Bob Murdoch, expected to be named the Black Hawks` new coach at a press conference Tuesday at the Stadium, said the Chicago job was the only one he wanted.
”I didn`t want interviews with any other teams. I avoided it,” said Murdoch, an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames for the last five years.
A source close to the negotiations has confirmed that Murdoch will be named the Hawk coach, but Murdoch won`t come right out and say he is the man.
Murdoch wants Tuesday`s announcement to carry some feeling of anticipation. And who can blame him? The Hawks need to create a little excitement after the season they had. That`s why when asked to confirm that he will be their new coach, Murdoch said, ”I`m not at liberty to say.”
”Obviously, being an assistant coach, my purpose was to learn and go on and become a head coach,” he said. ”This was the first year I looked for a head-coaching job. After investigating, the only one I was really interested in was the Chicago Black Hawks`.”
Calgary coach Bob Johnson resigned last week to become executive director of the American Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS), but Murdoch wasn`t a serious candidate to replace Johnson because he claims he already had his heart set on getting the Hawk job. Terry Crisp was named Calgary coach Friday.
”We talked about it,” Murdoch said, alluding to Flames General Manager Cliff Fletcher. ”But again, I would prefer not to comment on that. I was really geared up to get the Chicago Black Hawks` job. Both my wife and I made the commitment that if the Chicago job opened up, we would go.”
Murdoch believes Calgary, where he served five years, was an excellent training ground for him.
”I have been in hockey all my life,” he said. ”I feel that with the Flames, I worked with one of the best organizations in hockey.”
He thinks the same of the Hawks, even though their record hasn`t shown it for a while.
”The things I like are the stability of the team, the city, the fan support and Bob Pulford,” said Murdoch, who played for Pulford for four years in Los Angeles. ”He is a good hockey person. He`s very knowledgeable.”
Knowledge is one thing Murdoch wanted to acquire before he tried his hand as a head coach.
”A number of players went right to being a head coach after playing, and then after six months, a year, a year and a half, they were relieved of their jobs,” Murdoch said. ”I want to be a career coach. So I felt if I wanted that, I`d better learn something about it first.”
A source close to the situation said Murdoch, not the University of North Dakota`s Gino Gasparini, was the Hawks` No. 1 choice. It had been reported that the only reason Gasparini didn`t get the job was that he couldn`t agree to financial terms with the Hawks.
Although Murdoch hasn`t officially been named coach, he already shares the belief that the Hawks often lacked emotion on the ice. The Hawks` power play, second in the league in 1985-86, was at the bottom this season.
”That happened with pretty much no change in personnel,” Murdoch said.
”It goes to show you that it`s a game of emotion and mental preparation.”
Murdoch hopes to be able to prepare the Hawks for next season–after he gets the job, that is. He didn`t want to say what improvements the Hawks need. ”The Hawks have a good hockey team,” he said. ”They have good skill. They need a few changes. But with the right leadership and the right chemistry, they can be a good hockey club.”
