The prospective Seattle NHL expansion franchise added has added Dave Tippett as a senior advisor. He served as the head coach of the Arizona Coyotes and the Dallas Stars but was not working with an NHL team in 2017-18.
NHL Column: Former Arizona Coyotes coach Dave Tippett hired by Seattle NHL group as senior advisor — for now. Will help oversee all aspects of the organization’s development. https://t.co/XhBKxjuIJ4 #NHL #NHLSeattle #Coyotes
— Geoff Baker (@GeoffBakerTIMES) June 18, 2018
The news was first reported by Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times and the story was confirmed by Sportsnet’s John Shannon.
Seattle Hires Dave Tippett
Tippett will lead many facets of the franchise and may become the team’s first head coach pending Seattle’s entry into the league is approved. All of that includes the construction of a training facility and finding an American Hockey League affiliate.
The expansion bid is led by Tod Leiweke and it could be voted into the NHL soon. However, no specific date has been set.
Tippett recorded a record of 553-413-28-120 between his 14 seasons in charge of the Stars and Coyotes. He won the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in 2009-10 after leading the Coyotes to the postseason.
The Moosomin, Saskatchewan native also had a long on-ice career as he totaled 93 goals and 169 assists for 262 points in 762 NHL games. He played with the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL. Tippett wrapped up his playing days with the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League.
“The challenge of trying to build a team from the foundation up is something not a lot of people get the chance to do,’’ Tippet told Baker last week. “That’s what makes it very intriguing to me.’’
What It Means for the Future
Tippett has a wealth of knowledge and connections to players like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. He also has connections to the area as his daughter goes to the University of Washington.
He has much experience and will hope to lead Seattle to expansion success just like the Vegas Golden Knights. However, that may be hard to come by.
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