With Bruce Cassidy's departure to the IHL, the search is on for the next Trenton Titans Head Coach ! One thing was made crystal clear when Bruce Cassidy signed a two year contract to be the first Head Coach of the Trenton Titans: he has ambitions and the potential to fulfill them. Cassidy decided to leave his job as the Head Coach of the Indianapolis Ice after the 1998/1999 season because the team was headed in the opposite direction from his career, dropping from the International Hockey League down to the Central Hockey League. Cassidy, on the other hand, had risen from playing in the IHL in 1996/1997 to coaching in the ECHL (part of 1996/1997 and all of 1997/1998) and then coaching in the IHL in 1998/1999. The Indianapolis Ices' retreat to the CHL forced Cassidy to take a detour from the fast track. Rather than follow his team to the CHL, he accepted the contract with the Titans in the ECHL. Cassidy's performance for Trenton in the 1999/2000 season was absolutely first class, leading them to a 37-29-4 regular season record and leading them on a titanic playoff run into the Northern Conference Finals. However, from the start it was expected that Cassidy would desire to return to the IHL (or coach in the AHL) as soon as possible, so his Titans contract included a provision allowing him that opportunity after the first season. To no surprise, Cassidy applied for a few coaching positions in the IHL and AHL and was soon hired to be the Head Coach of the IHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.

While Cassidy's departure was less than shocking, it didn't make General Manager Brian McKenna's task any easier: finding a new Head Coach who can replicate (or even improve upon) the phenomenal success of the Trenton Titans' inaugural season. Five individuals have been interviewed by the Titans thus far, emerging from a list of dozens of applicants to be the top candidates for the job: Scott Gordon, Mike Haviland, Ray Edwards, Ron Wilson, and Troy Ward.

On paper, the strongest of these candidate to fill the Head Coach vacancy would probably be the first to be interviewed: South Easton, Massachusetts native Scott Gordon. He coached the Roanoke Express until 'failing to reach a contract agreement' following a first round playoff upset at the hands of the Johnstown Chiefs. In two seasons, he coached the Express to an impressive 82-42-16 record with 2 Northeast Division 1st place finishes, leading them to the Northern Conference Finals in his 1998/1999 debut. Prior to Roanoke, 37-year-old Gordon spent four seasons as Assistant and then Head Coach for the IHL's Atlanta Knights and Quebec Rafales. Prior to his coaching career, Gordon was a U.S. Olympic goaltender, played for Boston College, and played 8 mediocre seasons of professional hockey in the ECHL, AHL, and IHL (1986/1987 - 1993/1994). His ECHL experience included stints with the Johnstown Chiefs, Knoxville Cherokees, and Nashville Knights. Despite Scott Gordon's unusual departure from Roanoke, he appears to have solid coaching potential. However, Gordon was just hired (July 28th) as an Assistant Coach for the AHL's Providence Bruins and is out of the running.

The second interviewee to be the Titans' bench boss is their own Assistant Coach Mike Haviland. Initially, it was widely viewed that the Trenton Titans were giving him a 'courtesy' interview for the job, but were really looking for someone with previous experience as a Head Coach. After both Haviland and Titans General Manager Brian McKenna reported that the four hour interview went very well and Titans players such as Jed Whitchurch, Vince Williams, and Mike Hall began lining up in support of 32-year-old Haviland, the tide turned and he quickly became considered a serious contender for the position. Haviland, born in New York City but raised in Middletown, New Jersey, was a 1990 New Jersey Devils supplemental draft pick. He had a brief professional hockey career (with the ECHL and AHL) after 4 seasons playing for Elmira College (where he was the ECAC's Most Valuable Player in his Senior year). From 1992 to 1994, Haviland returned to Elmira as an Assistant Coach, after which he served as Head Coach of the USA Hockey Festival's Team Atlantic for three seasons and compiled a 216-51-25 record as Head Coach of a Wall, New Jersey based American Eagle Midget AAA team. He was hired by the Trenton Titans as a scout in July of 1998 and promoted to Assistant Coach one year later. Other than trainer Steve Lipinski, Haviland would be the only remaining vestige from Titans' 1999/2000 bench crew. Besides Head Coach Cassidy's departure, fellow Assistant Coach Kjell Samuelsson was promoted to the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms and equipment manager Pat Houlihan departed for a job with the Mobile Mysticks. If Haviland doesn't get the nod as Head Coach, would he remain as an Assistant in Trenton? Also at stake, many players such as Cail MacLean, Scott Bertoli, and Benoit Morin are waiting to see who will be named Head Coach to assist their decision on whether to remain with the Titans; all three are believed to back Haviland for the position. Many of the Titans fans and players believe that a year working beside Cassidy is enough to warrant the gamble in naming Mike Haviland as the new Head Coach, despite his shallow resume.

