Craig MacTavish interviews for vacant Minnesota Wild coaching post
[…] MacTavish has been interviewed by Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher for their vacant head coach job. It’s only the preliminary stage in Fletcher’s plan to find a new coach, but MacTavish was also in the running two years ago when Fletcher went for a younger face, Todd Richards. MacTavish, who coached the Oilers from 2000-09, got his master’s degree in business from Queen’s University late last year, and he has worked for TSN for the past two seasons. But he’s a coach first.
“I took a break and I’m recharged and want to get back into it,” said MacTavish, without naming where. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity, but the opportunities are few and far between in this business. If it turns into an opportunity for me (somewhere), we’ll see.”
Along with Minnesota, there are coaching vacancies with the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. The Senators and Panthers are rebuilding situations, which probably wouldn’t appeal to MacTavish. The others are Stanley Cup contending teams.
Washington coach Bruce Boudreau is also on the hot-seat after the Capitals went out four straight to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 2, but Caps GM George McPhee said Thursday he has no plans to let his coach go. However, owner Ted Leonsis might have something to say on the matter, too.
Richards was fired after his second season in Minnesota, with a year left on his contract. It’s expected Fletcher will hire somebody with a longer NHL resume this time around, although Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland’s name has come up repeatedly.
Ken Hitchcock, who is coaching Canada’s world championship team in Slovakia, might be in the hunt, but nobody’s contacted him yet.
Dallas, which fired Marc Crawford after the season, likely has to wait until its ownership situation is resolved before hiring a new man with Montreal’s Kirk Muller, a former teammate of Stars GM Joe Niewendyk, a strong possibility there.
New Jersey could be waiting for Hitchcock to return from the worlds after Jacques Lemaire said he wouldn’t be back as head coach
MacTavish, who got the Oilers to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, left the club with one year remaining on his contract.
Where do you want to see Mac T?
| Minnesota | 7 |
| Dallas | 2 |
| New Jersey | 0 |
| Washington | 1 |
| Ottawa | 5 |
| Florida | 3 |
| other (explain in comments) | 2 |