By John Vogl
The Sabres haven't had to search for a coach since the summer of 1997. Needless to say, the candidates have changed since then.
So who's out there now that the Sabres have fired Lindy Ruff?
*Patrick Roy: Well-respected agent Jay Grossman almost immediately mentioned Roy, the Hockey Hall of Famer who is coaching Quebec of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Roy is in his eighth season with the Remparts and was the coach for Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko. The Remparts are 34-19-4.
UPDATE: As of 4:15 p.m., the Sabres had not contacted Roy to talk about replacing Ruff.
*Jon Cooper: I wrote about Cooper in June as a possible replacement if the Sabres ever fired Ruff. The proven winner has continued to add to his resume. He has the Syracuse Crunch atop the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference at 30-14-6.
*Dallas Eakins: The former NHLer is in his fourth season guiding the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. They reached the finals last year before losing to Cooper-coached Norfolk. The Marlies are 26-17-5.
*Ron Rolston: The Amerks coach is highly thought of inside the Sabres' organization. He is in just his second season as a professional coach. The Amerks reached the playoffs last season and are 27-18-3 this year.
*Phil Housley: The former Sabres defenseman boosted his resume by leading the United States to the world junior championship in January. He has no NHL experience, however.
