Esposito Will Coach Behind Bench Rest of the Season for the Rangers

NEW YORK —  New York Rangers’ General Manager Phil Esposito will coach the National Hockey League team the rest of the season, he said Wednesday.

But Esposito said that Tom Webster “is the coach of this team and will be the coach in September.”

Webster has an inner-ear ailment, which prevents him from flying.

“The doctor has informed us that Tommy will not be able to fly for the next three to four months,” Esposito said.

Webster will coach the team during practice and will be upstairs with head phones at home games and selected road games, sending instructions to the bench.

But Esposito said that he will be behind the bench for all home and away games.

“This is not something I wanted to do, because I didn’t want to coach,” Esposito said. “This is Tommy’s idea. We wanted stability.”

Webster was hired Nov. 26 to succeed Ted Sator but has coached only 15 games owing to the ear problem that necessitated surgery in December.