Phil Housley still has work left to do with the Nashville Predators.
Win on Sunday, and the Predators extend the Stanley Cup Final versus the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Game 7 on Wednesday, which will apparently extend the wait of the Buffalo Sabres to interview Housley for their head coaching vacancy.
Housley is currently an assistant coach with the Predators, but has garnered plenty of attention for a potential bench boss gig, given his work with Nashville’s vaunted defense.
BUF is waiting for Cup final to end to interview Housley, and possibly PIT assistant coaches Rick Tocchet and Jacques Martin.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 10, 2017
The latter two names in that report are interesting, as well.
Tocchet’s coaching career has mostly been as an assistant, a title he currently holds in Pittsburgh. But he does have 148 games of NHL head coaching experience with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, Jacques Martin’s head coaching experience in the NHL dates all the way back to 1986, and includes a pair of Eastern Conference Final appearances with Ottawa and then Montreal.
Both Tocchet and Martin also have a connection and familiarity with recently hired Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, who came to Buffalo after 10 years in the Penguins front office, including time as an associate GM.
Tocchet has made it known he would like another shot at an NHL head coaching job.
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