Projo Bruins Blog

August 2008 Archives

The Providence Bruins announced today that the parent Boston Bruins have signed unrestricted free agent defensemen Ryan Stokes and Mike Egener.

Stokes, 25, enters his fifth season of professional hockey after spending last year with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. There the undrafted blue-liner scored a career-high four goals while matching a personal-best with 10 points during the regular season before also appearing in 12 playoff games. Prior to Stokes' time with the IceHogs, the Corruna, Ontario, native played parts of three seasons with the Houston Aeros after debuting in 2004-05 with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL. As a pro, Stokes has 41 points, including nine goals, and 541 penalty minutes in 268 games.

Egener, 24, also begins his fifth year at the professional ranks after splitting time in 2007-08 between the AHL's Norfolk Admirals and the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL. Overall, Egener appeared in 26 games while tallying four points and 41 PIM. In his career, the native of Lahr, Germany, has 19 points, including nine goals, and 584 PIM in 202 contests, 158 of those with the Springfield Falcons. Eneger was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning 34th overall in round two of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

PROVIDENCE -- Rob Murray, an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins for the last five years, has been named P-Bruins' head coach. He replaces Scott Gordon, who last week was named head coach of the New York Islanders.

"Rob's passion coupled with the knowledge that he has gained from the past five years with Providence makes him a good fit for us," said Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "We believe strongly in cultivating talent within the Bruins family, and Rob is a good example of someone who deserved a promotion given his commitment to the organization."

After retiring from a playing career that spanned 16 years, Murray was named assistant coach of the Providence Bruins on August 22, 2003, and helped lead the P-Bruins to a 221-141-20-27 record (W-L-T-OT/SOL), including an AHL-best regular season record of 55-18-3 last season.

Since joining the organization in 2003, he has worked closely with Boston's coaching staff during Bruins preseason training camps and for the past two summers at the Bruins Development Camp.

Murray retired ranking sixth in American Hockey League history with 1,018 games played and also ranks second in AHL annals with 2,940 penalty minutes. He played the majority of his career in Springfield, where he is the Falcons' career leader in games played (501), penalty minutes (1,529), and assists (157), and ranks second in points (218) and fourth in goals (61). He had his number 23 retired by Springfield on February 10, 2007, becoming just the second player in team history to have their number raised to the rafters (former Boston Bruins great Eddie Shore was the first).

He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the third round (61st overall) of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. After playing for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League from 1984-1987, Murray's professional career began with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League in 1987-88. During his third pro season in 1989-90, Murray played in a career-high 41 NHL games with the Capitals, notching 2-7-9 totals and 58 PIM. In his career, he saw action in 107 NHL games, tallying 4-15-19 totals and 111 PIM for the Capitals, Jets and Phoenix Coyotes.

Murray was known throughout his career as a leader, serving as the captain of four different clubs (Moncton Hawks, Springfield Falcons, Hamilton Bulldogs, Philadelphia Phantoms).
He and his wife Carolyn reside full-time in South Kingstown and have four children, daughters Taylor and Quinn, and sons Zachary and Brendan.

By Mark Herrmann
Newsday

Scott Gordon, hired Tuesday night to coach the Islanders, definitely has the resume to win a Stanley Cup. We know this because it is the same as Peter Laviolette's, and we saw what happened to him.

These days it is a major compliment to be compared to Laviolette, hired seven years ago to coach the Islanders, bounced after two seasons and ending up with his name on the Cup as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. The similarities here are flat-out weird, starting with the fact that Gordon is an NHL neophyte but was American Hockey League coach of the year with the Providence Bruins, just like Laviolette once was.

Let this be the first official endorsement of Gordon, who - Laviolette's example attests - will be just fine if the Islanders give him a chance and some talent to work with, not necessarily in that order.

Let the record also read that coaching has not been the Islanders' problem. Laviolette was good, opening with a franchise-record 9-0-1-1 run. Steve Stirling and Ted Nolan brought the Islanders to the playoffs, too. Laviolette's problem was supposedly failing to communicate with the players, Stirling's was inheriting a team built around Alexei Yashin, the ultimate uncoachable player, and Nolan's was not getting along with general manager Garth Snow.

Anyone who has watched the team closely can tell you that the real trouble is that the Islanders haven't been able to build a strong roster. It is easier to find a coach than a 40-goal scorer. Thus, they keep changing coaches. Thus, Gordon is here.

He looks like a smart choice. He won wherever he has been (including first-place finishes with the Roanoke Express, an Islanders affiliate). People who know him say he is a good speaker, outstanding teacher, student of the game and a well-rounded person who realizes the world doesn't begin and end at the Zamboni entrance. He likes seeing his family comfortable and thriving: His wife has a successful dance studio in Atlanta (where he began minor-league coaching 12 years ago), and their two boys like it there. So the family lives in Georgia, with Jennifer and Erik and Ryan flying to visit him for stretches during the season.

By hiring him, the Islanders are trying to erase the mistake they made in firing Laviolette in 2003 - the year Gordon was elevated from assistant to head coach by the Boston Bruins' farm club. At Carolina, Laviolette successfully succeeded Paul Maurice, a finalist for the Islanders job this time around.

