In the space of one year this kid became a national star

DENVER -- New Denver Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly says re-signing free agent shooting guard Andre Igoudala is his No. 1 priority. Connelly was formally introduced on Thursday by team president Josh Kroenke. "The last guy we talked to before coming in for this press conference was Andre," Connelly told reporters. "Hes such a pro that hes out there (on the court) working out." The Nuggets top defender, Igoudala recently opted out of the final year of his contract after averaging 13 points a game last season. His situation is just one of several Connelly will have to deal with as he tries to help the Nuggets become a genuine playoff contender. The 36-year-old Connelly comes to the Nuggets from New Orleans, where he served as assistant general manager under Dell Demps. He replaces NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri, who took the GM job with the Toronto Raptors last week. Considered a rising front-office talent, Connelly inherits a team that won a franchise-most 57 games during the regular season only to bow out in the first round of the playoffs again, this time to Golden State. Besides the potential loss of Igoudala, the Nuggets will be without Danilo Gallinari for the start of next season as the Italian forward recovers from an ACL injury. And Connelly, with Kroenke, also will have to find a replacement for NBA Coach of the Year George Karl, who was let go on June 6 after the early payoff exit. The Nuggets interviewed former Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins on Wednesday and have also interviewed Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw, but have not set a specific deadline for hiring a coach. "I dont think we want to put a concrete timeline on anything," Connelly said. "Theres the potential to talk to additional candidates, and weve talked to two great candidates. The two guys weve interviewed are tremendous, and I look forward to going into Joshs office and seeing where we are in that process." Finding the right personality fit for the coaching job is most important to Connelly, who said he wont dictate a style or philosophy with the new coach. "I would never try to impose any strategic restraints on a coach," Connelly said. "Im looking for a good guy whos excited to have the job and build off where we are presently." Kroenke, who offered Connelly the job during a Saturday night dinner, was bullish about his new hire. "Im really excited to have Tim here, and its going to be a lot of fun moving forward," Kroenke said. "I hope Nuggets fans are as excited as I am. Ive known Tim the last several years, and weve stayed in loose contact. "It became a very easy decision to hire him and bring him here after a couple dominoes started to fall." One domino was assistant GM Pete DAlessandro leaving to become general manager for the Sacramento Kings late last week. "Pete and I discussed the position, and I think hes going to have a wonderful opportunity in Sacramento," Kroenke said. "Once that happened, I didnt waste any time and it was a quick decision for me. There was one person I wanted to bring in and immediately discuss the job with, and that was Tim." Kroenke said the prospect of re-signing Igoudala, the teams highest-paid player at more than $14 million, is very good. "I think 100 per cent," Kroenke said. "I had a good conversation with his agent last week. Andre is somebody we definitely want to bring back, and Andre is aware of our intentions to bring him back as well." Connelly thanked Ujiri as he said how happy he was about the new job. "I feel great about where the team is," Connelly said. "Theres a winning culture ingrained here, and its a heck of a team Im inheriting. 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The best, by several tenths of a percentage point, was set by the Quebec Remparts in the glory years of Guy Lafleur. The Mooseheads then won 15 of 16 games in the QMJHL playoffs. Then they took the Memorial Cup. And the accomplishments didnt stop there. The junior leagues are normally dominated by older players, but would you believe three Halifax players were drafted in the first two rounds in Sundays NHL Draft, including two of the first three picks overall? Nathan MacKinnon went first (Colorado), Jonathan Drouin went third (Tampa Bay) and Zach Fucale went 36th (Montreal). Halifax was also built on good draft picks, along with some good trades. "In fact, this season could be traced to trades of players to get picks and ultimately those picks led to a deal for MacKinnon and moving up in the draft to get Jonathan Drouin two years ago," said team owner and president Bobby Smith. The Moose gave up a lot to get MacKinnon from Baie Comeau, but it was worth it. Then with their first pick in the midget draft, the second pick overall behind MacKinnon, the Moose took a skinny kid named Jonathan Drouin. He was a virtual unknown to most Canadians six months ago, but that soon changed and ended up being the third pick in the NHL Draft on Sunday. The third member of this years Moosehead club to be selected in the NHL lottery was goaltender Zach Fucale, a kid who grew up in Rosemere, Quebec and adored the Montreal Canadiens. And of course, the Canadiens picked him in the second round. So three Moose drafted in the first 36 selections. Youth was clearly served with this team. East Coast Greatness There have been good, if not great, hockey teams from Atlantic Canada in the past. The Nova Scotia Vees became the first ever Canadian team to win the AHL Calder Cup in the 1971-72 season. It was the first of three championships for the Vees. The New Brunswick Hawks had good teams in the 80s and the Cape Breton Oilers won the Calder Cup in 1993. Even the St. Johns Leafs had a very exciting debut in 1991-92 when they lost the AHL Final in seven games to the Adirondack Red Wings. Not bad for a first year team. But all these accomplishments pale in comparison to what