Wayne Gretzky Resigns as Coyotes' Coach
“The Great One” Steps Down; Replaced by Tippett
Sep 29, 2009
Even Wayne Gretzky is not above becoming the latest casualty of the quagmire that has become the Phoenix Coyotes.
Arguably the game’s greatest player, Gretzky recently stepped down as coach and head of Phoenix’s hockey operations after four seasons with the club. He will be replaced this season by former Dallas Stars’ coach Dave Tippett.
Gretzky Great Player, an O.K. Coach at Best
By his own admittance, Gretzky was getting better each season as a head coach, but he was never “The Great One” behind the bench like he was on the ice. With the Coyotes, Gretzky amassed a 143-161-24 coaching record and most tellingly, zero playoff appearances. That kind of a record would probably get most other coaches fired. It’s not that Gretzky necessarily is a bad coach; he just didn’t have the horses to get his club into the playoffs and then go deep into them. But now Gretzky can join the ranks of Ted Williams, Magic Johnson and Otto Graham, among others – legendary players that had not-so-legendary tenures as coaches and managers.
Gretzky’s Coaching Salary Contributed to His Ouster
Also, the fact that the club is in bankruptcy court and Gretzky was to pull down a reported $6.5 million this season behind the bench didn’t help his cause for a fifth season guiding the Coyotes. To put his salary in perspective, defenseman Ed Jovanoski is the club’s highest-paid player this upcoming season at $6 million. According to Yahoo! Sports, if Gretzky were to have coached in the 2010-11 season, his contract would have paid him $8 million, almost as much as Alexander Ovechkin’s deal. Good luck selling a team to a prospective owner with such a bloated salary for a non-player.
Tippett To Provide Stability to a Tumultuous Phoenix Franchise
Gretzky might have everyone, including Tippett, beat with his offensive numbers, but Tippett might, in turn, have Gretzky beat with his coaching resume. A former IHL coach of the year and Turner Cup champion in 1999, at the NHL level Tippett guided the Dallas Stars to 271 victories in 6 seasons behind their bench. What finished off Tippett in Dallas was not making the playoffs at all in 2008-09, despite reaching the Western Conference finals the season before. But in Phoenix, fans would be happy if Tippett could just get this team IN the playoffs, never mind advance in them, something the Coyotes haven’t done since the 2001-02 season.
Will Tippett and the Coyotes Relocate to Canada in 2010?
The Gretzky resignation is the latest item of bad news for a team that currently has no owner and is on the NHL’s version of life support. Who will own this team and where the franchise may end up is anyone’s guess. The Coyotes could be owned eventually by Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, should he win the team at auction, and it may wind up, eventually, in Southern Ontario. Or the league could obtain the team, keep them in Phoenix for the time being, and act as its caretaker until someone else is willing to purchase the club, on the NHL’s terms, of course.
Tippett is a solid coach who will provide a steady hand in the locker room and on the ice, and according to some Coyote players, may be a refreshing change of pace from Gretzky behind the bench. But the problems of the Coyotes are much larger and complex than who is coaching this club and those problems will be what continue to plague this troubled franchise for seasons to come.
