From: farenebt@craft.camp.clarkson.edu (Bri Farenell ("Droopy"))
Subject: REPOST: AHL off-season news
Organization: Clarkson University
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 04:44:13 GMT

AHL OFF-SEASON NEWS
Adirondack head coach Barry Melrose was named head coach of the Los Angeles
Kings. Melrose was promised the head coaching job in Detroit in 1993-94 after
Bryan Murray announced that 1992-93 would be his last season; Melrose then said
that he would stay with the Wings' organization unless the Kings made him an
outstanding offer. The deal Melrose signed was reportedly $800,000 over 4
years making him the highest-paid rookie coach ever. Ironically, Melrose
replaced Tom Webster, another man who coached Adirondack to a Calder Cup.
Sault Ste Marie coach Ted Nolan was the favorite to get the job but he took
himself out of the running (family considerations, he said). Former New Haven
coach and 1992 Coach of the Year Doug Carpenter was then expected to get the
job but then the Wings announced that they had made up a list of finalists and
Carpenter was not on it. Eventually, the Wings named Michigan Tech head coach
Newell Brown to replace Melrose. Brown had a 29-47-? record in 2 yrs at MTU.

AHL President Jack Butterfield was re-elected for another two-year term.
Butterfield has been the league's top man since 1966-67.
					
Utica Devils' head coach Herb Brooks was promoted to New Jersey. New Jersey
assistant Robbie Ftorek will replace Brooks in Utica. Moncton coach Dave
Farrish was named an assistant to Brooks in New Jersey (replacing Ftorek).
Former Baltimore coach Robbie Laird was named Farrish's sucessor.

The Hamilton Canucks became the AHL's 16th team on May 20 as it was officially
granted an expansion franchise. Former New Haven General Manager Pat Hickey
will hold the same position with Hamilton. Jack McIlhargery, who coached the
Milwaukee Admirals this year (Vancouver's old affiliate) will be the new
coach in Hamilton. The Canucks will play in the spacious Copps
Coliseum. Hamilton joins Rochester, Hershey, Utica, Binghamton
and Baltimore in the Southern Division. They also hired former Sabre
Rick Vaive as a player/assistant coach.

The New Haven Nighthawks officially became the New Haven Senators. The team
changed its name just after its first round loss to Adirondack. The Nighthawks
were an independent team in 1991-92 but accrued an impressive 82 points.
 
Cape Breton chose not to extend the contract of head coach Don MacAdam
who coached the Oilers since they moved to Sydney (Nova Scotia) from
Halifax in 1988. Ex-Niagara Falls (OHL) Thunder coach George Burnette will be
the Oilers' coach in 1992-93.

The Boston Bruins affiliate moved from (Portland,) Maine to Providence. The
Maine Mariners folded after 15 years at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
They will now call the 12,000 seat Providence Civic Center home. The Providence
Bruins will remain in the Northern Division.
 
In "assistant" news, Adirondack assistant Glenn Merkosky will be leaving the
team to take over as head coach of the OHL's Sudbury Wolves next season.

Rochester head coach Don Lever was promoted to the assistant coaching
position in Buffalo; He swaps jobs with John Van Boxmeer who returns
to Rochester as the 2nd winningest coach in team history. 

Hershey coach Mike Eaves reportedly turned down an offer to become head coach
of the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after his contract with the Flyers'
organization was extended.

In it's new emphasis on divisional play and cutting travel expenses, it was
announced that 4 teams would not play the St John's Maple Leafs this season.
They are Springfield, Utica, Binghamton and New Haven.

The AHL announced that it would adopt all of the new rule changes
instituted by the NHL. This includes the controversial helmet-optional
rule.

The league announced a slight modification in its playoff format: 2 
opponents who are more than 200 miles apart would play a 2-3-2 home
format instead of last yr's 2-2-1-1-1. Teams within 200 miles 
would play a 2-2-1-1-1 home format instead of last yr's 1-1-1-1-1-1-1.
 
In a surprising but shrewd development, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed
Binghamton forward Rob Zamuner. Zamuner was probably the AHL's top young
prospect (sorry, St John's fans) and New York was expecting him to contribute
the their 1992-93 effort. He is expected to be the Lightning's first-line
center. Binghamton also lost forward Jody Hull who was signed by Ottawa.

The expansion draft took a few top AHL players. Binghamton lost goalie Mark
LaForest to Ottawa and Jeff Bloemberg to Tampa Bay. Ottawa also took Adirondack
winger Lonnie Loach, Moncton defenseman Kent Paynter, Hershey forward Darren
Rumble and Rochester's Brad Miller. The Lightning also nabbed right wingers
Shayne Stevenson from Maine and Keith Osborne of St John's as well as
Fredericton goalie Frederic Chabot. Chabot was later traded back to the Habs
for his teammate in Fredericton, J-C Bergeron.

				
COACHING CHANGE TOTEBOARD
Team			Out			In
Adirondack		Barry Melrose		Newell Brown
Moncton			Dave Farrish		Robbie Laird
New Haven		Doug Carpenter		Don MacAdam
Cape Breton		Don MacAdam		George Burnette
Utica			Herb Brooks		Robbie Ftorek
Maine/Providence	EJ McGuire		Mike O'Connell
Halifax			(forgot)		Doug Carpenter
Rochester		Don Lever		John Van Boxmeer
Baltimore		Robbie Laird		Barry Trotz*

*-Trotz took over as interim coach in the regular season and was
hired fulltime in the off season.		

THE RUMOR MILL 
Efforts are currently under-way to get a new team for Maine.  One of the more
intriguing rumors was that some Portland businessmen would sign some European
players to to contracts. The rumor had the free-lance team going after an AHL
expansion franchise as an independent. I've heard nothing more on this rumor
but I think it's unlikely that the AHL would grant an expansion franchise to an
unaffiliated team. Also, Portland businessmen said that they had contacted
Utica's ownership about moving the Devils to Maine.  This would be ironic since
the Devils' farm team was in Maine from 1981 until it moved to Utica in 1987.
 
-----
Bri Farenell				CONGRATS TO 1992 CALDER CUP  
Clarkson '95					CHAMPIONS
farenebt@craft.camp.clarkson.edu  	  THE ADIRONDACK RED WINGS
rec.sport.hockey's AHL contact	      ALSO: 1981, 1986 AND 1989 CHAMPS
-----							
"Eleven Israelis were dead. Machine guns were everywhere. Who knew what
would happen next. Going on made sense only if you believed in the idea
of sport as more than a game."	---Dave Kindred, on the 1972 Olympics
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey