Darryl Sutter, coach of the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, will reportedly be named one of the two head coaches for the 2015 NHL All-Star Game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
More, from the Dispatch:
Sutter and his staff -- assistants John Stevens and Davis Payne -- will coach one of the teams, a reward for winning the Stanley Cup last spring. The other staff will be determined by the highest points percentage through Saturday’s games.
As of this morning, that would be Nashville’s Peter Laviolette, with Phil Housley and Kevin McCarthy the assistants. The Predators have 56 points in 39 games, or 1.435 points per game. Anaheim has the most points in the league -- 58 thru 41 games -- but trails slightly (1.415) in points per game.
This coaching format is somewhat similar to that of the 2012 ASG in Ottawa. That year, Claude Julien of the defending Cup champion Bruins coached one team while John Tortorella (Rangers) and Todd McLellan (Sharks) shared coaching duties of the other squad, as their teams were the Eastern and Western Conference leaders in points percentage.