ALLENTOWN — Is it fair to call it a “new era” in Phantoms hockey considering the Lehigh Valley version of the team is still an infant?
Maybe not, but the introduction of a new head coach with 15 seasons of coaching experience in the American and National Hockey Leagues — one who earned the Coach of the Year honor the last time he coached a full season in the AHL, could be cause to do a little happy dance.
52 year old Scott Gordon was officially introduced as the ninth coach in Phantoms history Monday in a press conference held at PPL Center. Gordon, who was officially hired after one interview with Ron Hextall last week, had never been to Allentown prior to accepting the position.
His only knowledge of the Phantoms came from playing them as the head coach of the Providence Bruins from 2000-08. During the 2004 lockout, he recalls playing the Philadelphia Phantoms in the postseason. That team went on to win the Calder Cup and had four players on the roster whose names would later appear on the Stanley Cup. It also included his newest assistant coach, Riley Cote.
“To think of the quality of players who were here at that time and to coach against them, I’m looking forward to coaching the next wave of those players right here in Lehigh Valley,” Gordon said.
While he was not successful coaching two of the worst teams in the NHL at that time (cc. NHL coaching experience) he has proven success in the AHL and a 221-141-13-34 American League head coaching record to prove it.
Q&A with the new head coach
Q: Philadelphia has cultivated a reputation of having very passionate fans, and that carries over to the Phantoms, especially with Lehigh Valley being so close to Philly. Are you up for the challenge of coaching in a win-or-die market?
Gordon: “It is definitely a passionate fan base. I learned that from playing against the Phantoms and the Flyers. The one thing that probably separates it from other teams is they live and die by their teams and that enthusiasm is what brings excitement to the game and to the crowd. I think if you’re in professional sports that enthusiasm carries over to the ice surface and you want to play in front of those types of crowds.”
Q by @marcs797: What do you consider to be the single-most important factor in a young players’ development? If forced to choose one thing…
Gordon: “Probably for me the one thing I identify is how hard they compete; whether it’s to compete for loose pucks, compete to get to the net, compete in your battles defensively. I think anybody and particularly Philly fans, you’re objective is to out-battle your opponent and it stands out when you don’t so that’s one thing that I always take notice to and to make sure that message is relayed to the players.”
Q from @flyers_canada23: In the past, how have you balanced winning with your own system while attempting to match styles with the ‘big-league’ teams?
Gordon: “I think the biggest thing is getting the players to understand that were all in this together and whether you’re playing down here or playing for the parent team you’ve got to learn to play a certain way and more can get accomplished when you play as a team than as individuals.
So if you’re a player and your objective is to get to the NHL its important to buy into what the organization thinks what’s best for you. That starts from day one just making sure that message is getting across.”
Q from @au_sesquip: What is your opinion on if a hot dog is a sandwich?
Gordon: “Uhhhh… no, it’s definitely dinner.”
Gordon’s coaching history
The former goaltender joined the AHL as an assistant coach of the Providence Bruins in 2000, and after three years moved to head coach, where he would guide the team to five playoff appearances in six seasons. In his final year in Providence in 2008, Gordon led his team to a stunning 55-18-7 record and led the league with 117 points, earning him an AHL Coach of the Year honor. The Bruins lost in the Divisional finals of the Calder Cup playoffs that year.
After his spectacular season in 2008, Gordon was offered the head coaching position for the New York Islanders, where he coached two full seasons before being fired 17 games into his third year as an NHL head coach. The Islanders were 4-10-3 when Gordon was let go in 2010. In 2011 he took an assistant coaching position with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he would coach until the 2014 collapse in Toronto. Gordon and two other assistants were fired by the new team president Brendan Shanahan after the Leafs compiled a 2-14 record to close the 2013-14 season.
Gordon spent the last year coaching his son’s travel hockey team, the TPH Thunder. He said coaching his 16-year-old son pushed him to getting back into professional hockey.
“One of the things I took away from that experience is how much I missed that part of coaching where these kids are trying to move to the next level, whether it be junior or college,” Gordon said. “To be able to do that on a day-to-day basis was something that was missing in my life from a coaching aspect.”
