Minnesota Wild Coaching Candidate: Peter Horachek

Up until last week, we also thought we knew the names involved in the search, and who the possibilities were. Then Russo told us that there was another, completely unknown, candidate in the mix. Peter Horachek was confirmed as having been interviewed for the position, showing that Fletcher is truly not keyed in on a veteran coach only. 

I'll admit it. Until the report from Russo, I had never heard of Mr. Horachek. Not even in passing stories or in interactions with Preds fans. I mean, how many Preds fans do you think know who Bob Mason is? Likely not many. 

To get us acquainted, we reached out to Predators bloggers and got some solid information. First up is Mark Willoughby from The View from 111. After his piece, check out what SBN's own Dirk Hoag, from On the Forecheck, had to say.

by Mark Willoughby

From Dirk Hoag:

HW: What is Peter Horacheck's role with the Predators?

DH: Horachek's role on the Predators has been somewhat fluid in recent years, especially in light of the progression of Brent Peterson's Parkinson's disease. At one point he was talked about as holding primary responsibility for the power play, for example (long a Preds weakness), but right from the start of this season Barry Trotz took that on his shoulders. Horachek is very involved with running the daily practices, including the one-on-one work you see with specific players long after the rest have gone into the locker room. During games, he typically manages the defense while Trotz handles the forward lines.

HW: Is he ready for the head coaching position?

DH: He's got head-coaching experience in his background, at the AHL level in Milwaukee and the IHL back in 2001, when he led the Orlando Solar Bears to the Turner Cup and was named IHL Coach of the Year. He was actually the head coach in Nashville once upon a time, too, with the ECHL's Nashville Knights about 20 years ago. He certainly sounded like a head coach during this radio interview from January, when there needed to be some "adjustments to attitudes" after a poor stretch of play by the team. There's no reason to believe he's not qualified to be an NHL head coach at this point.

HW: What is his style of coaching? His system?

DH: It's hard to say what specific elements of the Predators' game are attributable to Horachek, but considering how long he's been here and the distinctive style of play that Nashville is known for, I think you could expect a lot of forwards hustling on the backcheck, an emphasis on guys getting on the "right side of the puck" in the defensive zone, and an emphasis on team play over the showcasing of stars. Nashville also enjoys a reputation for having a pretty player-friendly atmosphere on a daily basis, and you have to give Horachek some credit for that. Whether he's a good fit for the Minnesota organization at this point in time, well, who knows. I'm sure there's more than a little familiarity there given the fact that Horachek joined the Preds a few years before Craig Leipold sold the team.

From the editor: We would like to thank Mark & Dirk for taking time out of their schedules for helping out with this piece. Please do yourselves the favor and visit both sites. Good people running good sites. Hockey is awesome.