10:16 AM EST, 12/15/2005
Penguins fire Olczyk, promote former Canadiens coach Therrien (from Baby Penguins)

It makes sense to me.... Olczyk has been calling up player after player from the Baby Penguins, so it's only right that the management calls up their coach, too.

The Penguins were a league-worst 23-47-8-4 during Olczyk's first season as coach in 2003-04, including an 18-game losing streak that would be an NHL record except that one loss came in overtime. But the pressure on Olczyk to begin winning increased when the Penguins won the NHL draft lottery in July and chose 18-year-old Sidney Crosby, considered Canada's best prospect since Penguins owner-player Mario Lemieux.

Therrien, who coached the Penguins' Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm club to a 21-1-2-1 record that represents the best start in AHL history, was to run the team's practice Thursday and coach his first NHL game since the 2002-03 season Friday night against Buffalo. He was 77-77-13-13 as Montreal's coach from 2000-03.

The 42-year-old Therrien expected to bring a much more disciplined approach to a team that has been criticized for its lazy work habits and inability to stick to a system. He emphasizes controlling the puck and creating turnovers in the transition game.

~S~






~S~