Gord Dineen got his wish.
Shortly after Butch Goring was named the new head coach of the NHL's New York Islanders last month, Dineen went public with whom he wanted the Utah Grizzlies' next coach to be.Management apparently listened.
The Grizzlies will officially announce Monday that Dineen's main man -- former Utah assistant Bob Bourne -- will replace Goring as the franchise's second-ever coach and general manager sources told the Deseret News on Friday.
The hiring of Bourne was basically expected by many as soon as Goring finally landed his dream job. And he actually was the only candidate officially interviewed by the Grizzlies.
Bourne earned a lot of respect by players, fans and management during his one-year stint as Goring's assistant coach in 1997-98.
This past season, Bourne was the head coach of Las Vegas, which didn't make the playoffs like the Grizzlies. He was, however, under adverse conditions due to the dismantling of the Thunder.
The hiring of Bourne also likely means Dineen, the Grizzlies' only captain in five years, will return for another season on the ice. One of his conditions for coming back was waiting to see who was hired as coach.