The Buffalo Sabres have a new head coach.
Housely has been hired as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 15, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Phil Housley is a Hall of Fame player who played 1,495 games in the NHL. Housley was drafted 6th overall by the Sabres in the 1982 NHL Draft and would go on to be one of the best defenders to play the game. During his playing career he managed to score 338 goals and 894 assists for 1,232 points.
Housley began coaching in the US High School system in Minnesota, but his first big coaching gig came in 2013 when Housley was named the head coach of the US National Junior Team.
Housley would lead that team, captained by Sabres’ D-Man Jake McCabe to a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Tournament. After his success at the World Juniors Housley was named an assistant coach on Barry Trotz’ Nashville staff in the 2013-14 season.
Housley served as an assistant for Nashville for the last four seasons, and was very successful. He helped the team capture their first ever Western Conference Championship and was credited with turning their blueline into one of the NHL’s best defensive cores.
Housley was introduced as the Sabres’ head coach earlier today and had an interesting press conference.
During the press conference we learned about Housley’s coaching style. The following tweets give some insight into what fans can expect.
Phil Housley: “I really believe in development. Highly skilled practices. Having an attacking mindset. Playing fast. Defense involved.”
— SabresFanatics (@SabresFanatics) June 15, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Not a surprise but Housley wants to play with speed on offense & defense. All coaches say this, we’ll see if he means it. I like his chances
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) June 15, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Based off of his press conference it’s safe to say that Housley beleives in playing fast and having the blueline chip in and help on the offensive side of the game while maintaining a defensive mindset. This is a breath of fresh air to Sabres fans considering the minimal production from the blueline last year.
Coach Housley has the right mindset heading into his first job but now it’s time for Housley execute and to unite the locker room and bring a winning culture back to the Sabres.
On a side note fans also learned that forward Kyle Okposo is expected to make a full recovery and join the team for training camp which is great news for Kyle and the organization.
Do you think Housley can have success early in his coaching career? Is he the right fit for Buffalo? Let us know on social media @SabresFanatics and myself @austin_broad.
information for this article provided by hockey database and The Buffalo News.
