Hartsburg's coaching is "suspect": ESPN

A recent article on ESPN examined the head coaches of the NHL, placing them in categories from 'Elite' to 'Unknown'. Craig Hartsburg, recently-named head coach of the Ottawa Senators, was placed in the 'Suspect' category, largely thanks to his failures as a head coach in the past. Here's what ESPN said about him:

Craig Hartsburg, Ottawa
He's back for his third try, and there's a chance he became a better coach during his recent stint in major junior.

The previous stints in coaching that ESPN is referring to were with the Chicago Blackhawks (from 1995-98) and with Anaheim (from 1998-2001). His all-time NHL head coaching record is a half-decent 173-169-65-3, which isn't too bad (even if he never made it past the second round in the playoffs). It's certainly not 'suspect', although it might be appropriate to say his hiring should be approached with caution. In the past four years with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, he's notched a stellar record of 141-91-8-23, consistently going a few games over .500.

After this season with the Senators, his NHL head coaching record will be even better.

(Thanks to FrankD from Pensburgh for pointing out the ESPN story.)