Dudley Is Expecting to Do Right By Gulls : Hockey: He tries not to dwell on situation in Buffalo, his lone coaching stint in the NHL.

The sting is gone for Rick Dudley, the former NHL coach fired by the Buffalo Sabres last December when his team was on a eight-game winless streak.

Dudley, smiling and quietly enthusiastic, was introduced Wednesday as coach of the Gulls, marking his return to the IHL for the first time since the 1987-88 season. Dudley agreed to a two-year contract.

The banner behind him displayed the Gulls, but most of the banter was about his dismissal at Buffalo, a subject he avoids but never broaches with bitterness.

“It was a difficult situation for me and I’m not really going to get into it,” Dudley said. “The reason why is I’m very proud of the things we did there. We went from being very mediocre to being one of the top teams in the National Hockey League my first year there. We had players launch their careers to new heights.”

He had given the Sabres the best two-year record by any coach in the league heading into the 1991-92 season: 76-57-27. But by last season’s start, the Sabres had his eventual replacement, John Muckler, sitting in the front office.

The ax flew Dudley’s way after the Sabres lost to the St. Louis Blues, 6-3, on Dec. 11. The Sabres had 22 points and a 9-15-4 record.

For weeks it seemed everywhere Dudley looked there were whispering insiders or inquiring outsiders--like the media--speculating on when the coach who never had a losing season would be fired.

And then it happened. Rick Dudley out, John Muckler in.

And Dudley quietly cleaned out his office and disappeared . . . until Thursday, when he resurfaced to be named coach of the Gulls. Dudley, 43, appearing at a press conference, said he considered numerous offers to get back into hockey, both as a coach and as a front-office executive, in the NHL and in the minor leagues.

So why did he pick San Diego to make his coaching return?

Because there is money in the organization and commitment by the owners to win?

Yes.

Because there is stability in the front office?

Yes.

Because Don Waddell, general manager in charge of hockey operations, is a close friend and won’t stab him in the back?

Definitely.

“This particular situation is the right one,” said Dudley, suggesting he has become more wary when choosing an employer. “I’d say there is only one other organization I’ve worked with that compares favorably to this one, and that’s the L.A. Kings.”

Dudley was in the Kings’ system when he coached at New Haven of the American Hockey League in 1988-89.

“(the Gulls) have taken progressive thinking to the game,” he said. “The circumstances are right, here.

“There were circumstances (with other organizations seeking Dudley) that I wouldn’t even go after, because I went through hell. Buffalo was not a real happy time in my life. I was used to enjoy both the people I worked with and the job. And the latter part of my coaching career there--despite the fact that it was successful--was not enjoyable.

“Maybe it was my fault; maybe it was somebody else’s fault.”

A trade the Sabres made just before the 1990 draft seems to stick in Dudley’s craw. It was the deal that sent defenseman Phil Housley, Buffalo’s fastest skater, to the Winnipeg Jets for center Dale Hawerchuk and a swap of No. 1 picks. It was a swap executed by General Manager Gerry Meehan, not Dudley.

“It wasn’t because Dale Hawerchuk was a bad player, we were a slow team,” Dudley said. “When we took Phil Housley--who could skate like the wind for 30 minutes a game--out of the lineup, all our deficiencies were no longer masked. He carried the puck through the neutral zone all the time and no one could tell we were a slow team and no one could cut us down because of his speed.

“After he was gone, the teams we played against . . . all they had to do was line up. It was a very difficult thing to coach. We started out that season God-awful. That last 32 games we were seven games above .500 (Buffalo finished 31-30-19 overall). That was because we had to make adjustments. It made me a better coach.

“But the latter part of that year was so difficult. Every day, somebody was asking me if I was going to be fired the next day. This went on for 60 games. I didn’t appreciate the lack of support in Buffalo. I guess I resented the hell out of that.”

One Sabre who led to his undoing was right wing Alexander Mogilny, a fleet skater who was sulking and reclusive early in the season. With the arrival of Muckler, who had coached the Edmonton Oilers and preached a faster game, and Pat LaFontaine, obtained from the New York Islanders, Mogilny began to make some noise for the Sabres.

Thanks to a quiet winter with his father, Mel, 87, Dudley appeared ready for a fresh start with the Gulls.

“I had the opportunity to quit coaching this year; I was offered management jobs in other organizations,” Dudley said. “I chose not to, because I still have it in my blood. The fact is, there’s a certain rush.

“It’s a terrible thing when you lose, and you suffer through it. But there is a certain high when you win. I know I’d miss that if I quit coaching now.”

Dudley, who brings a lifetime .636 winning percentage in 10 years of coaching, has a reputation for being a taskmaster with his players.

“I played for Rick . . . funny how things change,” Waddell joked. “He’s very intense, very organized. He’s a very dedicated coach who demands a lot from his hockey players. When I played for him (with the IHL Flint, Mich., Spirits in 1986-87 and 1987-88), I was in the best shape of my life.

“When he got there we had 16 wins (the previous year) and took us to a 90-point season. The following year, we went to the (Turner Cup) finals. We had no business being there. I learned from Rick, and I worked the guys very hard last year.”

Waddell resigned as coach in April, at the request of owner Fred Comrie, who wanted Waddell to concentrate on hockey operations.

Said Comrie of Dudley’s hiring, “This couldn’t be more positive for me, because I feel comfortable that the job’s going to get done now.”

With Waddell holding down both front-office and coaching duties last season, the Gulls finished 45-28-9 with 99 points, and were third in the West Division. But they were swept in four games by Peoria in the first round of the Turner Cup playoffs and ended the year on a 3-10 slide.

Rick Dudley’s Coaching Career

Season Club League W L T Pts. 1982-83 Carolina ACHL 51 10 7 111 1983-84 Carolina ACHL 43 24 5 92 1984-85 Carolina ACHL 53 11 0 107 1985-86 Carolina ACHL 49 13 0 104 1986-87 Flint IHL 42 33 7 91 1987-88 Flint IHL 42 31 9 93 1988-89 New Haven AHL 35 35 10 80 1989-90 Buffalo NHL 45 27 8 98 1990-91 Buffalo NHL 31 30 19 81 *1991-92 Buffalo NHL 9 15 4 22 Career 400 229 69 869

* fired after 28 games.