Saturday, July 26, 2008

Saturday tidbits: KHL, coaches, roommates

Preseason games have begun in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League, successor to the Russian Super League). That's more bad news for seeing Ilya Nikulin in North America.

I was a little surprised not to hear reaction about the Thrashers adding an additional assistant coach to the normal two. "Three! That's too many!" or something like that. Well, if you think three is a lot, the Sharks now have five. And no, video coaches don't really count.

Former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley is being interviewed for the Islanders job, but given that they have young talent that needs to be developed, he's not a favorite to get it. From Newsday:

There’s little doubt Hartley meets Snow’s criteria for a coach in terms of discipline and providing structure and technical expertise. But the major question for Hartley is whether he has the patience for a long-term development project and the willingness to rely on young players in major roles.

I'm going to say no to that question. Candidates Mike Sullivan or Scott Gordon of Providence seem like a good fit for their needs.

There were more NHL coaching changes this offseason than in recent memory. That, combined with multiple affiliation changes means that things are still fairly unsettled in the AHL. And it's almost August.

AHL coaching openings remaining:
Rochester (due to Randy Cunneyworth to Atlanta)
Rockford (Mike Haviland now an assistant with the parent Blackhawks)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Todd Richards hired by the Sharks)
Iowa (now affiliated with Anaheim)
Portland, though Kevin Dineen may return as coach, despite the change in affiliate to Buffalo.
Providence, if Scott Gordon gets the Islanders job.

The hiring of Todd Richards by the Sharks was a great one. I was extremely impressed by him when I was up in Wilkes-Barre for the AHL finals. He’s well-spoken, thoughtful, and energetic. I would bet money he’ll have an NHL team of his own in a few years.

Here's something fun. The St. Louis Blues website pitted Dan Hinote's fiance (Amy McCarthy) roommate (Erik Johnson) in a "who knows him better?" contest. Amy won by a big margin. The answers are funny. I once tested roommates Brad Schell and Lane Manson on how well they knew each other and they did much better than EJ here. Schell got more questions right about Manson than the other way around. That didn't surprise me since Lane talks so much.

Meanwhile, in media news, newspapers around the country are taking a massive beating.

Rough June for newspapers portends bleak future
Accelerating decline in ad revenue leaves newspaper publishers predicting still more bad news
NEW YORK (AP) -- Regional and national newspaper publishers, already staggering with a drop in ad revenue more severe than the industry has seen since the Great Depression, say the second half of 2008 may be even worse.


In Atlanta, the AJC announced 10 days ago that they are cutting 8 percent of their workforce.
.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I noticed that in the AHL coaching openings section that you neglected to mention the Chicago Wolves. Do you know something that the rest of us don't?