Sharks’ AHL team getting new coach
Roy Sommer, who holds the American Hockey League record for career coaching victories, is stepping away from the ice to become a senior adviser with the San Jose Barracuda, the team announced Wednesday.
Sommer, 65, who led the San Jose Sharks’ top minor-league teams to 808 victories in 24 AHL seasons, will be succeeded behind the bench by former Sharks forward and 2018 U.S. Olympian John McCarthy.
Sommer, who also holds the AHL record with 1,736 games coached, had stints as an assistant with the Sharks in 1997-98 and during the 2019-20 season.
“Roy is a legendary figure in hockey and his accomplishments both on the ice and in player development speak for themselves,” Sharks interim general manager Joe Will said in a statement posted on the Barracuda’s website. “We thank him for nearly a quartercentury behind the bench of the Barracuda and the Sharks, and we are excited that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward.”
McCarthy, 35, was a development coach for the Barracuda for the past two seasons.
“I am honored to be named the head coach of the San Jose Barracuda,” McCarthy said in a statement released by the team. “I have been a member of this organization for 13 years and could not be happier to have this opportunity. I’d like to thank the organization for putting their faith in me to lead this group, and I’m excited to get to work on developing the next wave of players for the Sharks.”
Hurricanes take Game 1 in overtime
Ian Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of overtime to help the Hurricanes beat the Rangers 2-1 in Raleigh, N.C., to take Game 1 of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series on Wednesday.
The defenseman’s second career playoff goal capped a late comeback by the Hurricanes after they trailed most of the night. Sebastian Aho finally pushed one past Shesterkin in
the final minutes of the third period to send the game into OT.
Then came Cole’s rebound shot, which clipped the stick of New York defenseman Ryan Lindgren to change direction on the way toward the net before slipping past Shesterkin.
Carolina also got a key effort from Antti Raanta, who had 27
saves and helped the Hurricanes hang around as the Rangers controlled play through the first two periods.
Filip Chytil scored a firstperiod goal for New York and Shesterkin finished with 24 saves.
Briefly: Vegas captain Mark Stone is scheduled to have back surgery Thursday, the Las
Vegas Sun reported. Stone’s back issues resulted in four stints on injured reserve this season . ... Kings GM Rob Blake has agreed to a three-year extension, the Athletic reported. ... Florida defenseman Ben Chariot was fined $5,000 for head-butting Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton during the team’s East semifinals opener Tuesday.