The Buffalo Sabres officially announced four new members of Ted Nolan‘s coaching staff on Monday afternoon, including the rumored addition of Bryan Trottier, the hiring of two additional assistant coaches and the hiring of Arturs Irbe as goaltending coach. The team also added two new faces to its hockey department and promoted a long-time member of the organization.
The Buffalo Sabres have added three assistant coaches who will serve under Ted Nolan for the 2014-2015 NHL season.
NEWS: #Sabres announce additions to coaching staff: Bryan Trottier, Danny Flynn, Tom Coolen and Arturs Irbe. Details to follow.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) August 4, 2014
First, there’s former NHLer Bryan Trottier. Reports swirled in the middle of last week that the Sabres had hire Trottier, but no official word came from the team until today. Trottier has both playing and coaching experience in the NHL, has seven Stanley Cup championships under his belt and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
The other new assistant coaches are Danny Flynn and Tom Coolen, both of whom have previously worked with Sabres head coach Ted Nolan.
Flynn most recently served as head coach of the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats from 2007 until 2014. He also has experience in the OHL, having served as head coach of the Belleville Bulls from 1988 until 1990 and also serving in assistant roles with London and Sault Ste. Marie. He worked with Ted Nolan as an assistant coach in the 2006-07 season with the New York Islanders.
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Coolen is one of two men joining the Sabres from the Latvian national team, where he worked with Ted Nolan over the past two seasons, including during the Olympics. His prior experience also includes head coaching stints at Acadia University (1987-1995), assistant coaching positions at the University of New Brunswick and with the AHL’s Saint John Flames, and head coaching positions with a number of teams in the DEL, QMJHL and CHL. Most recently, he served as head coach of the CHL’s Amarillo Gorillas in the 2008-09 season.
In addition to the three assistant coaches, the Sabres have also hired former NHLer Arturs Irbe to serve as the team’s goaltending coach.
Irbe joins the Sabres after working with Nolan as an assistant coach for Team Latvia at the 2013 IIHF World Championships. The former NHLer represented Latvia at the Olympics in 2002 and 2006, played over 500 games in the NHL over a 13-year career, and also has experience as a goaltending coach, serving in that role with Dinamo Riga in 2008-09 and the Washington Capitals from 2009 until 2011.
Also added to the Sabres organization today were two new members of the hockey department.
Rob Murphy and Greg Royce have joined the team as director of scouting and director amateur scouting.
Murphy was previously a pro scout for the Ottawa Senators and Phoenix Coyotes. He played 125 NHL games with Ottawa, Los Angeles and Vancouver after being selected in the 1987 NHL draft.
Royce has 17 years of NHL scouting experience, spending the past six seasons as an amateur scout in Ottawa. He also has experience with the Coyotes and Predators, having previously serrved in coaching roles in the MetJHL. Royce never played an NHL game, but has prior experience in both the OHL and college hockey, as well as internationally, having played in Germany for two seasons.
Finally, Mark Jakubowski has been promoted to assistant general manager after serving nine years with the Sabres. Over that tenure, he’s served as director of hockey administration and the assistant to the general manager. He is also responsible for assistance with the hockey operations of the Rochester Americans.
So — what do you think of these new additions? Are you happy with these guys, wish someone else had been hired, or what? Leave your thoughts in the comments, we’re always eager to hear some feedback from our readers.