In Phoenix, Jay Dieffenbach notes the Coyotes "have hired" Dawn Braid as a skating coach, making her the "first full-time female coach in NHL history." Braid said, "The fact that they respect what I do enough to name me as a full-time coach, or to name me as the first female coach in the NHL, I take a ton of pride in that. I’ve worked very hard for this opportunity." Dieffenbach notes Braid "worked part-time for the Coyotes last year and has served as a skating consultant" with the Maple Leafs, Ducks, Sabres and Flames (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 8/25).
WORDS WITH FRIENDS: SPORTSNET.ca's Gare Joyce noted most NHL GMs "choose their assistants from among their past colleagues," but in getting things off the ground for Las Vegas' NHL team, GM George McPhee "went with a guy he'd never met" in Kelly McCrimmon. McPhee "maintains that he wants to avoid the appearance of cronyism while putting together his staff." He said, "What we’re out to do is not hire friends. It never seems to work. My obligation is to this franchise ... not to friends." McCrimmon was McPhee's "first big hire." McPhee: "I never worked with Kelly, (had) never even met him or spoken with him. I knew of him, of course, and for years I had only heard great things about him" (SPORTSNET.ca, 8/24).
WORK TO DO: In Boston, Steve Buckley noted the Bruins "have a lot of work to do" after a recent poll of the city's favorite teams revealed the club is third behind the Patriots and Red Sox. The Bruins "have now gone two consecutive seasons without qualifying" for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Meanwhile, Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs finished "dead last" in "ownership performance" over the past year among those polled (BOSTON HERALD, 8/24).
THE GOOD STUFF: In Columbus, Aaron Portzline notes the Blue Jackets yesterday donated more than $1M "in grants to local charities and youth hockey organizations, a record high" for the Blue Jackets Foundation. Blue Jackets VP/Community Relations & Foundation Exec Dir Kathryn Dobbs said that the highlight "is a $400,000 grant -- with a matching $400,000 from Columbus recreation and parks -- that will help build eight new playgrounds over the next four years in the city’s 'most vulnerable neighborhoods'" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 8/25).
