Ducks’ Coach Gets a Boost

Resisting the temptation to fire Coach Craig Hartsburg immediately after the Mighty Ducks failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Pierre Gauthier, team president and general manager, instead gave Hartsburg a two-year contract extension Wednesday.

Hartsburg was rumored to be history if the Ducks missed the playoffs, and Gauthier’s reluctance to give his coach a vote of confidence at season’s end only added to the speculation.

However, after a series of meetings last week, Gauthier decided to reward Hartsburg with an extension that will keep him behind the Duck bench through the 2002-03 season.

Gauthier refused to divulge financial details.

Hartsburg, 40, has one year remaining on his original three-year deal signed before the 1998-99 season. His two-season Duck record is 69-70-25-3.

“Those rumors were just rumors,” Hartsburg said. “I don’t want to make any huge comment on it. It’s just part of being in the NHL. You have to shut those rumors out. I certainly haven’t been affected by those rumors.

“At the end of the season, we were all disappointed where we ended up. We went through the evaluation process, a necessary process. We don’t want to be a part of any team that shrugs off losing. We’ve uncovered some areas we can improve in. We’re on the same page with everything.”

After a sixth-place finish, an 18-point improvement from the previous season and a playoff appearance in Hartsburg’s first year, the Ducks this season slipped to ninth place in the highly competitive Western Conference.

The Ducks’ special teams let them down far too often, which helped keep the team from the postseason. Their penalty-killing unit ranked last among the league’s 28 teams.

“We had some meetings after the season ended, then I wanted to take some time and distance ourselves,” Gauthier said. “I had a scouting trip and Craig went on a holiday. We sat down for some long hours last week. We’re going to go forward. Stability is a huge part of a good program. Craig has brought a lot of strong leadership. Everybody knows exactly what he wants.”

Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, Gauthier said he admires Hartsburg and the two work well together.

“Craig’s a strong[-willed] guy,” Gauthier said. “He’s totally focused on achieving his objectives. A lot of [NHL coaches] are ego maniacs and self promoters. I wouldn’t hire a guy like that. Politicians should be politicians. Some [coaches] wind up on TV for the rest of their lives.”

Asked if he had any doubts about bringing back Hartsburg, Gauthier said:

“Not really. . . . I just thought it was a good time, an appropriate time, a necessary time to back off and make sure everything is what we planned it to be and we could keep going forward.”

In the days since the Ducks finished their seventh NHL season with a 34-36-12-3 record, Gauthier came to the conclusion that changing coaches would do more harm than good. Just as he expected, Gauthier said he heard all the right things during his talks with Hartsburg.

“It was more like teamwork,” Gauthier said. “It was more like regrouping before we rally the troops before next season.

“The meetings were not a test . . . We have to find our own solutions. We have to keep going with this program. I feel confident about the players we have. This is not a team you destroy or dismantle. It’s a team you have to add to.”

Gauthier is expected to redouble his efforts this summer to bolster the Ducks’ depth and experience around a nucleus which includes all-star wingers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne and standout defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky.

First on Gauthier’s to-do list is helping Hartsburg in his search for an assistant coach to replace George Burnett, who left earlier this month to become coach and general manager of the junior-level Oshawa Generals in Canada.

Gauthier must also hire a coach for Cincinnati of the American Hockey League, the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate. He ruled out Duck assistant Newell Brown as a candidate.

Next for Gauthier will be preparing for the expansion and entry drafts in late June. Free agency opens July 1, and Gauthier hopes to be an active participant.