Tampa Bay might have found its lightning rod

Sporting News, The, July 26, 1999 by Larry Wigge

We all know flexibility is the order of the business of coaching in the NHL. That's why Tampa Bay general manager Rick Dudley fired former Stanley Cup champion coach Jacques Demers and replaced him with someone with no NHL experience. "In today's game, there's a new wave of coach," Dudley says. "The old coach said this is my system, and you will do it. The newwave coach says I have to be able to adjust because not everything I do every day is going to work against everything someone else does."

In Tampa Bay and Atlanta, new G.M.'s Dudley and Don Waddell went to the International Hockey League to find energetic, young coaches. Dudley chose Detroit's Steve Ludzik, and Waddell selected Orlando's Curt Fraser.

"You have to pay your dues in the minors, learn to do countless jobs and face different kinds of game situations to be able to adjust to what you face in the NHL each night," Dudley says.

Tampa Bay and Atlanta won't catch lightning in a bottle this season, but the Dudley/Ludzik and Waddell/Fraser management groups will pay dividends sooner than you might think with this kind of new-wave thinking.

More inside dish this week:

After Lance Pitlick signed with the Panthers, the best free-agent defenseman available was Sylvain Lefebvre. The Rangers blew Toronto and Montreal away with a four-year, $12 million often The Rangers have scoured the free-agent waters for wingers Theo Fleury and Valeri Kamensky, center Tim Taylor, defensemen Lefebvre and Stephane Quintal and goaltender Kirk McLeanand made themselves playoff contenders if coach John Muckler can create the right chemistry.... Hurricanes captain Keith Primeau says he will not agree to arbitration on his request for $6 million a year, which means the big center holds out or gets traded. Florida G.M. Bryan Murray can't wait to make a bid for Primeau.... Canucks G.M. Brian Burke says not to be deceived by the 37 points center Andrew Cassels had with Calgary last season. Burke will encourage Cassels to be more offensive in Vancouver. He remembers Cassels when the two were together in Hartford in 1992-93 and Cassels totaled 83 points.... The champion Stars just got better by acquiring hard-hitting defenseman Jamie Pushor from Atlanta for left wing prospect Jason Botterill.... Look for the Oilers to try for a little old-time magic when they sign veteran goaltender Bill Ranford-one of the main authors of Edmonton's 1990 Stanley Cupthis week. Ranford, who failed in his attempt to rekindle his career in Detroit at the end of last season, was to make $3 million before his contract was bought out by the Red Wings. He'll take $1 million to sign with the Oilers and back up Tommy Salo.... Phoenix will find that free agent Todd Gill will be an OK No. 5 defenseman, but he won't replace the talent Oleg Tverdovsky brought to the team.... The decision by the Oilers' 37 owners to keep the team's payroll at $22 million will soon cost them former 100-point center Doug Weight, defenseman Roman Hamrlik or power forward Bill Guerin. One rumor has Philadelphia's Chris Therien, who makes about $1 million less than Hamrlik, headed to Edmonton for Hamrlik.

Associate editor Larry Wigge covers hockey for THE SPORTING NEWS. E-mail him at wigge@sportingnews.com.