Breaking News LAFAYETTE, LA – So much for immediate stability.
Friday afternoon, the Louisiana IceGators of the Southern Professional Hockey League made yet another coaching change. Gone is John Gibson who ran the team for a month and in is Dave MacIsaac who begins his tenure Saturday night against Pensacola.
“The best way to describe Dave is as a stickler for discipline and accountability,” team owner and interin general manager Danny Smith said in a team release announcing the move. “As a player, he was a smart stay-at-home defenseman but was always willing and successful when it came time to make a physical statement.”
MacIsaac was last behind a pro bench a season ago as the coach of the Danbury Mad Hatters of the now-defunct Eastern Professional Hockey League. The Hatters posted a 30-18-0-2 record in the New York/New Jersey-based circuit.
His 13-year pro playing career took him to the IHL, AHL and ECHL as well as stints in Russia and Italy. He last played in the U.S. as a member of the Danbury Trashers of the UHL. He last skated for the St. Georges CRS Express of the LNAH and Asiago HC in Italy in 2007-2008.
MacIsaac is the fourth man to stand behind the Louisiana bench since the SPHL season started in late October. Ron Handy (0-3) resigned after three games, followed by former general manager Brent Sapergia (2-2) who ran the team for three games and one period before giving way to Gibson. Gibson posted a 3-8 record in his time with Louisiana. His final game with the team was a 7-6 home loss to Fayetteville.
The move is yet another in a series for owner Smith, who is trying to find the right combination to turn around a dismal 5-13 start for the expansion franchise. Even with the slow beginning, the IceGators were only out of sixth place by seven points entering Friday night’s games.
Smith said in the release that he feels MacIsaac’s stature as a long-time player and a non-nonsense leader will be the thing that will snap the team out of its funk. He also said that fans might see a ltiile bit of a former IceGators’ boss in the new coach.
“I think his influence on this group of young players will pay immediate dividends. Our team has lacked discipline at times,” Smith said. “Dave commands respect both because of his career and his imposing figure. I think old IceGators fans will compare him to Doug Shedden. In my opinion, that’s not a bad thing.”
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