DALLAS — For Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk, it became clear in less than two weeks on the job that a coaching change was necessary. The team needed a leader with a tougher edge.
Nieuwendyk turned to Marc Crawford, a coach he once played for in the Olympics and someone similar to the coach he played for when the Stars won their only Stanley Cup 10 years ago.
“What Marc will bring is a real command at the top,” Nieuwendyk said. “The players will know who’s in charge.”
Crawford was introduced Thursday as the replacement for Dave Tippett, who was fired Wednesday. The coaching change is the first significant move made by Nieuwen- dyk since he was hired May 31.
The 48-year-old Crawford won the 1996 Stanley Cup with the Avalanche and has a 470-361-156 record in 13 seasons with the Quebec Nordiques/Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.
He spent last season in the television booth.
Stanley Cup notes.
Pittsburgh is not ruling out Petr Sykora (foot) for Game 7, even though he was on crutches after Game 6 and didn’t practice Thursday.
• Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby says it’s not because of superstition, but the Penguins are switching hotels in Detroit again.
They’re going back to the hotel where they stayed when they won Game 5 of the Finals last year.
• The last time the home team won every game in the Finals was 2003, when Detroit’s Mike Babcock was Anaheim’s coach and Dan Bylsma was one of his players as the Ducks lost Game 7 at New Jersey.
The Associated Press
