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Flyers Hire Scott Gordon to Coach Lehigh Valley Phantoms |
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Last Tuesday, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said he was not yet close to hiring a new head coach for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, saying he was still in the research phase. The GM said he hoped to finalize a decision within a few weeks.
Less than one week later, the Flyers and Phantoms jointly announced that Scott Gordon will take over behind the bench of the Flyers' AHL affiliate for the 2015-16 season. Additionally, incumbent Phantoms assistant Riley Cote will remain with the team.
"We are extremely pleased to add Scott to our organization as head coach of our top affiliate in Lehigh Valley," Hextall said in a statement.
"He brings in a proven track record of success and knowledge as a coach at all levels, and we are confident he can help develop our prospects through our system, as well as lead the Phantoms back to the Calder Cup playoffs."
Gordon, 52, has extensive coaching experience at both the NHL and AHL levels, including two-plus seasons as the head coach of the New York Islanders and three as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His longest head coaching stint was five-plus seasons directing the AHL's Providence Bruins (221-141-20-27 record) after a three-year assistant coaching stint with the team.
A native of Brockton, Mass., Gordon has long had ties with USA Hockey. During his playing days, he was a goaltender for Team USA at the 1992 Olympics. As a coach, he was the head coach of the U.S. men's national team for two years (2010 and 2011) and also served as an assistant coach for the silver-medal winning Olympic team in 2010.
Gordon worked his way up through the minor leagues as both a player and coach. He holds the distinction of being the first former ECHL player to reach the NHL, and played in 23 games as a goalie for the Quebec Nordiques.
In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Gordon said that he spoke last Thursday with Hextall and things came together quickly. He has not yet had a chance to speak with Cote. Additionally, he is only now starting to familiarize himself with the prospects in the Flyers' system, including the much-hyped group of young defensemen. Gordon said he was not yet sure if the team would add an additional assistant coach to work in conjunction with Cote.
While Gordon would like to get back to coaching in the NHL at some point, he said there were aspects of coaching in the AHL that he actually found more enjoyable.
“I missed the teaching part of it that you get in the American League versus the NHL. The NHL does have some teaching, but there’s a lot more preparation. You’re playing almost every other day," said Gordon.
I missed the fact that in the AHL you’re at it every single day trying to get the players better and you spend more time as far as practice and preparation.”
During his coaching tenure with the Islanders, Gordon's team compiled a record of 64-94-23; the worst points percentage in the NHL. However, this was much more a reflection of having a paper-thin roster in an organization undergoing a complete rebuild than any lack of coaching ability on Gordon's part.
As a coach, Gordon (like so many coaches nowadays) is a big believer in implementing a highly structured system. He is considered a good communicator and a straight shooter who puts strong focus on accountability. In Monday's conference call, Gordon said he favors a puck-pressuring system -- both forechecking and back pressure -- that thrives on forcing turnovers. When puck pressure is not possible, positioning is paramount.
Gordon said that he learned during his NHL stint that some things that work at the AHL level do not work as efficiently at the top level. In particular, he learned that there is not as much practice time available.
When Gordon was let go by the Islanders after a 10-game losing streak, both the Isles' players and management said they felt "Gordo" was a good coach but that he had tried just about everything he could to turn around the team and nothing worked. Gordon, who replaced Ted Nolan, was himself replaced by Jack Capuano.
Islanders general manager Garth Snow, who like Gordon is a Massachusetts native and has been friends with him since the two were in Nordiques training camp in 1987, made Gordon his choice to coach New York based on Gordon's track record of AHL success. At the time, Snow praised Gordon's teaching ability and reputation for developing players.
Former Flyers teammates Snow and Hextall have maintained a close friendship through the years. It is likely that a strong endorsement from Snow figured into Hextall's background check on the new hire.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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