Bednar “ultimate warrior” in ECHL
Former teammate Concannon has high opinion of Avs’ new coach
Rob Concannon was Jared Bednar’s teammate for four seasons with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.
Followers of the Loveland-based Colorado Eagles, another ECHL team, are among those who know the league is one of limited salaries and grudges that often carry over from night to night in weekend series, but it also is a way to keep playing the game and in some cases refuse to give up the dream of reaching the NHL.
“Jared was loyal, he was an ultimate warrior, he was tough as nails,” Concannon, now the Stingrays’ team president, said Thursday. “He was a defensive defenseman, loved to play a physical style of game. Back then, in that ’95 to ’97 era, he was feared by other teams and he would allow players on our team to go out and play any way they wanted to, because he would have their back…
“Jared was never dirty, he didn’t run his mouth when he fought. He had a great deal of respect for the guys he was fighting and the guys he was playing against. I think that respect was given back in return. We always used to refer to him as ‘Bedrock.’ He had a cool persona about him, and back in the day, he had long hair and actually had an earring at one point. He just has an even keel about him.”
The Stingrays took major pride in the Thursday announcement that Bednar, 44, was succeeding Patrick Roy as head coach of the Avalanche. In his journeyman’s minor-league career, he was on two ECHL champions, the second as captain in 2001, and coached them to another Kelly Cup win in 2009. In the interim, he was an assistant coach after he retired.
“You could see that he had a special quality about him,” Concannon said. “He’s good at communicating, he’s fair to the players. He would expect a lot out of them. And when he had to be hard, he’d be hard. He just had a knack for it. His knowledge of the game and his development over the years has led him into this position. We knew that one day he would be an NHL coach and we’re so proud of him right now. He’s going to do a great job.”
But can his success at the minor-league level translate to the NHL, especially because he didn’t play in the league?
“I think so,” Concannon said. “You’re looking for respect from the players, and vice versa, and Jared’s been able to, no matter what, get that from them. It’s the end of August, and it’s going to be a quick transition to training camp and the season, but I’m confident that the players will love playing for Jared.”