Small world, isn't it?

It seems Laviolette and Gordon came from the same block. Each was a U.S. Olympian who had a limited NHL career with a cup of coffee in New York (Laviolette played a handful of games for the Rangers, Gordon was in camp with the Islanders).

Each came from the same mold as the man who hired him. Laviolette, like Mike Milbury, was a hard-nosed defenseman from Massachusetts. Gordon, like Snow, is a New England-bred goalie who played for the Quebec Nordiques (21 years ago, they were training camp teammates). More pertinent, Gordon, like Laviolette in 2001, is a neophyte and won't make a GM look over his shoulder.

The new man does bring some qualities all his own. He sure seems to be able to bring out the best in Andy Hilbert, the Islanders' center who had 35 goals for Providence the year Gordon became coach. Only kidding. Gordon's best qualification is being a former goalie from Easton, Mass., who might just hit it off with a certain current goalie from Winthrop, Mass.

It wasn't all that long ago that Gordon himself was a kid, growing up with the legacy of the 1980 Olympics, responding to the echo, "Do you believe in miracles?" The next miracle he can hope for is that management will keep its fingers out of the pie, except to sign solid players.

Owner Charles Wang must avoid the usual two-year itch. Be patient with him. Gordon knows what he is doing behind a bench. Winning AHL coach of the year is nothing to sneeze at because not only did Laviolette once win that award, so did Fred Shero, John Muckler, Jacques Demers and Marc Crawford (yet another candidate for this Islanders job). "Scott is the right coach for our team," Snow said Tuesday night. What the Islanders really need is to build the team right for this coach.

The Providence Bruins tonight released their 2008-09 regular-season schedule. Unlike last season, when renovations at the Dunkin' Donuts Center forced them to play on the road for the first six weeks, they will open at home on Wednesday, Oct. 8 and will play their first three games at home.

The complete schedule:

OCTOBER
Wed. 8 Lowell 7:05
Sun. 12 Springfield 4:05
Fri. 17 Springfield 7:05
Sat. 18 at Worcester 7:05
Sun. 19 at Portland 4
Fri. 24 at Worcester 7:05
Wed. 29 at Chicago 8
Fri. 31 at Houston 8:35
NOVEMBER
Sat. 1 at San Antonio 8
Fri. 7 Chicago 7:05
Sat. 8 at Albany 7
Sun. 9 Philadelphia 4:05
Fri. 14 Worcester 7:05
Sat. 15 at Portland 7
Sun. 16 Norfolk 4:05
Fri. 21 Portland 7:05
Sat. 22 at Springfield 7
Sun. 23 Hartford Wolf 4:05
Wed. 26 at Lowell 7
Fri. 28 Worcester 7:05
Sat. 29 at Springfield 7
Sun. 30 Hartford 4:05
DECEMBER
Fri. 5 Lowell 7:05
Sun. 7 Springfield 4:05
Wed. 10 at Hartford 7
Fri. 12 Lowell 7:05
Sat. 13 at Manchester 7
Sun. 14 Manchester 4:05
Wed. 17 at Hartford 7
Fri. 19 Toronto 7:05
Sat. 20 at Portland 7
Sun. 21 Springfield 4:05
Fri. 26 at Worcester 6:05
Sat. 27 at Lowell 7
Wed. 31 at Manchester 7
JANUARY
Fri. 2 Hershey 7:05
Sat. 3 at Springfield 7
Sun. 4 Houston 4:05
Wed. 7 at Manchester 7
Fri. 9 Bridgeport 7:05
Sun. 11 Lowell 4:05
Wed. 14 at Lowell 7
Fri. 16 Portland 7:05
Sat. 17 at Hartford 7
Sun. 18 Rochester 4:05
Sat. 24 at Springfield 7
Fri. 30 Portland 7:05
Sat. 31 at Lowell 7
FEBRUARY 
Sun. 1 Worcester 2:05
Fri. 6 Manitoba 7:05
Sun. 8 Worcester 4:05
Fri. 13 San Antonio 7:05
Sat. 14 at Portland 7
Sun. 15 Manitoba 4:05
Fri. 20 Manchester 7:05
Sat. 21 at Worcester 7:05
Sun. 22 Springfield 4:05
Tues. 24 at Manchester 7
Fri. 27 at Norfolk 7:15
Sat. 28 at Philadelphia 7:05
MARCH
Sun. 1 at Hershey 5
Wed. 4 at Toronto 7
Fri. 6 at Manitoba 8:30
Sat. 7 at Manitoba 8:30
Sun. 8 at Rochester 6:05
Fri. 13 Portland 7:05
Sat. 14 at Springfield 7
Sun. 15 Lowell 4:05
Fri. 20 Albany 7:05
Sat. 21 at Bridgeport 7
Sun. 22 Harford 4:05
Fri. 27 Manchester 7:05
Sat. 28 at Hartford 7
Sun. 29 Worcester 4:05
APRIL
Fri. 3 Hartford 7:05
Sat. 4 Portland 7:05
Sun. 5 Manchester 4:05
Wed. 8 at Lowell 7
Fri. 10 at Portland 7
Sat. 11 at Worcester 7:05