Herb Brooks no longer is a candidate to become head coach of the New York Rangers, a position he was reportedly a front-runner for in recent weeks.

According to newspaper reports in New York, Brooks had reservations about returning to the bench and expressed them to Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather. Brooks' interest reportedly cooled this week after Sather continued his plan of meeting with as many candidates as possible.

"I wish him (Sather) well and I wish the organization well," Brooks was quoted as saying on the Madison Square Garden network Web site.

The Rangers told ESPN they could not confirm the reports.