As has been the case for the last several months, it was easy to laugh at the Ozzie Smith Jersey Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday morningand lots of people did. .They’d just fired their general manager and coacha decision that, at minimum, could’ve come in the offseason, rather than after a 4-15-1 start. Their replacements? Throwbacks to a happier time. BuzzFeed candidates. Two Guys That Will Make Sabres Fans Remember the 90s.Then Pat LaFontaine started talking.MORE:LaFontaine, a few minutes earlier, had been announced as the team’s new president of hockey operations. His first decision was to hire Ted Nolan as interim coach. Both had previous experience with the organizationNolan as coach from 1995-97, LaFontaine as one of its greatest playersthough LaFontaine e sentially had none in a front office, save for a weird six-week stint with the Islanders in 2006.So, naturally, the move initially came off as , who for all he brings to the table, . Nostalgia shouldn’t play much of a part in any decision-making proce s, and LaFontaine’s hiring reeked of it.Except for one thingLaFontaine isn’t the general manager. That wasn’t nece sarily Pegula’s call, either; he spoke to LaFontaine previously and came away impre sed enough to believe him capable of running a team. LaFontaine spent the last few months as a senior vice president Eric Hosmer Jersey with the NHL. So, why didn’t he replace Darcy Regier outright?”I don’t have the experience right now,” LaFontaine said. “I know Dave Winfield Jersey the people out there who know how to do the job.”Simple enough. With that answer, LaFontaine should’ve inspired at least a little confidence among Sabres fans. He’s aware of his strengths, and certainly aware of his limitations. The next step is hiring a general manager; maybe he nails it, maybe he blows ittime will tell.But if his hiring was informed at least in part by nostalgiaPegula deadpanned that he was “a fellow named Pat LaFontaine, who you may know”it can still be rooted in reality, which is that LaFontaine may be the right guy for the job.Beyond that particular answer, LaFontaine Randy Jones Jersey said the right things. He asked for patience and appealed to fans, both of which are desperately needed.”I can’t think of a better city in North America that deserves a championship,” he said.He also introduced Nolanwhose reemergence with the Sabres, even on an interim level, is bizarre. His exit was ugly, and his path over the last 16 years far from standard. He’s currently the coach of the Latvian national team, for example, a job he’ll do at least through the Sochi Olympics. At least once during his time at the microphone, Nolan was choked upand it’s hard to blame him.”We’ll compete, we’ll make it exciting and we’ll make it a place people want to come and enjoy hockey games again,” he said.He seems like the right guy for the job, at least for now. And if he isn’t, he won’t keep it. That’s why he’s the interim coach; whomever LaFontaine hiresmaybe Penguins a sistant GM Jason Botterill, a former Sabre, or ex- Wil Myers Jersey GM Rick Dudley, also a former Buffalo player and coachcan make that call for himself.See? There just might be a plan. Stop laughing.Ted Nolan’s NHL coaching recordSeasonTeamGPWLTOTLPctResult1995-96Buffalo Sabres823342700.445Out of playoffs1996-97Buffalo Sabres8240301200.561Lost in Round 22006-07New York Islanders8240300120.561Lost in Round 12007-08New York Islanders823538090.482Out of playoffs