transpired this year. Its been a long time coming for Moose fans. Halifax became the first team from Maritime/Atlantic Canada to join the QMJHL in the summer of 1994. Their first coach and GM was Clement Jodoin. Teams from the Maritimes have played for the Memorial Cup since then, as the Moncton Wildcats made it to the Finals in 2006 before losing to a Quebec team coached by Patrick Roy. Halifax even hosted the tournament in 2000, but the host Mooseheads did not get out of the semifinal. The Mooseheads broke the mold this year, winning the presidents trophy as QMJHL champs, and then winning the Memorial Cup to become national junior champions. The Down Years For a good two or three years (2008-2010) the Moose were one of the worst teams in Canada. They were in or near the cellar in that time frame. But the kids held tough. "For three years we lost more games than any other junior team in Canada. It was part of the rebuilding process. We knew it would be hard, and it was hard, but it had to be done by our General Manager Cam Russell," Smith told TSN.ca. "It worked out as only four or five players were not with the team when they won the Memorial Cup. The bulk of the club has been with the Moose all their lives with so few trades." Then came the MacKinnon trade, the drafting of Drouin, the pleasant if not surprising development of Furcale and with a few veterans acquired by trade, Halifax had a team that made a big jump last year and jumped right off the charts this season. While the Moose were expected to be very good, few predicted such unprecedented dominance. "Its an amazing story," says Chris Cochrane, a Halifax sports columnist. "Ive been following sports all my life and never have I seen anything like it.dddddddddddd" One man, though, had a good idea of what was in store. The late sports broadcaster and columnist Pat Connolly, who passed away late last August, told TSN at last years training camp that, "if this team stays healthy they will win the Presidents cup and could do great things." Pat, who was the teams P.A. announcer for 16 years, would have been proud. This man was behind the microphone for the Calder Cup wins by the Vees and Cape Breton Oilers. And the Moose did not disappoint. Checkered Past In the past there was hope that always seemed to get dashed. While they never won the Presidents Cup until this year, they came close. They lost in 2003 to Hull after leading the best of seven 3-2. They dropped the last two games, including the last one at home. They were back in 2005 but got beaten by Rimouski and a kid called Sidney Crosby. Recently, there have been lots of MacKinnon to Crosby comparisons. MacKinnon made a Crosby-like impression on Roy when, as a rookie, he scored five goals against Quebec in a win. Both are from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, which is part of Greater Halifax. In fact the town signs say "Welcome to Cole Harbour, the home of Sidney Crosby". I wonder if they will add Nathan MacKinnon to that some day? Both went off to the hockey prep school of Shattuck-St. Marys in the United States for one year and excelled. Both were the first picks of their midget draft. And, following Sunday, both were the first overall pick of the NHL draft. But MacKinnon was able to achieve one thing that Crosby didnt – win a Memorial Cup. Crosby reached the final with Rimouski, but went down to the London Knights. The Drouin story is even better. While MacKinnon was a star and had great lower body power as a midget, Drouin was under-sized. While he was the first player drafted after MacKinnon in the midget draft, he did not think he was big enough to play major junior and elected to stay in Quebec and play midget in the fall of 2010. But the Mooseheads persisted and Russell convinced Drouin and his family that he had nothing to gain by staying in the midget league. Drouin came to Halifax before the Christmas break and that turned out to be a sterling move for both Drouin and the Mooseheads. In the space of one year this kid became a national star. He starred in the playoffs in 2011 when the Moose trailed Quebec 3-0 and then won the next four games to take the series with Drouin scoring the OT winner in game seven. Then last year he became a household name to those who follow the world juniors. "He made the team on the opening shift on opening day. Hes just an amazing offensive talent," said Team Canada coach Steve Spott. No member of the Halifax Mooseheads has ever won the QMJHL scoring title, but Drouin came close. With one game left he was tied for the lead with PEIs Ben Duffy. Drouin had a two-point night in his final game but Duffy had a five pointer to win. But Drouin only played 49 games! He missed some due to an injury and a month being with the world juniors. In all, he missed 19 games and was the only junior in Canada to average two points a game. Dan Robertson does the Moose Television play by play on Eastlink and has followed the team for 15 years. Drouin made an impression on the veteran broadcaster. "Ive never seen a better puck handler and his lateral movement is exceptional if not downright amazing,"said Robertson. "He is also deceptive strong in his lower body." Drouin was named the CHL Player of the Year. As for the year that just passed in Halifax, Robertson said it might take time for locals to realize how special the season really was. "We will, in 20 years, realize what just happened. From cellar-dwellers to the highest echelon of major junior hockey - it was a glorious and amazing season. To think that a few short years ago the Moose only won 13 games!" The summation of the season is incredible. Presidents Trophy winners, Memorial Cup champs, three top picks in the NHL draft – headed by MacKinnon at first overall, and Drouin being named CHL Player of the Year. Did we mention a franchise record for attendance? Almost 9,000 per game. It doesnt get any better. They are the best ever hockey team in Atlantic Canada. For TSN.ca, Im Alex J. Walling. ' ' '