CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — Joe Sakic has said all along he wanted to get into the management side of hockey at some point with the Avalanche. On Monday at a hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., the Avs legend took his first steps toward that goal.
At the invitation of Avs president and alternate governor Pierre Lacroix, Sakic sat in on Monday’s NHL board of governors meetings, which conclude today. While Sakic has not accepted a formal job in the Avs’ front office and isn’t likely to at any point soon, his decision to attend the meetings was the surest sign yet he is seriously considering the next phase of his professional life.
The Avs and Sakic declined comment on the day’s events, but Sakic will be on hand for tonight’s Avs game against the Florida Panthers at the Bank Atlantic Center. He also will sit in on today’s conclusion of the board of governors meeting.
Also joining Sakic and Lacroix was Avs general manager Greg Sherman.
Sakic, 41, has mostly spent time with his wife and family since retiring from the Avs in 2009, though he usually attends all home games and has had something of an informal advisory role with the team.
Before this season, Sakic said he wanted to take another year off from the work life and continue to coach his sons’ youth hockey teams.
What kind of role Sakic might have with the team is unclear, as Sherman is in his second year at the helm. Formerly, Craig Billington held a title of assistant GM, but his current title is vice president of player development, so that “vacant” job is a possibility.
