Desjardins’ devotion trumped Pens’ pull
Bench boss says choosing Vancouver over Pittsburgh was all about loyalty
PITTSBURGH — Willie Desjardins admits he was more than a little intrigued when the Pittsburgh Penguins came calling. Who wouldn’t be? Put yourself in Desjardins’ shoes. You’re a lifelong coach who has toiled for years mainly at the junior and minor- league pro level and suddenly, at age 57, you are given the opportunity to coach Sidney Crosby.
Yes, Desjardins was intrigued, flattered, a little surprised and highly appreciative of the offer Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford made to him almost immediately after Desjardins’ Texas Stars team had won the AHL’s Calder Cup in mid- June.
But Desjardins turned down the Penguins in favour of the Vancouver Canucks and on Wednesday, the day before he will coach against Crosby and the Penguins for the first time, tried to explain a decision that surprised many in the hockey world.
For Desjardins, it was all about loyalty. He knew before the Texas Stars’ season had ended that the Canucks were interested in him. More importantly, he knew Trevor Linden and had a sense that the new Canucks president of hockey operations believed in him.
“I think he had interest in me and not many guys had,” Desjardins said. “I’d coached a lot of years and here was a guy that kind of believed that maybe I could do it. That was important to me, it really, really was.
“I am a real loyal guy, I really am. I don’t forget things, I am loyal and I won’t forget Jim Rutherford, He was unbelievable, but that is just what I felt.”
Nearly six months later, Desjardins has no regrets, although he acknowledges the decision to reject the Pittsburgh offer was not an easy one.
“When you look at what was there and the opportunity, it’s unbelievable,” Desjardins said of the Penguins. “You look at where they are in the standings, so that’s what type of team they are. And to have an opportunity to coach that kind of team is pretty special. That’s a special group. Not just Crosby. They have so much talent there and it’s a great city, too.”
After Desjardins chose the Canucks over Pittsburgh, the Penguins quickly hired Mike Johnston, a former Canucks assistant coach under Marc Crawford who had also interviewed for the Vancouver job. In fact, it’s not hard to imagine Desjardins’ and Johnston’s roles being reversed tonight if Desjardins had accepted the Pittsburgh offer.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning acknowledged he was concerned when the Penguins stepped up so quickly and interviewed Desjardins. The Canucks had planned to give Desjardins a couple of days to enjoy his Calder Cup win before flying him into Vancouver for an interview.
“Well, we were worried, you know,” Benning said this week of the Pens’ offer to Desjardins. “We had also interviewed Johnston, who ended up getting their job, and he did a real good interview with us, too. When we started the process Mike was a guy that we wanted to talk to. We wanted to interview all the guys we had on our list and then sit down and make a decision.
“We didn’t get that far. We talked to Willie, we decided that he was the best fit for the group of players that we had. We had seen his teams play, the style of game that he wants to play and we thought that fit with the type of players that we had, so we offered him the job and he accepted it.”
Desjardins and Johnston, by the way, are close friends who go a long way back. After accepting the Canucks job, Desjardins was delighted when the Penguins hired Johnston.
“I think they are really lucky that Mike’s here and if they had a choice to make again, they’d take Mike every time now,” Desjardins said. “I think it turned out the way it should. I can say honestly that I think Mike Johnston is the best guy for this job.”
Johnston, who had spent the last six years as general manager and head coach of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, didn’t want to speculate about the possibility of landing in Vancouver had Desjardins chosen Pittsburgh.
“I guess you really never know how things could play out, but Willie and I go back a long ways,” Johnston said after Wednesday’s Penguins practice.
“We have been friends since university and playing against each other and then working with George Kingston at the University of Calgary. We have had a long history together and it is going to be an exciting matchup from my perspective. Any time we have had an opportunity to coach against each other over the years it has always been enjoyable.”
By all accounts, Johnston has fit in very nicely with the Penguins. Pittsburgh enters tonight’s game with a 17- 5- 2 record
Crosby didn’t know much about Johnston when he was hired, other than the fact that he is from Crosby’s home province of Nova Scotia.
“He’s a calm guy, very prepared,” Crosby said Wednesday. “The way he wants us to play is a pretty aggressive style and he lets guys be creative where they can, but also stresses the importance of good defence, too … I think he has done a good job of preparing everyone.”
“He’s not the guy that will explode and start throwing f- bombs around like maybe the coach you guys had,” said defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, a former Canuck. “But you will see when he’s mad, too, and he doesn’t like something. But he still brings it up in a good manner.”
Things seem to have worked out pretty well for the Canucks, too.
Desjardins has the Canucks challenging for the Western Conference lead and seems to have turned around a team that appeared last season to be in a steep decline.
Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said Desjardins makes every player on the roster feel important.
“He has brought a lot of communication,” Sedin said. “And it’s not only the older guys. He talks to everyone. It brings the group together and he makes everyone feel like they are counted on to help us win games. He makes everyone — the third- and fourthline guys — feel like they can make a difference.”
Desjardins, meanwhile, is at peace with his decision. When he stands behind the visitors’ bench tonight at the Consul Energy Center he won’t be thinking about what might have been. He’s happy for his friend, Mike Johnston, and pleased and proud to be the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
“In the end, I know it worked out for Pittsburgh,” he said. “And we’ll see if it worked out for Vancouver.”