Kilrea

How come this guy never coached in the NHL?

From TSN:

Brian Kilrea turned down a chance to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. He preferred to remain behind the bench with Ottawa's major junior team.

During the 1988-89 NHL season, with the Leafs in disarray and destined to miss the playoffs, George Armstrong was reluctantly handed the coaching reins and didn't like the job. He wanted Kilrea to talk to owner Harold Ballard about the position. 'George Armstrong called me to come down and talk to Mr. Ballard,'' Kilrea said Monday while reminiscing before his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I told George I was going to stay (in Ottawa) where I could have fun in junior hockey. I made the right decision and I'm just thankful for it."


Kilrea, 69, has always been most interested in developing teens into NHL prospects. He had a two-year stint as an assistant with the New York Islanders (1984-1986) and that was enough. He could have left Ottawa again but he declined.

According to most, he was a little too buddy-buddy with the players. They loved him, and he loved him back, but that doesn't really cut it for a NHL head coach in the modern era. He still gets calls and visits from a lot of the old Isles greats he worked with in his brief stint there.

Probably a similar comparison could be made with Larry Robinson as a coach. He's gone on record saying he's not the guy to crack the whip and get players in line (it's why he quit the Debs). It works for a while, but at a certain point, players begin to take advantage.

Funny thing is, you should hear the mouth on the guy...cursing a storm or something, I think he puts sailor's to shame...lol