Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach Scott Gordon, center, talks with Nolan Patrick, left, and Michael Raffl during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 3-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Scott Gordon, who has coached at nearly every level of hockey, including the NHL, will be a part of the Youngstown Phantoms’ coaching staff this season as a volunteer assistant, the team announced on Wednesday.
Gordon most recently was a member of the San Jose Sharks coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach last season. Throughout his coaching tenure, Gordon has coached across multiple professional leagues, as well as multiple stints behind NHL benches and with the United States National Team for different tournaments.
“The team has obviously had some great success the last two years. They built a pretty good program, and I’m just going there to assist and hopefully add to what they’ve already accomplished,” Gordon said.
Gordon hopped into the coaching ranks immediately following his retirement after the 1993-94 season. His first coaching gig was with that same team, the Atlanta Knights of the IHL.The former netminder has made multiple stops, including an eight-season stint with the Providence Bruins as both an assistant and head coach. His final season with the Bruins (2007-08), Gordon won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s Coach of the Year.
Adding someone with Gordon’s resume is in line with the Phantoms’ organizational philosophy over the last few years. The organization wants to make Youngstown the top place to play junior hockey, and bringing in Gordon adds to that.
“We want to surround our players and staff with the best possible people that you can have. To have someone that has experience at the international level, NHL level, both as a player and a coach, it’s just a different experience than all of us (on staff) have,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “We want to surround our players and our staff with different people to learn from. And obviously for me, I’m excited to learn from Scott. I think all of our players are going to have just another layer of support (with him here).”
There’s a built-in familiarity there. In fact, Ward got his start in coaching on Gordon’s staff when he took over as coach of the New York Islanders in 2008.
Ward started as the video coach of the New York Islanders for the 2008-09 season and the two stayed in touch, even as their paths diverged.
With Gordon’s time in San Jose wrapping up, and the departure of Andy Contois from the Phantoms’ staff, the stars aligned for a chance for the pair to team up again. Even better, taking the job keeps Gordon close to his son Ryan, who is set to begin his second season playing at Ohio State.
“We talked quite regularly, I’ve known for a long time,” Gordon said of Ward. “Initially, my thoughts were getting to the point where I didn’t think that I was going to be going anywhere for next season, and he obviously had an opening on his staff, so he reached out to me a couple of weeks ago and found a fit that thought it would be good for me and good for him. And obviously with my experiences with him before, there’s not a huge learning curve for either one of us, because we know each other so well.”
Citing Gordon as his biggest mentor as a coach, Ward is thrilled to bring him in. The third-year coach hasn’t been shy about his excitement for the upcoming season, and this acquisition just accentuates things.
He’s taught me every step of the way,“I owe Scott a ton, and to have it come full circle and compete for a championship with someone that you respect more than anyone else in the game is really special,” Ward said. “I think that Scott is at a place where he is going to really relish and love coaching the team that we’ve brought in and the players that we’ve assembled here. I think that our team next year, and just how we do things in general is a great, pure setup from a hockey standpoint, and I think he’s going to have a blast coaching (here).”
Gordon will primarily work with the defense and penalty kill units this season.
The Phantoms open the regular season in Cranberry, Pa. as a part of the USHL Fall Classic. Youngstown opens up at home on Oct. 18 against Lincoln.
Have an interesting story? Contact Brian Yauger by email at byauger@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @_brianyauger.
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