Sharks name Boughner coach
Team also names Thompson as associate coach, Madden as assistant coach
What had been expected for weeks — or months — finally became official Tuesday as the San Jose Sharks named Bob Boughner their full-time head coach.
Boughner, 49, is the ninth fulltime head coach in Sharks history.
The Sharks on Tuesday also named Rocky Thompson as associate coach and John Madden as assistant coach. Thompson, 43, will be responsible for the defensemen and power play and Madden, 47, will oversee the team’s forwards and penalty kill.
“Bob did a tremendous job last season, getting our group back to playing with an identity and structure that we need in order to be successful,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement. “We saw a marked improvement in our play in several key areas during the second half of the season, before losing some key players to injury.
“We’re also very pleased to add Rocky and John to our staff. Both come with a wealth of experience, both in playing the game and as teachers and leaders. With a healthy and motivated group of players, we are confident that this staff will do a terrific job leading our group in the coming years.”
Evgeni Nabokov will return as the team’s goaltending coach, the team announced, and Dan Darrow will remain in his current role of video coach. Charlie Townsend will continue to serve as hockey analyst/assistant to the NHL coaching staff.
Mike Ricci and Roy Sommer, who both spent the final 37 games of the 2019-20 season as assistants under Boughner, go back to familiar roles. Ricci will serve as NHL development coach and Sommer will return to be the head coach of the Barracuda.
Boughner had been the Sharks’ interim coach since Dec. 11 when Pete DeBoer and three members of his staff were fired by the organization.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to return to the San Jose Sharks organization as head coach,” Boughner said in a statement. “I want to thank Hasso Plattner and Doug Wilson for their trust in me. Last year was a difficult season for everyone but I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a group and we made some positive strides over the second half of the year.
“I’ve been in contact with many of our players over the break and, as a coaching staff, we are going to make it clear that our team is going compete every night, play hard and be a tight group on and off the ice.”
Getting the Sharks’ coaching staff in order was one of general manager Doug Wilson’s biggest priorities this offseason. But there are several other decisions that have to be made in the next few weeks as Wilson looks to reshape the roster to help the Sharks get into the playoffs next season.
It should be a busy time.