Scott Gordon not returning to Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season

Phantoms Photo 3 — Lehigh Valley Phantoms

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon have agreed to mutually part ways. Gordon coached the Phantoms for six years. In addition to Gordon’s departure, assistant head coach Kerry Huffman stepped down. Huffman confirmed his departure on his Twitter account.

Thank you to the @NHLFlyers @LVPhantoms for the last five years. Honor to work with so many wonderful young players. Incredible learning experience. But with growth comes change. After getting to be a player, agent, assistant coach, coach, I will be staying in hockey and
— Kerry Huffman (@huffmankerry5) May 18, 2021

In his six years with the Phantoms, Gordon compiled a 186-121-40 record in 348 regular-season games, a 9-9 playoff record, including the 2018 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs. During the 2018 AHL Playoffs, the Phantoms played the Charlotte Checkers in the longest game in AHL history, going five overtimes in a 2-1 win. The Phantoms made it to the conference semi-finals before losing to the Toronto Marlies, who went on to win the Calder Cup over the Texas Stars.

During the 2018-19 season, Gordon was moved up as an interim head coach for the Flyers after the General Manager fired Dave Hakstol with a 12-15-4 start. Gordon coached the Flyers for 51 games, and the team made a turnaround with a 25-22-4 record. The Flyers would finish the season 37-37-8. Many of the Flyers players wanted Gordon to become the permanent coach.

Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher released a statement, saying, “I would like to thank Scott and Kerry for their service to the organization. Both Scott and Kerry have dedicated their time and effort in developing Flyers prospects and bringing success to Lehigh Valley over the last several years. In speaking with each of them, we felt this was best for the future direction of the organization.”

This year the Phantoms finished the season 18-7-4-2. On March 31^st, 2021, against the Hershey Bears, Scott Gordon joined the 400-win club when Lehigh Valley defeated the Bears 4-1. The other coaches in AHL history to win 400 games are Roy Sommers, Bun Cook, Frank Mathers, John Paddock, and John Anderson.

With Scott Gordon now a free agent, it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Will he get an opportunity to coach in the NHL or continue to coach in the AHL? With many teams starting to prepare for next season, Gordon’s wisdom will help any team succeed.