Two weeks ago, Hall of Fame goaltender and Jack Adams Award-winning coach Patrick Roy resigned as vice president of hockey operations and bench boss of the Colorado Avalanche. Citing unhappiness with his role in personnel decisions, Roy left the Avs without a head coach six weeks before training camp.
General Manager Joe Sakic has been interviewing candidates ever since and on August 17, we learned that Capitals Assistant Coach Lane Lambert was receiving “some consideration” for the vacancy. Now a report from The Denver Post this evening indicates Lambert is now a finalist for the open head coach position.
As the Avalanche coaching search headed into its final stages Wednesday, Washington Capitals assistant Lane Lambert and Cleveland Monsters head coach Jared Bednar remained strong candidates in the field, along with Chicago Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dineen.
San Jose Sharks assistant Bob Boughner, a former Colorado defenseman, wasn’t among the finalists after Avalanche interviews with as many as six potential choices to succeed Patrick Roy, who resigned as head coach and vice president of hockey operations Aug. 4.
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The 51-year-old Lambert has been an NHL assistant under Barry Trotz for the past five years (three with Nashville and the last two with Washington). Lambert helmed the Caps forward corps and led the team’s penalty kill. Washington’s PK showed dramatic improvement last year, finishing second in the league with a 85.2 percent kill rate. In the playoffs, it was impeccable, holding its opponents scoreless nearly 91 percent of the time.
Lambert was a standout coach in the AHL before joining the Predators leading the Milwaukee Admirals to more than 40 wins every year he was behind the bench.
8/25 Update: This afternoon, the Avalanche announced the hiring of Jared Bednar.
BREAKING: The #Avs have hired Jared Bednar as the new head coach. pic.twitter.com/aFNk6FS8U7
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 25, 2016
Lambert was, of course, the second assistant on Trotz's staff to be a finalist for a HC job this summer, joining Todd Rierden (Calgary).
— Tarik El-Bashir⌨️🎙🏒 (@TarikNBCS) August 25, 2016
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