Today, Wayne Gretzky will be introduced as the new head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. Gretzky dominated professional hockey with his vision, his finesse, and his incredible natural talent. He will now try to impart some of his knowledge onto his young team.

I wish him the best of luck. Sometimes, though, being a great player doesn't automatically translate into being a great coach. Great players see the ice and the game differently than the average person. You just can't teach instincts.

Speaking of coaching, Glen Sather had some comments regarding former Hartford Wolfpack coach Ryan McGill's tenure:

"I liked Ryan, but I just didn't think some of the guys were doing the things they really needed to do to get better," Sather said. "I felt a lot of times he was more concerned with winning than developing. That's a hard thing for any coach because everyone wants to win, but there's a point in time where you really have to develop players."

I would generally agree with Glen's statement there, but I would add that sometimes you get great results when you take guys with a little less talent and just teach them how to be winners.

The Rangers' prospect development camp begins today. Tom Renney and his staff will be in attendance working with the players, as well as the Hartford staff and Adam Graves. (Now there is a guy who could show the youngsters what hard work can do for you.)

Andrew Gross of the Journal News writes that the Rangers were shocked a bit when goalie Jason LaBarbara signed with the L.A. Kings. Don Maloney also indicated that the team is still looking to make a couple of moves, and that the team wants to develop the young players and might be in a position in a couple of years to bring in some big free agents:

"When this group of core players we have, in two, three years when they really start coming of age, I think then we'll be in position to really add some significant free agents," Maloney said, though he would not rule out the Rangers doing some shopping next summer."

Gabe is back with a new Fact or Fiction. In this episode, Gabe reminds us of the recent history of the 'poor' Pittsburgh Penguins.

Today the Rodent asks "What the heck is Glen Sather doing?", and warns that sometimes when you embark on a journey, your ultimate destination might not be there. (Read the article, and you will understand.)

If you think that the free agent market has dried up, think again. There are still many, many available players out there.

Of course, we will keep an eye on the news.

HDH

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