March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Leach ready to make next stop in NHL

He was watching the Flyers-Lightning playoff game at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Last year, he had done so with Flyers GM Bobby Clarke, participating in the inner-circle discussions. This year, he was in the building, but outside the meeting rooms.

Jay Leach left his mark at the University of Maine as an assistant coach and a none-better recruiter. When he left the university in 1988, it was to take an assistant coaching job in Hartford with the Whalers with his friend and head coach Larry Pleau. Pleau did not last beyond the year and while Leach stayed on under Rick Ley, the realities of the pro coaching ranks were setting in.

He joined the Flyers as their top minor-league coach in 1993 in Hershey (Pa.) and was there until this past fall when he got caught in the “you know who” juggernaut.

The Hershey team will move to Philadelphia next year to play in the old Spectrum, while the Flyers move next door to the new Spectrum. The Flyers believe there is sufficient hockey interest in the city, together with the wide ticket-price divergence, to allow the two teams to succeed literally next door to one another.

Bill Barber was a teammate of Clarke’s on the Flyers’ Stanley Cup teams. He was the head of scouting, but wanted to coach. Barber got Leach’s job.

Leach has been scouting for Mike Milbury and the Islanders since leaving the Flyers and is still looking for next year. His esteem within the pro ranks and at the college level couldn’t be higher.

“You worry when you have a job and you worry when you don’t,” said Leach.

He has not lost the smile. We discussed the college game, since he had a chance to see some tilts while scouting.

“I think the ability to recruit the number of high-quality players needed for U.S. colleges is getting tougher. The rule changes that reduce the number of junior players eligible from Canada is a major problem,” said Leach, referring to the reliance by teams like North Dakota on such junior recruiting.

“That’s one of the reasons that schools and others who historically used a lot of junior players have suffered lately.”

Leach also noted the need for the NHL to go after the younger stars.

“With expansion, the NHL teams can no longer wait for kids to develop in college,” Leach said. “They need them now, so they’re willing to take the risk and have the young players, 18 and 19 years old, move right into the NHL games.”

Nodding to Bobby Clarke standing nearby, Leach noted, “Bob has the attitude that kids should come along in the Flyer system if the organization thinks they’re going to play for the Flyers some day. He wants the kids to experience the pro grind and become familiar with the Flyers system, rather than have them spend time in college and lose training time here.”

There is also the growth of European hockey. The NHL plans to expand there with league teams and that is keeping some of the European talent home, increasing the need for North American players in the NHL and their minor-league affiliates.

“I think the overall level of play at the college level has been hurt and it makes the job of recruiting that much more difficult,” said Leach.

With the expansion of youth hockey programs across the country, college-caliber players should now begin to show up and they will have an increasing chance to play with the need growing.

For Jay, he and his family will head to the shores of his favorite New England lake when the playoffs are over, and from there decide what next. With all the hockey knowledge embraced within this good person, it shouldn’t take long to find out.


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