It was a 2-for-the-price-of-1 deal for the Salt Lake Golden Eagles Tuesday afternoon in the Delta Center.
They called a 2 p.m. press conference to officially announce - as expected and finally - that they will be affiliated for the next two to three years with the New York Islanders.And in the spirit of the day, Islanders general manager Don Maloney and assistant GM Darcy Regier (the former Eagle) brought along their new coach to make that announcement, too.
He is Dave Farrish, who was an assistant with the New Jersey Devils at the NHL level last season. Farrish, who turns 37 Sunday, is a former NHL defenseman who spent three seasons coaching Moncton of the American Hockey League, a Winnipeg affiliate.
Maloney said part of the delay in announcing the Salt Lake-New York working agreement that was three months in the negotiating stages was that he wanted to announce his coach as well.
Farrish replaces Butch Goring as the Islers' top minor coach. Goring moves to Las Vegas, which joins the International Hockey League this fall.
Maloney said Farrish's two years playing in Europe and experience coaching at the minor- and big-league levels were the biggest factors in his getting the job. Many Europeans are coming to North American pro teams now, "And it's important to have someone in touch with Europe," Maloney said.
"This is the one league that has somehow avoided me," Farrish joked. He said the IHL has "NHL-type cities and gives a professional feel the players don't get in the AHL."
Farrish said he's long been an admirer of veteran Isler coach Al Arbour and hopes to have a high-tempo offense that tends toward taking care of defense.
He said he was frustrated coaching for Winnipeg in Moncton because the Jets told him "they didn't care if I was winning games." They were interested in player development. Farrish says the two go hand-in-hand. "Part of developing is teaching them to win," he said.
His coaching style on the bench, he says, is relatively controlled. "If I don't have any discipline, I can't expect my players to," he says.
Farrish's assistant coach will be Chris Pryor, 32, who was assistant last season in the Islanders' AHL affiliate, Capital District in Troy, N.Y. Pryor is the ex-Eagle defenseman who was a fan favorite in his rookie year, 1983-84, when Minnesota was the parent team.
That was the Eagles' last year in the old Central Hockey League.
The Eagles and Indianapolis Checkers, who were the Islanders' farm team in the early 1980s, made the move to the IHL the next season.
For the Islanders, the move back to a league that has teams in both Salt Lake and Indianapolis is a return to the site of their best minor-league triumphs. The old CHL Checkers won two Adams Cups. Their main competition was the Eagles. "We had the most success when the team was in the (CHL) IHL," Maloney said. "The level of competition here is second to none."
Being 2,000 miles from the parent club isn't a detraction, he said, because it forces the coach to find a way to win with the talent he has. Maloney said he wanted to jump to the IHL to provide developing players with a big-league atmosphere.
Maloney said the Islers had a better financial offer to move to Las Vegas, but he ruled that out because he didn't want youngsters tempted by the casinos.
"In the hockey world," he added, "if you asked players where they'd want to play (in the minors), they'd say Salt Lake." He cited the Delta Center facilities and the wholesome populace, things he took Regier's word on until Tuesday. "Being here for the first time," said Maloney, who liked what he saw when he flew in about 10 a.m. Tuesday, "I'm worried about getting the players back to New York."
The working agreement is for three years - two plus an option year, said Eagle president Tim Howells. It calls for New York to provide coach, trainer and a minimum of 14 players, including two goalies. The Islanders can provide more players, or the Eagles can fill out the roster with locally signed free agents - a style of agreement that is becoming standard in hockey so that minor clubs have some continuity from year to year.
Maloney said the Islanders will likely send 16 players this season.
"The Islanders have a great young club," Farrish said. "I coached against them for three years (in Moncton)."
Regier, director of minor operations, said the 1992-93 Capital District club included four or five sure NHL prospects, youngsters who will likely come here. Regier said the Islanders don't rush their youngsters.