Neil Smith new GM, Ted Nolan new coach of Isles

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:48 am

At least it gets Neil off of OLN's hockey broadcasts!

Islanders to hire coach and GM
By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
June 7, 2006

Neil Smith built one champion in New York, now he'll try to do it again.

Smith, who constructed the New York Rangers championship team that ended a 54-year Stanley Cup wait, will be introduced as the general manager of the New York Islanders, a person with knowledge of the hirings told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

He is not coming to Long Island alone. The Islanders also hired Ted Nolan -- a former NHL coach of the year -- to lead the team from behind the bench, the person said on condition of anonymity because the official announcement won't be made until Thursday.

Smith was GM for the Rangers from 1989-2000, putting together the team that won a Stanley Cup in 1994. He's been out of the NHL since being fired by the Rangers, working as a television analyst. He was in Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday night for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals but was unavailable for comment.

Smith was chosen by the Islanders in the 13th round of the 1974 draft but never made it to the NHL. He later served as a scout and was part of the organization during its run to four straight Stanley Cup titles in the early 1980s.

Nolan last coached in the NHL in 1997. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in his last season with Buffalo, but he and the Sabres parted ways following a contract dispute.

He was a finalist for the Islanders' coaching job in 2001 when New York hired current Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. Laviolette, who is unsigned past this season, emerged as a potential candidate for one or both Islanders positions in recent days.

But he is expected to remain with the Hurricanes, who took a 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup finals by beating Edmonton on Wednesday night.

"I don't have any conceivable reason why he wouldn't be back," Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. said shortly before the game. "And if you could tell me what the market value of a coach is, I'd be very interested."

The 47-year-old Nolan coached the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season.

The Islanders' regime change started in January, when longtime GM Mike Milbury announced he would step down from the position after helping find a replacement.

The same day, coach Steve Stirling was fired and Brad Shaw was brought in on an interim basis.

Shaw, who was in Ottawa, said Wednesday night he read online reports of the hirings and had received many phone calls asking about his status. But he hadn't heard any official news from the Islanders.

"You'd like to find out before the general public, but sometimes it happens pretty fast," Shaw told the AP in a phone interview. "Sometimes the word leaks out.

"Enough people are talking about it that I have a lot of faith that it's going to happen. I don't really question it."

Last week, the Islanders hired Bryan Trottier as executive director of player development.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:43 pm

Neil Smith isn't all that bad on broadcasts...just has a rough voice. He knows his stuff...he should do well on the Island. Interesting to see how Nolan does after all that time away from the NHL.

What head coaching jobs are still open?

JD · Post by JD » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:01 pm

One thing's for sure... if you have any lazy Europeans on your team that you're trying to get rid of, there's now a market for them with Smith back in the GMing community.

As for Nolan, with all his crying racism over the past few years, I'm surprised he got another shot. You just know that if you ever have to fire him, he's going to label you a racist in the papers. Too bad, cause his appearance in this past Memorial Cup shows he's still a pretty good coach.

JD · Post by JD » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:03 pm

Vancouver still needs a coach. Potential candidates are probably waiting to see how the personnel thing unfolds, since Bertuzzi and/or Naslund are likely to be shopped this summer, and Jovanovski's free agent status leaves some question marks.

Terry in Crapchester · Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:03 pm

I always thought Nolan got a raw deal from the Sabres. It's good to see him get another shot.

The Rat Pack · Post by **The Rat Pack** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:52 pm

I thinks it's a good move bringing in Nolan & Trots.

I'm not sold on Neil Smith. I haven't forgotten his piss poor performance in handling Mike Keenan.

It's typical Islanders that their interim GM didn't have a clue about any of this. Classy

....and seeing as Nolan was hired by an Asian..does that dissipate the theory that racism has kept Nolan down for a decade?

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:41 am

i'll always rack the fuck out of oln for having western michigan university alums comprise two-thirds of their nhl studio coverage. RACK THE FUCK OUT OF THAT!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:12 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:i'll always rack the fuck out of oln for having western michigan university alums comprise two-thirds of their nhl studio coverage. RACK THE FUCK OUT OF THAT!

Figured you'd drop a WMU reference in there...better Bronco ratio on OLN than on ESPN/ABC, only had John Saunders. Glenn Healy is still doing TV in Canada, I assume. Joe Corvo and Jamal Mayers probably on a golf course somewhere and whatever happened to Mike Eastwood? He was a decent center on faceoffs...

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:31 pm

Neil Smith out?!?!

http://tsn.ca/

I wonder if OLN/Versus filled his vacancy already...

MuchoBulls · Post by **MuchoBulls** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 6:44 pm

Damn, Ted Nolan didn't waste any time on this go around.

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:45 pm

LOL

Garth Snow as the new GM?

Only the Hawks are more pathetic than the Isles.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 7:52 pm

Glad they aren't my team...

al? · Post by **al?** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 3:36 am

Garth Snow as the Isles GM with 2 years left on his ridicuous contract?!?!?!

That is almost as ludicrous as those stupid shoulder pads he used to wear.

Isles are a phukking disgrace. Holy shit.

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 6:10 am

Pat LaFontaine submitted his resignation after Smith was fired. This reeks of Charles Wang sticking his fingers into hockey affairs. Sure Ted Nolan is happy as can be right now, leaving a good job with a junior team for this shit.

Yeah the fucking GM by committee is going to work. :roll:

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:42 am

FUBAR

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:32 pm

From EJ Hradek of ESPN:

On Tuesday afternoon, there was a collective laugh around the NHL. New York Islanders owner Charles Wang, the nutty professor of new wave sports management techniques, got back to his screwball roots, firing general manager Neil Smith on just the 41st day of his tenure.

Wang, the guy who authorized the league's first (and only) 10-year player contract and seriously considered sending team execs to Japan to scout Sumo wrestlers with the idea of turning them into NHL goalkeepers, explained his decision by saying that he and Smith had "philosophical differences."

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:39 pm

How could Smith work for a guy like that? He is a Stanley Cup-winning GM for cripe sake.

James Dean Bradfield · Wed Jul 19, 2006 4:46 pm

Jesus ....Garth Snow ? .....The guy weho had phone books stuffed in his shoulder pads .. The Isles are now the doormat of the NHL ....I thought
Jacobs here in Boston was a feckin' kook .

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:29 pm

worst franchises in hockey:

1. hawks
2. isles
3. b's

looks like neil didn't like wang's ludicrous idea of governing by committee. wang is a fucking buffoon.

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:38 pm

Wang Chung should stick to making shitty software.

al? · Post by **al?** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:20 am

seriously considered sending team execs to Japan to scout Sumo wrestlers with the idea of turning them into NHL goalkeepers,

Sounds crazy, but the more I think about it, the more I like it

Those phukkers are agile AND huge. Wang could revolutionize the position.......and make hockey a freak show fringe sport once and for all in the U.S.....in one fell swoop.

Cross Traffic · Post by **Cross Traffic** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:32 am

Garth's comments today are pathetic..."The players are overpaid", talk about kettle meeting pot. $750,000 for a career backup. Now that is highway robbery.

Wang Chung's comments are even funnier "Sometime you're going to have to grow up and get a real job somewhere,'' he told Garth. :roll: Shows what Wang Chung thinks of his players.