Let The Coaching Search Begin...

With the sacking of Ron Wilson earlier, it appears that everyone who was going to get fired... got fired. I know that is what Waddell said he was waiting for in hiring a coach. He wanted to see what candidates would be available in the off season. I know we are not 100% sure if ole Donnie boy is still going to be the GM (what a mess. seriously.). For now let's all assume he is the one hiring the coach. Here are a few candidates as I see them:

• Ron Wilson - The front runner here at the Chronicle for the job. I have always been a fan of Ron. He is funny, uncharacteristic, and sometimes a little sarcastic. That attitude has made him popular with some players, and very unpopular with others. He can be a little hard on players at times, but you can't argue with his record. I don't put much stock in what happened in the playoffs in San Jose. That is not his fault. One plus is he is a USA hockey guy and so is DW. The big knock against him I see is he might be a little too similar to Hartley for us to hire him. Sometimes you want a big change. We will see.
• Joel Quenneville - Another great option. I like him almost as much as Wilson. He was a finalist for my own personal Jack Adams award this year. With all the injuries the Avs had this year, there is no way they should have made the playoffs. Not only did they make the playoffs but won a round! I was SHOCKED when he was fired. Big mistake. Some say he can't win in the playoffs, like Wilson, but again I don't buy it. He had great teams in St. Louis and did a great job in Denver. And he has a splendid mustache.
• Pat Quinn - Dying to get back into hockey. And a guy with Atlanta connections (old Flame). He could coach or GM. Again, the whole Don Waddell situation would have to play out before we go the Quinn route I would think. Pat did well in Vancouver, and was coach and GM with the Leafs. He might be a little too old school for today. He has not coached in the league since the lockout.
• Pat Burns - Another good coach. Lots of options for us. He has battled cancer but seems to be doing fine now. Two time Jack Adams winner. Two time mustache of the year winner. Great mustache. Or did he shave it? Haven't seen him in a while. If he shaved it, then I say remove his name from the list.

Those are really the "Big Name" guys. This post could go on forever, and I have to get back to work. We could pluck someone from the minors or Junior. Like a Dale Hunter, John Anderson Randy Cunningworth and on and on and on.

It looks like Atlanta, San Jose, Colorado, Florida, Ottawa and Toronto all need new a coach. That's six teams looking for a coach. I have named 7 quality coaches. As you can see, the talent pool for coaches is pretty rich (don't forget one of these teams will probably hire Bob Hartley).

Waddell said a coach would be hired before the draft. Well, that is in a few weeks. And we might be getting a new GM as well! Rational people would see the need to get the GM before the coach. Atlanta Spirit needs to get their act together before this off season (most important ever) becomes a total cluster f#$k.

For The Blueland Chronicle, I'm Big Shooter.