Islanders Hire Tommy Albelin As Assistant Coach, Replaces Doug Houda
Islanders Hire Tommy Albelin As Assistant Coach, Replaces Doug Houda
New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello announced on Monday that the team has hired Tommy Albelin as an assistant coach to replace Doug Houda.
The two have a past relationship. Lamoriello hired Albelin as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils in 2007 before bringing him to Toronto ahead of the 2016-17 season.
Albelin joins Benoit Desrosiers and John MacLean on Patrick Roy's staff and will likely work with Desrosiers to get the defense and penalty kill back on track after a miserable season in both categories.
The 60-year-old has been coaching as an assistant with Team Sweden since 2016. During his playing days, the former eighth-round pick by the Quebec Nordiques back in 1983 won two Stanley Cups playing for Lamoriello in New Jersey (1995, 2003).
In 952 career games, the left-shot defenseman scored 44 goals with 211 assists, registering 417 penalty minutes.