Bednar the Avs' 1st head coach with no previous ties to organization

Joe Sakic's doing things a bit differently.

The Colorado Avalanche general manager settled on Jared Bednar as his club's new head coach, and Bednar, named to the position Thursday, is the first Avalanche head coach with no history with the organization, writes NHL.com's Rick Sadowski.

Some good ones came before Bednar, as he'll follow Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley, Tony Granato, Joel Quenneville, Joe Sacco, and Patrick Roy.

For Sakic, it was simple: Bednar's a winner. He's got a Calder Cup (AHL) and a Kelly Cup (ECHL) to his name.

"It's tough to win in any league," Sakic said, "and to be able to win you've got to be doing something right. Comfort-wise, I just think this is the best fit for our team and to get them to the next level. The next level is learning how to win, and I believe Jared's going to get them there."

Bednar, who signed a three-year contract as head coach, has put in his time in the minor leagues, spending 14 seasons behind the bench as either an assistant or head coach.

"It's taken some time," Bednar said, "and all my stops along the way have helped prepare me for this. I take this very seriously, I've been preparing for this my whole career."

He said he's going to put his talented group of forwards to use, and play an uptempo, aggressive brand of hockey. The NHL game is all about speed, and Bednar's on board.

The timing of Roy's resignation put the Avalanche in a tough spot, but Sakic's got his man, and it's a new beginning in Denver. If Bednar's track record is any indication, he's going to put in the work.