BOSTON -- The New Jersey Devils didn't think Robbie Ftorek
was the guy to take them into the playoffs.
All the Boston Bruins want him to do is get them there.
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Wed, May 9
Robbie Ftorek is their fifth coach in seven years and will most likely end up on the long list of coaches who are hired to be fired in Boston. In a sense I'm glad Bruins assistant Peter Laviolette didn't get the job.
Clement's complete analysis
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The Bruins made Ftorek their third coach in seven months when
they hired him to replace Mike Keenan on Wednesday. Keenan took
over for Pat Burns eight games into last season, then was let go
when the team missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker.
"No organization, or player, wants to go through that
(turnover)," said goalie Byron Dafoe, who attended the news
conference at the FleetCenter. "But when you're not winning,
you're searching for an answer."
That wasn't Ftorek's problem in New Jersey. He was fired with
eight games left in the regular season in 1999-2000, when the
Devils had the best record in the Eastern Conference and were on
their way to the Stanley Cup.
Ftorek denied reports that his dismissal was due to a mutiny
among the players, but he said he has learned from his previous
coaching stint.
|  | | Robbie Ftorek becomes the 24th coach in Bruins history. |
"If you don't do things differently, then you haven't learned
very much," he said. "It was a decision that they made, and it
was obviously a good one because they won the Stanley Cup. It was
unfortunate for me, but I have to accept that and move on. ... It
still hurts."
The Bruins gave Ftorek a two-year contract with an option for a
third year, bringing him back to the area where he established
himself as the best high school hockey player in Massachusetts
history.
"I'm excited. I'm a little nervous, but to be able to come back
to Boston -- where so many memories have started for me -- with the
Bruins organization is tremendous," said Ftorek, whose Needham
High jersey hangs in the New England Sports Museum upstairs in the
FleetCenter.
"I remember watching him play," said Bruins general manager
Mike O'Connell, who grew up in Cohasset. "If you talk to anyone my
age who has played in the Boston area, they'll agree: There hasn't
been a dominant player since then."
But it wasn't his playing career that got him the job. Ftorek
was picked over Bruins assistant Peter Laviolette because of his
head coaching experience; last year was Laviolette's first behind
an NHL bench.
"It came down to what I think the team needed most," O'Connell
said. "Experience won out."
Before serving Burns and Keenan as assistant in Boston last
year, Laviolette coached the Providence Bruins of the AHL for two
seasons, winning the league championship 1998-99 while setting an
AHL record with 56 wins in a season.
He was a defenseman on the 1988 and 1994 U.S. Olympic hockey
teams and was captain of the '94 team.
"I think Peter is going to be a good coach," said Bruins
defenseman Don Sweeney, who is playing for his eighth coach since
joining the Bruins in the 1988-89 season. "Hopefully, he will get
an opportunity at the NHL level."
Although O'Connell tabbed Laviolette as the early front-runner,
things changed when Ftorek threw his hat in. O'Connell and Ftorek
met twice last week, then took in a Devils game on Saturday night.
The 49-year-old Ftorek also coached the Los Angeles Kings for 1½
years through the 1988-89 season. He played for Detroit, Quebec and
the New York Rangers in a 13-year career.
On Tuesday night, Ftorek went to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox
play the Seattle Mariners.
"I had great seats," he said.
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ALSO SEE
Clement: Boston's past affects Ftorek's future
Bruins say Keenan won't return after missing playoffs
First-place Devils fire coach Ftorek, promote Robinson
2000-01 NHL coaching changes
AUDIO VIDEO
 Robbie Ftorek is anxious to make his emotional return to Boston.
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