Calgary Flames and other NHL associations. April 30th will mark the date that NHL starts filming private matches, allowing for the remainder of the 2019-20 season to be underway. It should be noted that this date could be changed depending on the governance measures from Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau and Health Experts.

Coaching Drama for First Nations Canadian

The Bantam Hockey Team from the First Nations in Canada is facing some severe backlash after a coach was terminated. The Interlake Minor Hockey Association confirmed that they’d discontinued the “Fairford Minor Hockey League President & Co-Ed Bantam Coach”, who goes under the name Nadine Anderson. She’s banned from all arena matches until December 2020. It follows after she shared a social media post with profanity. When Nadine questioned her termination with the IMHA, she was told that this unacceptable post violated their policy governing agreement. Nadine claims she broke no policy laws, as the job wasn’t written by herself.

She spoke with First Nation Reporters in Winnipeg. Nadine held this interview from her home in Pinayamoontang. She expressed that these children and the hockey league desperately need her assistance moving forward. Refusal to accept her back could terminate the dreams and aspirations of dozens of children. Some individuals throughout the First Nations believe that this decision was based purely on race, with Native Canadian hockey leagues often facing an unnecessary backlash. It should be noted that Nadine Anderson was fired during the Bantam Playoffs, with her team almost guaranteed to lose going forward.

The Fight

This suspension notice provided to Nadine Anderson was maintained through email. It was sent by the Interlake Minor Hockey Association late at night, with some claiming it was a purposeful act. This head coach was returning from a playoff meeting and heading towards a coaching session, with IMHA Executives being connected to this meeting. All of these issues follow after a February 15th game was derailed and saw both opponents clash against each other. This confrontation was posted to Facebook, where Nadine shared it through her Facebook page.

You can see multiple parents and coaches fighting with each other, which followed after a bad call. You can hear in the background “I’ll keep paying for your welfare cheque”, which has prompted the claims of racism. Instead of the IMHA standing by one of their first nation employees, they instead allowed racist Canadians to have power over Nadine. This has become a regular occurrence throughout the Native Canadian communities, with them beginning to retaliate against the oppressions forced upon them through the government.

Head Coach for United States National Hockey Team Named

The United States has officially named the head coach for the 2020 IIHF World Championship, which is slated to be held in Switzerland during May 8th to 24th. The confirmation that Peter Laviolette will coach this national team was made by Chris Drury, the US General Manager of Hockey. It was expressed that Peter maintains an incredible level of experience with coaching and playing, which extends to unlimited desires at winning. It’s firmly expected that Peter Laviolette will bring the United States to a Silver or Gold Medal victory.

Shockingly, the United States National Hockey team announced that Laviolette would become the Head Coach. It was less than two months ago that he was terminated from the Nashville Predators. This man is also ranked 16th in the coaching standings, having maintained 637 won games throughout eighteen seasons. Peter has coached for the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators. Another shocking element to his new role is that Peter previously coached the United States National Hockey Team to a bronze victory in 2004. The Executive Director of United States Hockey Operations spoke on this announcement. He stated: “Peter is a terrific coach and someone who has had success wherever he’s been. We’re thrilled to have him back as head coach of our men’s national team.”

It should be noted that the remaining players and coaching staff for the 2020 US National Hockey Team haven’t been announced. They must first be selected by this new head coach and the assistant coaching staff, which extends to the General Manager and Advisory Committee. Subsequently, it’ll be a prolonged period before we hear anything regarding the full lineup of players. It’s expected that notable athletes like Sydney Crosby and Mike Tavares will play leading roles in this national team.

Additional Coaching News

Peter Laviolette isn’t the only coach who found himself facing severe fines or termination. It was announced this week that Claude Julien from the Montreal Canadians has been fined $10,000.00 for making illicit comments towards referees. This isn’t the 1st time that the head coach has clashed with referees, often uttering threats of violence towards them or their family. The paid fined from Claude Julien will see his money go towards the NHL Foundation.

