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Green headed back to coach Utica, after ‘it came right down to the wire’ with the Anaheim Ducks

Rocking Comets Hockey

AP

AP

Travis Green felt he was ready to be a head coach in the NHL, and he came very close to landing the job in Anaheim.

But the Ducks decided instead to bring back Randy Carlyle, so Green will be headed back to Utica for a fourth straight season to coach the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Comets.

“I think it came right down to the wire,” Green told The Province newspaper. “They had to make a tough decision and they went with a guy who has had success in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup (Anaheim, 2007). He’s a very good coach and I have a lot of respect for a lot of coaches, and you hope one day that you find a fit.”

Green is only 45 years old, so he’s got time to be patient. But he’s only got a year left on his contract with the Canucks, and that will only lead to more speculation about his future. Expect his name to be front and center next offseason should any NHL jobs become available. It might even happen sooner, depending what happens this year in Vancouver.

“Timing is everything. It’s not a sprint for me,” Green said. “There’s a reason I went to junior (Portland) for five years and a reason I went to the AHL and have stayed on as a head coach. I talk about the process a lot and I preach it.”