According to the Los Angeles Times this past weekend, the Los Angeles Kings organization is close to hiring former Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Stevens to serve as the assistant coach.  Stevens would be replacing Mark Hardy, who resigned June 12 after charges were brought forward in D.C. that he sexually assaulted his 21-year old daughter.  Hardy had been serving as an assistant coach for the Kings since 1994.
Stevens would join an organization that predominantly hires ex-Flyers.  The Kings hired Flyers scout Dean Lombardi as President and General Manager (also a former general manager for the San Jose Sharks) and former Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall as Vice President and Assistant General Manager in 2006. The Kings also hired Flyers assistant coach Terry Murray as head coach in 2008.  Murray was the head coach during the “Legion of Doom” era in the mid-nineties and, ironically, was an assistant coach to John Stevens prior to the hiring.
Stevens was hired as head coach of the Flyers in 2006 after the firing of former coach Ken Hitchcock (who was fired again this past season by the Columbus Blue Jackets). While Stevens was personable and had a good grasp of the game, many saw his close relationships with the younger players (many of whom he won a Calder Cup with as coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms) as detrimental when issues of inconsistent play failed to be resolved.  The inconsistency reached a boiling point in December when the team’s play dropped to 29th in the league, and Stevens was subsequently fired.
Any hiring will likely occur after Lombardi and his staff reach a contract extension.
