Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 1:45 pm
The stars aren't just on the ice at the 2006 Memorial Cup.
The four teams all have a high-profile head coach who boasts an impressive resume. Take a look at the braintrust behind each bench because that could have a big impact on what transpires in this 10-day tournament at the Moncton Coliseum.
Moncton Wildcats head coach Ted Nolan was named National Hockey League Coach of the Year with the Buffalo Sabres in 1996-97. He was the head coach when the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League made three consecutive appearances in the Memorial Cup, winning the trophy in 1993.
He signed a one-year contract with Moncton last April and came back into the spotlight after an eight-year layoff. He guided the Wildcats to their first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship.
"It's four pretty good coaches in this tournament, but I think the emphasis should still be on the kids who are playing for these teams," he said. "These are some of the best coaches in the business so we're going to have our hands full not only against the competition on the ice, but also in our preparation.
"They're well prepared coaches. I mean you don't get to the Memorial Cup by not being prepared. That's why it's called the national championship. You get the four best teams competing for one of the toughest prizes out there."
The Quebec Remparts face the Peterborough Petes in the opening game of the tournament tonight at 8 p.m. The opening ceremonies begin at 7:45 p.m. and the doors open at 5 p.m. for both Fan Fest and Family Fest in the Agrena Complex.
Moncton begins play against the Vancouver Giants tomorrow at 8 p.m.
Quebec head coach Patrick Roy was a star goaltender for 18 NHL seasons and he retired in 2003. He captured four Stanley Cups, two each with the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche.
He is the Remparts part owner and general manager and he took over as head coach after they got off to a 1-4-0-0 start this season. His only previous coaching experience came at the Quebec bantam AA level last season.
"I look at the other coaches in this year's Memorial Cup and the experience they have," said Roy. "These guys have accomplished a lot. I'm still learning about coaching."
Dick Todd is in his 15th season as Peterborough head coach in the OHL. He guided the Petes for 13 consecutive seasons beginning in 1980-81 and then returned to the club in 2004-05 following an 11-year absence from junior hockey.
He is making his sixth Memoand three as their head coach. He's still looking to win the national championship trophy for the first time.
Todd has won two gold medals as a coach with Team Canada at the world junior hockey championship. He also won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers during his five seasons as an assistant coach in the 1990s.
Don Hay, head coach of Western Hockey League champion Vancouver, has been working behind the bench in junior and professional hockey since 1985.
He is in his 13th season coaching in the WHL and he previously worked for the Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans. Kamloops won the Memorial Cup in 1994 and 1995 with him at the helm.
In 1999, Hay was named by the Canadian Hockey League as the WHL's Best All-Time Coach. He has also served as a head coach or assistant coach in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
"Dick Todd has been doing a tremendous job in Peterborough for a number of years," said Nolan. "Everyone knows about the work he's done there. He's a solid coach.
"Don Hay did a great job in Kamloops and won the Memorial Cup twice there. You look at what he's done over the years and the job he's doing now in Vancouver. It's pretty impressive.
"Then there's Patrick Roy. For a guy who's just coming into the coaching ranks, he's taken that competitive spirit that he had in goaltending and brought it behind the bench. He's done a nice job with Quebec."
Nolan was head coach when Sault Ste. Marie defeated Todd's Peterborough club in the 1993 Memorial Cup final.
"We had some good competition with Dick Todd back in the day," said Nolan. "We met him in the OHL final and the Memorial Cup so there's certainly some history there between us.
"I remember coaching against him in my early days. You were kind of intimidated by him because he's been around for so long and he's very intelligent about the game."
Nolan and associate coach Danny Flynn have been reunited this season in Moncton. They also worked behind the bench together for all three Sault Ste. Marie trips to the Memorial Cup in the early 1990s.
"The first year we went to the Memorial Cup it was in Quebec City," said Flynn.
"The second year we lost in the Memorial Cup final to Kamloops with 14.6 seconds left on the clock. Don Hay was their associate coach.
"The third year we defeated Peterborough in the Memorial Cup final and Dick Todd was their head coach. It's ironic because Quebec is in this year's tournament and Dick Todd and Don Hay are here also.
"This is the fourth time I've been fortunate enough to go to the Memorial Cup. I think this is the strongest field both from a coaching and teams perspective.
"They're all very good teams and all have strong coaching staffs so it's shaping up to be a tough, tough tournament."
