Rich Pilon shared his thoughts on coaching and experiences of getting to play in the NHL after being drafted as a midget player, as he spoke via Zoom to the Weyburn Rotary Club on Thursday.
Pilon lives in Saskatoon in the off-season, and as the head coach and general manager of the Weyburn Red Wings, he is preparing for a new hockey season in the SJHL, which is set to start play on Sept. 24.
As an NHLer, he played 15 years for the New York Islanders and the Rangers, and his son has been drafted by the Washington Capitals.
As a coach and GM of Weyburn鈥檚 Junior A hockey team, he notes there are some big differences in how players are coached now compared to when he played hockey, and he laid out his desire to be the best coach he can be.
鈥淏eing an ex-pro guy, I always tell my players I want to do everything I can that I didn鈥檛 like as a player, and just be a better communicator with the parents and players and be as black-and-white as I can with them, out of respect for me and them,鈥� he said, noting they live in a different era now than when he played.
鈥淎 lot of players are just more educated than when I grew up and played hockey. My dad coached me for a long time. 鈥� In today鈥檚 game, kids skate basically year-round. A lot of kids have that drive, and it might be good or bad. Some agree, some don鈥檛 agree, but I鈥檓 pretty neutral on it,鈥� said Pilon.
He pointed out he was one of two players who were drafted into the NHL out of midget hockey at age 15. 鈥淚 just wanted to play in the NHL, and sometimes ignorance is bliss, and that鈥檚 really what it was for me. I didn鈥檛 know, and my dad didn鈥檛 know, the pecking order or the depth chart of a midget triple-A or junior hockey,鈥� he explained.
The challenge in coaching today, added Pilon, 鈥渋s trying to treat these young men as much as I can all the same. They鈥檙e all different, but when it comes to a hockey team and winning, it comes to my getting them to believe in themselves and in each other and in the coach. That鈥檚 where the really good coaches have success, because when I coach 鈥� in today鈥檚 hockey world it鈥檚 kind of, 鈥榳hat do I get if I do that?鈥� You鈥檙e always in negotiations with them. You can鈥檛 rule with an iron fist any more, the kid will just quit, and if you鈥檙e caught in a lie, you鈥檙e done, you鈥檝e lost the room. So you have to be really honest with them, which is sometimes hard because you鈥檙e telling them stuff they don鈥檛 want to hear, and that鈥檚 the hard part of coaching.鈥�
Relating how he came to Weyburn, which he admitted he didn鈥檛 very much about prior to coming here, he noted that a former Weyburn coach and educator, Darren Larson, told him he should apply for the Red Wings coaching position.
Pilon did apply, and found it difficult when he came and several people associated with the team quit, including coaching staff and former GM Ronnie Rumball.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all worked out, and I enjoy coaching,鈥� he said, noting he will be bringing in players he鈥檚 been able to recruit for the upcoming season, with only one or two players left from when he first came in 2019.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been a bit of a revolving door, which was not the plan,鈥� he said, noting that he鈥檚 had to sell himself and sell Weyburn as a good place to come play hockey.
The result will be a good team this fall, he said. 鈥淚f you see us play, you鈥檒l see a very different class of players. They鈥檙e players that could have gone elsewhere, but my strength is recruiting.鈥�
Pilon noted the Red Wings have a lot of history as a team, but the level of success has fallen off in the last few years, so he wants to get the team back on that road again.
鈥淭he job of myself and the coaching staff is to create a team that鈥檚 not only good on the ice, but is good around the community,鈥� he said, adding there are only two things he cares about: 鈥淚 care about how hard you work, and I care about how you treat other people. If you do these two things, you will never have a problem with me.鈥�
Pilon added that he wants to create a classy organization, as the players are not just representing themselves, they鈥檙e representing the team and their families, and the name on the back of the jersey.
He said later the Red Wings will have some 33 or 34 players come to training camp this fall, but they will only have room for 24 or 25 guys on the roster, 鈥渟o we鈥檝e got our work cut out for us. We鈥檙e going to be competitive, I believe we鈥檙e going to be a playoff team.鈥�
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