Dineen gets a chance for a ring
Rangers video coach eyes Stanley Cup title
QUEENSBURY » Jerry Dineen belongs to one of pro hockey’s most revered and well-respected families.
His father, Bill, a former Adirondack Red Wings coach, and two brothers — Shawn and Gord — already have Stanley Cup rings and now he can join them if the New York Rangers beat the Los Angeles Kings in this year’s finals, which begin Wednesday in L.A.
Dineen, who owns a summer home on Glen Lake in Queensbury, has been the Rangers’ video coach since 1994, when they won their last Stanley Cup championship.
“I joined them right after they won the Cup,” he said. “The next year, CBC’s (Canadian Broadcasting) theme song during the Stanley Cups playoffs was, ‘You may never get the chance again.’”
For 20 years, Dineen was haunted by the possibility that his chance might never come. Now it’s
finally here. The Rangers, after falling behind three games to one against Pittsburgh, fought back to win the second playoff round before going
on to beat Montreal in the Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s been an amazing thing,” Dineen said. “Number one, I’ve never seen (goaltender) Henrik Lundqvist as determined as he is right now. Plus, the defense and all four lines are compet ing and contributing as a whole. They’ve gotten contributions from every - body.”
How-ever, Dineen, too, is one of the most critical members of head coa ch Alain Vigneault’s staff. As video coach, he’s responsible for recording and tracking all aspects of the game — power plays, faceoffs, forechecking and fights — to see how Ranger players and their opponents perform in each situation.
“I work in the coach’s office and I’m connected with a headset to the bench so we can make in-game adjustments,” Dineen said. “It’s high-intensity, highstress at times. It’s a fast game, there’s a lot going on.”
He’s almost like a NASCAR pit crew chief giving advice to a driver during a neck-and-neck race.
Every opposing player has little tendencies that are unique to their own style of play. Dineen’s job is to identify them, so the Rangers can exploit them.
It’s all about finding an edge and taking advantage of it, a reflection of technology’s role in today’s game. And the more sophisticated things get, the more demanding his job is.
“You wouldn’t be able to show video between periods back in 1995 when I started,”
“I work in the coach’s office and I’m connected with a headset to the bench so we can make in-game adjustments. It’s highintensity, highstress at times. It’s a fast game, there’s a lot going on.”
Dineen. “With VHS, there wouldn’t have been time. Now with digital that’s changed. You put more at their (coaches, players) finger tips so they want more. The game is the game, but from the technical end it’s grown by leaps and bounds.”
Dineen’s break with the Rangers came after a shortlived playing career in the East Coast Hockey League. Former Rangers General Manager Neil Smith had played for Bill D ineen in Glens Falls where the Adirondack Red Wings won Calder Cup championships in 1986 and ’89.
“I was lucky enough that the Rangers’ video guy had just left,” Jerry Dineen said. “I interviewed and got the job. I had no technical background. But there was a lockout that year so I spent the first few months learning that end of things. When play started in January, I was ready.”
Bill Dineen won two Stanley Cup rings as a player with the Detroit Red Wings in 1954 and ’55. Shawn and Gord got their rings as a scout and player, respectively, for the 2001 Colorado Avalance and 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jerry, Shawn, Gord and their brother, Kevin, a former NHL All-Star player and Florida Panthers coach, all spend summers on Glen Lake. Of course, Jerry would be the center of attention at this year’s family gatherings if the Rangers go all the way.
“It would be amazing,” he said. “We’ve got four more wins to get. It’s going to take a huge commitment from everybody. It’s great just to have a chance.”