| | SportsTicker
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Ron Low worked under Glen
Sather as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. He reportedly will do
the same with the New York Rangers.
The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Wednesday that Low, who coached the
Oilers for parts of five seasons, will be named coach of the
Rangers within the next week.
"Unless there's a sudden change, I expect him to get the job,"
an unidentified source told the newspaper.
A Rangers spokesperson refused to confirm the report and said
that no news conference regarding a coach is scheduled.
The hiring of Low would be the first major move for Sather,
the architect of the Oilers' dynasty in the 1980s and early
1990s who was named president and general manager of the Rangers
earlier this month.
Low compiled a 139-162-40 record as Oilers coach, leading
Edmonton to first-round playoff upsets of Dallas and Colorado in
1997 and 1998, respectively.
He spent last season as coach of the Houston Aeros of the
International Hockey League, posting a 44-29-9 record, good for
third place in the Western Conference. The Aeros lost to
Chicago, 4-2, in the first round of the Turner Cup playoffs.
John Paddock, coach of the Rangers' Hartford affiliate in the
American Hockey League, also has been mentioned as a candidate.
"Glen hasn't told me anything, but I guess it's more than likely
I'll be back in Hartford next season," Paddock told the Courant.
Sather is trying to revive a franchise which failed to make the
playoffs each of the last three seasons despite its hefty
payroll. His first task is to find a replacement for John
Muckler, who was fired along with general manager Neil Smith on
March 28. Assistant John Tortorella coached the club for the
final weeks of the season.
New York finished with a dismal 29-41-12 record despite a
payroll of close to $61 million.
Muckler compiled a 70-91-24 record in parts of three seasons as
Rangers coach.
| |
|
