Hockey Coach

The Los Angeles Kings has been shrouded in controversy since Daniel Carcillo revealed that the former head coach, Darryl Stutter, had committed numerous instances of verbal abuse against his players throughout the 2013-24 seasons. Daniel noted that throughout his time with Stutter, he noticed the head coach berate players in front of the full team. Daniel Carcillo played 26 professional games of hockey with the Los Angeles Kings, during which he said Stutter displayed the worst coaching ever seen.

When asked to elaborate to reporters, Daniel confirmed that this abuse didn’t specify to only the players. After losing a significant game for the LA Kings, Stutter wouldn’t allow for the team to eat and screamed F*** off to the female flight attendant when she tried to serve the players. There was even an instance where Darryl Stutter kicked Matt Greene on the lower back in front of the entire squad before a team meeting. To make matters worse, Matt Greene had a concussion at the time. This behaviour is unheard by an NHL Coach and would surely have him lose his professional career if he wasn’t already retired.

Since Daniel Carcillo made his public statement, other players have come forward and confirmed these situations. When the female flight attendant didn’t clear their food in a fast enough order, Darryl Stutter continued to demean her in front of dozens of men. These kind of actions were consistent throughout his coaching career with the LA Kings, with Daniel Carcillo noting he was shocked they ever had won a Stanley Cup.

Stutter Refuses to Respond

Multiple news organizations have tried to contact Darryl Stutter through his former teams, those being the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. Both organizations refused to comment on these allegations, but this isn’t the first time Daniel Carcillo has made statements regarding former members of the NHL. Each time he revealed unknown information, someone close to the first entity would inevitably confirm it.

Daniel has demanded that the National Hockey League enforce a new level of locker room culture. Advocating for hazing shows the ignorance that the NHL still displays regularly, which was confirmed with additional allegations of racial abuse league-wide. It should be noted that Daniel Carcillo has campaigned for this cause because his best friend and fellow teammate, Steve Montador, passed away from suicide after numerous concussions to the brain.

Brendan Shanahan, the President and Alternate Governor for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s announced that they had fired Mike Babcock as the head coach. This decision comes after Babcock underperformed this season and had a six-game losing streak. He is now replaced by Sheldon Keefe, which has shocked sports analysts and fans of the Maple Leaf’s alike.

Sheldon Keefe was the former head coach for the Toronto Marlies, the American Hockey League version of the Maple Leaf’s. He’s coached more than 300 games, with 200 of them being wins. He is considered to be the top coach in the AHL, even at 39-years-old. It’s expected that whatever strategies he implemented at the American Hockey League will be brought over to the National Hockey League. It should also be noted that Keefe won the Marlies their first championship Calder Cup title in 2018.

Before coaching in the American Hockey League, Sheldon Keefe was the Head Coach for the Sault Marie Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League. This Brampton, Ontario-Born Hockey Player led this OHL Team to two playoff titles before being picked up by the Toronto Marlies. During his team with the Greyhounds, he coached them to 100 victories. Throughout his career, Sheldon Keefe has coached 300+ winning games. After more than a decade of experience in coaching, this upcoming figure in the NHL will bring his formidable talents to the Maple Leaf’s. Subsequently, we could see the Leaf’s win their first championship in decades.

Coaching Positions

Sheldon Keefe hasn’t just coached throughout his formidable career in professional hockey. He has also acted s the General Manager for the Pembroke Lumber Kings, leading them to five consecutive championship victories from 2007 to 2011. Keefe’s professional experience came when he was asked by Team Canada’s Men’s Summer U18 Team to be an assistant coach.

Sheldon Keefe played professional hockey between 1998 and 2000. He played more than 125+ National Hockey League games but ultimately found himself in a better position with coaching. However, he holds numerous titles to his record, like the Ontario Hockey Leagues Rookie of the Year. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s confirmed that there wouldn’t be any other changes to the coaching staff made in the 2020 Season. The Toronto Marlies will now be co-coached by Rob Davison and AJ MacLean.

It has been ten years since Wayne Gretzky coached professional hockey, however, fans have been clamouring for the champion to return since leaving a decade ago. The Canadian General Manager of Hockey, Sean Burke, announced that he had been actively pursuing Wayne Gretzky for a new coaching position. Sean’s announcement noted that Gretzky could become the head coach for the Spengler Cup Tournament.

Gretzky has already responded to his potential return with reporters. The former champion mention that it was a shocking but pleasant surprise when Burke called him. Wayne noted that he thanks the general manager and was immediately excited at the prospect, with Team Canada holding a special place in his heart. The Spengler Cup is the oldest tournament in professional hockey, and being named the head coach is a significant honour. Wayne iterated to Sean Burke that he would need time to evaluate the decision, considering that the cup takes place over Christmas.

Gretzky’s History

This would be the first time that Wayne Gretzky ever coached Team Canada, but not the first time he’s interacted with the sporting organization as he has represented his home country multiple times with Team Canada. However, Wayne participated in the selection of players for the 2002 and 2004 Olympic Teams. Both franchises would go on to win Olympic Gold Medals.

Wayne Gretzky has coached before the Spengler Cup. He was the Head Coach for the Arizona Coyotes from 2005 to 2009. The club was incredibly successful under his leadership, but after requiring more time with family, Wayne stepped down ahead of the 2010 Season. The last attempt Wayne had at coaching was at the Metropolitan Division All-Star Competition. He coached other legends like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby while coaching the all-star team.

The Spengler Cup

Those interested in viewing the 2019 Spengler Cup can watch the competition unfold between December 26th and 31st. This tournament has taken place since 1923 in Davos, Switzerland. This competition was created for Professional German Hockey Players who wanted to play in European games after World War One. The event exceeded expectations and is now one of the more prestigious hockey events worldwide.

The 2019 Spengler Cup will be broadcasted through multiple television stations, such as TSN in Canada and SportsNet in the United States. European Fans can witness the tournament through Eurosport 2. Viewers from the United Kingdom can watch on the Free Sports Channel and Sport1 Station in Russia.