“Everything I have in my life is because of the National Hockey League.”

Those were the words of Wayne Gretzky at yesterday’s press conference to announce that he would be taking over the reins as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. Perhaps “the Great One” – already a minority owner and the team’s managing partner for hockey operations – feels that he owes it to the NHL to raise his profile as the league attempts to recover from a yearlong work stoppage. He might well be correct.

The greatest player in NHL history also served as the executive director for Team Canada’s Gold Medal-winning squads at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, demonstrating that he understands what it takes to construct a winning hockey club. Still, Gretzky has never coached a hockey team, and there are good reasons to question whether he’ll be able to succeed in this new role.

“I’m really excited to be back in the locker-room and back on the ice,” he said. “That’s what I love the most and I’m thrilled to be back on the hot seat. I’m looking forward to it.”

Great players often don’t make great coaches. Having played their sport at the highest possible level, they often find it impossible to relate to the difficulties faced by inferior players, no matter how hard those players might be willing to work. Great athletes’ synapses operate more quickly and efficiently, enabling them to outperform their competitors, and that’s something that simply cannot be taught.

“It’s kind of ironic that when I broke in professional hockey at 17, that was told I was too small and too slow and I wouldn’t ‘well, you can’t be a good coach because you were a great athlete.’ I wasn’t naturally gifted with size or speed. Everything I did in hockey, I worked for. And that’s the way I’ll be as a coach.”

Gretzky is absolutely correct. The things that made him unique as a hockey player could also enable him to develop into a standout coach. As a child, he would trace the path of the hockey puck with a pencil on a sheet of paper while watching games on television. The resulting scribbled mess enabled him to identify the places where the puck spent the most time, which in turn told him where he should focus his attention on the ice.

These natural strategic abilities played a large part in his success as a professional. Some flew in the face of traditional hockey strategy – such as the radical use of his “office” behind the goal in the offensive zone – and he was able to take advantage of opponents who “played by the book.”

Decades later, the Coyotes could use some fresh ideas. Since arriving in Arizona for the 1996-97 season, the club hasn’t won a single playoff round. In some ways, the team’s futility will make Gretzky’s task easier, as any success will be unique. However, GM Mike Barnett was quite aggressive last summer, inking veteran forwards Brett Hull and Petr Nedved to long-term deals, and fans will rightly become frustrated if the team doesn’t soon change its losing ways.

Much of the optimism generated by last summer’s signings has dissipated, though, as the Coyotes’ four division rivals will all be icing superior lineups in 2005-06.The Anaheim Mighty Ducks inked longtime Devil Scott Niedermayer to a five-year deal last week. The Los Angeles Kings added Pavol Demitra and Jeremy Roenick to a solid core of talented youngsters. The San Jose Sharks reached the 2004 Western Conference Finals, and are poised to build upon that success. Only the Dallas Stars remain largely unchanged, but any lineup that boasts Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Sergei Zubov, and Marty Turco must be considered a formidable one.

Much of the Coyotes’ success in 2005-06 will depend on the play of captain Shane Doan and defenseman Derek Morris. Doan is rapidly developing into one of the NHL’s better power forwards, and he will need to continue to raise the level of his play. Morris was on the verge of greatness with the Calgary Flames, but his game came unglued when he was traded to Colorado before the 2003-04 season.

If Doan and Morris realize their immense potential, and if Nedved and Hull respond positively to the NHL’s new offense-enhancing rule changes, Gretzky’s club might push for a playoff spot. That such a middling result is in doubt, however, is why many are questioning Gretzky’s sanity in taking the position. Had he announced his intentions two weeks ago, his presence might have encouraged a few more top tier players to relocate to the desert. By waiting until after most of the top players were already signed, the Coyotes wasted a huge opportunity to significantly upgrade their roster.

As for the players he has now, it will take Gretzky some time to find a way to use his considerable analytical skills for the development of personalized on-ice strategies.

Communication will be the first hurdle. Gretzky is not cut from the mold of coaches like Mike Keenan, whose fiery temper and intimidating tactics fostered a “sink or swim” environment. Instead, look for him to emulate the style of Devils coach Larry Robinson. Gentle and soft-spoken, Robinson distinguished himself with an out-of-character outburst after the Devils fell behind the Flyers 3-1 in games in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. The team responded extremely well, going on to defeat Philadelphia and Dallas and win the Stanley Cup.

Whether Gretzky is capable of such an outpouring of emotion will go a long way toward determining whether he can succeed as a head coach. Even a legend like Gretzky might have trouble getting through to a group of well-paid, pseudo-celebrities. He will need to distinguish himself with his strategic vision, demonstrating that he has the ability to see the full potential in each of his players.

The most creative offensive force ever to play in the NHL, Gretzky is well-poised to take advantage of the NHL’s new rules to emphasize offense. He will be coaching a team that is comprised largely of young, impressionable players with strong potential. If Gretzky succeeds, it will be one more feather in his well decorated cap. If he falters, look for assistant coaches Rick Tocchet and Rick Bowness to help ease his transition out of the hot seat and back to the executive offices.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of the Web site InsideHockey.com.