Tipped Off
04-21-2006, 10:33 AM
Masters of the game
The men behind the boys -- Don Hay and Kevin Constantine -- start a contest of their own tonight at the Pacific Coliseum
View Larger Image
Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay
Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Article Tools
Printer friendly
E-mail
Font: * * * * Ian Walker, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, April 21, 2006
Consider it the opening moves of what should be an exceptional chess match between Don Hay and Kevin Constantine.
Hay, head coach of the Vancouver Giants, and Constantine, his counterpart with the Everett Silvertips, both downplayed their roles in the WHL's Western Conference Championship, which opens tonight at Pacific Coliseum.
"It's not about the coaches, it's about the players," said Hay, shaking his head. "It's the players who have to be prepared and who have to play the game."
True, but discounting the role these two grandmasters will play in this series is like separating Oh from Henry. It's like Guns 'N' Roses without Slash. Maxim without a hot cover girl.
You can't mention one without the other.
It's the coaches who prepare the players. It's the coaches who implement their philosophies of the game and how it should be played. It's the coaches who pour over game film looking for the little things that can make all the difference in a seven-game series. It's the coaches who have to make adjustments period by period, sometimes even shift to shift.
And no one commands more respect in the WHL's West than these two, veterans of the game at the junior and National Hockey League levels.
"Don takes a lot of pride in coaching -- he's mentioned to us a few times this season about going up against Constantine," said Giants winger Mitch Bartley. "He loves a challenge and I think he's really looking forward to matching wits with him. Don's a master at the details, it's what makes him such a great coach. He sees so much from the bench and can adapt quickly or find ways for us to be more successful out there."
That's what the players believe.
Constantine, like Hay, says too much is being made about coaching, the game within the game.
"I don't really think it comes down to that as much as two good teams," said Constantine, who was the league's coach of the year in 2003-04 after guiding the then-expansion club to the WHL championships. "At this time of the year, after having habits ingrained over more than 80 games, I know we're not capable of pulling off any major adjustments at this time."
But if anyone has the experience to pull it off, they do.
Hay was the first head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and coached the Calgary Flames in 2000, before being fired 68 games into the regular season.
Constantine coached the San Jose Sharks from 1993 to 1996 before moving on to the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1997 to 2000. His last NHL stop was with the New Jersey Devils in 2001, where he was fired after losing in the first round of the playoffs.
"Sure, Don and I have coached in the NHL, but what drives a coach like me or an organization like ours or our players is the competitive and prideful desire to do well," said Constantine. "And that way overrides any of the interesting side stories about Don and I. As a team we want to be good at what we do. Our players want to win not because they don't want [Giants star centre] Gilbert Brule to win, our players want to win because that's what we do."
Oddly enough, Hay and Constantine had never coached against each other until last season. It only enhanced their respect for each other.
"You always know when you're up against someone who is good because it is apparent in the results," said Constantine, who is the only NHL coach to win two playoff series with eighth-seeded teams. His Sharks upset the Detroit Red Wings in 1994 and his Penguins beat the Devils in 1999.
"For Vancouver to be as good as it has the past two years, Don must be doing a good job. The hows and wheres and whats, I'm not really sure of."
As for the Xs and Os, Constantine has them down pat. He's renowned for his use of video to dissect the game.
Hay, meanwhile, has only added that side of coaching to his repertoire since returning to the WHL two years ago.
"We might go about it different ways, but we both do the details well," said Hay, who was voted the league's all-time greatest coach in 1999. "Kevin is very advanced in video technology and I think every player should be exposed to that. I know this year we've used video more than I ever have in my career. It's just another way to reach the players. But when is it too much? That's up to the individual."
Heading into tonight's game, the Giants and Silvertips look as evenly matched as two teams can be. Both are disciplined and conscientious in their own zones. Both have game breakers up front and goalies who can steal a game.
All the more reason to think the series could be decided by the men behind the boys who play the game.
The men behind the boys -- Don Hay and Kevin Constantine -- start a contest of their own tonight at the Pacific Coliseum
View Larger Image
Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay
Photograph by : Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun
Article Tools
Printer friendly
Font: * * * * Ian Walker, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, April 21, 2006
Consider it the opening moves of what should be an exceptional chess match between Don Hay and Kevin Constantine.
Hay, head coach of the Vancouver Giants, and Constantine, his counterpart with the Everett Silvertips, both downplayed their roles in the WHL's Western Conference Championship, which opens tonight at Pacific Coliseum.
"It's not about the coaches, it's about the players," said Hay, shaking his head. "It's the players who have to be prepared and who have to play the game."
True, but discounting the role these two grandmasters will play in this series is like separating Oh from Henry. It's like Guns 'N' Roses without Slash. Maxim without a hot cover girl.
You can't mention one without the other.
It's the coaches who prepare the players. It's the coaches who implement their philosophies of the game and how it should be played. It's the coaches who pour over game film looking for the little things that can make all the difference in a seven-game series. It's the coaches who have to make adjustments period by period, sometimes even shift to shift.
And no one commands more respect in the WHL's West than these two, veterans of the game at the junior and National Hockey League levels.
"Don takes a lot of pride in coaching -- he's mentioned to us a few times this season about going up against Constantine," said Giants winger Mitch Bartley. "He loves a challenge and I think he's really looking forward to matching wits with him. Don's a master at the details, it's what makes him such a great coach. He sees so much from the bench and can adapt quickly or find ways for us to be more successful out there."
That's what the players believe.
Constantine, like Hay, says too much is being made about coaching, the game within the game.
"I don't really think it comes down to that as much as two good teams," said Constantine, who was the league's coach of the year in 2003-04 after guiding the then-expansion club to the WHL championships. "At this time of the year, after having habits ingrained over more than 80 games, I know we're not capable of pulling off any major adjustments at this time."
But if anyone has the experience to pull it off, they do.
Hay was the first head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and coached the Calgary Flames in 2000, before being fired 68 games into the regular season.
Constantine coached the San Jose Sharks from 1993 to 1996 before moving on to the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1997 to 2000. His last NHL stop was with the New Jersey Devils in 2001, where he was fired after losing in the first round of the playoffs.
"Sure, Don and I have coached in the NHL, but what drives a coach like me or an organization like ours or our players is the competitive and prideful desire to do well," said Constantine. "And that way overrides any of the interesting side stories about Don and I. As a team we want to be good at what we do. Our players want to win not because they don't want [Giants star centre] Gilbert Brule to win, our players want to win because that's what we do."
Oddly enough, Hay and Constantine had never coached against each other until last season. It only enhanced their respect for each other.
"You always know when you're up against someone who is good because it is apparent in the results," said Constantine, who is the only NHL coach to win two playoff series with eighth-seeded teams. His Sharks upset the Detroit Red Wings in 1994 and his Penguins beat the Devils in 1999.
"For Vancouver to be as good as it has the past two years, Don must be doing a good job. The hows and wheres and whats, I'm not really sure of."
As for the Xs and Os, Constantine has them down pat. He's renowned for his use of video to dissect the game.
Hay, meanwhile, has only added that side of coaching to his repertoire since returning to the WHL two years ago.
"We might go about it different ways, but we both do the details well," said Hay, who was voted the league's all-time greatest coach in 1999. "Kevin is very advanced in video technology and I think every player should be exposed to that. I know this year we've used video more than I ever have in my career. It's just another way to reach the players. But when is it too much? That's up to the individual."
Heading into tonight's game, the Giants and Silvertips look as evenly matched as two teams can be. Both are disciplined and conscientious in their own zones. Both have game breakers up front and goalies who can steal a game.
All the more reason to think the series could be decided by the men behind the boys who play the game.