Coates Offered Job to Mind the Business

Al Coates, former Calgary Flame general manager, has been offered the job of vice president of business by the Mighty Ducks and is expected to be hired within a week.

Coates is the vice president and general manager of the New York Rangers’ minor league team in Hartford, Conn.

Officials from Disney, which owns the Ducks, are working out a contract with Coates.

He will replace Doug Moss, who left to become the president of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Coates will oversee the business side of the Ducks operation, including marketing, ticket sales and community relations.

He spent more than 20 years in the Flames’ organization and was the team’s general manager from 1995-2000.

The Ducks have shown a small improvement in ticket sales this season, but the Arrowhead Pond is still usually half empty on game nights, even with the team in the playoff race. Season-ticket numbers are believed to be around 7,000 in the 17,174-seat Pond.

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How much has playing for the Ducks improved since the team joined the playoff race? Well, according to team captain Paul Kariya, winning has been the last ingredient to a nearly perfect situation.

“As far as the area, there is no better place to play hockey,” Kariya said. “Families and wives are always sad to be traded away from here.”

-- Chris Foster