Todd Nelson poised to leave Hershey Bears for bigger opportunity
Photo credit: Todd Nelson
The Hershey Bears were recently knocked out of the AHL playoffs, ending their hopes for a third straight Calder Cup. While the early exit was a tough blow, ane even bigger disappointment looms as head coach Todd Nelson seems poised to depart the team, with NHL opportunities on the horizon.
Let's face it, the Washington Capitals organization will look much different next season.
As it stands, assistant head coach Mitch Love will likely be on the move as he's been interviewed by a handful of NHL teams, and it appears that Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson is following suit.
Todd Nelson poised to leave Hershey Bears for NHL job
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, and Boston Bruins all have vacant openings for a bench boss position.
Initially, it was rumoured that Todd Nelson would be hired as the new head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, the GM Patrik Alvin has since hired former Colorado Avalanche legend Adam Foote for the job.
Still, Todd Nelson admits that his phone has been ringing, providing fans full transparency into his offseason opportunitues.
«There's been rumblings and that, but I haven't heard anything,» Nelson said. «My phone, I haven't answered my phone since [Wednesday] night (when we were eliminated). I have it on mute. I see there's a lot of text messages there, but I don't want to be interrupted with the exit meetings that we're going through. I don't know what's going to happen. As of right now, I'm head coach of the Hershey Bears.»
RMNB adds that Nelson's success in the American League is virtually unmatched. Nelson's 450 regular-season wings rank fifth all-time in AHL history. His 73 playoff victories are third most, two behind Frederick «Bun» Cook (75) for second and nine victories behind John Paddock (82) for first.
«There's a lot of turnover in this league, so, you know, our coaching philosophy as a group, and me personally, is just having the guys wanting to come to the rink every day and be part of a family atmosphere, working hard, coming here to work hard, make themselves better,» Nelson said. «But you have to do it in a fun environment. You have to not do it in an environment that when they wake up in the morning, they're like, 'Oh, god, I have to go to practice today.' I want them to jump out of bed and say, 'I want to get to practice and see the boys, see the coaches, and make myself better.'»
Will there be a new face behind the Hershey Bears next season? Time will tell.
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 61 ANSWERS Todd Nelson poised to leave Hershey Bears for bigger opportunity Do you think Todd Nelson will coach in the NHL next season? | ||
| Yes | 49 | 80.3 % |
| No | 12 | 19.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
