Is the San Jose Sharks' Coaching Search a Fraud?

At the "State of the Team" event held last month, General Manager Doug Wilson, and part-owner Craig Jamieson claimed there were 40 candidates to replace deposed head coach Ron Wilson. Everyone who believes that, raise your hand. If your hand is up, make sure you comment below by telling me what color the sky is in your world.

Sure, they want to let everyone in the organization feel they are respected enough to be considered. That means assistants Tim Hunter and Rob Zettler, as well as minor league head coaches Roy Sommer and Brad Church, are on the list. It is no secret that Bob Hartley and Pat Burns, as former Stanley Cup champion coaches, are on the list.

Former Shark Tony Granato, subsequently hired by the Colorado Avalanche, was certainly on the list when Wilson and Jamieson made their 40 candidates claim. Add in the three or four minor league coaches of other teams who are serious candidates for head coaching jobs in the NHL, and the number reaches double digits. So how can they claim 40?

There are 29 other coaches who were employed at the end of the season who are all viable candidates. Some of them are real candidates, but most are under contract by their teams who plan to keep them. Officially, however, the team does not want to give a list because they do not want to offend anyone who might suddenly become available.

In other words, this is what they had to say to bide their time until the Tampa Bay Lightning fired John Tortorella. Why the Lightning would want to make a change behind the bench is beyond me. Sure, they were the worst team in the league, being in last place in one of the weakest divisions in the history of sports. But they were in the playoffs just a season ago.

The team has been up for sale and is expected to go to an ownership group that includes a Hollywood investor who is friends with ESPN analyst and former Los Angeles Kings coach Barry Melrose. It is common in the business world for new management to re-staff positions.

But this guy won a Cup just four years ago, and is a respected coach for Team USA. He is young enough to have the energy and longevity, old enough to have the experience and respect of players. Most importantly, he has not been out of coaching since 1995. He is also exactly, what the Sharks need. He is fiery, passionate, and not afraid to demand more of his players.

His is a disciplinarian who will keep the team focused on the fundamentals and will get effort on every shift. In short, a perfect contrast to the laid-back California image of the Sharks. The team is known for resting on its laurels and counting on its talent to get victories. They are known for not having that next gear come the post-season.

 They are known as a team that does not play with a chip on their shoulder, and does not have many players who will push teammates. That will not happen when the Sharks name Tortorella coach. I expect him to be introduced in this capacity before the end of the month: the Sharks have decisions to make with several of their own free agents as well as the upcoming draft.

 Any new coach will certainly want to offer his two-cents' worth on those decisions he will have to live with. As Bill Parcells once said, "if they're going to ask you to cook the food, they should at least let you buy the groceries."