Published reports out of Phoenix indicate that Wayne Gretzky will be named head coach of the Coyotes today. 'The Great One' has been part owner of the club for the past several years but now he will put his reputation on the line behind the bench.
Coyotes officials would not confirm the published reports but did indicate they have a major announcement to make later Monday afternoon.
'I'm really excited,' Gretzky told 'The Arizona Republic.' 'I'll be honest with you, when I was 22, 23, 24, I never thought I'd be a coach in the NHL. But I'm excited about the challenge... The last couple of weeks I've been following my son's baseball team around and I kind of got the itch to coach, as silly as that sounds.'
The cliché in sports is that great players do not make great coaches. The problem is that things that come so naturally to them don't come so easily to other players and the former superstars didn't have to pay as close attention to the little details of the game to be successful. Journeymen who have to work harder at the little things and be more observant tend to become great coaches and GMs.
In hockey, Maurice 'The Rocket' Richard' was a failure as a coach in the WHA, for example. Ted Williams was not all that successful as manager of the Washington Senators.
But there are exceptions to every rule. Larry Robinson was a Hall of Fame defenseman in the NHL and led the Devils to a Stanley Cup title. Gil Hodges was an all-star first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers and later led the 1969 'Miracle Mets' to their first World Series.
Gretzky appeared eager for the challenge.
'By no means am I (Hall of Fame coach) Scotty Bowman, but I know the game, I love the game, I have a really good staff and we have a really good team,' Gretzky said. 'It's exciting. I haven't felt this way since I was 17.'
At 17, Gretzky turned pro, signing with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA before being sold to the Edmonton Oilers where he went on to become the best player in the game.
Gretzky has already surrounded himself with good talent behind the bench. Detroit Red Wings associate coach Barry Smith, former Coyotes right wing Rick Tocchet, and Coyotes interim head coach Rick Bowness will be Gretzky's assistants.
The Coyotes have a good young core of players and are expected to improve on their 22-36-18 record in 2003-2004.
The franchise, formerly known as the Winnipeg Jets, has not won a playoff round since 1987. It is Gretzky's goal to change that. Only time will tell if he is equal to the task.