Nobody Safe in the NHL

Job security has become a significant issue amongst professional athletes and coaches in the National Hockey League. This applies more to those in coaching positions, with multiple individuals being fired throughout the 2019-20 season. Bruce Cassidy from the Boston Bruins is growing more concerned that coaches could be terminated for not winning championship titles. Considering that there’s only one championship in the NHL, this leaves 20+ coaches potentially being fired. Cassidy is coaching the All-Star Game alongside other notable individuals. These men are discussing strategies to request job security amongst NHL coaches.

Bruce Cassidy was concerned that he’d lose his position as head coach of the Boston Bruins. This concern came after losing the Stanley Cup Finals to the St. Louis Blues. Other coaches that took their organizations to this championship event weren’t lucky enough to keep their positions. Gerard Gallant, the previous head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights, trained players to the Stanley Cup Finals in their 1st season. After losing to the Washing Capitals during the 2018 championship, he was immediately terminated and replaced by Peter DeBoer. This man has also lost his championship opportunity in 2017 while coaching the Nashville Predators, where DeBoer would lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This has been a re-occurring strategy for NHL Teams, to terminate one losing coach and hire another that previously lost.

Several changes to coaching staff were made throughout this season, five being performance-related and the others relating to behavioural-issues. This included Mike Babcock, Bill Peters and Jim Montgomery for the personal problems between fellow players and coaches. Babcock is considered to be the worst, as he’d deliberately act aggressive towards his players and often would commit violent acts. Shockingly, the National Hockey League would allow him to remain to coach going forward. However, these several terminations weren’t as extensive when eleven coaches were fired throughout the 2002-03 season. Since those original terminations, communication between NHL Corporate and the coaches have been lacklustre.

Long-Term Coaches

When it applies to NHL coaches, the longest-tenured individual is Jon Cooper from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hired initially during the 2013 season, he’s completed six professional seasons and has the highest record amongst all coaching staff in the NHL. Coming in sixth place in Bruce Cassidy, who has coached the Boston Bruins since the 2016-17 season. Cassidy would have to remain with the Bruins for an additional three seasons to defeat Jon Cooper’s record, under the condition that the Tampa Bay Lightning coach was terminated after this season.

Rick Tocchet Signs onto All-Star Game

Gerard Gallant, The Head Coach for the Las Vegas Golden Knights, has been removed from the All-Star Game coaching staff. This follows after the Golden Knights terminated him on Wednesday, January 15th, 2020. This followed after multiple allegations regarding Gerard’s actions to players. Peter DeBoer was immediately hired to replace Gallant with the Las Vegas Golden Knights. However, when it applies to the upcoming NHL All-Star game, Rick Tocchet was selected for replacement.

Rick Tocchet is the head coach for the Arizona Coyotes. When he first signed on with this organization, they were performing at levels that wouldn’t reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tocchet implemented new coaching techniques, which have allowed them to reach the 1st position in the Pacific division. Their standings are two points ahead of the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, making Tocchet the perfect selection to replace Gerard Gallant in the NHL All-Star game. This marks the second time that a head coach from the Arizona Coyotes will engage with an All-Star game. The additional coaching staff confirmed for the upcoming All-Star game include Bruce Cassidy, Todd Reirden and Craig Berube. These coaches work for the Boston Bruins, St Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, respectively. Fans can view the NHL All-Star Game on January 25th, 2020.

Troy Ryan becomes Canadian National Coach

There was another surprising shift in coaching staff this weak. It was revealed that Perry Pearn had been terminated from the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team. This mid-season announcement shocked analysts, with it already being confirmed that Troy Ryan will replace Pearn by January 20th. This announcement comes three months before the women’s world hockey championship is slated to begin in Nova Scotia. Hockey Canada’s Director expressed that this was a mutual departure, with a strategic changing required.

This announcement was confirmed to the Canadian Press, where Hockey Canada – Women’s Division noted that players respond to different leaders. Necessarily, Perry Pearn didn’t react appropriately to these athletes and made them feel uncomfortable. The fact that male coaches are governing over female players doesn’t make any sense, which often creates issues amongst teammates. It should be noted that when Perry Pearn operated as head coach, this national team couldn’t pass the semi-final events. The results from the 2019 world champion were Canada winning bronze against Finland. Hockey Canada hopes that Troy Ryan will have the required components necessary to lead these women to a golden championship victory.

