TV analyst Ed Olczyk isn't the only Penguins broadcaster who would like to break into coaching.
Bob Errey, color man on their radio broadcasts and a member of the Penguins' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1991 and '92, said he hopes to work behind a big-league bench someday, too.
Although Errey has not formally applied for the NHL job that opened when Rick Kehoe was fired a month ago, or the one with the Penguins' minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre that became available when Glenn Patrick was let go Friday, he sounds as if he would be interested in discussing either. Or, for that matter, an assistant coaching position in the NHL.
"I haven't talked to Craig [Patrick, the Penguins' general manager] right now about anything, but certainly, coaching is on my mind," Errey said. "If something came across the table, I'd have to really look at it.
"Right now, I'm just trying to pursue the career I'm in right now and take that to another level. Coaching is in my blood, but I haven't actively pursued anything."
Not at the professional level, anyway. But last night, Errey was expected to be named director of coaching for the Penguins' practice facility at Southpointe. Duties of that position include running tryouts, as well as selecting and advising coaches.
Errey's coaching experience, like that of Olczyk, is limited to work with youth teams, which makes both of them long shots to step into the NHL job. After all, it would be a major gamble, particularly from a public-relations perspective, to hire a head coach with no bench experience at the game's upper levels.
Errey acknowledged his lack of coaching experience, but pointed to his "credentials as a player and a leader." And there's no question the attention to detail he showed as a player, when his forte was defensive play and penalty-killing, would serve a coach well at any level.
"I'm pretty confident in what I think I could do," Errey said. "If something came my way, I'd have to look at it. They know where to find me."
NOTES -- It has been confirmed that Mike Foligno of the Hershey Bears, one of the most highly regarded coaches in the American Hockey League, is among the 40 or so men who have informed Patrick of their interest in filling Kehoe's position. ... The coaching search apparently still is in its initial phase, with no indication the process will play out in the near future. Although time is not a factor in early May, Patrick allowed there can be benefits to giving a new coach as long as possible to learn the organization and its personnel. "I'm sure that may come into play at some point," he said.
Dave Molinari can be reached at 412-263-1144.
Coaching position appeals to Errey 
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