R.I. sends many pro hockey coaches, executives on to bigger things


08:38 PM EDT on Saturday, April 11, 2009

By PAUL KENYON
Journal Sports Writer

Rob Murray started the conversation. By the time everyone was finished, it had turned into a celebration of home pride.

The subject was hockey. Specifically, Rhode Islands tremendous contributions to the game.

Murray, the Providence Bruins coach, is the guy who started it. Murray has made it a seamless transition for the P-Bruins this season. He took over for Scott Gordon, last years AHL coach of the year and now the head coach of the New York Islanders.

All Murray has done is maintain Providences position as one of the AHL powers again this season, not to mention develop the load of young talent that has helped make the Boston Bruins one of the top contenders for the NHL title this season.

Murray is a Toronto native and a 16-year pro who was captain of four different American Hockey League teams, but he has been here long enough to become ours now. As the basketball people claim guys such as Rick Pitino, Rick Barnes and Al Skinner as ours even though they are not native Rhode Islanders, so, too, can Murray be taken in under the Ocean State umbrella. The coach, who lives in South Kingstown, was an assistant for five years for the P-Bruins before taking over the top spot.

He is simply the latest in the amazing line of locals who have made an impact at the professional level. Never mind all of the players the state has produced. The discussion here was simply about coaches and front-office executives.

There are two major trees that have developed. through the years. One is the Providence Bruins connection. The P-Bruins have had a tremendous run of developing successful coaches. The other is probably best called the Lou Lamoriello connection.

Lamoriello is a Johnston native who has spent his entire life in the sport. learned the game at Providence College under the legendary Tom Eccleston. More than four decades into his career, Lamoriello is one of the most successful hockey officials ever. not only for himself but in developing others, as well.

In fact, part of Lamoriellos tree is now involved on still another level. Brian Burke, who played for Lamoriello at PC, is the general manager of the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Ron Wilson, who grew up in East Providence, will be the head coach. And, it was reported last week, Gordon will be his assistant.

The Olympic situation is an amazing display of Rhode Island success in the game, something to be celebrated.

Here is a list of Rhode Islanders now involved in hockey at the pro level. But there may be more. were guessing we might have overlooked omitted some. one or two or 10. Anyone who can help make the list more complete can go to the projo.com Web site where this story will be available, and, by going to the comment section, help complete the list.

The list begins with with all of the Providence Bruins connections and moves on from there.

Scott Gordon: The AHL coach of the year last year, now the head coach of the Islanders and soon to be Olympic assistant.

Mike Sullivan: BU grad began his coaching career with the P-Bruins, advanced to being head coach of the Boston Bruins and is now an assistant with Tampa Bay.

Peter Laviolette: A former P-Bruins player, he went on to coach Providence to an AHL championship and then to direct Carolina to the Stanley Cup title in 2005-06.

Lou Lamoriello: Johnston native and PC grad is one of the most influential men in the game. He is the CEO, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Devils. He has been with the Devils since 1987, has coached briefly, and also has been general manager of the Team USA program.

Brian Burke: He was hired with an $18-million contract, as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs last November. The PC grad has had an extensive career that has included winning a Calder Cup as a player for the Maine Mariners, being a player agent, the NHLs vice president in charge of discipline, general manager of several teams Hartford, Vancouver and Anaheim, and now GM of the U.S. Olympic team.

Ron Wilson: East Providence High and Providence College grad and son of former pro coach Larry Wilson, he played professionally for nine years. mostly in Europe. He now is the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach, the fifth NHL team he has directed. He also is head coach of the U.S. Olympic team.

Brian Lawton: Mount St. Charles grad has had an extensive career. He was the top choice in the 1983 NHL Draft and remains to this day the only U.S. high school player taken first in the draft. He played for 10 seasons, later became a player agent and is now general manager of Tampa Bay.

Garth Snow: Mount St. Charles grad and former NCAA champion at Maine, the former goaltender played professionally for 13 years. Three years ago, soon after retiring, he became general manager of the New York Islanders.

Chris Terreri: The former Pilgrim High and Providence College goalie has stayed in the game as a coach with several teams, currently as an assistant with the Lowell Devils of the AHL.

Jack Capuano: A Cranston native, he played for Mount St. Charles and Maine and then professionally for several years before getting into coaching. He has been an NHL assistant, and is now head coach at Bridgeport of the AHL.

Kurt Kleinendorst: Another of the Lamoriello protégés from PC, he is the head coach at Lowell.

Very interesting.. we definitely know we have had some great Providence coaches!

I wish they would send the current administration on to bigger and better things. Just get them the hell out of Providence so we can have a top three who can see that they have no idea how to market a team. All they care about is putting zombies in the seats and ads on the scoreboard. They don't realize they are in the entertainment business.

On management, I can't agree more. It was GREAT when we had management that loved hockey. They got fans in the seats and offered things that made fans come to the games and made season ticket holders feel special -- and they had many things that made our players feel so very (and they are!!) special. I remember a conversation in 2000 with Landon Wilson and how he said if he had to play in the minors that Providence was "the best place to play in">. He was saying how they loved it because it was "really professional" and he loved how the fans and team got to interact.

Tell that to management now and they look at you like you have three heads!!