Winnipeg names Noel as team's first head coach
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Noel coached the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose last season, where he led the team to a 43-30-7 record and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs.
"We talked to a lot of the players that played for him ... they all said that 'he held us accountable, he let us play, it was a fun place to pay, it was an environment that fostered learning and fostered team togetherness' and for me that's a key ingredient to winning a championship."
"You have to trust that your players are ready, you have to prepare them and don't overcoach them. and just make them feel comfortable," said Noel.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My experience and demeanor is not one where I am going to make the players nervous and try to get them to win the Stanley cup in game one."
Winnipeg, the NHL's smallest market, was home to the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association before the team joined the NHL in 1979.
The Jets played for 17 years in the NHL before moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1996 because of financial losses related to an outdated arena, spiraling NHL salaries and a weak Canadian dollar.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this week the NHL formally approved the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Julian Linden)