Former Huntington Blizzard Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations Ray Edwards was the third candidate to interview. In his 1998/1999 Head Coach debut, he ploughed the Blizzard to a 31-33-6 fifth place Northwest Division finish. Last season, he led them to a franchise best 35-25-10 second place Northwest finish but ended with a playoff upset to the Hampton Roads Admirals. Edwards was forced into the job market when the Huntington Blizzard opted to cease operations pending a relocation to a more lucrative market. Prior to being named Huntington Head Coach, he was a player/Assistant Coach with the Blizzard, finishing a seven season playing career (1991/1992 - 1997/1998) in the ECHL. Edwards was a bruiser on the ice, compiling 1253 penalty minutes in only 309 games played. Despite his modest coaching experience, the 30-year-old Wasaga Beach, Ontario native was also considered a top candidate for other ECHL Head Coach vacancies, including the Louisiana IceGators. He is said to have a strong potential for luring free agents to Trenton.

NHL veteran Ron Wilson (not to be confused with the Washington Capitals Head Coach with the same name) was the fourth candidate to be interviewed for the Titans Head Coach job. In 832 NHL games with the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues, and Montreal Canadiens from 1979/1980 through 1993/1994, Wilson tallied 110 goals, 216 assists, and 415 penalty minutes. He finished his professional hockey career in 1995/1996 as a player/Assistant Coach with the ECHL's Wheeling Thunderbirds. For the next four seasons, Ron Wilson served as an Assistant Coach with the AHL's Springfield Falcons before the franchise decided to purge its coaching staff. Despite being let go by Springfield, their NHL affiliate Phoenix Coyotes strongly recommended him for their ECHL affiliate Mississippi Sea Wolve's Head Coach vacancy. The 44-year-old Toronto, Ontario export was one of two finalists for the Mississippi job but was not hired, and he has been dropped off of McKenna's list of finalists.

The fifth and perhaps final candidate to interview is former Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant Coach Troy Ward. He was fired in the middle of his third season at Pittsburgh along with Penguins Head Coach Kevin Constantine. Ironically, Ward served as an Assistant Coach for two years with the IHL's Indianapolis Ice while Bruce Cassidy was a player there. Previously, Ward was the Head Coach at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Clair for three seasons and Head Coach/General Manager of the United States Hockey League's Dubuque Fighting Saints for two seasons.

While nothing rules out additional interviews, the pressure is on General Manager Brian McKenna to name a Head Coach by the first week in August so the Titans can focus on filling the roster and remaining game staff. With Scott Gordon and Ron Wilson out of the picture, the race appears to be between Haviland, Edwards, and Ward. Ward, an eleveth hour candidate, is the most qualified candidate on paper by a long shot. He would be the conservative choice for the job. Mike Haviland is the gambler's choice for Head Coach: a risky but very enticing bet. Ray Edwards is the odd man out, not enough experience to make him a sure fire bet and not enough flair to take the risk, contrary to the bounty of players he can reportedly deliver. I think it will be a down to the wire between Ward and Haviland: sorry Mike (hope I'm wrong).

