Matsos makes his return
At least half of the Ontario Hockey League’s 20 teams will start the season with a new head coach, including the Sudbury Wolves.
That’s because their old bench boss is now in Hamilton.
Nearly two decades after his own stint with the Bulldogs — then the Edmonton Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate — Burlington native Dave Matsos, 43, is back as the OHL team’s associate coach. The Spectator caught up with him this week to talk about hockey, his new co-workers and coming home. Here’s an excerpt from the interview, edited for clarity:
Teri Pecoskie: A lot of head coaches in the OHL were on the move this summer, and you were one of them. What’s going on?
Dave Matsos: I think the movement is a really positive thing ... It’s up to us as coaches to develop the players, but I think the coaches are being developed, too. It just seems like the Ontario Hockey League is pumping guys out left and right to the higher leagues, and to me it’s amazing. That’s why it’s such a fun league to be in because it’s almost like the sky is the limit.
TP: You had some challenges in Sudbury (under Matsos, the team was 48-109-0-13 and missed the playoffs in two of three seasons). What did you learn and how will you apply it in Hamilton?
DM: One of the biggest things I’ve learned — and it was because we were on a bit of a down cycle — was just how to manage the room and try to keep things positive. It was hard, but at the same time I think it made me a better coach because we had to figure out how to want to come to the rink every day. Everybody enjoys winning and it’s easy when you win — you go home at night, you go to bed and you feel really good about it. For me, it was the complete opposite. It was how can we get these guys to win? So I think a lot of what it taught me was we’ve got to come to the rink with a positive mind, we’ve got to stick together. We know we’re not the most skilled team or the best team out there, but we really want to compete, compete every day. So that was the most challenging thing, but I think in the same respect it made me so much better as a coach.
TP: I read that the job in Hamilton wasn’t the only one on the table. Why did you come here?
DM: Because of the people. That’s it. For me, it didn’t matter about the title.
TP: What will you be responsible for?
DM: Well, they’ve given me the responsibility of the back end. So I’m basically going to be taking care of the defensive corps, which I’m really excited about and which I did in Windsor and Sudbury, my first year. And the penalty kill (Hamilton tied for second-to-last in the OHL last season with a 77.7 per cent kill rate). Sudbury was the most penalized team in the league last year, and I think we finished sixth at over 80 per cent. We were good. And John (Gruden, the Bulldogs’ head coach), the one quality about John is ‘this is your thing, and I’m not going to interfere in it, I have total faith and trust in you and just run with it, man.’ I love that.
TP: There are a lot of different personalities on this coaching staff. What do you bring to the group?
DM: Honestly, just good looks and humour. Don’t print that ...
TP: I know you looked at a lot of tape before you even got to Hamilton. What are your first impressions of this team, and what are your expectations?
DM: Expectations are high. This is a good team ... Honestly, I haven’t been this excited in — I couldn’t even tell you how long. I loved working in Windsor and I loved working in Sudbury. I’m really, really happy I was a head coach in this league and I will always be grateful for the opportunity in Sudbury, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited than right now. It’s going to be fun — a lot of fun. And I feel like I’m at home because when I walk into the rink everything feels right, which is cool.
TP: The last time you worked in Hamilton, you were playing for the AHL Bulldogs back in 1998-99. Do you find the city different now?
DM: You know what? No. It’s not ... All of my high school buddies are still living here. It just feels right.