The New York Islanders fired Head Coach, Jack Capuano
today. President and General Manager Garth Snow made the announcement that Jack
Capuano had been relieved of his duties as Head Coach and that Assistant GM
Doug Weight has been named Interim Head Coach. Andy Graziano quoted Snow as saying,
“Bob Corkum will come down from his position in
the press box to run the bench with Weight and current assistant coach Greg
Cronin for the remainder of the regular season, as it doesn't sound like
anything more will be happening from now until then.”
Last year,
the Isles entered the playoffs for the third time in the last 4 seasons under
Capuano. They finished with more than 100 points in the 2nd consecutive
campaign and won their first playoff round since 1993. This summer, Capuano was
selected by John Tortorella as an Assistant Coach for Team USA at the 2016
World Cup of Hockey. Jack Capuano joined the Islanders organization in
05-06 as an assistant under Steve Stirling (then Brad Shaw) and became the
Isles interim head Coach in 2010 replacing Scott Gordon, then full branded
Coach in 2011. Capuano had served as Head Coach of the Islanders minor league
affiliate, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he finished with a 133-100-8-14
record in 4 AHL seasons.
According to
Eric Hornick, Jack Capuano was the 2nd winningest coach in Islander’s
history. He had a record of 227-192-64 behind the Islander’s bench. “Among
the 9 New York area teams, only the Yankees' Joe Girardi has led his team
longer than Capuano.”
Most games
coached (Islanders):
1. Al
Arbour 1,500
2. Jack
Capuano 483
3. Mike
Milbury 191
4. Terry
Simpson 187
5. Scott
Gordon 181
Most wins by
Islander coaches:
1. Al
Arbour 740
2. Jack
Capuano 227
3. Terry
Simpson 81
4. Peter
Laviolette 77
5. Ted
Nolan 74
Garth Snow
spoke to the media on the move, "The New York Islanders would like to
thank Jack for his tireless work throughout his seven seasons with the
organization as Head Coach," Snow said. "His leadership guided the
team to the playoffs in three of the past four years, which included two
straight 100-point seasons. He is a great coach and an even better person. We
wish him nothing but the best moving forward." Shannon Hogan mentioned
Snow had consulted key members of the organization, “captains and inside staff,”
on the decision and mentioned Snow wouldn’t comment on who possible candidates
are or when the team would meet with them. “It’s not a dictatorship,” Snow said
on how much influence Ledecky and Malkin had on the decision. I’m sure the
ownership was ready for the change and let Snow know what they wanted.
Tom Gulitti
mentioned, “Snow said his responsibility is, ‘100 percent ...Obviously, I'm not
hiding from the fact it starts with me."
The organization has been in the hunt for a team President, and if they
find one, Snow may be in jeopardy as well if that President thinks the team
needs a culture change,
especially based on the second half of this season. Presidents usually want
their own management structure in place to be sure of a like mind set. And
hiring a new coach would usually be done by the GM who the President and
ownership feels will give All-Star, John Tavares the best chance to lead the
team to a deep playoff run and a chance at a Stanley Cup final. After losing homegrown
character guys like Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Matt Martin, Capuano couldn’t
seem to recapture a team identity with the additions of Andrew Ladd and Jason
Chimera. It’s not just on the coach. While he needs to keep the team rolling, the
GM has a big role in putting those building blocks in place. Snow has
acknowledged team shortcomings based on the roster starts with him. “I take full responsibility."
To be fired
after a well-played 4-0 win against the Bruins was a little strange, but it
must have just been another affirmation to ownership that the guys already here
can make things happen when they work hard and play within a system. It could
have illustrated at just the right time that things still weren't working with Jack
Capuano in place. Team consistency under his watch has always been a problem.
Many of us thought it might happen after the 7-4 breakdown against Carolina, so
although the writing was everywhere for a lot of people, it seemed to be a
strange time to do it. Perhaps with a couple of days off before facing Dallas
on Thursday, the organization thought it was a good time to make the transition.
"It's an honor to have served this historic franchise and its passionate
fans," Capuano said. "I'd like to thank Garth and our ownership group
for the opportunity to be the Head Coach of the Islanders. I'd also like to
recognize our coaching staff, training staff and players for all of their hard
work."
The
Islanders currently sit last in the Metro (17-17-8) at the half way point of
the season and last in the east with 42 points, one of the worst point totals
in the league. They still have games at hand and are only 7 points behind the
Hurricanes for 8th in the east. Jaroslav Halak was sent to
Bridgeport and now Jack Capuano was relieved of his duties. Whether it’s another
move in management or on the roster, the next change will come when it comes.
Let’s
continue to support the guys.
Per Elliott Friedman, “Hearing NYI have
permission to talk to former Florida coach Gerard Gallant. He was an Islanders'
assistant from 2007-09.” Arthur Staple is reporting the permission was granted before Capuano firing.
Isles Notes:
Thomas
Greiss got his 2nd shutout as an Islander yesterday in a 4-0 win over the
Boston Bruins.
Josh Bailey
has 12 points (1 & 11) in his last 12 games.
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