The search for the 10th general manager in Ranger history began and ended in Edmonton … or maybe it was La Quinta, Calif., where Glen Sather maintains a modest little home known not so facetiously as the Western White House.
Wherever the location of the hunt, the Garden got its prey, as it inevitably seems to do. Today, after weeks of speculation, after numerous reports premature by only days that the deal had been done, the press conference will be staged on Broadway with Sather officially introduced as the Garden’s newest hockey savior.
That Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals will be played tonight some six miles away from the Manhattan arena that hasn’t hosted a single playoff game in three years was not a concern of the Garden, which also has to manage its media events around the Knicks.
It is believed that Sather, who arrived here last night after a cross-country flight, has agreed to a three-year contract in the neighborhood of $12 million with mutual options belonging to both him and the team to extend the agreement an additional two years.
So now that the identity of Neil Smith’s successor is no longer a (wink, wink) question – we’re told that within days of Smith’s dismissal, Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan had learned that Lou Lamoriello would not toss his hat into the ring – the next and most immediate question is whether Kevin Lowe will choose to come east with Sather and become the Rangers’ head coach, or whether Lowe will remain in Edmonton to become the Oilers’ next general manager.
A variety of well-informed sources yesterday told The Post that Lowe, who won his sixth Cup in 1994 with the Rangers during his four-year stay on Broadway, is conflicted and has yet to make that decision. Lowe believes he owes loyalty to the Oilers, believes he’s ready to become a GM and enjoys the lifestyle Edmonton affords him, his wife and four young children.
But we’re told Lowe was disappointed with the results of a recent meeting he had with the three-man Oilers negotiating committee consisting of chairman Cal Nichols, vice-chairman Terry Bean and secretary/treasurer Gary Gregg. That trio was culled from the 12-man Board of Directors, itself distilled from the 37-man ownership group.
The second high-profile question, one that cannot be definitively answered until July 1, is whether Sather’s ascension to the throne will guarantee Mark Messier’s return home. The Captain, who has been on his annual post-season fishing expedition to the Bahamas, will become an unrestricted free agent upon the expiration of his Vancouver contract. It is believed Messier will get the invite.
“I’d bet my bottom dollar on it,” an individual close to both Sather and Messier said yesterday. “Everyone in that scenario comes out a hero.”
Sather, who played 188 games for the Rangers from 1970-73 – he was acquired from Pittsburgh for Syl Apps, Jr., not one of Emile Francis’ headiest moves – is believed committed to restructuring the Ranger hockey department. Mike Gillis, an Ontario-based agent who in the past was a leading candidate for the GM position in both Vancouver and Toronto before withdrawing his name from consideration, may become part of the new hockey regime here.
In an interesting twist, John Muckler has emerged as a prime candidate to return to Edmonton to replace Sather if Lowe comes to New York.
“There have been conversations,” Muckler said last night. “I am interested in learning more; there are a lot of questions to be asked about the direction of that franchise, which can still be a darn good one, and a lot of answers to be heard.”
The questions about Sather, a five-time Cup-winner, are whether the last eight straight losing seasons in Edmonton are a function just of the budget or of more than that; whether the horrendous drafting record over the last 15 years is a function of budget or something more than that?
But there is no question, no question whatsoever, that the Garden got its man.