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[Mr Ricochet]

May 29, 2007
Sims a front-runner for coaching job
By Justin A. Cohn
The Journal Gazette

For their future, the Fort Wayne Komets may look to a storied figure from their past.

Al Sims, who guided Fort Wayne to a championship in the now-defunct International Hockey League during 1993 and later coached in the NHL, is one of the front-runners for the team?s vacant head-coaching post, general manager David Franke confirmed.

Sims, who was general manager with the UHL?s Flint Generals for part of last season, said he will interview for the job Wednesday.

?We?ve kept in touch on the phone with Al here and there,? Franke said. ?Once we got to see him again, began talking to him quite a bit since he was in Flint, he just became somebody we definitely were interested in.?

?He?s coached in the NHL and the around the minor leagues. He?s got an impressive resume and he really got the big jump here in Fort Wayne in the early 90s and that propelled him to the National Hockey League.?

Sims, 54, played 476 games in the NHL as a defenseman; he was paired with Bobby Orr with the Boston Bruins for a time. He hung up the skates in 1989, after he served one season as a player/assistant coach with the Komets.

He was head coach of the Komets for four seasons, going 181-118-30. In 1993, they were a perfect 12-0 in the playoffs and captured the Turner Cup.

?It?s my No. 1 priority this summer to hopefully land the Komets? coaching job,? Sims said. ?When I look back on my time in Fort Wayne, the quality of life for myself and my family ? I had one of my sons there ? and the championship we won, it?s wonderful. The fans and the Franke family were tremendous. It really spring-boarded my career into the National Hockey League.?

Sims parlayed his success into a three-season stint as an assistant coach with Anaheim of the NHL. He was the San Jose Sharks? head coach in 1996-97, going 24-47-8.

He has since been a head coach with Milwaukee of the IHL, Reading of the ECHL, Corpus Christi of the Central Hockey League and Fort Worth of the CHL. He has also been an assistant coach in the American Hockey League and in juniors in recent years.

Last season, he was fired from his general manager post with Flint late in the season. But Sims said he was never comfortable with a managerial role, anyway.

?I tried it for a year, the general-managing job, and I found myself coaching from up in the press box,? Sims said. ?It was driving me crazy and I thought, ?I?m not cut out for this.? It was frustrating, but it gave me a year off and some new perspective.?

Franke said the Komets have at least two other front-runners for the job, but he wouldn?t disclose their names. He said head-coaching experience is a prerequisite for the job

[Mr Ricochet]

Seems like a great fit. The two parties obviously are familiar with one another, and the guy has a great resume.............

The Frankes do give their fans a chance for the Cup every year.............

[gradavee]

You would think The Komet fans would be drooling at the mouth at this news..
But They are never really happy with there coaches..Not being a smart guy but everything ya always read they hate whoever coaches there team.

[Mr Ricochet]

gradavee, on May 29 2007, 11:44 PM, said:

You would think The Komet fans would be drooling at the mouth at this news..
But They are never really happy with there coaches..Not being a smart guy but everything ya always read they hate whoever coaches there team.

Agreed Grad. But, they bitch all the way to the ticket window!!!!!! It's one of those deals that if they're bitching their happy.

[Mr Ricochet]

Just dug this up courtesy of Hockey DB..........

Al Sims' coaching record in his last four head coaching jobs.


2001-02 Reading (ECHL) 27-36-9 (.438 winning percentage) missed playoffs
2002-03 Corpus Christi (CHL) 31-30-3 (.508 winnig percentage) missed playoffs
2003-04 Corpus Christi (CHL) 5-6-2 (.462 winning percentage) fired after 13 games
2003-04 Fort Worth (CHL) 13-25-6 (.364 winning percentag) missed playoffs


Looks bad, but I don't know much about these teams.....

[Mr Ricochet]

Here is his whole coaching career from Hockey DB....................


Coaching [notes]

Season Team Lge Type GP W L T OTL Pct Result
1988-89 Fort Wayne Komets IHL Player-Assistant Coach
1989-90 Fort Wayne Komets IHL Head Coach 82 37 34 0 11 0.518 Lost in round 1
1990-91 Fort Wayne Komets IHL Head Coach 83 43 35 0 5 0.548 Lost in Finals
1991-92 Fort Wayne Komets IHL Head Coach 82 52 22 0 8 0.683 Lost in round 1
1992-93 Fort Wayne Komets IHL Head Coach 82 49 27 0 6 0.634 Won Championship
1993-94 Anaheim Mighty Ducks NHL Assistant Coach
1994-95 Anaheim Mighty Ducks NHL Assistant Coach
1995-96 Anaheim Mighty Ducks NHL Assistant Coach
1996-97 San Jose Sharks NHL Head Coach 82 27 47 8 0 0.378 Out of Playoffs
1997-98 Milwaukee Admirals IHL Head Coach 82 43 34 0 5 0.555 Lost in round 2
1998-99 Milwaukee Admirals IHL Head Coach 82 38 28 0 16 0.561 Lost in round 1
1999-00 Milwaukee Admirals IHL Head Coach 82 37 36 0 9 0.506 Lost in round 1
2001-02 Reading Royals ECHL Head Coach 72 27 36 9 0 0.438 Out of Playoffs
2002-03 Corpus Christi Icerays CHL Head Coach 64 31 30 0 3 0.508 Out of Playoffs
2003-04 Corpus Christi Rayz CHL Head Coach? 13 5 6 2 0 0.462
2003-04 Fort Worth Brahmas CHL Head Coach? 44 13 25 6 0 0.364 Out of Playoffs