It seems natural to begin a major coaching search by thinking of presumably qualified candidates already living in the area, and former University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky and his predecessor, Jim Montgomery, would both be popular choices to replace Patrick Roy behind the Avalanche’s bench.
Gwozdecky and Montgomery, however, both said they have not spoken to Avs general manager Joe Sakic about the position and they don’t expect to get that call. Sakic’s search figures to focus on proven head coaches at the NHL or American Hockey League level, and The Post’s Terry Frei suggests a handful of names in this recently published story.