NHL Hockey: Gwozdecky Ready to make Leap to NHL Coaching

Here’s the press release from the Tampa Bay Lightning site for George Gwozdecky being hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant coach. Former Denver defenseman Matt Carle seems happy to have George as his coach again and isn't worried about him not having any NHL experience. “I don’t think it matters that he doesn’t have a lot of NHL coaching experience, because it’s all about how you deal with people,” said Carle.

Tampa Bay Lightning -- The Tampa Bay Lightning have named George Gwozdecky (gwahz-DECK-ee) as assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced. Gwozdecky most recently served as head coach for the University of Denver Pioneers men’s hockey team.

“I am excited to be joining the Tampa Bay Lightning coaching staff and am really looking forward to working with outstanding coaches like Jon (Cooper), Steve (Thomas) and Rick (Bowness),” Gwozdecky said. “The opportunity to coach in an organization with such highly-respected ownership and excellent front office leadership, as well as a talented mix of veteran and young players in a great community like Tampa Bay is the chance of a lifetime.”

"We are pleased to add George to the coaching staff," Yzerman said. "He brings a wealth of experience to the bench and we feel he will be a valuable addition to the organization."

Gwozdecky, 60, spent 19 seasons at Denver as head coach, posting a 443-267-64 record in 774 games. He led the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2004 and 2005 and earned National Coach of the Year honors in 1993 and 2005. In addition he was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1995, 2002, 2005 and 2010. With Gwozdecky behind the bench, Denver became a perennial Top 10 program that, in addition to two national championships, also won three WCHA regular season and four WCHA playoff titles. They are the only team in NCAA hockey to have recorded at least 20 wins in each of the previous 12 seasons. During his tenure with the Pioneers, Gwozdecky helped the team to 15 20-win seasons, nine with 25 or more and a pair of campaigns with at least 30.

A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Gwozdecky ranks 11th all-time in NCAA men’s hockey for wins with 593. Prior to joining Denver, Gwozdecky was head coach for the Miami (Ohio) University Red Hawks. He served there for five seasons, winning the school’s first CCHA title and earning its first NCAA tournament bid. While at Miami he won the Spencer Penrose Award as National Coach of the Year as well as a pair of CCHA coach of the year honors. He was added to the Miami University “Cradle of Coaches” Hall of Fame in 2006. Before joining the Red Hawks he served as an assistant for the Michigan State Spartans following a stint as the bench boss at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Gwozdecky was a four-year letterman at the University of Wisconsin and graduated in 1978 with a degree in physical education. The forward was a member of the Badgers’ 1977 National Championship team. Gwozdecky was inducted into the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame in 1994.

Married with a daughter, Gwozdecky was the only coach in NCAA hockey history to win a Division I National Championship as a player (Wisconsin, 1977), assistant coach (Michigan State, 1986) and as a head coach (Denver, 2004 and 2005).

Claude Julien vindicated...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeAs a Boston Bruins fans I must admit that I have been critical of Claude Julien in the past... I think with his teams efforts on the ice this spring I believe he has vindicated himself with advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals  against the Vancouver Canucks, there were rumblings that if Claude Julien's team didn't get out of the second round Claude might get relieved of his coaching duties.

So if you look at it from another unexamined angle; while Claude Julien's Bruins teams have beaten the Montreal Canadians two out of the three times his Bruins have played them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Bruins also have faced some adversity... Last season after having a three games to none lead and a three goal lead in game seven the Bruins ended up chocking and losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in game seven. This season his team rebounded to beat the Flyers in four games to  exercise the demons from last season. Finally tonight; Julien's team advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs by beating a very good Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team... How do I like him now?

Chad Finn --- Boston Globe ---- If there was a concern among fans that that Roloson's ability to keep the Bruins off the board would lead to Tampa Bay stealing it on a fluky goal, it might have been justified. But the Bruins themselves never thought that way, maintaining their resolve even when frustration could have seeped in.

The evidence that the Bruins always kept their faith even as Roloson stymied them time and again became clear to Julien in the second intermission.

"When I walked into the locker room before the third period, I didn't have much to say," said Julien. "When I was outside, I could hear the points they were making, and they were bang-on. The attitude was that eventually we will get rewarded. And that's exactly what happened. I couldn't be prouder of the approach we took all throughout this game. We never let up once."

The victory also was a vindication of sorts for the coach, who as recently as the first-round series with Montreal -- in which the Bruins lost the first two games before winning in seven -- was perceived to be coaching for his job in some corners. Julien said that talk never gets to him.

"I say this all the time, but I don't care what anyone says. It doesn't bother me, and I don't really hear it," he said. "What matters to me is what happens in that dressing room. And as much as I'm getting criticism from some people, I'm getting pats on the back from others."

After the Bruins victory tonight, Julien can expect many more of the latter.

Related articles

• Claude Julien looks to improve his Boston record in elimination games tonight against Guy Boucher (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• 2011 NHL Playoffs: Can Zdeno Chara Solve the Boston Bruins' Powerplay Issues? (bleacherreport.com)
• Bruins coach Claude Julien cryptic about whether or not Patrice Bergeron plays tonight (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Go Bruins (infieldchatter.wordpress.com)

Bergeron hit on Krejci

This was the hit that everyone was talking about tonight, Lightning defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron puts the woods to Bruins forward David Krejci. The check by Bergeron was ruled to be a 2 minute minor penalty for elbowing and the head coach for the Lightning Guy Boucher went nuts on the players bench.

My question is; do you think the ref made the right call on this hit? I believe it's a grey area and I didn't have a problem with the call because it looks like Krejci was hit in the face... That being said, Krejci should also be more aware coming through the neutral zone, David had his head down yet again, you'd think Krejci would have learned after being taken out by Mike Richards the year before. Was it a penalty, the Tampa Bay head coach didn't think so?

Ending of game one between Boston and Tampa Bay.

Check out this exchange between the Bruins and Tampa Bay at the end of game one, Lucic and Horton were given a 2 and a 10 for their lack of composure. These two are lucky that the Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice didn't spin in their disfavor, because it's an ill advised and classless move to punch an unexpecting opponent in the face at the end of a game that has already been decided, this is coming from a Boston Bruins fan..