Bourne again with Thunder

The Las Vegas Thunder finally landed its man.

After three weeks of operating without a head coach, the Thunder agreed to terms with top candidate Bob Bourne. The move marks the return of the man who assisted the Thunder during its inaugural campaign of 1993-94.

The International Hockey League team called a news conference for 2 p.m. today at the All-Star Cafe to officially welcome Bourne aboard as the fifth head coach in its six-season history. Clint Malarchuk left for Idaho of the West Coast Hockey League.

"Since I made the decision I'm very excited," said Bourne, who resigned his duties as assistant general manager and coach with the Utah Grizzlies on Monday.

After extensive haggling over what Bourne termed "a personal issue," the Thunder signed him to a two-year deal. Financial terms were undisclosed.

"We were close for a long time," Bourne said. "We just had to get that one thing cleared up."

The Thunder wanted to sign Bourne to a one-year deal, but he insisted on at least two.

"The second year was important to me," he said. "Everybody wants a little security. The Thunder was very fair with me."

Another concern was the Thunder's limited roster. The team has fewer than a half dozen players committed for 1998-98.

"I really believe Bob Strumm is one of the rare guys who knows everybody out there from the juniors to the NHL," Bourne said. "That's important. And I know we're going to have a competitive team out there because of that."

Bourne was interested in taking over the Grizzlies if head coach Butch Goring moved on to the NHL. Goring was passed over for the Florida Panthers' vacancy this weekend, making his return to Salt Lake City likely.

That left Bourne with little option if he wanted to guide his own team. But he claimed he was not hanging on the Panthers' decision.

"Everybody assumed I was waiting until they made up their minds so I could see the situation in Utah," Bourne said. "But my obligation was to Utah because I was still working for them. You can't just come out and say you're actively looking for another job when you're still under contract."

Bourne, 44, has only one season of experience as a head coach. He coached Central Texas of the Western Professional Hockey League to the finals in 1996-97. But he rejoined Utah last season to assist Goring.

"I know I'm ready," Bourne said. "I'm kind of glad the way it worked out. I was glad to work with Butch for another year."

It was Goring who, as the first head coach of the Thunder, gave Bourne his first assistant's job. The two were teammates with the New York Islanders where they won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980-83.

Bourne isn't ashamed to admit his coaching philosophy has been greatly impacted by Goring. In fact, Bourne predicts the Thunder and Grizzlies will have similar styles next season.

But when Las Vegas and Utah face off, Bourne won't hesitate in trying to beat his old friend.

"I'm going to love it," Bourne said. "To me, (rivalries are) the epitome of the game, whether you're a coach or a player. You can just feel it every time those teams play each other. There's a different feeling in the building that night."

Bourne played 14 seasons in the NHL with the Islanders and Los Angeles Kings, recording 258 goals and 324 assists in 964 regular-season games. He also was a fixture in the postseason, tallying 40 goals and 56 assists in 139 playoff appearances.

His best season was with the Islanders in 1980-81, when he amassed 35 goals and 41 assists and played in the all-star game.

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