A horrifying car wreck isn't about to stop the infamous Broph ! John Brophy: a name that stirs up quite a bit of emotion among East Coast Hockey League fans. A name that is almost synonymous with the East Coast Hockey League. The 67-year-old former Hampton Roads Admirals Head Coach (1989/1990 through 1999/2000) is currently recovering from a horrific car accident from which he was very lucky to survive. On June 25th, Brophy was making the marathon drive from his hometown in Antigonish, Nova Scotia to catch an early flight in Halifax when he fell asleep at the wheel. Brophy's car struck a culvert at high speed around 4:00am near Wolfville, leaving a pile of twisted metal and shattered glass. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time. Brophy sustained a broken leg, extensive facial lacerations, an eye injury, a punctured lung, and severe head injuries in the accident which left him in critical condition. For a week after the accident, Brophy was unable to remain conscious for more than a few minutes at a time and couldn't even recognize his wife. The head injuries continued to plague him, leaving him disoriented as his memory wandered through past decades and experiences. On July 7th, he was transferred from the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center in Halifax to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia to be closer to home. It wasn't until ten days later that Brophy was able to recall who and where he was and began recognizing everyone. The Broph had cleared the second major hurdle in his recovery (the first was merely surviving the incident). He has a long road ahead of physical and memory therapy. While he has already made a vast improvement, his long term prognosis remains a big question mark due to the severity of his brain injuries. Doctors have set a tentative hospital discharge date of August 8th.

John Brophy enjoyed a lengthy minor league hockey career as a defenseman in the Eastern Hockey League, playing in over 1100 regular season games with teams such as the Charlotte Clippers, Philadelphia Ramblers, and Long Island Ducks. He wrapped up his playing career in 1972/1973 with the EHL's Jersey Devils with over 18 full seasons of experience. While his playing career was impressive, it would be as a Head Coach that Brophy gained his fame. The season after retiring as a player, he received his first job as Head Coach with the North American Hockey League's Long Island Cougars. In 1974/1975, Brophy moved on the coach the Southern Hockey League's Hampton Gulls and ascended to the American Hockey League in 1977/1978 with the team. The following season, John Brophy won Coach of the Year honors at the helm of the World Hockey Association's Birmingham Bulls. He remained with the Bulls in the Central Hockey League after the WHA disbanded. In 1981/1982, Brophy became the Head Coach of the American Hockey League's Nova Scotia Voyageurs. Then, after three seasons in the AHL, he became an Assistant Coach with the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. That season (1984/1985) would be the only season from 1973 through 2000 that Brophy was not a professional hockey Head Coach.

After one season as a Maple Leafs' Assistant Coach, Brophy returned to the AHL to become the Head Coach of their affiliate, the St. Catharines Saints. The stay in the AHL was brief with Brophy returning to the NHL in 1986/1987 as the Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his third season behind the bench in Toronto, Brophy was fired, having compiled a lackluster 64-111-18 (.378) regular season tally and a 9-10-0 (.474) postseason performance during his two and a half seasons as an NHL bench boss. However, his unemployment didn't last very long: Brophy accepted a job as the Head Coach of an expansion franchise for the sophomore season (1989/1990) of the East Coast Hockey League. It was behind the bench of the Hampton Roads Admirals that John Brophy grew into a legend. Eleven consecutive seasons at the helm of the same hockey team (without missing the playoffs once) is an impressive feat by itself, but add three ECHL Championships to the resume. Only the decision of the Admirals' owners to move their team to the AHL and suspend operations of their ECHL franchise for a season broke Brophy's marathon Coaching stretch. He decided to enjoy a year off from the bench and resume his career in 2001/2002 when his ECHL team resurfaces as the Atlantic City Admirals. This gives him time to reflect on his 964 victories (964-834-159 in 1957 games) as a professional hockey Head Coach, second only to the great Scotty Bowman. Despite his injuries, Brophy vows to be there Opening Night in 2001 at the helm of the Atlantic City Admirals.

A quote from the Hampton Roads Admirals' online history says it all: "He epitomized what professional hockey is all about. He was hard-working, dedicated, tough, principled, understood marketing and drawing crowds and patterned a team and an entire franchise in his own image. His squad was talented, well conditioned, unselfish, hard-nosed, aggressive and above all else, they are winners!" Well, the quote almost says it all. As famous as John Brophy is for his work behind the bench, he has also become quite infamous in the East Coast Hockey League. His reign at Hampton Roads has been ripe with tirades and misconduct: a suspension for inciting (if not participating in) an on-ice brawl in the 1998 ECHL playoffs, multiple accusations of spitting on opposing fans and at least one police officer, and numerous other misdeeds warranting league suspensions, police investigations, police arrests, and a lot of bad press. John Brophy's reputation for brawling and general misconduct dates back to his playing days in the Eastern Hockey League where he amassed around 3725 penalty minutes and countless suspensions (with attacks on players, referees, fans, and probably anyone else who got in his way). Many claim that Brophy the player was the inspiration for Paul Newman's character in Slap Shot. Love 'em or hate 'em, Brophy is a Legend; a Legend who belongs behind the bench of the Atlantic City Admirals when they face the Trenton Titans in 2001. Here's too a speedy recovery Broph!

