Dallas Stars Head Coaching Issues Could Land Ted Nolan A Job
By Tom Dorsa
Per the norm in North American sports, head coaches are often times the first to go when change is needed. After a miserable season for the Dallas Stars, it might be time for such in Big D.
To say Lindy Ruff, the head coach of the Dallas Stars, has done a poor job with the development and creation of NHL solitude for his team is nonsensical. Don’t get us wrong, Ruff has been exceptional in turning this franchise around from bankrupt team on the verge of relocation to 2016 Central Division champions, and not many coaches could’ve done the same.
But, his seat has never been hotter in now his four years behind the bench of the Stars, as Dallas finds themselves out of a playoff spot during a season in which the club in Victory Green were Stanley Cup favorites.
So, is it time for the Stars to evaluate their options at head coach beyond Ruff? Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself here, but a change could do the Stars well, as general manager Jim Nill exemplified with some shakeups in the locker room.
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If Lindy Ruff’s time is now, here is who might be effective in replacing the fifth-winningest coach in NHL history…
…TED NOLAN.
Nolan’s head coaching career has unfortunately been a case of player relationship issues causing havoc on locker room morale, but in terms of systemic play and pure hockey vision, Nolan has what it takes.
The Buffalo Sabres lifted the former Sault St. Marie Greyhounds coach to head honcho before the 1995-96 season, in which Nolan led the team to a Northeast Division crown and earned himself the Jack Adams award as the NHL’s top coach.
However, his relations with Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and Sabres starting netminder Dominik Hasek, of which Hasek stated “It would be better for me if he did not return,” began to strain, and Nolan was shown the door after disagreeing on a contract extension based on this.
Nolan was, ironically enough, succeeded by Lindy Ruff. Nolan spent almost a decade as a free agent in the NHL coaching sphere prior to being hired by the New York Islanders in 2006-07, leading them to a 92-point season that featured their first playoff berth in three years.
Nolan, the head coach of the Latvian national team, was dismissed of his duties in Long Island in 2008, which lined up a return to the Sabres organization in 2009; the native of Garden River, Ontario was hired by the Rochester Americans – this time as vice president of hockey operations – remaining with the team through 2011, until the team was sold to Terrence Pegula and the Americans’ front office was integrated into that of the Sabres’.
Nolan earned himself another shot with the Sabres as bench boss, replacing Ron Rolston who had previously ousted Ruff, in late 2013. The issue was this time… well, Buffalo was horrendous. The top five scorers for the Sabres during Nolan’s second tenure were Tyler Ennis, Matt Moulson, Drew Stafford, Cody Hodgson, and Zemgus Girgensons; you’re not going to win a lot of games with that.
Nolan was fired despite signing a three-year contract extension by GM Tim Murray in April 2015, citing poor work relationship. Nolan has been a free agent ever since.
Nolan, an aboriginal icon in hockey, has frequently shown his ability to turn average teams like Dallas into contenders in a heartbeat. I feel as though the youthful players on the Stars that lead the team night in and night out, such as Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and John Klingberg, would embrace a shift in the coaching regime.
Next: Stars' Embracing Pressure In Quest For Playoff Spot
There is an endless supply of coaches on the market for the Stars to jump onto (Gerard Gallant, Ken Hitchcock, Jack Capuano, Michel Therrian, etc), but I personally would like to see Ted Nolan get a shot within the NHL once more.