Jets’ Simpson Is Added to Ducks’ List : Hockey: Former Islander coach joins Rick Dudley in group of candidates the expansion franchise will interview.

The Mighty Ducks, still in the preliminary stages of picking their first coach, have received permission to talk to Terry Simpson, a former New York Islander coach who now is a Winnipeg assistant coach, Jets General Manager Mike Smith said Wednesday.

Ducks General Manager Jack Ferreira also has received permission to talk with San Diego Gulls’ Coach Rick Dudley, whose team is playing in the Turner Cup finals in the International Hockey League. Dudley once coached the Buffalo Sabres.

Though Ferreira had hoped to begin interviews this week, he said Wednesday that none had been scheduled, partly because he wants to avoid spreading them over a long period of time. Some potential candidates work for teams still involved in playoffs.

“We really have not focused on it yet,” Ferreira said.

Simpson, an assistant with the Jets the last three seasons, had a record of 81-82-24 as coach of the Islanders, from 1986 until partway through the 1988-89 season. The Islanders lost in the Patrick Division final in the 1987 playoffs and lost in the division semifinals in 1988 after finishing first. The team started poorly in 1988-89, finishing sixth and failing to make the playoffs. Al Arbour went back behind the bench in December after a brief hiatus from the job he has held since 1973.

Before joining the Islanders, Simpson coached in juniors with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, and was twice the league’s coach of the year.

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Maple Leaf Gardens, the storied home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is nearing the end of its run. Officials of one of the NHL’s most tradition-rich teams will meet with officials of one of its newest, the Mighty Ducks, as Maple Leaf officials scout Anaheim Arena on Friday for ideas for their new facility.

The Maple Leafs will be in the area for Game 3 of the Campbell Conference finals against the Kings.

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Richard Green, a longtime scout with the Islanders and a one-time teammate of Ferreira’s at Boston University, has joined the Ducks as the team’s Northeast regional scout, Ferreira announced.

Green, 50, also worked with Ferreira when both were members of the New England Whalers in the old World Hockey Assn.

“No one is better qualified to scout for us in this very important region,” Ferreira said. “He will be a major contributor to the infusion of young talent into our organization.”