With an enormous pool of talented prospects in the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders organizations, who will appear in a Trenton Titans jersey ? The Trenton Titans are blessed with two strong NHL affiliation deals, creating an impressive pool of talented prospects that could possibly make Trenton a stop along their road to the NHL. While predicting the path of any given player is like trying to guess where a hurricane will go while its still down in the Caribbean, I will present several strong prospects that we would like to see pass through Sovereign Bank Arena. The hottest prospect, although probably the least likely to play for Trenton unless he greatly disappoints the Islanders, is this year's Number One NHL Entry Draft selection: goaltender Rick DiPietro.

The New York Islanders wrote a new page in the NHL history book when they bypassed several top rated scouting picks and made Boston University's Rick DiPietro (5'11" / 185 lbs. / Catches right) the first goaltender in modern history to be selected as the top overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft (since the Entry Draft assumed its current format in 1969). He also became only the fourth U.S. born player (joining Brian Lawton, Mike Modano, and Bryan Berard) to be selected first in the draft. Prior to selecting "The Rick", Islanders General Manager Mike Milbury attracted loud jeers from around the hockey world for unloading talented young netminders Roberto Luongo (4th overall pick in 1998, the previous high for a goaltender, and still a red hot prospect) and Kevin Weekes (already emerging as an excellent netminder) and banking everything on DiPietro. One season at Boston University (18-5-5 2.45 .913) and a strong showing at the World Junior Championships (2-2-1 1.81 .935) is just about all the 18-year-old prospect has to offer on his resume, but the Islanders like his attitude, confidence, showmanship, and pure potential enough to gamble on DiPietro starting his professional career in the NHL. The Winthrop, Massachusetts native is said to have better puck handling skills than most current NHL goalies and draws comparisons to Martin Brodeur, Ron Hextall, and many other great goaltenders past and present. Hockey experts are nearly unanimous in declaring Milbury absolutely nuts for fast-tracking DiPietro, but there is a precedent: an 18-year-old Tom Barrasso, another Massachusetts native, jumped straight from high school to the NHL in 1983 with the Buffalo Sabres. Veteran goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck has been acquired by the Islanders to serve as DiPietro's mentor (and as a safety net if he bombs). The bad news for Trenton: even if DiPietro flounders in training camp, it is rather unlikely that he will be assigned to the Trenton Titans anytime soon.

Another goaltending prospect, but one that I expect will turn out even better than DiPietro is Maxime Ouellet (6'2" / 195 lbs. / Catches left), the Philadelphia Flyers' 1st round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Ouellet has posted three strong (and improving) seasons with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Quebec Remparts (31-26-4 2.67 .916 in 1999/2000). The 19-year-old netminder is ineligible to play in the AHL (and possibly the ECHL) until after the 2000/2001 season when he turns 20 (due to his Canadian Juniors experience). When he does, Ouellet could pass quickly through Sovereign Bank Arena.

The third goaltender to track is Roman Cechmanek (6'3" / 187 lbs. / Catches left), the Philadelphia Flyers' 6th round 2000 NHL Entry Draft pick (171st overall). He helped the Czech Republic to a Gold in the World Championship in May. The Flyers have already signed the 19-year-old Czech Republic netminder and announced their intentions to have him share the NHL net with Brian Boucher this season. If his stock should fall, Cechmanek could end up drifting towards Trenton in the future.

Four overall draft picks after DiPietro was selected, the Islanders selected left wing Raffi Torres (5'11" / 207 lbs. / Shoots left) using a first round pick acquired in their pre-draft trades. 18-year-old Torres is a strong scoring forward tallying 43 goals and 48 assists in 68 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Battalion. In addition to his scoring prowess, he is known to deliver bone-jarring hits. Although Torres was born in Markham, Ontario, he has a Mexican father and Peruvian mother. Unfortunately, Torres won't turn 20 until right before the 2001/2002 season and is bound by the same Juniors restrictions as Ouellet, so it may be another season before he could pass through Trenton.

