Coaching candidates for Kamloops?

The birdies are whispering.
There are names on the wind.
The rumour mill is heating up.
How did you ever guess that the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers are in the market for
a new head coach?
The Blazers just completed their first season under private ownership and it
was only the most abysmal season in franchise history.
But, surely, there is nothing to be gained by rehashing all that has gone on
since the Blazers last had a taste of playoff success in the spring of 1999.
Instead, it is time to look ahead as majority owner Tom Gaglardi and his
four partners — ex-Blazers players Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi
and Darryl Sydor, all of them presently NHL players — begin their attempt to
put Humpty Dumpty back together.
You will recall that two weeks after officially taking possession of the
franchise, the quintet canned Dean Clark, the club’s general manager and
head coach.
Greg Hawgood, another former player here, was signed as head coach, despite
not having any coaching experience at any level.
Hawgood almost certainly will be on the coaching staff next season, it just
isn’t likely to be as head coach.
Here, then, in alphabetical order, are at least some of the names you may
hear bandied about until a new head coach is signed:
a Reggie Dunlop: Anyone who can handle the Hanson brothers should be able to
coach here.
a Greg Evtushevski: May have been the first person approached by the
Blazers’ ownership group when the decision was made to fire Clark. Wouldn’t
leave his thriving sporting goods business in Kelowna, and who could blame
him? While the Blazers were stumbling out of the first round of the
playoffs, he was in Jamaica with his family.
a Mark Ferner: A former Blazers head coach who was out of the game for a
year and just completed his first season as GM and head coach of the BCHL’s
Vernon Vipers, who bowed out in a conference final.
a Wayne Fleming: Long-time coach who has experience at Canadian university,
international and NHL levels has never coached major junior. Was assistant
coach with Calgary Flames last season but got squeezed out when Mike Keenan
was hired. Fleming now is a pro scout with the Flames.
a Tom Gaglardi: Why not the Blazers’ majority owner? After all, Ted Turner
once took a turn as the manager of the Atlanta Braves, when he owned the
National League team.
a Marc Habscheid: Last head coach to lead Blazers to the WHL championship
final. Spent this season at his Swift Current-area ranch as the Boston
Bruins paid him not to coach. Rumour mill has him building homes in Juniper,
Barnhartvale, Batchelor Heights and Tobiano. Was in talks with the Portland
Winter Hawks late last summer but time ran out. Would likely want piece of
the action, title as GM and head coach, and control over personnel
decisions. Chances of him coming back are nil.
a Bob Hartley: Fired by the Atlanta Thrashers early this season, Hartley,
who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, would seem to be
available. His name has been in the rumour mill for months. Hasn’t coached
major junior since the early 1990s when he was in the QMJHL. Doesn’t seem a
likely candidate to return.
a Greg Hawgood: Bailed out his buddies by replacing the fired Clark; those
same pals owe Hawgood in a big, big way because he went in with zero
coaching experience and found the learning curve to be awfully large. Needs
experience as an assistant coach and then, hopefully, will be given another
shot somewhere.
a Mark Howell: Veteran junior A coach has WHL experience as an assistant
with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Might be some karma here — has same initials
as last head coach to take Blazers to WHL championship; also has same
initials as Mark Holick, another veteran of the junior A wars who is having
a pretty good run in his first season as head coach of the Kootenay Ice.
a Dave King: Blazers ownership approached him around the time they fired
Clark. King was between jobs — he had been fired by the Russian team
Magnitogorsk Metallurg and hadn’t yet been hired by Germany’s Adler Mannheim
Eagles, where he finished this season. Unlikely to return to major junior at
this stage of his career.
a Ernie Pantusso: Better known as Coach from the TV sitcom Cheers, this guy
might be the No. 1 candidate except for one thing — he no longer is with us.
a Ed Patterson: Head coach of the junior B Kamloops Storm, which lost in
Game 6 of its league final. Signing him would put some hurt on the Blazers’
biggest local rival.
a Pat Quinn: Named head coach of Canada’s under-18 team that will play in a
tournament in Russia later this month. Hard to believe that Hockey Canada
didn’t fill the slot with a junior coach. But perhaps Quinn is taking some
junior training in an attempt to land a major junior job.
a Boris Rybalka: Long-time AJHL GM and head coach has his Camrose Kodiaks in
the league final. Is so well-ensconced there that sources indicate the
Blazers’ new owners may not be able to afford him even if they wanted him.
a Mike Vandekamp: The one-time head coach of the Prince George Cougars now
is the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm. You can bet his
name will be mentioned.
a Rick (The Bear) Wile: Veteran sportscaster has coached the team for years
and, like all media types, has never lost a game.
a Mike Williamson: Veteran WHL coach who left the game after being unable to
come to terms with the Winter Hawks’ ownership group last summer. If he is
interested in getting back into the coaching game, he may be the best
candidate out there. Young, enthusiastic and a good teacher.
a Trent Yawney: Former defenceman with the Saskatoon Blades, who also played
in the NHL. Has extensive coaching experience in AHL and NHL. Was fired by
the Chicago Blackhawks during 2006-07; now a pro scout with the Anaheim
Ducks. Also has worked with the Cougars in a consulting role. Would get
recommendation from former Blazers captain Ajay Baines, who played for him
with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals. The talk in hockey circles these days has
Yawney as the early-line favourite to be the next head coach of the Blazers.

Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is at
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca.