This man in the picture is Travis Green, and he has had plenty of reasons to smile lately. From the time he took over on an interim basis as head coach of the Portland Winterhawks while Mike Johnston was serving a suspension for violations relating to recruiting in November 2012, he posted a record of 37-8-0-2 and would go on to lead the Winterhawks to an Ed Chynoweth Trophy and within one game of a Memorial Cup. Due to that run of success, the Utica Comets (the former Peoria Rivermen) came calling and Green is now heading to Utica to accept the head coaching job there. A former NHL player, Green was on the Winterhawks' staff as an assistant coach beginning in November 2008. He was on the coaching staff that has seen the Winterhawks win back-to-back-to-back Western Conference Championships (he was head coach on the most recent team) and was a calming presence on a team that could have folded after Johnston was lost for the season. With Johnston returning to the team as head coach, he will now have to fill a coaching vacancy that won't be easily replaced, but with success, opportunities will open at higher levels, and for Green, he's now one step closer to the NHL coaching ranks.
No comments:
Post a Comment