From: The Sporting Newsby Victor Chi
Ron Wilson was dismissed as coach of the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Don't count on him being unemployed for too long. Wilson, of course, can retreat to his home in South Carolina and play golf while waiting for the ideal offer to materialize. But opportunities will be forthcoming in both coaching and the media. Wilson is sharp, insightful and funny.
After three consecutive second-round exits in the playoffs, the Sharks had to show their dedicated season-ticket holders that they were going to make a significant move in an effort to smash through the barrier. Firing the coach is a major shake of the tree.
Maybe the time was right for Wilson to move on, but that is more a matter of circumstance than an issue with his coaching chops, which are considerable. Wilson was a coaching innovator in terms of using technology and software, and he never lacked for motivational wrinkles or comic relief. Who can forget the Ricky Bobby Wonder Bread hat? Now the onus is on the players. If the Sharks fall short again next year, Wilson won't be around to have the finger pointed at him.
San Jose is still a relatively young team, but the sense around the club is that the time is now. Perhaps that frame of mind will influence how the team replaces the most successful coach in franchise history. Do the Sharks look for a closer, a guy who can make an immediate push toward the Cup? Or do they go the other way with a fresh face? With the success this season of John Stevens and Bruce Boudreau, the trend could be toward giving an American Hockey League coach his first crack at the big time.
The '06 and '07 Coach of the Year winners in the AHL, Kevin Dineen and Mike Haviland, respectively, are intriguing possibilities if the Sharks are interested in considering a candidate without NHL head coaching experience. Certainly they would command a lower salary, which ought not to be overlooked for a club with one of the lowest player payrolls in the league.
In any case, Dineen and Haviland have connections to San Jose G.M. Doug Wilson that could prove fruitful in helping them land their first NHL gig. Dineen is coaching the Portland Pirates, the affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim's senior VP of hockey operatons, Bob Murray, oversees the Portland franchise. Murray and Doug Wilson were longtime defense mates with the Chicago Blackhawks. If Murray gives Dineen a hearty endorsement, you can bet that will hold considerable weight with Wilson. Haviland is in his third season coaching the Blackhawks' top affiliate. A more tenuous link is that San Jose's director of scouting, Tim Burke, was in New Jersey's organization in 1990 when the Devils selected Haviland in the supplemental draft.
After three consecutive second-round exits in the playoffs, the Sharks had to show their dedicated season-ticket holders that they were going to make a significant move in an effort to smash through the barrier. Firing the coach is a major shake of the tree.
Maybe the time was right for Wilson to move on, but that is more a matter of circumstance than an issue with his coaching chops, which are considerable. Wilson was a coaching innovator in terms of using technology and software, and he never lacked for motivational wrinkles or comic relief. Who can forget the Ricky Bobby Wonder Bread hat? Now the onus is on the players. If the Sharks fall short again next year, Wilson won't be around to have the finger pointed at him.
San Jose is still a relatively young team, but the sense around the club is that the time is now. Perhaps that frame of mind will influence how the team replaces the most successful coach in franchise history. Do the Sharks look for a closer, a guy who can make an immediate push toward the Cup? Or do they go the other way with a fresh face? With the success this season of John Stevens and Bruce Boudreau, the trend could be toward giving an American Hockey League coach his first crack at the big time.
The '06 and '07 Coach of the Year winners in the AHL, Kevin Dineen and Mike Haviland, respectively, are intriguing possibilities if the Sharks are interested in considering a candidate without NHL head coaching experience. Certainly they would command a lower salary, which ought not to be overlooked for a club with one of the lowest player payrolls in the league.
In any case, Dineen and Haviland have connections to San Jose G.M. Doug Wilson that could prove fruitful in helping them land their first NHL gig. Dineen is coaching the Portland Pirates, the affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim's senior VP of hockey operatons, Bob Murray, oversees the Portland franchise. Murray and Doug Wilson were longtime defense mates with the Chicago Blackhawks. If Murray gives Dineen a hearty endorsement, you can bet that will hold considerable weight with Wilson. Haviland is in his third season coaching the Blackhawks' top affiliate. A more tenuous link is that San Jose's director of scouting, Tim Burke, was in New Jersey's organization in 1990 when the Devils selected Haviland in the supplemental draft.
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