BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – In a season where there have been what seems like endless changes, and unusual circumstances there was yet another chapter added Wednesday afternoon that nobody could have ever seen coming.
The entire Hartford Wolf Pack coaching staff was to Madison Square Garden to coach the New York Rangers for their game with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers troika of Head Coach David Quinn, and his assistants, Jacques Martin and David Oliver, were all placed in COVID-10 protocols.
A professional first occurred with the recall of the whole minor league staff.
Wolf Pack Head Coach, Kris Knoblauch, as well as his assistant, Gord Murphy, and Hartford GM/Rangers and Assistant GM, Chris Drury, a Trumbull native, will be behind the bench for this evening’s contest.
Knoblauch and Murphy are expected to be behind the Wolf Pack bench tomorrow afternoon (1 PM faceoff) in Bridgeport against the Sound Tigers. As of 6 PM, that game was still a go according to Wolf Pack VP of Business Operations, Erik Hansen.
The only similar situation to this recall was back on December 18, 2014, when a mumps outbreak hit player Joey Crabb with a full-blown case and had to be quarantined for five days and then head coach Ken Gernander, who was asymptomatic, was also removed and isolated for five days.
Assistant Coach Jeff Buekeboom, and Assistant Coach/GM, Pat Boller, were behind the bench for a pair of home games against the Syracuse Crunch and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
