Family helped to ease exit for McLellan
Coach let Sharks know how he felt aboutmoving on
SAN JOSE — Todd McLellan spent the last week looking for answers that led to Monday’s announcement that he and the Sharks were going their separate ways by mutual agreement.
“Where were we going? How quick could we get there,” he said he asked general manager Doug Wilson and others about the rebuild the team is going through with McLellan having one year left on his contract.
The big question for his family was a difficult one, too. Leaving the Sharks could mean uprooting his wife and the younger of their two teenage sons, 15year- old Cale, from their Willow Glen home. Ultimately, they came up with an alternate plan.
“We’re passionate about the community,” McLellan said. “My youngest son here is deeply entrenched in his high school. Our discussion was, ‘ Can we do this — being apart from each other, not packing the moving van?’ That was a huge priority for me. … And we made a decision we could do this.”
When he and his family agreed they could survive time apart, things fell into place quickly. And Wilson — whose own job evaluation by owner Hasso Plattner has not been completed — acknowledged there was no effort to change McLellan’s mind after hearing that he felt it was time to move on.
“We never got to that point,” Wilson said, not after McLellan told him that. “We would have gotten to a point, but him reaching out to me and coming to me, that’s how it worked.”
McLellan’s staff is leaving,
The Sharks did not try to change Todd McLellan’s mind after the coach decided to move on. too, as assistant coaches Jim Johnson and Jay Woodcroft as well as video coordinator Brett Heimlich were fired by the Sharks. Associate coach Larry Robinson already had moved into his full- time role of director of player development at the end of this season. All, including McLellan, will be compensated for the time remaining on their contracts.
There were indications that McLellan and Wilson were not always on the same page this season as San Jose failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003. But neither made reference to any personal differences in separate, but cordial news conferences
Instead, Wilson talked about what he might be looking for in his next coach, and McLellan talked about his future — first coaching Team Canada in next month’s World Championship tournament, later coaching another NHL team.
Wilson said the Sharks would be looking for “a guy who can basically get
TODD MCLELLAN’S HEAD COACHING RECORD
Year
Team
Record 2008– 09 Sharks 53- 18- 11 Postseason: Eliminated in first round 2009– 10 Sharks 51- 20- 11 Postseason: Eliminated in conference finals 2010– 11 Sharks 48- 25- 9 Postseason: Eliminated in conference finals 2011– 12 Sharks 43- 29- 10 Postseason: Eliminated in first round 2012– 13 Sharks 25- 16- 7 Postseason: Eliminated in second round 2013– 14 Sharks 51- 22- 9 Postseason: Eliminated in first round 2014– 15 Sharks 40- 33- 9 Postseason: Missed playoffs the most out of players. You take a look around the league right now, some teams that are trending well, playing hard, holding people accountable. Our coaching staff was a very good coaching staff and they did all those things. We’re now looking for somebody to come in and take us to the next level.”
The general manager said he was in no hurry to make a decision and that the pool of candidates could come from the NHL, minor leagues, colleges and junior
Points
113
105
Finish
1st
1st
1st
2nd
3rd
2nd
5th hockey programs.
“I’m not sure it’s going to be time- sensitive,” Wilson said. “It’s more important for us to get a guy that fits for us for a long time — that’s our history. And it’s not just the head coach, it’s the full staff. We’re going to be very thorough in this.”
And a coach’s system does matter.
“We’re trying to match somebody that sees where the game is going like we do,” Wilson said. “We’re acquiring players that are puck possession people, so you don’t want a square peg in a round hole.”
McLellan, 47, compiled a 311- 155- 66 mark over seven full seasons after coming to San Jose from the Detroit Red Wings, where he was an assistant. With San Jose, he won three Pacific Division titles. And though his teams reached the Western Conference finals in 2010 and 2011, he had a 30- 32 record in the postseason, where San Jose continued to fall short of expectations.
