PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Flyers named former NHL head coach John Paddock as the bench boss of their American Hockey League affiliate Thursday.
Paddock, 54, joins the Philadelphia Phantoms after spending most of last season at the helm of the Ottawa Senators last season. He led the Senators to a 36-22-6 record but was abruptly fired Feb. 27 after the Senators suffered back-to-back shutout losses.
"John Paddock will bring tremendous experience and leadership to the Phantoms," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "We are fortunate to have John working with, and helping to develop, our young prospects."
Paddock is no stranger to the Flyers franchise, having led its AHL affiliate to a pair of Calder Cup championships (Maine, 1984; Hershey, 1988). He returns to the AHL for the first time since 2005, when he served as head coach of Ottawa's affiliate in Binghamton.
"Sometimes you just can't let opportunities go by," said Paddock. "It wasn't something that I was planning on when it happened this late in the summer. When Paul called, it was an opportunity that presented itself that I couldn't let go by.
"There are so many people in the organization that I've worked with, coached, and played with, that there were too many signs pointing to it being a good thing."