Lincoln Stars Name Head Coach

I'm sure this isn't much of news anymore, but here we go.

McGroarty Named Stars Head Coach

July 3, 2007

The Lincoln Stars today announced that Jimmy McGroarty has been named head coach and general manager of the team, effective immediately. McGroarty, an assistant coach for the Stars during the 2006-07 season, had also served as assistant coach of the Omaha Lancers for five seasons prior to his arrival in Lincoln. His appointment comes after Steve Johnson announced his resignation in late May to pursue other business interests. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We wanted to be very deliberate and thorough in the search process so we'd know with confidence that our final candidate had stood up to the best of the available coaches," said Stars President Jim Pflug. "From the many outstanding coaches that applied, we could have easily pointed to three or four of them and felt that they would have done an outstanding job. But, for the past six years, Jimmy has trained under two of the most successful coaches in USHL history; and when you couple that experience with his work ethic and passion for the game, we felt he deserved an opportunity to lead this team into the next era."

The Stars received recommendations and advice from a variety of highly regarded individuals with ties to the USHL, NCAA, NHL and other professional leagues. But two recommendations stood out among the many. They were received from former Stars Carter Camper and Colby Cohen. "Carter and Colby both enthusiastically and genuinely supported Jimmy, citing the impact he had on their personal growth and development during the past season," said Stars co-owner Irv Dana. "You can't buy that kind of unsolicited support, nor could we ignore it."

"I'm excited, honored, and deeply grateful to the Stars organization for this opportunity," said McGroarty. "I've had the unique opportunity of watching two of the USHL's best in Steve Johnson and Mike Hastings. The six years I spent under them has helped me prepare for this challenge. We have the most supportive and loyal fans in junior hockey and they deserve the best. I'm going to do everything in my power to deliver a hard-working, competitive team that will make them proud."

"There are a lot of reasons to be excited about our future," said Pflug. "Jimmy's energy and competitiveness are contagious. He's a proven recruiter that likes to play a very fast-paced, physical style of hockey. We're looking forward to seeing him work with the very talented group of players expected to be on our roster next season."

McGroarty resides in Lincoln with his wife, Cindy, and children Molly and Rutger.

It sounds like Lincoln had quite the list of people who were interested, including a former NHL coach. That NHL coach was rumored to be Ed Olczyk. I know some people hoped the Stars would bring in someone new, but overall I think they will all be happy with McGroarty running the show.