Phil Housley Hired as Head Coach of Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres announced Thursday that Phil Housley has been hired as their new head coach.

Housley spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators, and he played eight seasons for the Sabres as a defenseman.

Housley replaces Dan Bylsma, who was fired by Buffalo in April after two mediocre seasons with the team.

Recently hired general manager Jason Botterill said the following about the decision to bring in Housley, per the Sabres' official website:

"Based on his experience as a player and coach, we think Phil is uniquely qualified to be our head coach and to help us achieve our organizational goals. His approach to the game aligns with the way we envision our hockey team playing and we're excited to see where his leadership will take us in the future."

The 53-year-old Housley was part of a coaching staff that helped lead the Preds to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history, although they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Housley also has an extensive coaching resume with the United States National Team, as he led Team USA to the gold medal as head coach in the 2013 World Junior Championships.

As a player, Housley is regarded as one of the greatest offensive blueliners in NHL history.

He was selected No. 6 overall in the 1982 NHL draft by the Sabres, and after his tenure in Buffalo, he played for the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Housley retired after the 2002-03 season, having played 1,495 NHL regular-season games, registering 338 goals and 894 assists for 1,232 points.

The Hall of Famer will tackle a difficult job as the Sabres' fifth head coach since the 2012-13 season.

Buffalo hasn't reached the playoffs since 2010-11, but with superstar-in-the-making Jack Eichel on the squad, Housley has an ideal building block at his disposal.