from Mark Emmons of the Mercury News, Coaches are hired to be fired, or so goes the blunt cliche of big-time sports. The Sharks’ Todd McLellan, though, is one coach who doesn’t buy it.
“If a team is taking that approach, then they shouldn’t hire the guy in the first place,” he said. “I wouldn’t have married my wife if I knew I was going to divorce her eventually, and I wouldn’t hire staff if I knew I was going to have to release them at some point. That makes no sense.”
But the reality is pink slips are as much a part of the coaching profession as whistles. And in hockey, the shelf life of the guys behind the bench can be especially short. This season already has seen seven NHL coaches replaced.
This weekend, McLellan will be one of the All-Star game coaches. But just last month it appeared—at least from the outside—that McLellan’s coaching seat was getting warm enough to wonder if even he was in danger.
The Sharks, laden with their usual high expectations, have not been skating on
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January 25, 2012
