Former Rockets coach to face off against his old team tonight
It will be a night for the Kelowna Rockets and their loyal supporters to celebrate some very good fortune, in form of two very special gold medals. The success of Dillon Dube and Cal Foote as members of Team Canada has been well documented in recent weeks, as their World Junior Hockey championship journey concluded last week with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the championship game. The players will be honoured prior to the game against the Spokane Chiefs for their tremendous achievement on junior hockey’s global stage. However, there will be another face in the crowd, perhaps worthy of acknowledgement as well: former Rockets head coach, Dan Lambert.
While the diminutive head coach of the Chiefs will be positioned behind the visitor’s bench, his efforts during six seasons on the Rockets coaching staff contributed to the tremendous success for what is fast becoming one of the Canadian Hockey League’s most storied franchises.
“Well, it’s not just about myself,” Lambert said about emotions stirring ahead of his return to Prospera Place.
“For our family, Kelowna was the city we spent the most time ever in. We were there for six seasons and to finish that off, winning the Western Hockey League championship in that building was very special.”
The 47-year-old from Winnipeg’s St. Boniface neighbourhood, understands the nomadic hockey lifestyle. His playing career, including four seasons with the Swift Current Broncos from 1986 to 1990, led to stops in NHL and minor league cities, ending in retirement during 2009 after a 10year stint in Germany.
His coaching career also began in 2009 as an assistant with the Rockets under then head coach, Ryan Huska. When Huska moved on following the 2013-14 season to join the Calgary Flames organization as head coach of its AHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder, Lambert was promoted to head coach by the Rockets.
During the 2014-15 season, the Rockets went 53-13-6, with a roster that included a young rookie forward — 16-year-old Dillon Dube. Lambert remembers how Dube contributed during a season that ended with the Rockets in the Memorial Cup final.
“He really took off in the second half when we had players gone, coincidentally, to the World Juniors,” Lambert said.
“Dillon got a little more playing time, right around the time we acquired (Leon) Draisaitl, (Josh) Morrissey and (Gage) Quinney. It’s great to see him in a Team Canada jersey and as a captain. Those are things that make me very proud of Dillon.”
Following the Rockets championship season, Lambert accepted an offer to join the Buffalo Sabres as an assistant coach. The next season, the organization moved him into the head coaching role with the AHL’s Rochester Americans. At the end of the 2016-2017 campaign, the Sabres made extensive changes.
“I feel fortunate being an assistant in the NHL,” Lambert said. “There were great experiences working with young talents like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Even with Josh Gorges. What a great leader he is, there are obvious reasons why he spent so many years in the NHL.
“But changes happen. I found myself on the outside looking in, then the opportunity with Spokane came up. I believe I am probably a better coach for having gone through these experiences and now I find myself back to where I get to develop young players and help them become young men. It’s a big challenge and something I take great pride in.”
Lambert looks fondly upon his time in Kelowna, working for an organization that has successfully developed numerous players and coaches.
“Moving on from Kelowna was a very hard decision, but one that we felt as a family was the right opportunity,” he said. “We’re really excited about coming back to Kelowna, seeing friends, getting the sense of the atmosphere that we used to have on a nightly basis there and all of the fun times from my first year there all the way to my last.” Puck drop for tonight’s game is 7:05 p.m. The evening will also include a medal ceremony for Dube and Foote prior to the game. Today also marks the WHL trading deadline. All teams have until 2 p.m. to make any final deals.
M oving on from Kelowna was a very hard decision, but one that we felt as a family was the right opportunity.
Dan Lambert