Keefe Renovating the Toronto Maple Leaf’s

Decades have passed since the Toronto Maple Leaf’s were contenders for Stanley Cup Championships. Things could be on the mend for this historically bad team with Sheldon Keefe, the latest Head Coach to lead this organization. Keefe doesn’t have any previous experience coaching in the National Hockey League, which is why sports analysts and fans were shocked when Keefe won fifteen of his first twenty matchups. For the first time in his career, Keefe was thanked by fans at Nathan Phillips Square. Cheers came after the Maple Leaf’s held an outdoor practice session in Toronto.

The History of Sheldon Keefe

The dramatic turnaround that Sheldon Keefe has inspired into TML is incredible. Their previous head coach was Mike Babcock, who stood at a record of 9-10-4. When he was terminated earlier this season, and Keefe was hired, those stats jumped to 24-15-6. Sheldon received this position after winning the Calder Cup with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Since taking this position, not only has Toronto received more wins, but they’ve also improved on power-play percentages. All of these statistics provide the Maple Leaf’s a strong chance at winning the Stanley Cup. However, they’ll have to defeat the likes of the Washington Capital or Boston Bruins to acquire this championship title.

Sheldon Keefe maintains a long history with professional hockey. He first stood as a former player with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s, where he would eventually take the position of head coach for the Marlies. Keefe is one of the few to experience the evolution of modern hockey, adapting to unforeseen circumstances. It’s these qualities that make Sheldon the perfect coach and saviour for the Leaf’s. Coaching-wise, he’s known for having incredible transparency and communication with his players. It creates an open environment that promotes active growth amongst players.

Old Drama Returns for Keefe

This doesn’t mean that the historical drama surrounding the Toronto Maple Leaf’s has ended though. Sports analysts are beginning to debate the capabilities of Keefe after they’ve faced five losses in his leadership. Analysts claim that the Toronto Maple Leaf’s don’t have the strength in offence of defence to acquire the Stanley Cup. However, both the General Manager and Head Coach for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s defended this ridiculous claims. Both expressed that new strategies and in-camp developments will push the team forward to the Semi-Finals. Subsequently, fans of the Maple Leaf’s could receive their first Stanley Cup is more than several decades.

Ray Edwards and Geoff Ward Promoted

The Calgary Flames provided more insight on their 2020 coaching staff, which has been speculated since the NHL Playoffs were complete. After considerable deliberation, it’s been announced that Ray Edwards will be taking on the role of assistant coach for the Flames. The former professional hockey player has experience with Minor-Professional leagues and as a General Manager. Subsequently, he is the perfect individual to oversee this team until the arrival of a new Head Coach.

Ray Edwards has a distinguished history with the Calgary Flames. He’s worked with them in a development role for the last four seasons. The ageing professional has more than three decades of history in professional hockey leagues. Those include two seasons with the San Angelo Saints in Texas. Throughout that period, he became the Central Hockey League’s Coach of the Year, which promoted him to General Manager of the now-disbanded organization. However, that hasn’t stopped Edwards from pushing forward in his coaching career. That can do anything attitude will benefit not just himself throughout the NHL, but also assist his players as well.

The question going forward is who will replace Bill Peters, the former Head Coach of the Calgary Flames. He retired with his resignation on good terms, after successfully having a four-decade-long coaching career. It was rumoured that Geoff Ward could take the role, but he was ultimately promoted to the Interim Head Coach

Geoff Ward

It made perfect sense that Geoff Ward was promoted to the Interim Head Coach. He has a long history coaching in the National Hockey League, with him winning a Stanley Cup for the Boston Bruins as Assistant Coach. Geoff Ward also coached the New Jersey Devils as an assistant, before moving over to the Calgary Flames. This Waterloo, Ontario-Native, started his career in coaching after taking a teaching position with the University of Waterloo. Eventually, he would be asked to coach the Waterloo Siskins, where he won them a championship title.

Afterwards, he became the Head Coach for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. Geoff Ward wouldn’t begin his National Hockey League Coaching Career until 2007. After twelve years on the job, he finally has acquired his first head coaching job. Ward gaining a Stanley Cup Championship as Head Coach for the Flames would cement his career for another two decades. However, Ward only has one season to accomplish a championship title before his coaching position could be in jeopardy.