Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier Reportedly Want New York Rangers Coaching Job

Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier are reportedly interested in returned to coach for the team once played on together, the New York Rangers.

After the Rangers fired coach John Tortorella last week, the job opening has generated a lot of interest around NHL circles. Gretzky and Messier have both shown interest in the position, Sportsnet reported.

Messier would seem to have an inside track on Gretzky. He has served as a special assistant to president and general manager Glen Sather since 2009, though he has no head coaching experience in the NHL. Gretzky coached the Phoenix Coyotes from 2005 to 2009, but has been out of hockey since the NHL took over the team that year.

This week the Rangers fired head coach John Tortorella after what was considered a disappointing exit in the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing to the Boston Bruins in five games.

The outspoken 54-year-old coach led the Rangers as far as the Eastern Conference finals in 2012, but the team lost to the New Jersey Devils and never advanced any further under Tortorella.

Tortorella had benched assistant captain Brad Richards for the last two games against the Bruins, and Richards said his relationship with the coach had soured.

“Obviously it’s just another thing in a relationship that will never change now,” he said. “But I want to play hockey and that’s all I’m worried about. Relationships come and go.”

Tortorella had said after the season ended that the Rangers didn’t fall short of their goals, but goaltender Henrik Lundqvist disagreed.

“It’s a step back,” he said. “We were in the conference finals last year and we had high expectations of ourselves this season. It didn’t go our way so yeah, it was a step back.”

Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier would try to lead the Rangers back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994, when Messier was captain.

Aside from Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is reportedly a candidate for the New York Rangers job.