Carbonneau at centre of speculation
on Hitchcock's replacement

from faceoff.com, January 26, 2002, excerpted

Guy Carbonneau doesn't see himself replacing Ken Hitchcock as head coach of the Dallas Stars - at least not this season. Carbonneau, in his second year as assistant to head coach Michel Therrien with the Montreal Canadiens, was one of the first names to pop up in speculation about a possible replacement when Hitchcock was fired on Friday.

"Right now I'm assistant coach in Montreal and, in my mind, It's certain that I'll finish the season here," Carbonneau said. "After that, we'll see.

"I'm not under contract for next season."

Assistant coach Rick Wilson was promoted to Hitchcock's job and is expected to keep it at least until the end of the season.

Canadiens general manager Andre Savard said he won't stand in the way if the Stars come calling for Carbonneau.

"Guy has done excellent work for our organization and we don't want to lose him, that's for sure," said Savard. "If the Stars ever contact me to see if he's available, I'll be in a delicate situation.

"There's an unwritten rule in sports that you don't stand in the way of someone taking a step upward. At least that's how it works in the NHL. Happily, we're not at that point."

One catch to Carbonneau coaching in Dallas is that his daughter is engaged to Stars' forward Brendan Morrow. They are to be married this summer.

"I like Dallas and I visit it often because of my daughter, but I'm happy in Montreal," said Carbonneau, a former Canadiens captain who later played for St. Louis and Dallas.

He turned to coaching after he retired from the Stars two seasons ago.

"I took an assistant's job for the experience," he said. "Then, I wasn't ready to be a head coach.

"Am I now? I don't know, but at least I've picked up some experience."