Only four days older than Torres is Philadelphia Flyer's 1st round 2000 NHL Entry Draft pick (28th overall) right wing Justin Williams (6'0" / 176 lbs. / Shoots right). He is scouted as a fast skater with excellent play-making abilities, very dangerous around the net, and a strong two-way player. In 68 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Plymouth Whalers this season, Cobourg, Ontario native Williams tallied 37 goals and 46 assists in the regular season with a +47 plus/minus rating (and an additional 14 goals / 16 assists in 23 playoff games). However, the scouting circuit is sharply divided regarding whether Williams has NHL potential. Sorry to disappoint - he has the same status as the other Canadian Juniors players.

A Canadian Juniors player who will actually turn 20 in November and should be turning pro is right wing Juraj Kolnik (5'10" / 182 lbs. / Shoots right), a New York Islanders' 4th round (101st overall) 1999 NHL Entry Draft pick. The Nitra, Slovakia native notched 53 goals and 53 assists in only 47 regular season games (10 goals / 17 assists in 14 playoff games) with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Rimouski Oceanic in 1999/2000. He is a solid scoring threat that has a legitimate chance at playing with the Trenton Titans sometime next season.

The best prospect to land on the Trenton Titans' roster from this months list is 25-year-old goalie Brian Regan from New Milford, Connecticut. Regan was originally drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the 10th round 10 of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft (239th overall) and recently signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. Last season, he posted a 29-12-4 record with a 2.51 goals against average and a .914 save percentage for the United Hockey League's Missouri River Otters. In 1998/1999, he posted strong numbers in the ECHL with the Dayton Bombers (14-12-5 3.01 .900) and Peoria Rivermen (4-2-2 2.76 .913) with 5 very respectable IHL appearances with the Cleveland Lumberjacks and Cincinnati Cyclones. With Brian Boucher and Roman Cechmanek announced as the Flyers goaltenders, and Neil Little (questionable) and Dan Murphy tentatively slated for the AHL's Philadelphia Phanthoms, Regan could very well be placed in Trenton until an opening exists for his advancement (or until he earns it). Finnish goaltender Antero Niittymaki (6'0" / 176 lbs. / Catches left) is also likely to figure into the equation. The 20-year-old netminder, the Flyers' 7th pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft (168th overall) will probably be competing for an AHL spot, but could also land with the Titans. The numbers suggest that one of them will need to play for the Titans while Maxime Ouellet stays in the Juniors for a little while longer.

What's new on "The Unofficial Web Site of the Trenton Titans" ? New features are popping up all of the time at the Unofficial Site. One recent addition is the "Titans Gallery" with all of Peter Bronsteen's fine photography featured on the web site. A "Booster Club" link has been added with postings from the Trenton Titans Booster Club. Coverage of the Trenton Lightning indoor football team and Lakewood BlueClaws minor league baseball team has been added to existing coverage of the Trenton Thunder and Trenton Shooting Stars.

Recently, I have added a "Site Index" link on the Main Menu to assist visitors in sifting through the contents of the site, since some information is buried pretty deep within the site. The alphabetical index contains a direct link to just about every page on the site. Speaking of links, I'm in the process of updating the SPORTZLYNX. For those of you who are unfamiliar with SPORTZLYNX, the Main Page contains a listing of nearly every major U.S. professional (and some amateur/foreign) sports league and many sports associations. Most of the league links lead to a page displaying the league's teams with links to their official web sites as well as the league's official web site. SPORTZLYNX is a quick and easy way to check out the official sites of all of your favorite sports teams, big and small. PAGE TWO of SPORTZLYNX contains a variety of links to Trenton Titans related sites and forums, The Unofficial Web Site's Hockey Tributes, major sports sites, ECHL fan sites, and many other sports related links. Please feel free to recommend additional links to sports leagues or other related sports sites.

In the weeks that precede the start of the 2000/2001 ECHL season, I will be trying to work on several areas on the Unofficial Site, some that are often neglected during hockey season. As always, The Unofficial Web Site of the Trenton Titans is open to suggestions, corrections, contributions, and even criticism. You can send feedback to trentontitans@yahoo.com