Guest bob_barron Report post Posted June 3, 2003 Islanders dissatisfied with 'just making playoffs' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders fired coach Peter Laviolette on Tuesday, replacing him with minor league coach Steve Stirling. The team announced on its Web site that Laviolette was out and Stirling, who coached in the AHL the last two seasons, would take over. "This was a very difficult decision," general manager Mike Milbury said, according to the Web site. "Peter is a very good young coach with an excellent future. "We felt a change was necessary for this team to move to the next level and compete for a Stanley Cup. Just making the playoffs is not enough." Laviolette had a successful two-year run with the team, twice leading it to the playoffs, where the Islanders lost in the first round both years. The Islanders had not made the playoffs since 1994. But when they lost in five games to Ottawa this spring, there was much complaining and finger-pointing among the players. New York was outscored 13-4 in its four losses to the Senators. Laviolette set an NHL record by winning his first four road games in 2001-02, the first coach to do that. The team picked up his coaching option for next season in December 2002, but now has changed its mind. "We're a good enough team to have advanced a lot further," defenseman Adrian Aucoin said after the Islanders were eliminated by Ottawa. "We won games last year because we played a lot harder. It's a whole group of guys, not just one or two." But it's the one, Laviolette, who lost his job. In his first season with the Islanders, he helped them to the best start in franchise history, 9-0-1-1. The team doubled its win total to 42 that season before losing a bitter seven-game playoff loss to Toronto. Assistant coaches Jacques Laperriere and Kelly Miller also were fired. Stirling was The Hockey News' minor pro coach of the year in 2001-02 after taking Bridgeport to the AHL finals. In his two seasons with the Sound Tigers, Stirling was 83-51-19-7. "In Steve Stirling, we are promoting a coach who has developed at the pro level with us during the last six years after an outstanding collegiate coaching career," Milbury said. "Our entire organization believed strongly that Steve deserved this chance." Greg Cronin, an Islanders assistant coach the last five seasons, will succeed Stirling in Bridgeport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nl5xsk1 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 Dear Sinden and O'Connell, If you guys don't pull your heads out of each other's asses and hire Laviolette, my boycott of your team will continue. Hiring another Keenen or Ftorek will NOT amuse me. Yours truly, Former season ticket holder, NL5xSK1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MaxPower27 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 Sinden and O'Connell won't hire Laviolette. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nl5xsk1 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 Sinden and O'Connell won't hire Laviolette. why not? He'd coach for cheap money, and they still owe some scratch to Ftorek. I don't think they want Sullivan to coach the big team just yet, what with the inevitable lockout/strike after the CBA expires. They'll hire Laviolette for the year, and worse case scenario is fire him after the lockout/strike is resolved. (best case scenario is fire him at the end of the season after another failed playoff run) and then hire Sullivan for the two/three years before his dismissal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MaxPower27 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 I just don't see it happening, sadly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nl5xsk1 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 Max, since it's just you and me in this right now, I'll ask you directly: who do you really think will be coaching them next year? Sullivan or another run with O'Connell pretending he knows what he's doing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MaxPower27 Report post Posted June 3, 2003 O'Connell seems to think he has his finger on the pulse of the team, so I think he'll try it and end up like Sather in NYR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CanadianChris Report post Posted June 6, 2003 Did anyone in New York hear Milbury on Mike and the Mad Dog after this was announced? Mad Dog just reamed out Milbury on the air. It was surreal. Pierre McGuire was mentioning how he'd heard this segment while in Jersey covering the Cup finals, so they called up WFAN and played a bit of it on the Ottawa sports talk channel this morning. I've NEVER heard anyone get so upset at a club exec in public before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MaxPower27 Report post Posted June 6, 2003 What did he say? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CanadianChris Report post Posted June 6, 2003 Mad Dog came out and asked him point blank why he was still the GM. He criticized his drafting, his trades, and his picking of goaltenders. He wasn't satisfied with the answers, and then just started screaming at him about how many coaches he's hired. The full segment is at www.wfan.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted June 6, 2003 Something interesting actually happens on Mike and the Mad Dog and I miss it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
