It may not be long before we see former New Jersey Devils assistant coach Rick Kowalsky in the NHL again. Next time, though, it may not be behind a bench drawing up plays. On Wednesday, the Maine Mariners announced that Kowalsky, 53, was joining the team as their new head coach as well as their general manager.
The longtime Devils coach returns to the ECHL after spending 15 seasons in the AHL and NHL with the Devils, Binghamton Devils, Albany Devils, and the Bridgeport Islanders.
Before making the full-time jump to the AHL, Kowalsky had four seasons as the head coach of the ECHL Trenton Devils from 2006-07 to 2009-10.
Objectively late in his coaching career, the one-time AHL Coach of the Year has interestingly taken up the mantle of general manager, which will undoubtedly open up future opportunities for him at the NHL level with some success.
It should be noted, for example, that current Philadelphia Flyers general manager Danny Briere spent two seasons as the general manager of the ECHL Maine Mariners before taking over as team president.
Between his initial Mariners appointment and being hired by the Flyers as their full-time general manager, Briere became a Flyers team consultant for player development, became the president of the Mariners, took over as a special assistant to the GM, retained the special assistant role for one full season, then replaced Chuck Fletcher as the Flyers' GM.
Briere's path to leading the Flyers' front office was a linear one that saw him add more and more responsibilities over the course of a few seasons.
He's also six years younger than Kowalsky and didn't have two decades of coaching experience, which should show what's possible for Kowalsky if he does a good job for the same Mariners organization.