He figures to be a coach in demand, as McLellan’s name popped up for vacancies with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers even before he left the Sharks. More openings are expected over the next few weeks.
“I’m a coach, I want to coach,” said McLellan, whose tenure was third in the NHL behind Detroit’s Mike Babcock and Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien. “I’m excited about coaching again. If I get that opportunity, it will have to be right for me and for that team if it does exist out there. I would like to keep going and do what I do.”
McLellan has connections in Toronto, where former Red Wings player Brendan Shanahan is president of the Maple Leafs, and Edmonton, where Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish’s son Sean was a teammate of McLellan’s older son Tyson in the United States Hockey League last season.
If contacted by multiple teams, McLellan said, “I’ll look at the people in the organization. I think that’s so important to have the right people in the right spots, and then with the team you figure out if there’s a chance for success and what kind of impact I can have. ... I’ll be open to anything, really.” answers I got, it was time,” McLellan said. “Part of it, I controlled and part of it the team controlled. We finalized things yesterday.”
McLellan declined to elaborate on what “some of the answers” were that led to his choice. So did Wilson. We may eventually learn. Right now, there’s a head coaching search to be done. The pressure is on Wilson to find someone better than McLellan to stand behind the bench, which won’t be easy. The Sharks might not even have a head coach by the time of the NHL draft in late June.
“We will do a thorough search, and I’m not sure it’s going to be time sensitive,” Wilson said. “It’s more important for us to get the guy that fits for us for a long time.”
Next season is a huge one for Wilson. His team must demonstrate conclusively that his rebuild plan is working — or demonstrate it more conclusively than it did this past season, anyway.
At some point this spring, Possible coaching candidates for the Sharks: DAN BYLSMA n Last NHLjob: Pittsburgh Penguins ( 2009- 2014) n Notes: Bylsma led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2009 after taking over with 25 games left in the regular season and is viewed as an upbeat coach who stresses positive reinforcement, which could help the Sharkswith their mix of veterans and desire to nurture young talent. KEVIN DINEEN n Current job: Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach ( hired in 2014) nNotes: Was Florida’s coach from 2011- 13and was known then tostresspuck possession, exactly the style the Sharkswant toplay. PAUL MACLEAN n Last NHL job: Ottawa Senators ( 2011- 2015) nNotes: MacLean led the Senators to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2013. Part of the Mike Babcock coaching tree, having been an assistant in Detroit for six seasons and two seasons in Anaheim under Babcock. JEFF BLASHILL n Current job: Coach of Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s AHL affiliate ( 2012- 2015) nNotes: If Babcockstays in Detroit, Blashill, considered one of the top young coaches in hockey, might become available. Also stressespuck possession.
— CURTIS PASHELKA Wilson also will receive an evaluation from his boss. The general manager said he last spoke to Plattner face- to- face a month ago, although they have spoken almost daily by phone since then. But there will be another face- to- face encounter in the near term.
Perhaps that meeting will occur at the World Championships in Prague later this month or early next. Wilson said he will be there for scouting purposes. Plattner only has to take a short flight from his European residence.
McLellan, of course, also will be in Prague. He will serve as head coach of Team Canada. You know, just in case they want to join him for a beer. By mutual agreement. Parker, recovering from TommyJohn surgery, could be on the mound with Oakland by the end of May with the news that Parker’s next appearance will be Thursday for SingleA Stockton in a game at Visalia. He’ll be down to throw four innings and about 60 pitches.
Ben Zobrist was out of n the lineup with a left knee injury suffered Sunday in Kansas City. Melvin said there was an outside chance Zobrist would play in the Angels series.
Vogt batted third n with Zobrist not available. With a walk and three- run homer, Vogt has six hits in his last 11 at- bats, including two doubles and three homers.
Lefty starter Sean Nolin n threw two innings and 35 pitches in Arizona on Monday, and Melvin said “everything was good” as Nolin recovers from sports hernia surgery. Nolin’s fastball hit 89 mph, and he was able to throw all of his pitches.