On National Best Friends Day, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau hired one of his closest friends to be his second assistant.

One day after Scott Stevens joined the staff as Boudreau's top assistant, he added longtime minor league coach John Anderson to run the team's power play.

"I talked to a lot of people just to be sure this was the right fit and I came away really strong that with him on one side and Scott Stevens on the other and Darby [Hendrickson] upstairs, that we'll have a very good group."

Anderson, 59, recently left his second stint as coach of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. He has been an assistant coach with Phoenix and head coach of the Atlanta Thrashers before they moved to Winnipeg.

The Toronto native went 624-368-124 (.614) in 14 seasons as Wolves coach, leading Chicago to four championships. Anderson also captured the Colonial Cup as head coach of the Quad City Mallards.

Anderson scored 282 goals and 631 points in 814 NHL games with Toronto, Quebec and Hartford from 1977 to '89. He and Boudreau were teammates on four different pro teams.

"We've lived together, we've played together and we ran our own golf tournament together," Boudreau said. "I know the man inside out. … He's been quite the confidant in my life since I was 18."

MICHAEL RUSSO