Penguins promote Gonchar to full-time assistant coach
Penguins fans might be wise to purchase some flowers for Sergei Gonchar’s wife, Ksenia.
She might be the biggest reason her husband is now a full-time assistant coach with the Penguins, and that should mean big things given the impact he already has had in two years.
Turns out Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford had a standing contract offer for Gonchar dating to last season. Gonchar resisted because he wanted to help Ksenia back home in Dallas with the couple’s two young children.
Go to Pittsburgh, was what Ksenia told her husband not long ago. On Wednesday, the promotion was announced.
“She told me she could handle it by herself,” Gonchar said. “I have to give her a lot of credit.”
Everyone who has watched Gonchar work has given him credit for improving the Penguins defensemen, specifically Justin Schultz. Having Gonchar around more in no way can be a bad thing for the group.
Gonchar rebuilt Schultz’s game from the defensive end forward, and he blossomed into one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL this past season. Schultz finished 2016-17 ranked among the NHL’s top 10 in assists (39), points (51) and plus/minus (plus-27).
“He’s been huge to me personally, getting my confidence back and focusing on those little details he always talks about,” Schultz said of Gonchar on locker-cleanout day. “He’s so smart. He knows so much about the game. You just need to listen, and you’ll learn so much from him.”
In addition to Schultz, who’s 27, the Penguins have Brian Dumoulin (25), Olli Maatta (22) and Derrick Pouliot (23). There’s plenty of youth on the back end and an eageraudience for Gonchar.
The Penguins also acquired a project defenseman in Frank Corrado from Toronto at the 2017 NHL trade deadline, figuring Gonchar could turn him around, too.
“You respect him so much,” Dumoulin said. “He comes in, he’ll show you a couple clips. He’ll show you everything. Everybody around here wants you to get better. That’s great to see that they put people in this locker room who can make us better.”
Gonchar, 43, will watch games from the press box, as he did for much of last season and will advise head coach Mike Sullivan and another newly named assistant, Mark Recchi, on the power play. Gonchar will continue to work alongside fellow assistant Jacques Martin with the defensemen.
“I’ve been around for a long time,” Gonchar said. “I played a lot of years, but at the same time, I’ve always liked to share my knowledge. This job has given me an opportunity to do that.”
In a 20-year NHL career that spanned 1,301 games with Washington, Boston, the Penguins, Ottawa, Dallas and Montreal, Gonchar produced 220 goals and 811 points.
That’s good enough for 17th in NHL history among defensemen, while his games played total ranks 18th.
Between Recchi and Gonchar, the Penguins have added more than 3,000 combined regular-season and playoff games and in excess of 2,500 points of experience within the past two days; Gonchar and Recchi have also combined for eight Stanley Cups.
“I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by guys who have great relationships with our guys,” Sullivan said on Tuesday. “Jacques does a great job with our defensemen. Sergei Gonchar is another guy who has done a terrific job with our defensemen andour young players.”
When Gonchar takes the ice, it still looks like he can play. Asked whether he’s developed his own coaching style, Gonchar can’t help but laugh.
“I wouldn’t say style,” Gonchar said.
But Gonchar has been around for two years, and the Penguins have won two Stanley Cups. Can’t be that new anymore.
They’ve weathered major injuries on the back end and marched their way to a championship this spring without Kris Letang, a feat by itself.
Schultz has improved by leaps and bounds. Chad Ruhwedel enjoyed a career year. Dumoulin blossomed into a legitimate top-four guy, and Maatta’s best moments of the postseason reminded why he’s due more than $3 million for the upcoming season.
Gonchar isn’t about to take the credit for all of that, but he has begun to feel more comfortable on this side of the ropes.
“The guys around me have made it easier for me,” Gonchar said. “They’ve been very receptive. I don’t know if there was a challenge. The challenge was traveling a lot and being away from my family. Besides that, work-wise, it was an easy transition. The people around the organization made it easy for me.
“I feel like I’m improving every time I’m there. I’m learning a lot of things. I feel more comfortable. When you want to move in that direction, you have to learn constantly and share that knowledge. It’s been a learning process. I think it’s helping me develop.”