How "Very Wide" and "Open Minded" will Stars Coach search be?

Dallas GM Jim Nill says search will be broad. Will it include a look at non North Americans for a team whose roster is loaded with them?

Former KHL Sochi Head Coach, Sergei Zubov

The Dallas Stars fired their head coach Pete DeBoer, Friday, and in so doing, gassed the NHL’s winningest bench boss over his time in Big D.

Now what?

Stars GM Jim Nill expressed a desire to look both “internally and externally” for his new coach. He said yesterday that he intends for the search to be “very wide” and that he’ll be “open minded.”

What does all that mean? I hope it means what he says it means - but I got real doubts for all kinds of reasons.

If you’ve read this space at all, you know I’m critical of the NHL, whose league is comprised of 1/3 non North American players, for not hiring GM’s and head coaches from outside the continent. Hell, they don’t even look…

It’s time they do. And I got at least one guy to look at - he’s been a head coach in the KHL since the 2015-16 season, with over 300 games coached behind the bench. He’s had experience consulting, and coaching NHL defenseman. He’s an NHL Hall-of-Famer, with two Stanley Cup Rings.

He’s only 54, still a young guy for a position like this. And his number is hanging inside American Airlines Center.

I’m not suggesting at this point that the Stars hire Sergei Zubov. But I’m gonna push hard that they interview him. Give him a shot to make his pitch. Give him a chance to practice interviewing for an NHL job, because he’s more than qualified, and he’s part of the Dallas Stars community. If the Dallas Stars won’t give him a look - no one will.

In fact, NOT interviewing Sergei Zubov for this job - would be pretty indicting of the organization.

The Boston Bruins just hired German born Marco Sturm as their new head coach. That’s one. There’s been 5 or 6 in league history. Let that sink in.

There’s no reason for the Stars not to bring him in. But if I’m betting - it’s unlikely they will.

Let me tell you why, and let me translate the rest of Jim Nill’s press conference from yesterday for you and lay out for you where this is all probably headed. I’ll highlight an unbelievable cringe moment from Jim Nill that speaks to the heart of the issue - if you didn’t catch it.