from John Shannon of Sportsnet,

In the salary cap era there have been 48 mid-season coaching changes. The average stint of those coaches behind the bench was 207 games. Just 207 games! That’s about two and-a-half seasons.

So why in the name of God’s green earth would someone want to coach in the NHL? It certainly never appears that any of them are enjoying themselves.

As one coach told me, “It’s like chewing glass sometimes.”

Said another: “You have to be comfortable with being hated.”

Beyond the money (and let’s face it, the money can be good, very good), why would anyone want to go through the rigours, the scrutiny of ownership, management, fans and media, and the embarrassment of being fired?

With that in mind, I talked to 12 current and former NHL bench bosses.

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