|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Contact | Home | Archive | AHL | ECHL | About Us | Duck Calls | Quick Shots | Audio | Europe | Web Radio |
||||||
|
Bring back 99 OCTOBER 6, 2009 -- LOS ANGELES -- Now that Wayne Gretzky did the smart thing and resigned as Head Coach and Director of Operations of the Phoenix Coyotes, the big question is ‘What’s next?’ Arguably the best player ever to strap on the skates, his tenure in Phoenix showed that he was far from The Greatest behind the bench. Given a small salary budget, only one legitimate All Star in Shane Doan and a good amount of young and unproven talent, it wasn’t surprising that Gretzky finished 143-161-24 over four years with no playoff appearance. While his situation caused failure he’s never experienced before, it’s also worth noting that you can’t name one Coyote that developed to an All-Star under his stewardship. The lack of player development begs the continuing question of whether a great player can ever become a great coach. During the bankruptcy process, Gretzky stayed away from the team until the matters were settled. When the expected close to this dark NHL chapter drifted from an ending before training camp to spilling over into the regular season, Wayne pulled the trigger not unlike he did on his 894 career goals. “We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected,” Gretzky was quoted in a Phoenix press release on Thursday. Those close to him, while knowing it was the right thing to do, know that for Gretzky, the hurt goes deep. “He loved being behind the bench and being with the players. This is definitely hard for Wayne but there’s absolutely no direction for the franchise,” former Los Angeles Kings’ Marty McSorley conveyed. Given Gretzky’s status as a crown jewel for the league and an ambassador for the sport, most of the criticism has been muted and it’s safe to say that most in the same position would have suffered the same level of frustration and failure. Had Gretzky been able to the handle the gravity of the situation to its end, there may have still been a significant role for him in the franchise’s future. In an email to TheFan590 Toronto, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman related, “If we got control of the club, we would have sat down and ask Wayne what he wanted to do. We are not in control of the process.” While the commissioner gets high grades for reverence and graciousness, would Gretzky be best served by continuing in the cloud that hovers in the desert not unlike the alien spaceship that hovered over Johannesburg in the movie, District 9? The fact remains that if the NHL is able to wrest the franchise away from the clutches of the perceived-evil Jim Balsillie, it doesn’t end the story, it just opens the next chapter. The business model for success in the Phoenix market is flawed, with a major issue being the location of the new Jobing.com arena. It’s sits in the West Valley/Glendale area and while in proximity to the new Cardinals football stadium (already the site of a Super Bowl), it’s far from the high rent areas of Phoenix and Scottsdale. Asking fans to trek out to a distant location works when there are eight weekend games, not when there are 41 mostly weeknight tilts. So it’s for the best that Gretzky separates himself from the continuing mess, but what’s the next move? There’s some chatter around that 99 would be a great commissioner and while there’s merit to that from a public relations and promotional aspect, the reality is that Gretzky did have his hands on the operation from the business end as well. The experience of making a successful hockey operation work in a struggling market isn’t on the resume. In the 21st Century, a commissioner's toolbox needs to include a law degree and demonstrated success running a far flung enterprise; Gretzky's greatness doesn't extend to those areas. The flip side is reality tells us a) he can take his time looking for a job because money is not an issue and b) if he chooses to be gainfully employed sooner than later, he won’t have to knock on a lot of doors. Given his track record, it’s likely his next job won’t be in coaching. Hockey operations, perhaps, president of a team, could be. Gretzky won’t be limited as to options. Gretzky would be best served to leverage his greatest strength at this stage of his career and life, his notoriety. His stature in the game would help any team sell tickets. Imagine if you were on the fence about buying a ticket package for your local NHL team and got a call from 99 asking for your patronage, think it might tip the scales? But which franchise might be best served by this legend of the game adding additional firepower to its marketing efforts? I was at Staples Center for a Kings’ preseason game and can confirm that Wayne’s statue is still outside the arena and his black and white 99 still hangs from the rafters. The Kings’ owner, Anschutz Entertainment Group has demonstrated that it believes in bring back former players in management roles. Luc Robitaille, the highest scoring left wing in the game’s history and an inductee to the Hall of Fame in November, holds the position of President of Business Operations. Robitaille has the challenging task of making the Kings a player in a sports market crowded with the success of Los Angeles Lakers championships, USC football dynasties, UCLA basketball legacies and personalities like Manny Ramirez. Despite the league-wide consensus that the Kings are stocked with young talent on the verge of breakthrough are saddled with the stigma of six consecutive playoff-less seasons and no Stanley Cup championships. In a city where winning is mandatory and stars are necessary, who better to be the beacon of future short-term success that Gretzky?
2010 Western Hockey Network |
CLICK HERE FOR DENNIS' ARCHIVE
|
|||||
