PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers, looking for new direction after three consecutive failures in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, Thursday named former University of Toronto coach Mike Keenan as their new head coach.
At a news conference, Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said Keenan, 34, had signed a multi-year contract but the length and terms of the pact were not disclosed.
Clarke also announced that Ted Sator would continue in his present job as assistant coach. Keenan and Sator were the two finalists in the club's search for a new coach to replace Bob McCammon, who resigned on April 25 as coach and general manager.
Clarke said Keenan, who led the University of Toronto to the Canadian Collegiate championship last season, was one of the brightest and most innovative young coaches in hockey and would enable the Flyers to contend for the Stanley Cup.
'In Mike, we've obtained the type of coach the Flyers want and the city will like,' Clarke said. 'He's young, innovative and very dedicated. He'll provide the leadership and discipline the Flyers are going to need as we pursue our goal of the Stanley Cup.'
The hiring of Keenan completes the team's front office youth movement following McCammon's resignation from his dual role. The Flyers were swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season by Washington and have lost nine consecutive post-season games.
Clarke, 34, retired as a player to accept the general manager's job on May 16 without any prior experience in top management. Keenan has had three years of experience in a pro league, having led the Rochester Americans to the American Hockey League's Calder Cup championship in 1983.
Keenan said his biggest task would be to learn about his new players and adapt a system to fit their skills.
'I haven't had a chance to view the talent on the Flyers,' he said. 'I'll be discussing that with Bob to get a real good handle on the team.
'I think there is room for both tough aggressive play and finesse hockey in the pursuit of excellence. I think to employ any system, you have to evaluate the talent you have and mold that system to it.'
Keenan also said he didn't expect his age to be a problem in dealing with his players.
'There were players on the American League level who were older than me,' he said. 'It's not a matter of age, it's a matter of respect. I don't anticipate any problems.'
Keenan said he considered himself a workaholic because 'no job can be done at this level without working all your waking hours.' He also considers discipline a very important factor in on-ice performance.
Clarke said Flyers officials had Keenan's name on a list of prospective coaches before he took the GM job. He said he talked with Keenan last week during the Memorial Cup tournament in Kitchener, Ont., and made his decision to hire him 'a couple of days later.'
Negotiations on a new contract ended Wednesday evening in Toronto when Keenan and Clarke agreed to terms.
Keenan attended high school in Whitby, Ont., and then went to St. Lawrence University. He played with Roanoke in the Southern League before turning to coaching.
