The New York Islanders, parent club of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, on Thursday announced they have hired American Hockey League graduates Neil Smith as general manager and Ted Nolan as head coach.
Smith, a 1974 Islanders draft pick, joined the Detroit Red Wings organization in 1982, and served as general manager of their Adirondack AHL affiliate as the Wings won Calder Cups in 1986 and 1989.
He went on to serve as GM of the New York Rangers from 1989-2000, building their 1994 Stanley Cup championship team.
Nolan played parts of seven seasons in the AHL with Adirondack, Rochester and Baltimore from 1979-86, and was a member of the Red Wings’ Calder Cup championship team in 1981.
He won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 1997, and recently led Moncton to the finals of the 2006 Memorial Cup tournament.
"I’m extremely proud of the team of leaders we have put together," said Islanders owner Charles Wang. The Islanders’ hockey operations staff also includes senior vice president Mike Milbury, executive director of player development Bryan Trottier and Sound Tigers president Howard Saffan.
