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Monday, March 5, 2001
Goring fired as Islanders coach
Associated Press
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NEW YORK (AP) _ Holding the worst record in the NHL and coming
off a 6-0 loss to a last-place team, the New York Islanders on
Sunday fired coach Butch Goring.
He was replaced by assistant and former teammate Lorne Henning,
who coached the Islanders during the lockout season of 1994-95.
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Sun., March 4
This move was not totally expected even though the Islanders have the worst record in the NHL. Changing the coach at this point in the season is not going to change anything on the island. Why fire a coach with 15 games left in the season? But the move can most likely be attributed to the hammering they got from Tampa Bay. It embarrassed Mike Milbury and the Islanders and he felt the team quit on Butch. Had that not been the case, he probably would have lasted until the end of the year.
Mike has had a lot of coaches over the last six years. He's had to fire a lot of friends and has taken over himself a couple times as well. It's not really apparent who is next in line there. Lorne Henning has the interim tag and they don't really have a farm team so they don't have a young up-and-comer in the minors ready to take over. It's anybody's guess who Mike Milbury will hire. Maybe he'll take the reins himself.
It would be a good situation to go into because the Islanders have nowhere to go but up. This team does not have the expectations of a team that's won the Stanley Cup. It's a terrible organization, but a decent place for a coach because they can only improve.
Butch Goring played and tried to develop a lot of young kids in New York. There hasn't been any continuity. The team looked good early, like they might be a unit that could take a run at a playoff spot. But things soured and, as a coach, you're only judged by one criterion, win-loss record. Butch didn't win and that's how he will be judged. If you're in the coaching business, that's a reality you learn very quickly.
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"Butch is a good friend, good person and a good coach,"
Henning said Sunday. "He's an Islander. It's a sad time for
everyone, but you have to move forward. I've been in the business
30 years. I have Islander blood. We have to right the ship and get
things going."
Goring was dismissed by general manager Mike Milbury in a
morning meeting at Nassau Coliseum. Soon after, the players were
addressed in the locker room.
Henning said he spoke briefly to Goring and said he was "shook
up."
The Islanders (17-40-5-3) are last in the Atlantic Division and
have a league-low 42 points. That's one fewer than that of Tampa
Bay, which routed the Islanders 6-0 Saturday night.
Henning will be behind the bench Monday night at the New York
Rangers. His first home game will be Tuesday night against
Washington.
"Hopefully, we can win some games, get some passion and energy
going again and have some fun in these last 17 games," said
Henning, who will work with holdover assistants Greg Cronin and
Steve Stirling.
"It's real tough. I'm sure the players realize that, looking
down the road, we need to get a foundation and start going in the
right direction."
Henning takes over a team that is rebuilding and has lost four
straight. The Islanders, once a symbol of excellence in the NHL,
have not made the playoffs since the 1993-94 season.
Goring was 41-88-14-4 with New York since taking the job at the
start of the 1999-00 season, when he inherited the youngest team in
the league.
"It's sad," said Mariusz Czerkawski, the team's top scorer
with 23 goals and 47 points. "You never want to see this happen."
With 11 new faces in the lineup this season, and despite a 6-4-2
start, the mix of players didn't mesh and resulted in eight- and
seven-game losing streaks. The troubles were compounded by injuries
to key players.
"It's really disappointing," said Brad Isbister, New York's
fifth-leading scorer who has been limited to 49 games. "Butch is a
great guy and a great coach. I feel that the team is to blame as a
whole. The coach is the one who usually pays the price in instances
like this."
Goring and Henning were teammates for parts of two seasons from
1980-81, when the Islanders won the first two of four straight
Stanley Cups. Goring was on the club for the last two championships
as well, while Henning was an assistant to Al Arbour.
Henning served as an Islanders assistant coach from 1981-84, and
1989-94. He was the head coach in the lockout season before
becoming an assistant with Chicago for three seasons. He returned
as an Islanders assistant in 1998.
Milbury has fired five coaches, including himself twice, during
the 5½ years he has been the Islanders general manager. The other
two were Rick Bowness and Bill Stewart. Milbury's job is safe for
next year, according to owner Charles Wang.
The one-sided loss Saturday night underlined the team's
problems. With the defeat, New York replaced Tampa Bay as the club
with the worst record in the league.
"This is the coaching profession," Henning said. "The last
couple of games have been pretty tough. It's part of the business.
Butchie knows that. He's disappointed. We all are.
"This is his dream. I know he's said that a couple of times.
He's also a realist. Bottom line, if you don't win ... we all go
through it."
The Islanders stayed in their locker room after Saturday's loss,
holding a 25-minute players-only meeting. Goring, who has also
coached the Boston Bruins, did not criticize his players, who
showed little passion against the Lightning.
"No, we didn't quit," Goring said after the game. "This was
one of those nights where no matter where they shot the puck, it
was going in our net."
Asked if this was the low point of the season, Goring said,
"Yes, it probably is." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
Morganti: Goring axed in Isles reclamation
2000-01 NHL coaching changes
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