nivek_wahs
07-22-2008, 07:08 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=329e4a12-3519-4285-8b0a-91220acfd486
Habscheid meets with Pats' Parker
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Marc Habscheid was interviewed Monday for the Regina Pats' vacant head-coaching position.
Habscheid drove to Regina from his farm near Lac Pelletier, in southwest Saskatchewan, to chat with Pats general manager Brent Parker.
"It was good,'' Habscheid said Monday night. "He runs a good club and does everything very professionally. He's got a good operation going, for sure. It helps that he's somewhat familiar with me and I'm somewhat familiar with him, so you can weed through a lot of that stuff. Like I said before, it has to fit for both sides.''
Parker has been searching for a head coach since July 11, when Curtis Hunt announced he was resigning to accept a position as an assistant to Ottawa Senators head coach Craig Hartsburg. Hunt spent the past four seasons with the Pats, coaching the 2007-08 edition to the East Division regular-season title.
Monday's interview marked the second time that Parker has talked with Habscheid about the Pats' head-coaching job. Habscheid was also a candidate in 1997, when Parry Shockey was hired.
This time, Habscheid is on a short list of candidates that includes Pats legend Dale Derkatch -- the director of hockey development at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox -- and Terry Perkins, who has spent the past three seasons as Hunt's assistant, plus one other unidentified candidate who is to be interviewed today.
Derkatch was interviewed Sunday. Parker said he does not need to conduct a formal interview with Perkins because he has been part of a "three-year interview process'' in the assistant-coaching role.
Former Pats goalie and assistant coach Chad Mercier was on the short list, but has withdrawn his candidacy, according to CKRM's Rod Pedersen. Mercier is the head coach and GM of the AJHL's Bonnyville Pontiacs.
"The part that excites me the most is that there's no wrong choice,'' said Parker, who hopes to offer the job to someone in the next day or two.
The 45-year-old Habscheid spent last season out of hockey after being an associate coach with the NHL's Boston Bruins in 2006-07. He has two seasons remaining on his contract with Boston.
Habscheid has previous head-coaching experience with the SJHL's Melfort Mustangs, the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, and Canada's world junior team. He coached Kelowna to a WHL title (in 2003) and a Memorial Cup championship (in 2004, when Kelowna was the host team). He earned WHL and CHL coach-of-the-year honours after the 2002-03 season.
Although Habscheid had opportunities to coach last season, he opted to remain on the family farm and be with his family -- wife Erin, son Zach (16) and daughter Alex (13) -- in southwest Saskatchewan.
Habscheid emphasized Monday night that family matters are paramount as he considers his future in hockey. He would welcome a return to major-junior hockey and a stable environment, and does not necessarily covet a quick return to the NHL -- contrary to some presumptions.
"What I'm looking at more is my kids and those types of things, because they're 16 and 13 and they're going to be gone (from home) pretty quickly,'' Habscheid said. "It's important to make sure we take care of those kids. They've travelled so much with us.
"It's almost a reverse, where there's a perception out there that I want to be one year and gone. Well, that's not necessarily true. It may be on the other side where I'd like to stay in one place where I'm secure and taken care of and can enjoy what I'm doing for a longer period of time ... My son, when he was 15, he had moved 10 times and that's tough on them. Eventually, you've got to say 'enough' and you've got to find a place that you're comfortable with and where you can put down some roots.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008
Habscheid meets with Pats' Parker
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Marc Habscheid was interviewed Monday for the Regina Pats' vacant head-coaching position.
Habscheid drove to Regina from his farm near Lac Pelletier, in southwest Saskatchewan, to chat with Pats general manager Brent Parker.
"It was good,'' Habscheid said Monday night. "He runs a good club and does everything very professionally. He's got a good operation going, for sure. It helps that he's somewhat familiar with me and I'm somewhat familiar with him, so you can weed through a lot of that stuff. Like I said before, it has to fit for both sides.''
Parker has been searching for a head coach since July 11, when Curtis Hunt announced he was resigning to accept a position as an assistant to Ottawa Senators head coach Craig Hartsburg. Hunt spent the past four seasons with the Pats, coaching the 2007-08 edition to the East Division regular-season title.
Monday's interview marked the second time that Parker has talked with Habscheid about the Pats' head-coaching job. Habscheid was also a candidate in 1997, when Parry Shockey was hired.
This time, Habscheid is on a short list of candidates that includes Pats legend Dale Derkatch -- the director of hockey development at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox -- and Terry Perkins, who has spent the past three seasons as Hunt's assistant, plus one other unidentified candidate who is to be interviewed today.
Derkatch was interviewed Sunday. Parker said he does not need to conduct a formal interview with Perkins because he has been part of a "three-year interview process'' in the assistant-coaching role.
Former Pats goalie and assistant coach Chad Mercier was on the short list, but has withdrawn his candidacy, according to CKRM's Rod Pedersen. Mercier is the head coach and GM of the AJHL's Bonnyville Pontiacs.
"The part that excites me the most is that there's no wrong choice,'' said Parker, who hopes to offer the job to someone in the next day or two.
The 45-year-old Habscheid spent last season out of hockey after being an associate coach with the NHL's Boston Bruins in 2006-07. He has two seasons remaining on his contract with Boston.
Habscheid has previous head-coaching experience with the SJHL's Melfort Mustangs, the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL, and Canada's world junior team. He coached Kelowna to a WHL title (in 2003) and a Memorial Cup championship (in 2004, when Kelowna was the host team). He earned WHL and CHL coach-of-the-year honours after the 2002-03 season.
Although Habscheid had opportunities to coach last season, he opted to remain on the family farm and be with his family -- wife Erin, son Zach (16) and daughter Alex (13) -- in southwest Saskatchewan.
Habscheid emphasized Monday night that family matters are paramount as he considers his future in hockey. He would welcome a return to major-junior hockey and a stable environment, and does not necessarily covet a quick return to the NHL -- contrary to some presumptions.
"What I'm looking at more is my kids and those types of things, because they're 16 and 13 and they're going to be gone (from home) pretty quickly,'' Habscheid said. "It's important to make sure we take care of those kids. They've travelled so much with us.
"It's almost a reverse, where there's a perception out there that I want to be one year and gone. Well, that's not necessarily true. It may be on the other side where I'd like to stay in one place where I'm secure and taken care of and can enjoy what I'm doing for a longer period of time ... My son, when he was 15, he had moved 10 times and that's tough on them. Eventually, you've got to say 'enough' and you've got to find a place that you're comfortable with and where you can put down some roots.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008