Paul Holmgren might not have coached his last game at the CoreStates Spectrum, after all.
Sources close to the situation say Holmgren could be named coach of the Flyers' new American Hockey League affiliate, which is to begin play at the Spectrum next fall, when the Flyers move to the Core
States Center.
Holmgren is a former Flyers player and coach who was fired as coach of the Hartford Whalers Nov. 6, the day after a 6-1 Whalers loss to the Flyers at the Spectrum.
Reached at his Connecticut home last night, Holmgren said he had not talked to Flyers president and general manager Bob Clarke about the job. Holmgren and Clarke are former Flyers teammates and close friends. Clarke hired Holmgren to replace Mike Keenan as the Flyers' coach in 1988. He was fired by then-GM Russ Farwell in 1991, a year-and-a-half after then-team president Jay Snider fired Clarke. Clarke then replaced Farwell in 1994, after Snider left the Flyers.
Holmgren, who will be paid by the Whalers through the end of this season, said he would be interested in the position if Clarke were interested in hiring him.
Clarke seemed uncomfortable discussing the matter.
"We have a coach," he said, referring to Jay Leach, third-year coach of the Hershey Bears, the Flyers' current AHL affiliate. But Leach's contract expires after this season, and when the Flyers held a press conference on Monday to announce the new team, Clarke did not say Leach would coach it.
"This isn't the right time to be talking about that," Clarke said.
The Flyers play at Hartford tomorrow night. Holmgren said he "sneaked into" the Whalers' home game against Calgary on Wednesday, his first trip to the Civic Center since he was fired. He said he might do the same tomorrow. He didn't say if he thought he might happen to bump into Clarke.
ICE CUBES
