Wheres the Coach?

I am not sure what exactly is taking so long for The Islander to name a coach. You would think with pre-season business at a lull the team would want to get their next head coach named so he could have plenty of time to name assistants and put his infrastructure in place. We have some poll results to discuss.

First of all when polled as to what the fans thought of the departure of Ted Nolan the majority (60%) of fans said it was a horrible move and thought it was a horrible mistake to let Nolan go. 35% of the respondents thought it was a great move, souring on the coach after two seasons of marginal success. 5% of the respondents were not sure what to make of the move choosing the wait and see approach. What a shock, Islander fans disagreeing with a major move the team makes.

Out second poll covered who you think the next coach of the Islander should be. Joel Quenneville, who has removed himself from consideration won the vote, netting 30% of the votes. Next in line is John Tortorella who garnished 25% of the vote. Tied for 3rd, or 2nd if you take Quenneville out of the equation were Tom Gordon, Mike Sullivan (20%). Mike Milbury, put in as obviously a joke choice also somehow got 20% of the vote making me wonder if 20% of the people who read my blog are certifiably insane. Bringing up the rear was Paul Maurice with 10%. Out of consideration are Gerard Gallant and Bob Hartley who got ZERO votes. All this vote means is that Gallant or Hartley will probably be the next Islanders coach.

Now the moment you have been waiting for. My opinion of the Ted Nolan fiasco aside, I think Mike Sullivan is the best choice for the job. The Islander need someone who can as a number one priority deal with the young players in the organization and in my humble opinion is the guy for the job. There are bigger names out there like Tortorella and Maurice. Torts has a reputation of being akin to a drill sergeant which may not be the best environment for young players. Paul Maurice has had checkered success in the NHL, and some also question his long term prospects of building a young team.

Snow has said he wants to hire someone who is going to be in this for the long haul. Someone who would make a long term commitment to the team so they could grow with the Islanders as an organization. Snow is certainly taking his time with the choice and lets hope this time he makes the right decision.

FCT