Gretzky as the Coyotes' Coach 2005-2009

[The Panther]

What was up with Gretzky at the Coyotes' coach? I draw an analogy here to George Harrison's decision to tour huge arenas in 1974, even though he hated touring and being a front-man... But whereas Harrison did the one-month tour and then quit live shows for good (more or less), Gretzky stuck out four season as the Coyotes' coach. It just seemed so out of character for Wayne to even want to coach. When he was asked, as a player -- even late in his career -- if he would ever consider coaching, he emphatically said 'no'.

So, what changed? Why did he want to coach? And why did the Phoenix people want him (an ex-player with absolutely no experience as coach)?

My general impression of his coaching days was that he was mediocre at best. The Coyotes finished 4th or 5th in their division every season, never making the playoffs. While I think Gretzky is a very smart all-around hockey guy, and probably knows enough about all aspects of the game to be a good coach, I question whether he would have had the communicative ability and motivating personality to inspire players. He's just too "middle of the road" and aware of his larger-than-the-sport image. There's also the obvious fact that just by being Gretzky, he would be a strange presence to players. Steve Reinprecht said that Gretzky screamed at him in anger at a practice one time, and Reinprecht (from Edmonton) was in shock, having grown up idolizing his now-coach.

What are players or others' stories of Gretzky as coach?

 

[CartographerNo611]

Roenick pretty much said he was a decent coach but could not be a great coach because of him being Gretzky in his book. There was also a gambling scandal that happened in 2006 with his staff that complicated things. The Yotes back then were a bad team with questionable ownership. Gretzky would of faired better with a more stable organization not in Canada.

This was is 2008-2009 roster which was not a lot to work with.

2008-09 Phoenix Coyotes Roster and Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[The Wizard of Oz]

The common narrative after the fact was Gretzky couldn’t dumb down the way he saw the game enough for the team to relate. Not sure the validity of it or if it’s just romanticizing the failure of the Great One.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

The question has to also be asked about his commitment to the craft. Every coach relies on their job for their income, and may only get a few years to earn a decent amount. Gretzky had all the money in the world. Coaching sounds like a 24/7 grind, something that would be hard to get up for every morning if you're not 100% in it.

 

[MarkusNaslund19]

Wasn't it to protect his investment as part owner of the Coyotes? I'm not sure he actually ever really wanted to coach.

 

[mouser]

The common narrative after the fact was Gretzky couldn’t dumb down the way he saw the game enough for the team to relate. Not sure the validity of it or if it’s just romanticizing the failure of the Great One.

It's mostly romanticizing in my opinion. I want to post a very long history of the whole Gretzky/Ellman/Moyes team business history but that would probably detract from the simple fact that Gretzky was a poor coach. Country club style absent too often.

There was a common narrative when the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy in 2009 that Gretzky shouldn't bear any fault for his coaching record in the prior four seasons of 12th, 15th, 12th and 13th in the western conference. Because obviously the team was so awful that even The Great One himself as head coach couldn't have overcome that.

That Gretzky narrative disappeared almost immediately after Dave Tippett took over as head coach and delivered 4th, 6th, and 3rd western conference finishes with much of the same roster.

 

[mouser]

Wasn't it to protect his investment as part owner of the Coyotes? I'm not sure he actually ever really wanted to coach.

Per reports at the time, Gretzky probably didn't want to coach. Story was when Steve Ellman split ways with business partner Jerry Moyes he left Gretzky as team President and part owner. Moyes was unhappy with Gretzky's value/contract to the team overall and pushed Gretzky to contribute something more that led to TGO becoming the coach.

p.s. while Gretzky was considered a "part owner" I've never seen anything that suggests he invested a dime into the franchise. I'm pretty sure Gretzky was simply given a share of ownership as part of his contract.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

It's mostly romanticizing in my opinion. I want to post a very long history of the whole Gretzky/Ellman/Moyes team business history but that would probably detract from the simple fact that Gretzky was a poor coach. Country club style absent too often.

There was a common narrative when the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy in 2009 that Gretzky shouldn't bear any fault for his coaching record in the prior four seasons of 12th, 15th, 12th and 13th in the western conference. Because obviously the team was so awful that even The Great One himself as head coach couldn't have overcome that.

That Gretzky narrative disappeared almost immediately after Dave Tippett took over as head coach and delivered 4th, 6th, and 3rd western conference finishes with much of the same roster.

Please post. Always interested in the inner workings of teams.

 

[Voight]

Its kind of like when Michael Jordan was player/GM of the Washington Wizards at the tail end of his career.

The Wizards were a joke and Jordan basically ran them into the ground, the one time he had the #1 pick he drafted Kwame Brown who was a bust. Even currently, his ownership of Charlotte has been somewhat of a disaster.

Both were obviously out of this world when it came to playing but neither was very good when they switched roles.

 

[Tarantula]

The question has to also be asked about his commitment to the craft. Every coach relies on their job for their income, and may only get a few years to earn a decent amount. Gretzky had all the money in the world. Coaching sounds like a 24/7 grind, something that would be hard to get up for every morning if you're not 100% in it.

Many coaches start off riding buses somewhere for a few years in lower leagues learning how to be a coach, not many succeed going straight behind a NHL bench without going through the grind.

 

[popo]

I believe the Coyotes were paying him like $8M a year to coach... he may not have wanted to coach, but it's hard to turn that down. Obviously a lot of the payment was the team hoping to cash in on his name recognition

 

[Albatros]

p.s. while Gretzky was considered a "part owner" I've never seen anything that suggests he invested a dime into the franchise. I'm pretty sure Gretzky was simply given a share of ownership as part of his contract.

He was handing out luxury watches to all the Glendale Arena workers though.

