Sharks coach speaks on Heatley, playoff struggles

Friday, October 30, 2009 | Feedback | Print Entry

You probably didn't know that San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan had a brief five-game stint as a player in the NHL. During the 1987-88 season, he had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who selected him with the 104th overall pick in the 1986 draft.

Injuries cut McLellan's playing career short. One road blocked, he pursued another avenue behind the bench. Now 42, McLellan spent several years coaching at the junior and minor league level, before jumping to the big time in 2005. That year he landed an assistant coaching job under Mike Babcock in Detroit. After helping the Wings win a Stanley Cup in 2008, McLellan accepted the Sharks' job. In Year 2, he's focused on getting San Jose on track for a championship.

On Thursday afternoon, McLellan took a few minutes to answer five questions.

HRADEK: Through 13 games, the Sharks are 8-4-1. Right now, how do you feel about the team?

MCLELLAN: Recordwise, I think all us coaches would like to win them all. That's not realistic, though. With us, when I consider we've played nine [of 13] on the road and we've traveled a lot, I'll take it. Overall, I feel we've been inconsistent. I've expressed that to the players. We have to be better night in and night out.

 
 

To see what McLellan thinks about the chemistry between Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, as well as his advice to borderline players like himself, you must be an ESPN Insider.
  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


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