Let’s get this out of the way: Ted Nolan is a good coach. He makes more from less, and molds castoffs and refugees into a team, which plays above and beyond what any hockey expert would thing looking at the team on paper.

That’s why owner Charles Wang made a good move two years ago when he claimed Nolan from exile to go behind the bench of his fledgling team.

Yet, the Nolan era has run its course. Under Nolan success bred arrogance from the talented teacher and his self-importance started to clash with the organizational philosophy.

So no one was really surprised yesterday when Nolan and the Islanders parted ways. The official reason was “philosophical differences” with the erstwhile coach wanting more veterans on the squad, while Wang and general manager Garth Snow hold a youth movement.

Yet, there seems to be more than that. The Islanders probably have gotten tired of Nolan’s my way of the highway attitude. Although he can be a nice enough man to deal with as coaches go, he also got very testy when a member of the media dared to question any type of strategy employed in the game. That trickled down to the team and it made for a tense atmosphere in a place which needed as much media attention as possible.

It was that same arrogance which made Nolan keep Chris Simon on the team. Any other organization would have dispatched the troubled forward after Simon swung his stick at Ryan Hollweg, which the coach defended as if Hollweg was at fault for being in the way. Nolan wanted to play Father Flannigan and watched as Simon last season spiked Jarkko Ruutu with his skate.

That was all well and good with the Islanders because Simon was a member of the family. Yet when Nolan went against the organization, he was done. And back in March, Nolan proved his undoing. With a home and home against the Rangers, the coach decided to use Wade Dubielewicz instead of Rick DiPietro, who was returning from his grandmother’s funeral during the second game. Mr. 15 years was not too happy and because he was Wang’s boy, Nolan was on the outs.

Which leads us to today: The Islanders chased away a talented coach who liked coaching on Long Island, even though players didn’t seem to want to come to Nassau Coliseum.

No one is denying the numbers. A 75-68-21 record is more than anyone ever expected from this ragtag bunch and being able to compete in a division where all the other teams are at the salary cap, while the Islanders have to spend money to get to the salary floor, is very commendable.

As good as Nolan was behind the bench, he never learned the hardest lesson in sports: Humility. In the end that cost him.

Now, Wang and Snow will look for a new coach. Although names like Bob Hartley and John Tortorella are out there, it’s hard to believe accomplished bench minders will want to come to this dysfunctional family.

Rather the Islanders probably look to the younger route to go with their youthful team and allow a coaching prospect to grow with the players.

And if that doesn’t work, Mike Milbury is always available.