Todd retires, Nolan's hired
Friday, June 09, 2006
Posted by Kerrzy
Thursday was a tough day for the coaching staff’s of two championship Canadian Hockey League teams as Dick Todd of the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes and Ted Nolan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Moncton Wildcats both left the CHL.
Dick Todd announced his retirement from coaching on Thursday after a career spanning fourteen full seasons and part of another as head coach of the Petes, and a five-season stint as an assistant coach with the NHL’s New York Rangers, while Ted Nolan, the coach of this year’s QMJHL Champion Moncton Wildcats and finalists in the Moncton-hosted 2006 Memorial Cup will leave his team after just one season to take the coaching reins of the NHL’s New York Islanders. Read More...
Dick Todd finishes his CHL career with a 558-287-62 record, a Stanley Cup ring with the 1994 New York Rangers, and is largely credited with the two-way development of NHL superstars like Detroit’s Steve Yzerman, among many others thanks to his 4-line approach to the game of hockey.
Todd coached the Petes from 1981-93 and returned to the team in 2004. Chris Pronger of the Edmonton Oilers and Cory Stillman of the Carolina Hurricanes are two of Dick Todd’s former players who are currently duking it out in this year’s Stanley Cup finals.
Ted Nolan coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL from the 1988-89 season until 1993-94 and then went on to become an assistant coach with the Hartford Whalers for the 1994-95 season. Nolan then became the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres from 1995-97 but was fired after winning the 1997 Jack Adams award as top coach in the NHL after an alleged dispute with team management.
The Islanders also announced the hiring of former New York Rangers general manager Neil Smith, GM of Rangers at the same time Dick Todd was an assistant coach, and the hiring of former Islander, Sabre and Ranger, Pat Lafontaine as the senior advisor to the team’s owner.
Both the Moncton Wildcats and the Peterborough Petes are both actively searching for replacements for next season.