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By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001
TORONTO -- Did differing opinions between Lightning general manager Rick Dudley and coach Steve Ludzik concerning ice time for some younger players become an issue in Ludzik's firing?
Dudley and Ludzik said no. But Tom Wilson, president of Lightning owner Palace Sports & Entertainment, said Monday that "there was some disconnect" between the two when it came to getting some prospects in the game.
"It was one of those issues," Wilson said. "There was certainly some concern over who was playing. Are you better off playing an older player because he's an 8 over a younger player who's a 7 but could be a 9 with some experience? Rick has always been in this situation. He's a big-picture kind of person."
Discussions apparently concerned players such as Alexander Kharitonov, earlier in the season; left wing Nils Ekman, who has spent most of the season with the IHL's Detroit Vipers; and forward Kaspars Astashenko, who was recalled from the Vipers on Saturday, the day John Tortorella took over the team.
"Would you like to see the kids play? Sure," Dudley said. "You're the general manager, but you don't hold it against the coach. There are 23 players. He puts them out there."
When asked if that contributed to the decision to fire Ludzik, Dudley said, "This wasn't a consideration for me. ... We made a change. Sometimes you make changes when things aren't going exactly the way we want it to."
Ludzik, who led the Lightning to a 31-74-14-2 record in a season and a half, said discussions he had with Dudley about the lineup were just business.
"Sure we disagreed once in a while on players, but that's the way it is," he said. "We always had great communication. No coach had the same backing from their GM that I did."
There is no doubt, though, opposing forces were at work.
Dudley has said Ludzik is more comfortable with a veteran team. And Wilson pointed out that long-term rebuilding projects, by their nature, make it difficult on coaches whose bottom lines are wins and losses.
"But sometimes there is more to it than that," Wilson said. "The question is, if we're not going to win 50 games this year, how close can we be next year? They have to be on the same page."
"Every coach is going to play with what he can win with," Dudley said.