Wild GM Guerin draws on his vast experiences
Former player took something from his eight different teams, says Jim Matheson
ST. PAUL, MINN. Bill Guerin played almost 1,300 games on eight different teams and if he’s a bigger wheel now that he’s an NHL general manager, he also knows that “nobody’s giving you the keys to a Porsche.”
Stanley Cup contenders aren’t hiring first-time GMS.
The Minnesota Wild aren’t the gold seal when it comes to NHL success, but they have been a competent team for a long time. So the former Oilers winger (211 games) was pumped and prepared for this gig since retiring at 39 after being released by the Philadelphia Flyers and joining the Pittsburgh Penguins in player development.
“The players here have been super receptive, they’ve bought into everything. I played against some of them. (Mikko) Koivu, (Zach) Parise, (Ryan) Suter. Koivu told a story about his first or second year in the league and he did something to me (on the ice) and I told him, ‘You better keep your head up or I’ll kill you.’ We laughed about that,” said Guerin of the longtime Wild captain.
Guerin was cut by the Flyers at their 2010 camp, and went about changing his life.
“Ray Shero (then Penguins’ GM) was the second call I made after I phoned (wife) Kara. I told Ray, ‘I want to come and talk to you about the next stage of my life.’ He told me his biggest concern with former players was they just want a card with their name on it, a paycheque and a title but they don’t want to work. He told me I had to work. I took some time off, but from New Year’s on, I went part-time player development with Pittsburgh to see if I liked it, and I loved it.”
“I was interested in how hard an amateur scout worked ... looking at a pro scout’s schedule where he worked 30 games in a month, I thought, ‘How the hell do you watch 30 games?’ I learned how you do it, how you book a flight, getting hotel rooms. I wanted to be ready for this chance I have now. I wanted to go to junior games in Prince George and Penticton and Rouyn-noranda, all the places in Europe. I wanted our scouting staff to respect my work ethic. I wanted to earn their respect.”
As a player, Guerin had 856 points in 1,263 league games, another 74 points in 140 playoff games. He was tough, played hard and he’s cherished being part of the hockey fraternity, with twists along the way.
“I remember when our fourth child was born in Boston, we had a lovely nurse and she asked what I did, and I told her I played hockey for the Bruins,” said Guerin. “She said her dad was a hockey coach, so I’m thinking Medford High, but then I saw her name tag and it said ‘Bowman.’ I said, ‘Your dad wouldn’t be Scotty Bowman?’ She said, ‘Well, yes.’ I said, ‘He’s not a hockey coach, he is the hockey coach.’ The nurse was a twin. Her brother is (Hawks’ GM) Stan Bowman.’’
Guerin, over breakfast at a famous local diner in St. Paul, said he learned every step along his hockey journey.
“Glen (Sather) knew people better than anybody, how to push the right buttons. The biggest thing with Glen was his confidence. We would scratch and claw to get into the playoffs, but he made us feel like a top team. I’ll never forget the dinner we had going into Game 5 of the playoffs against Colorado (in 1998). He stood up and said, ‘Don’t worry about a thing guys, you’ve got ’em right where you want ’em.’ We were down 3-1. I’ll never forget that and we rattled off win after win. We dusted them in the seventh game.”
Guerin has always kept his ears open and he has had the personality and smarts to say the right thing at the right time, hoping he brings that to the Wild.
“It is good I played for so many teams, nine general managers. I’ve seen a lot of stuff in a lot of different places. I’ve seen how different teams are run. I have relationships all around the league, but you make your own style,” he said.
Top three influences?
“Probably Jimmy (Rutherford), Lou (Lamoriello) and Ray. I can’t tell you how many discussions Lou and I had, but just before he traded me to Edmonton we had a talk and he said, ‘You’re going to learn from this and realize how important a team structure is.’ I’m trying to build that in Minnesota,” said Guerin.
“When you’re sitting across from Lou and all you’re doing is listening, you’re learning. Jim is old school where he calls everybody. He doesn’t text people.
One of the great lessons I learned from Jim was having lunch at the Saint Paul Hotel and him telling me, ‘Billy, never try to win a trade. Don’t try to screw the other guy over. Make a fair trade and you’ll get more deals done.’ That’s stuck with me,” he said.
The Wild are off to a rocky start, but Guerin is watching and evaluating. He didn’t get hired until late in the summer. He doesn’t know the Wild players as well as he knew the Penguins.
“I’m not in a rush to do anything. I have to be patient. I don’t want to doing anything knee-jerk, to put my stamp on it. Makes no sense,” he said.
It is good I played for so many teams, nine general managers. I’ve seen a lot of stuff in a lot of different places ... but you make your own style.