Coach Cap

Jack Capuano will assume the role behind the Islanders bench on Wednesday.

It is the 18th new coaching assignment for the Islanders (Arbour, Milbury and Henning each had two stints; I'm not counting Arbour's 1-game cameo in 2007).

The Isles are 6-9-2 in their first game for a new coach.  This is the 8th time that the Isles have made an in-season change, and the Isles are 4-3-0 in the first game after the previous 7 changes (including 3 straight wins).

Earl Ingarfeld       1/31/1973  L 5-3 @ Toronto (replaced Phil Goyette)
Al Arbour II         12/9/1989  L 6-5 @ New Jersey (replaced Terry Simpson)
Rick Bowness      1/24/1997  W 5-2 @ Hartford (replaced Mike Milbury)
Mike Milbury II    3/12/1998  L 2-1 Washington (replaced Rick Bowness)
Bill Stewart         1/21/1999  W 5-2 @ Pittsburgh (replaced Mike Milbury)
Lorne Henning II    3/4/2001  W 5-2 @ New York Rangers (replaced Butch Goring)
Brad Shaw           1/12/2006  W 3-2 Vs. Calgary (replaced Steve Stirling)
Jack Capuano     11/17/2010  Tampa Bay (replaced Scott Gordon)

Gordon, like most of the seven before him, lost his final game as coach.  Overall, Isles coaches are 1-6-1 in their last game before an in-season change.  The one win was from Mike Milbury's first stint, when he replaced himself after an 8-1 win over Edmonton.

 

Capuano will become the third Islander coach to debut against Tampa Bay:

Butch Goring	10/2/1999		L 4-2 @ Tampa Bay
Peter Laviolette	10/5/2001		W 3-2 @ Tampa Bay

 

The change, only 17 games into the season, is the earliest coaching change in a season in Islander history.  Terry Simpson was 7-18-2 when he was replaced by Al Arbour in 1989.  Like Gordon (0-9-1 in his final 10 games), the Isles were in the midst of a long winless streak when Simpson was fired, having lost his last 8 games and 11 of his last 12.

 

Capuano will attempt to become a trend-breaker.  The Isles have never made the playoffs during a season which they made a coaching change.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick