The incoming rookie coach wants his Islanders, who haven’t won a playoff round since 1993, to think big – immediately.
“There’s a huge light at the end of the tunnel, but that being said, the first step is that our team has to understand from Day 1 that you have to have the belief that you’re going to win the Stanley Cup, and to do that, believe you can win every game,” Scott Gordon said yesterday.
“You don’t have to look any further than the New York Giants, close to .500 at the middle of the season.”
The 45-year-old AHL Coach of the Year with the Providence Bruins was introduced yesterday as the 14th Islander bench boss, brought in with an eye toward developing the team’s youngsters.
“That’s all I’ve ever had was a youth movement,” Gordon said. “The last five years at Providence, all we got was younger. But that’s an opportunity. You can help mold players.”
Said GM Garth Snow: “That’s the intriguing part to me, to see our young players take the next steps.”
A Massachusetts native, and 64-35-3 Boston College goalie, Gordon played 23 career games with the Quebec Nordiques, retiring after the 1993-94 season. Former Ranger assistant GM Joe Bucchino helped him start his coaching career with the IHL’s Atlanta Knights.
He continued with minor-league teams in Quebec and Roanoke before joining Providence as an assistant in 2000, and spent the last five-plus seasons as its head coach.
It is believed that the selection of Gordon to succeed Ted Nolan, announced Tuesday night, was made after he, Bob Hartley and Paul Maurice had final interviews with owner Charles Wang.
The Isles refused to divulge the length of Gordon’s contract, but three years seems a good guess.