 

[mouser]

I believe the Coyotes were paying him like $8M a year to coach... he may not have wanted to coach, but it's hard to turn that down. Obviously a lot of the payment was the team hoping to cash in on his name recognition

Gretzky was brought on an a "part owner" and head of hockey ops by Ellman when he bought the team in 2001.

In 2005 when Moyes and Ellman split with Moyes assuming full ownership there was a personal services contract in place between Moyes and Gretzky. I'm not certain if that was the same contract that had been in place previously with Ellman. There's a good chance that the substantial salary being paid by Moyes to Gretzky included buying out Gretzky’s "ownership shares" given out by Ellman.

Again, per reports at the time Moyes wasn't happy with the amount he was paying TGO and wanted more team involvement out of him. Which led to Gretzky becoming head coach.

 

[The Panther]

Gretzky was brought on an a "part owner" and head of hockey ops by Ellman when he bought the team in 2001.

In 2005 when Moyes and Ellman split with Moyes assuming full ownership there was a personal services contract in place between Moyes and Gretzky. I'm not certain if that was the same contract that had been in place previously with Ellman. There's a good chance that the substantial salary being paid to Gretzky included buying out his "ownership shares".

Again, per reports at the time Moyes wasn't happy with the amount he was paying TGO and wanted more team involvement out of him. Which led to Gretzky becoming head coach.

It's amazing to me how Gretzky had this tendency to get sucked into "personal services contracts" with rich, Daddy Warbucks types.

 

[GreatGonzo]

Didn’t Olli Jokinen state in some article that Gretzky’s abilities to see the game the way he did made it frustrating between him and the players? He would expect them to be in certain positions and see certain things that they their hockey IQs couldn’t quite get?

I mean it’s not common for top athletes in their respected sport to not make great coaches. It doesn’t always translate well.

 

[Crosstraffic]

I remember Gretzky getting busted for dressing a player that he didn't put in the lineup.

 

[sr edler]

Didn’t Olli Jokinen state in some article that Gretzky’s abilities to see the game the way he did made it frustrating between him and the players? He would expect them to be in certain positions and see certain things that they their hockey IQs couldn’t quite get?

If he really did think Jokinen & Company should be able to read and play the game like he did himself, that doesn't come across as super smart to me. I'm not a coach myself but even I realize you can't expect everyone to have the same abilities to read the game and execute plays.

 

[tony d]

Thought he was out of place as coach, myself. Strange that he got 4 yrs. out of it as coach.

 

[Big Phil]

When I think of Gretzky coaching I think of Ovechkin's famous falling on the back goal in his rookie season. We all know the goal. Anyway, it was against Phoenix and I remember them showing Gretzky almost marvelling at it on the replay on the scoreboard. Basically the narrative was that there couldn't have been a better spectator for that goal than the Great One.

That being said, I can't remember a single other thing about him coaching. It looked out of place for him. I remember seeing clips of him yelling behind the bench and it just looked out of sorts. The funny thing is of all the things that happened in the NHL in 2005-'09 Gretzky was coaching an NHL team and it just seems strange that he was doing this at the time.

 

[Minar]

It seemed to me gretz was always beat red on the bench huffing and hawing yelling at everybody. I think that he had a hard time not being able to get o the ice and have more control, not bring able to change a game but having to watch helplessly from the bench.

 

[Staniowski]

I believe the Coyotes were paying him like $8M a year to coach... he may not have wanted to coach, but it's hard to turn that down. Obviously a lot of the payment was the team hoping to cash in on his name recognition

Yes, the $8M per year was for everything he did, I think. He was also head of hockey operations (for the entire 8 years he was with the team?), etc.

 

[LeBlondeDemon10]

I recall Phoenix being in I think Vancouver for a game which I believe is Kyle Turris' hometown. It was his rookie year. Anyway, Gretzky refused to dress him for the game despite the media telling us that a ton of Turris' family and friends would be at the game. I thought this move by 99 was just distasteful and insensitive.

 

[Staniowski]

It's hard to know for sure, but Gretzky doesn't really seem qualified to be a coach or GM or head of hockey operations. I don't think his personality or capabilities match these types of jobs.

When Ellman brought Gretzky on board, Ellman gave Gretzky a chunk of the ownership of the team, mostly in return for using Gretzky for marketing purposes (to attract investors, market Ellman's other real estate developments, etc.). I remember at the time that Ellman said he needed Gretzky, otherwise the team wouldn't survive in Phoenix.

 

[HisIceness]

When I think of Gretzky coaching I think of Ovechkin's famous falling on the back goal in his rookie season. We all know the goal. Anyway, it was against Phoenix and I remember them showing Gretzky almost marvelling at it on the replay on the scoreboard. Basically the narrative was that there couldn't have been a better spectator for that goal than the Great One.

That being said, I can't remember a single other thing about him coaching. It looked out of place for him. I remember seeing clips of him yelling behind the bench and it just looked out of sorts. The funny thing is of all the things that happened in the NHL in 2005-'09 Gretzky was coaching an NHL team and it just seems strange that he was doing this at the time.

Thats the best thing I remember too, the reaction to the Ovechkin goal.

Legends like Gretzky don't really make good coaches. Imagine if for example Kobe Bryant became the coach of an NBA team, would he know how to use the bench players? Because Kobe knew very little about the bench. Same with Gretzky who didn't seem to know how to utilize 4th liners.

 

[The Panther]

I personally think Gretzky probably knows well the value and function of fourth liners. But I don't think he had the right personality for coaching. You have to be able to motivate people in ways besides shouting at them.

George Laraque was a bit Theoren Fleury-ish in his bids for attention post-career. I remember there being a minor kerfuffle over his book's claim that Gretzky was the worst coach he ever had.