Storm in a glass of water or case to follow? Bob Hartley says it’s option 1.
Hartley’s name was once again linked to the Columbus Blue Jackets as Pascal Vincent’s successor behind the bench on Thursday. But during his daily column on the show Le Retour des sportif, on BPM Sports, Hartley tried to calm things down.
The Franco-Ontarian confirms having indeed contacted Don Waddell, new president of hockey operations and general manager of the Blue Jackets, but it was to offer him his consulting services.
“Just recently, when Don Waddell was appointed, Pascal Vincent called me. He asked me to explain to him how Don worked. I told him: if Don retains your services and tells you that you need a consultant, you can count on my services, Hartley told BPM Sports.
“Last night, I received a call from a friend from the National League,” he continued. He said to me: If Don Waddell doesn’t know, maybe he never will. We are aware that you don’t want to work anywhere and with anyone at your age. So I thought about it and I said to him [Waddell], if you need me in any facet at the Blue Jackets, because of our friendship, I’d be willing to listen. »
At the end of the day, Hartley politely declined La Presse’s request for an interview, while essentially repeating this same explanation.
Let’s recap. Hartley was head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers from 2003 to 2007, with Waddell as general manager. Tuesday morning, informant Elliotte Friedman said Waddell wanted to speak with Hartley.
Tuesday afternoon, Hartley tried to put an end to the speculation, during another column on BPM Sports. “Don’t waste your energy,” said the colorful hockey man. I’m very happy where I am. I have fun. I have a big pickleball game with my friends. […] I moved on. Being a consultant for a serious organization might be worth considering. […] I am very happy where I am. No, that’s not something that interests me. »
“Bob has reached out to me, but I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Waddell responded. We do our homework. Many people will be involved in this process, and many of those I will make this decision with do not know Bob. I won’t say who we’re going to interview. We’ll find out soon. But Bob’s name certainly came up. Everyone knows he coached for me for five years in Atlanta. »
As Hartley has discussed a possible consulting position, would he be a candidate for such a position? “I didn’t think about it for a second,” Waddell said.
The GM clarified that the Jackets are the only team without a coach in the NHL. “So the guys who are available today will also be available tomorrow,” he recalled. Of the 12 names on his preliminary list, he would like to interview “three or four” candidates, meetings he would like to do “around the draft,” which will take place June 28-29.
In addition to Waddell, Johnny Gaudreau, the Jackets’ highest earner, also knows Hartley, who was his first head coach in the NHL. We could add that he has a certain knowledge of Russian culture, since his last mandate, lasting four years, was with the Omsk Avangard. However, Columbus currently has five Russians in its permanent workforce. The kind of knowledge that can do no harm, no matter what role he would play in the organization.
Waddell reiterated the importance of the experience criterion. “We need someone who has already been in this chair, who has already been a head coach in the NHL. We have good options. »
With 944 games behind the bench as head coach, Bob Hartley ranks 34th in NHL history. Todd McLellan, Dave Tippett, Alain Vigneault and Claude Julien are some of the names ahead of him, among those who don’t have jobs elsewhere in the NHL.
Joel Quenneville (1,768 games and 3 Stanley Cups) is by far the most experienced of the lot, but his case is complex since a team that wishes to hire him must obtain authorization from the NHL, in the wake of the Kyle affair Beach, who embarrassed the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It’s not the best idea to talk about what might happen. I’ll let the league answer that,” Waddell said, when asked about Quenneville.