TAMPA - Before he signed his contract extension with the Lightning, associate coach Craig Ramsay had to decide how important it is to become a head coach.
Ramsay's contract is for two years with a club option for a third. Without an opt-out clause, Ramsay could be off the market until the 2007-08 season.
It doesn't appear to be a problem.
"It's good to be here," Ramsay said Tuesday. "I wanted to stay."
Ramsay, whose contract would have run out after this season, is considered one of the game's finest teachers. When the Panthers in November fired Mike Keenan, Florida general manager Rick Dudley asked Lightning general manager Jay Feaster if he could speak to Ramsay.
Feaster said no. But with the Panthers job in flux, it is believed Dudley would have pursued Ramsay over the summer if he was unsigned.
While Feaster said he is happy he won't in the near future see Ramsay on Florida's bench, "I wanted to get this coaching staff extended before the call came in about Rammer."
"They attempted to make a commitment to me, and I made a commitment in return," Ramsay said. "I like it here, and Jay made it clear when we had the issue with Florida that he wanted to make sure the coaches were in place and everything was organized, and he worked very hard to do that. So we made a mutual commitment."
That doesn't mean Ramsay isn't interested in a top job.
"Every coach wants to be a head coach, and you enjoy that aspect of the game," he said. "But it is special to work with a group where you feel so comfortable and everything just seems to work. At some point as the contract nears conclusion we'll have to revisit the issue. But as it stands, I'm quite comfortable where I am. So it isn't an issue."
FOR THE TEAM: Center Brad Richards said the biggest change coach John Tortorella made was demanding accountability from the players.
"It's not overblown," Richards said. "My first year here (2000-01 with coach Steve Ludzik) it didn't really matter how you played. Now it matters in a big way. There are a lot of things that aren't acceptable anymore that were."
Richards also praised Tortorella for taking himself out of the equation, to an extent, during the team's 4-12-3-0 slump in November and December.
"He even said it to us, "You've probably tuned me out by now,"' Richards said. "Buthe addressed that. He said, "At least do it for the team and the players."'
"The most important thing with a coaching staff is understanding the heartbeat of your team," Tortorella said. "We are a demanding coaching staff, but you still have to respect the athlete and understand where they're at at that point in time."
HE IS THE WORLD: Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn, coach of Canada's World Cup team, reiterated what assistant executive director Kevin Lowe said two weeks ago: Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis will be seriously considered for the team.
"He has quickness and he's smart with the puck," Quinn said. "And he's good in transition. He would be the type of guy our scouts will look at."
Asked if he would be disappointed if St. Louis did not make the team, Tortorella said, "Absolutely."
PLAYER APPEARANCE: Captain Dave Andreychuk will sign autographs for 30 minutes before today's 7 p.m. appearance on WDAE radio's Lightning Hockey Night at the McDonald's at 6708 Manatee Ave., West Bradenton.
ODDS AND ENDS: Tortorella and wife Chris hosted Athletes Against Alzheimer's Awareness Night at the St. Pete Times Forum to promote research, education and treatment of the disease. ... Defenseman Jassen Cullimore played his 500th game. ... Left wing Andre Roy and defensemen Darren Rumble and Nolan Pratt were scratched.
