UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- One Butch Goring era ended on Friday and another began.
Goring, who played for the New York Islanders during their dynasty of the early 1980s, was hired as head coach of the struggling NHL team.The only coach in the history of the Utah Grizzlies, Goring will take over for short-lived Islanders' coach Bill Stewart.
"For me, this is almost a dream come true," said Goring, whose coaching career began in 1981 as a playing assistant under former New York coach Al Arbour. "Since Al Arbour made me an assistant, there hasn't been a day when I haven't wanted to step into Al Arbour's shoes and be as successful."
Success was Goring's middle name during his tenure in the International Hockey League with the Grizzlies (in Denver and Salt Lake) and the Las Vegas Thunder.
In his six seasons in the "I", Goring racked up a record of 287-159-44 (.630 winning percentage). His crowning moments came in 1995 and '96 when he coached the Grizzlies to back-to-back Turner Cup championships.
"Butch has earned the right to coach in the NHL, and Donna and I wish him the very best," said David Elmore, who along with Donna Tuttle, owns the Grizzlies. "He has set high standards for our organization, and we know he will be successful at the next level."
Getting the Islanders back into top form won't come without obstacles, though. New York ended this season with a 24-48-10 record, worst in the Atlantic Division and third worst in the 27-team NHL. It was the fifth consecutive season they failed to make the playoffs.
Things were a lot different when Goring played for the team, beginning late in the 1979-80 season through the first half of the 1984-85 season.
During that span, the Islanders won four straight Stanley Cup titles, from 1980-83, and Goring was the MVP during the 1981 playoffs, collecting 10 goals and 10 assists in 18 games.
Overall, Goring played 16 seasons in the NHL. He scored more than 30 goals four different times, finishing his career with 375 goals and 513 assists in 1,107 games.
This will be the second NHL coaching stint for the 49-year-old Goring. He coached for just over a year with the Boston Bruins during the 1985-86 season after which he coached in the American Hockey League.
Goring began coaching the Denver Grizzlies in 1994 and stayed with the team when it moved to Utah. He has a 423-311-89 career coaching record, including a 235-141-33 mark with Denver and Utah. He is also the only coach in IHL history to be named coach of the year twice ('95 and '96).
"He has been a great friend and a great coach, and the Utah Grizzlies would not be what they are today without him," said Grizz president Tim Mouser.
The search for the second Grizzlies coach is currently under way. The top candidate is Las Vegas coach Bob Bourne, who was an assistant under Goring last year in Utah. Former Thunder coach Chris McSorley, who has ties with Mouser, is also expected to be on the Grizz's short list of replacements.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.