Smith, Nolan could spark some life into Islanders
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Is team management and coaching in the NHL more fun the second time around? Well, former Rangers GM Neil Smith and long-ago Sabres bench boss Ted Nolan are about to find out.
On Thursday afternoon, according to multiple sources, the New York Islanders will announce Smith as their new GM and Nolan as their latest head coach. The moves end nearly a five-month search by club owner Charles Wang, who reassigned longtime GM Mike Milbury and fired coach Steve Stirling on Jan. 12. Assistant coach Brad Shaw finished the season as the team's interim coach.
Both Smith and Nolan had been seeking a return to the NHL ranks for quite a while.
Smith, fired by the Rangers near the end of the 1999-2000 season, has been working as television analyst for the past several seasons. He also handled consulting assignments with the Ducks and Penguins. Smith was also a serious candidate for previous openings in Toronto (2003) and Anaheim (2005).
Smith, who was in Raleigh covering the Stanley Cup finals for the Outdoor Life Network, denied the story. However, he's believed to be returning to his home in New York on Thursday morning. Smith's current television responsibilities ended on Wednesday with OLN's final broadcast of the season as coverage of the Cup finals switches to NBC.
Smith spent nearly 11 seasons as the general manager of the Rangers. Under his direction, the club ended a 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994. Interestingly, Smith also has ties to the Islanders. He began his management career as a scout in the Isles' organization during their dynasty days in the early 1980s.
Smith's experience and championship résumé make him an excellent hire for the Isles, who are struggling for direction after missing the playoffs this season.
Nolan, meanwhile, has been the subject of much interest and speculation since turning down a one-year contract offer from incoming Sabres GM Darcy Regier to remain the club's coach in 1997. Nolan, who had been named the league's coach of the year in June 1997, walked away from the offer just weeks later because he thought he'd earned more than a one-year deal.
Former Sabres captain Michael Peca, now playing for the Western Conference champion Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals, was happy to hear his former coach was about to get another chance in the NHL.
"Ted is man who has long deserved this opportunity," Peca said. "He's a great man. He's an honest man. Any player who has played for him has cared for him a great deal. Obviously, there were a couple guys in Buffalo at the end that voiced their opinions to the contrary."
Former Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek was the most vocal opponent of Nolan. The problem between the coach and his goalie spread to the GM's office. John Muckler, who'd hired Nolan in the spring of 1995, began butting heads with Nolan. The in-house fighting led to Muckler getting the ax after the 1996-97 season. Regier was hired to replace Muckler. Soon after, Nolan opted to leave.
In the subsequent years, Nolan has tried, unsuccessfully, to get another NHL job. He did get an offer to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning in the late 1990s. At the time, the Lightning were a terrible team. Nolan turned down the offer citing family concerns.
"My wife and kids just didn't want to go to Florida," Nolan said during a recent conversation at the Memorial Cup, Canada's junior championship tournament. "Because of that, I felt it was the wrong move for me."
Nolan never got another offer despite interviewing for several coaching vacancies. Ironically, he was close to getting the Islanders' job in 2001. But, late in the process, then-GM Mike Milbury decided to go in another direction, hiring Bruins assistant coach Peter Laviolette, who now runs the Hurricanes' bench.
Many believed Nolan's feud with Muckler -- an old-school hockey man with many friends in the game -- was the reason Nolan couldn't get another NHL coaching gig. Unsubstantiated rumors circulated about Nolan. Like everyone else in the hockey world, he heard the stories.
In a recent story published by the Toronto Globe and Mail, Nolan said one prospective employer asked him if it was true he'd missed games because he was "drunk." Peca said none of those stories are true, but he acknowledges those tales likely hindered Nolan's ability to get another chance.
"I think, early on, some things were said that prevented him from getting another job in the league," Peca said. "Then, as time went on, I think the feeling was that he was away from the game too long to get back into it. I think it was really smart for him to get back into coaching this season. He had a great year with Moncton."
Nolan did have a happy return to full-time coaching with the Moncton Wildcats , leading the team to the Qquebec Major Junior Hockey League championship. At the Memorial Cup, Nolan's team lost the championship game to the Quebec Remparts, who were coached by Patrick Roy.
In contemplating his time away from the NHL, Nolan several times wondered publicly if his Native Canadian heritage was an issue. In that same interview with the Globe and Mail, Nolan was quoted as saying "I look different. I'm not one of them." The story made headlines in both the U.S. and Canada. He later backtracked, saying he never flat-out said it was racism. "If people want to assume it is racism, that is their assumption," Nolan told The Toronto Sun.
Still, those implications ruffled the feathers of many NHL execs. They would counter those charges by asking why Nolan wouldn't take a coaching job in the minors or junior leagues.
Now, after spending a season coaching at the junior level, Nolan gets another shot in the NHL.
Several team sources say former Islander Pat LaFontaine, who skated for Nolan in Buffalo, played a big part in him getting this opportunity. The two men have become close friends over the years. During this past season, LaFontaine hosted Nolan and his Moncton team at his home on Long Island.
LaFontaine is expected to appear at Thursday's press conference, and there is talk he may join the organization in a yet-to-be-determined capacity.
The American-born sniper also has a good relationship with Smith. LaFontaine finished his career skating for Smith's Rangers.
Smith and Nolan have a lot in common. In recent years, neither could get another chance in the NHL. Now, they both have another opportunity. They're both anxious to prove their critics wrong. They're hungry for success.
For long-suffering Islanders fans, that's the best news they've had in years.
EJ Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com. Also, click here to send EJ a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
