Goring May Be Man for Ducks

Minor league coach Butch Goring, who played for the Kings for 10 seasons in the 1970s, said he was offered the Mighty Duck coaching job Tuesday.

Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira would neither confirm nor deny offering Goring a contract.

“Hopefully, we’ll have it all wrapped up in the next day or two,” Ferreira said.

President Tony Tavares, speaking to a group of season-ticket holders at the Arrowhead Pond, said:

“We will have a coaching answer within 48 hours. There’s no one more frustrated about the coaching situation than me.”

The Ducks and Goring’s agent, Robin Burns, hadn’t hammered out the final details on the contract by Tuesday night.

Goring--coach and general manager of the Utah Grizzlies of the International Hockey League since 1994--would replace Pierre Page, who was fired after one season on June 15.

“I’m sort of sitting on pins and needles,” Goring said when reached at his summer home near Winnipeg. “It’s down to the short strokes.”

Money was believed to be a sticking point. Goring reportedly earns $250,000 with the Grizzlies, and was expected to ask for more than the $500,000 the Ducks paid Page last season.

Goring’s challenge would be to turn the Ducks back into a playoff contender.

One season after recording their first winning record and reaching the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Ducks slipped to 12th place in the 13-team Western Conference last season under Page.

The Ducks were 26-43-13, their worst record during an 82-game schedule in their five-season history.

Goring would be the third Duck coach in as many seasons. Ron Wilson was fired May 20, 1997, after four seasons and was replaced by Page last Aug. 9.

Goring hasn’t coached in the NHL since 1986-87 with the Boston Bruins. Goring led the Bruins to a 37-31-12 record in 1985-86, but he was fired only 13 games into the next season.

Goring played 1,107 games over 16 seasons with the Kings, Bruins and New York Islanders.

He was a major contributor to the Islanders’ four consecutive Stanley Cup victories in the early 1980s and was named the most valuable player of the 1981 playoffs.

After retiring after the 1984-85 season, Goring was named coach of the Bruins.

“I’m very eager for the opportunity,” he said when asked Tuesday about coaching in the NHL again. “[But] it’s not like I’ve been sitting by the phone over the last few years. It wasn’t a situation where I’d die if I never coached in the NHL again.”

Goring was twice named the IHL’s coach of the year. He led Utah to a 47-27-8 record and a third-place finish in the IHL’s Southwest Division last season. Goring also has coached in the junior-level Western Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

“I think he’s the obvious choice,” said Tim Mouser, Utah president.

Said Goring: “I’m anxious to get this finished. I’m excited at the possibilities. It’s a strong organization. It’s a good hockey team.”

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Notes

The Mighty Ducks signed free-agent defenseman Terran Sandwith, 6 feet 4 and 210 pounds, to a one-year contract with a club option on 1999-2000. Sandwith, 26, spent the last two seasons playing for the Edmonton Oilers’ minor league affiliate at Hamilton, Canada. He had four goals and 12 points with 131 penalty minutes in 54 games at Hamilton last season. He also played eight games with the Oilers last season but did not record a point.