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Good Luck Todd. Here’s To You Losing At Least 4 Next Year.
by IwoCPO on 06/11/08 at 06:53 PM ET
Comments (19)
Uncle Mike with a new deal, and a big hole to fill.
Todd McLellan will be announced as the Sharks’ new head coach tomorrow, having agreed to a three-year deal. McLellan was assistant to Babcock the past three years.
McLellan flew to San Jose this weekend, and two days worth of interviews with general manager Doug Wilson went so well McLellan cancelled a meeting he had scheduled for later this week for the job in Atlanta.
And a classic quote from Uncle Mike on the occasion of his little buddy’s hiring.
“He’s more than prepared to be a head coach in the league. (Fellow assistant) Paul MacLean is the same way,’’ Babcock said earlier today, prior to the hiring. “We’ll find some other workaholic that loves hockey and hire him.’’
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Comments
I dunno. If they’re hoping for a Babcock clone, I don’t think he’s it...but I’m happy for him. I hope he does well, just not too well. 
Posted by Gabriel from San Diego, CA on 06/11/08 at 06:43 PM ET
Congratulations on the new job Todd, because I know you can hear me.
We’ll trade you Hartigan for Cheecho, straight up.
Posted by Osrt on 06/11/08 at 07:09 PM ET
Wonder if he’ll back taking Stuart with him…
Posted by katiephd from Denver, CO on 06/11/08 at 07:23 PM ET
We’ll trade you Hartigan for Cheecho, straight up.
I’d through Lilja in for giggles.
Good on ya Todd!
Posted by Rumbear from the den.... on 06/11/08 at 08:01 PM ET
I smell a comeback for Joe Kocur!
Good luck Todd!
Posted by John from Pittsburgh, PA (Wings fan for life!) on 06/11/08 at 08:09 PM ET
Who takes his spot on the bench? The Captain, perhaps?
Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 06/11/08 at 08:38 PM ET
Good luck, Todd, save when you play the Wings, at which time I hope you fall on your face while walking to the bench, and all your players are schooled to such an extent that they curl up in little balls on the ice, calling for their mommies as the Wings outscore them 80 billion to nothing.
Friendship and cameraderie end when you’re facing off against a guy--then you go out and kick his ass.
Seriously, I really do hope that McLellan does well, save when he plays the Wings.
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 06/11/08 at 09:06 PM ET
Also wonder if he was looking for a team that could spell his name correctly:
Posted by katiephd from Denver, CO on 06/11/08 at 09:15 PM ET
Something tells me that, when you’re rolling down Woodward Avenue, you’re not sweating the small stuff, even if they spell your name “Valeri FilPEWlah” (which is what Jim Hughson calls him).
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 06/11/08 at 09:25 PM ET
Good luck, Todd, save when you play the Wings, at which time I hope you fall on your face while walking to the bench, and all your players are schooled to such an extent that they curl up in little balls on the ice, calling for their mommies as the Wings outscore them 80 billion to nothing.
I’m all for anything that gets scientific notation on the scoreboards! That would be cool.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/11/08 at 09:29 PM ET
Good luck, Todd.
So I guess Igor Larionov will be the new assistant/power play coach…
Posted by w2j2 on 06/11/08 at 09:41 PM ET
Thrilled with the hire. October can’t come soon enough!
Let’s Go Sharks!
Posted by Mike from San Jose on 06/11/08 at 10:22 PM ET
Well, obviously it’s a great career move for him but it’s a bit disappointing that it happens to be a WC rival (c’mon Waddell, you couldn’t do your former team a favor and hire him first?!). I got my hopes up when I heard the initial rumblings about Quenneville, but I guess Doug Wilson is a wee bit too smart for that - he must have known the Sharks would never, ever, ever get past the Wings in the playoffs.
Living over here in Sharks territory though and reading the press after they got knocked out early yet again there’s no doubt Wilson is hoping for Babcock lite or at least some of that Wings mystique and juju. Anyway, good luck to McLellan for 78 of the games next year. It’ll be interesting to see our PP - little less point-centric, more back-door! Tap-ins!
Posted by yetanotherwingtransplant from norcal on 06/11/08 at 10:23 PM ET
little less point-centric, more back-door! Tap-ins!
this is strangely arousing…
i’m so confused
Posted by Osrt on 06/11/08 at 11:41 PM ET
i’m so confused
Been hanging around with the Florida Panthers again, Osrt?
Seriously though, this is a loss, but Todd deserves his own bench. If anyone can take a team like that as far as such a mass of talent really SHOULD go, it’s McLellan. He’ll certainly get them to go further than where they got with old Smelly Hippie Wilson. I have no doubt that they’ll win a few more games next year.
But no more than seventy-eight.
Good luck, Todd.
Oh, and Katie, I don’t think he’ll try to take Stuart with him-- I think the Sharks’ first priority is to get Campbell re-signed. They need his offense far more than what Stuart can provide.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the company of Horatio Alger...go west, young man on 06/12/08 at 03:31 AM ET
Babcock’s line has to be the quote of the off-season, priceless:
“We’ll find some other workaholic that loves hockey and hire him.’’
Congratulations to Todd.
Didn’t take long for my first noticable off-season stress/worries. Damn, can’t even enjoy the Cup and the awards ceremony without that inch of creeping doubt floating in my head. Bastards!
Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Hockey Netherworld on 06/12/08 at 08:02 AM ET
Congratulations to Todd McLellan. May he find success in San Jose (but not too much).
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 06/12/08 at 10:18 AM ET
Well, obviously it’s a great career move for him but it’s a bit disappointing that it happens to be a WC rival (c’mon Waddell, you couldn’t do your former team a favor and hire him first?!).
Honestly, I think Atlanta was the equivalent of Todd’s “safety school.” Yeah, it’s an NHL head coaching job, but San Jose is SO much better. Had Atlanta made the first offer, I think Todd would have gone through with the San Jose interview process anyway; San Jose made an offer and he couldn’t drop Atlanta fast enough.
Posted by Paul A from Ypsilanti, MI on 06/12/08 at 11:36 AM ET
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Good for him.
I watched him play hockey for the Saskatoon Blades and he was a great player, sorta thought he might have been a great NHL’er and have a long career, but obviously that didnt work out.
He deserves to be a head coach.
Good luck, Todd.
Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 06/11/08 at 06:33 PM ET