Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, then returned in 1985. His SportsWatch column debuted on Sept.
As metropolitan-area coaches go, Alain Vigneault flies under the sports talk radio / social media / newspaper column radar, what with hockey being hockey, his generally agreeable personality and his Rangers winning reliably.
But mid-spring brings a reminder to casual fans that his resume is an eye-opener, with more career postseason series victories (12) than the other eight current New York-area NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL coaches and managers combined (seven).
In 14 seasons with the Canadiens, Canucks and Rangers he has won seven division titles, three Presidents’ Trophies, two conference championships and one Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach.