The Insider Interview – Playoff EditionChris Brooks
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees' head coach talks about personnel moves, the Brahmas and the playoffs
When I first spoke to Chris Brooks back in early December, I didn't know what to think. Just like I didn't know what to think about his appointment to the position of head coach of the beleaguered Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.
At that point, the 'Bees were having a mediocre season, not much of an improvement over last season's worst performance in the league. But Brooks began making some bold personnel moves in mid-December, starting with the removal of right wing Rob Voltera from the team. The Travis Banga trade to the Brahmas in early January turned some heads, for sure. Then something changed. The 'Bees started winning.
Think what you may of Chris Brooks as a competitor and a rookie head coach, but he has done an amazing job with the Killer Bees and regardless of the outcome of the Southern Conference Semi-finals, I think we'll be seeing more great hockey in the Rio Grande Valley for seasons to come.
Chris and I spoke a few times recently. Here is the result of our conversations.
Q: You’ve had to make some tough decisions on personnel in your first season as head coach. Let’s start off with Rob Voltera. How did you decide to release him?
A: I just thought that with the team that I was putting together and the culture that I was creating, it just wasn’t a match for Rob and the organization….that month when Voltera, Bouchard, and Banga all left; it was a tough month mentally. It was something I wasn’t prepared for as a young coach. It weighed on my family life and I finally got to a point with Voltera, where it was affecting what I was doing at home. I just said I need to take care of it. I was hanging on to him and I was thinking maybe I can change him, maybe I can change him, maybe I can change him, and I wasn’t doing it and the time I was putting in wasn’t fair to everyone else, so I decided to make that change.
Q: Robin Bouchard actually asked to leave the team…
A: His daughter had been sick with allergies and sinus colds and stuff and she was having allergic reactions to the environment down in Rio Grande Valley and he came to me and said that he was going home and I respected that decision and waived him to the league.
Q: Was the Travis Banga situation difficult for you?
A: When Travis came to me and sort of disagreed with my decision to bring back Dennis Maxwell, you know, players don’t control those decisions, I do. As soon as I start letting players control the decisions that I make, it’s letting the prisoners run the asylum and at this level, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t let that happen. I’m the boss and I’ll prosper from my decisions and I’ll lose from my decisions. I like our team right now. Do I think we’re a better team than we were back on December 15th before I made the decisions, no question. I feel real comfortable with the team that I have put together.
Q: The Travis Banga trade was a bit controversial in that it was an inter-divisional trade and obviously you felt it had to be done. You ended up with a couple of young men that are probably going to benefit you down the stretch…
A: I took some criticism because it was there first time where there had been an inter-divisional trade since 2004 or something like that. I had a couple of coaches call me about the trade. You know, as a first year coach, trying to do what I’m doing, I have to take care of my team right now. I can’t really look at how it’s going to affect Texas or how it’s going to affect Laredo or how it’s going to affect any other team in our division. Right now, it’s my job to make our team better. In dealing with Dan, Dan was the best offer that I had in that trade and felt it made the team better. I got two future considerations in the trade and Topher and Matt Byrnes both fit really well into our team and I knew that. I knew both of their college coaches from when I was in college. I thought that the trade was a no-brainer and the kids have fit in very well and have played very well for me and are very excited to be a part of our franchise.
Q: Topher Scott, when he came on with the Texas Brahmas, really showed something right from the beginning. Not just in scoring but also in his work ethic and his determination and his toughness…
A: It’s funny because Topher’s college coach recruited me and coached me at Western Michigan. I tried to get Topher to come and play for me before Dan did. I’ve been working on trying to get Topher away from the Brahmas because Topher Scott is a kid that you win with. He’s a proven winner. Every team he’s played on has been successful. At any level you coach, you want to surround yourself with those types of kids. He’s a phenomenal kid, an unbelievable hockey player with unbelievable passion. He makes my team better in the locker room. The habits that kid has are second to none.
Q: You told me once before that you’ve told your team that they may not be the most skilled players in the Central Hockey League, but their work ethic is what sets them apart. How much has the work ethic come into play as a factor in your team’s success this season?
A: I think if you look at our record since January 1st, our record is as good as anybody in the league. The thing that I’ve always believed as a coach since I first got into coaching is that I want teams that play the game like I played it as a player. You, know I had the opportunity to play at high levels; I played some games in the American Hockey League and I played some games in the IHL. And it wasn’t that I was the most skilled person but I showed up to practice every day like it was my last. I played the game, every game, like it the last game of my life. I talk to our players about that constantly. I’ve made some decisions that a lot of people have questioned throughout the season, but in the end, I knew exactly what I was getting back in return – players that have the same beliefs that I do as a coach. That work ethic has gotten us to where we’re at and I think that is a big part of our identity as a team.
Q: Your team had split wins with the Brahmas in the regular season. Do you think that your boys have the potential to take this series and move on to the next opponent?
A: I believe it, and I think everybody in the room believes that we have the team that can win a championship. Hockey’s a funny sport. The bounce of a puck, goaltending, refereeing, there’s a lot of factors in it but if we come out and play our game – you look at it on paper – Corpus on paper, at the start of the season, I would have told you Corpus had a better team than us on paper. Looking at their team on paper going into the playoffs, they probably had a better team than us on paper. We worked our system, we made sacrifices and we found a way to win that series. It’s no different than coming in and playing the Brahmas. On paper, they’ve got, like I said the other day to a reporter, they’ve probably got five or six players on this team that could play at the next level. They’ve had three or four kids called up this year that can play at the next level. In order for us to be successful, we have to play to our identity. We have to work extremely hard, we have to be disciplined, and we have to get good goaltending and really sacrifice. In playoff hockey, you’ve got to make sacrifices and for me, playoff hockey has always been more about the mental part of the game than the physical. And we have to be mentally strong heading into what I expect to be a seven game series.
Q: From a personal standpoint, as a first-year head coach, after going through what you’ve gone through in the regular season and now into the playoffs, how has the stress level and the anxiety level worn on you?
A: I get to certain points in the game – last Thursday night’s game (against Corpus Christi) was a tough game and a tough day. It’s probably my fault too because my family came over to Corpus and we got home late and I didn’t get much sleep. The toughest part is getting into an eating routine. Now when you don’t eat and you don’t get much sleep and you’re dealing with some of the stress that you deal with, it’s tough on you but it’s good to get on the road here and get a little bit more rest and really focus. I’m at ease with our team, you know, I have expectations. The guys know the expectations. You know, I’ve got a bunch of guys that really care about each other. They’ve bought into the beliefs that I have as a person and as a coach and I have the utmost trust in my team.
Q: How do you feel about your team’s performance in the second game?
A: I thought we worked extremely hard; I thought there was a lot of that game that we controlled. There are certain things in the game that you don’t control and you’ve got to battle through it and I think our guys showed a lot of courage battling though some of the adversity throughout that game.
Q: Down two games but going back to your own barn; you guys have a great record down there. You definitely have something to fight back for, you know, backs up against the wall. What do you think is going to be the key for your team on home ice?
Q: You’ve had to make some tough decisions on personnel in your first season as head coach. Let’s start off with Rob Voltera. How did you decide to release him?
A: I just thought that with the team that I was putting together and the culture that I was creating, it just wasn’t a match for Rob and the organization….that month when Voltera, Bouchard, and Banga all left; it was a tough month mentally. It was something I wasn’t prepared for as a young coach. It weighed on my family life and I finally got to a point with Voltera, where it was affecting what I was doing at home. I just said I need to take care of it. I was hanging on to him and I was thinking maybe I can change him, maybe I can change him, maybe I can change him, and I wasn’t doing it and the time I was putting in wasn’t fair to everyone else, so I decided to make that change.
Q: Robin Bouchard actually asked to leave the team…
A: His daughter had been sick with allergies and sinus colds and stuff and she was having allergic reactions to the environment down in Rio Grande Valley and he came to me and said that he was going home and I respected that decision and waived him to the league.
Q: Was the Travis Banga situation difficult for you?
A: When Travis came to me and sort of disagreed with my decision to bring back Dennis Maxwell, you know, players don’t control those decisions, I do. As soon as I start letting players control the decisions that I make, it’s letting the prisoners run the asylum and at this level, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t let that happen. I’m the boss and I’ll prosper from my decisions and I’ll lose from my decisions. I like our team right now. Do I think we’re a better team than we were back on December 15th before I made the decisions, no question. I feel real comfortable with the team that I have put together.
Q: The Travis Banga trade was a bit controversial in that it was an inter-divisional trade and obviously you felt it had to be done. You ended up with a couple of young men that are probably going to benefit you down the stretch…
A: I took some criticism because it was there first time where there had been an inter-divisional trade since 2004 or something like that. I had a couple of coaches call me about the trade. You know, as a first year coach, trying to do what I’m doing, I have to take care of my team right now. I can’t really look at how it’s going to affect Texas or how it’s going to affect Laredo or how it’s going to affect any other team in our division. Right now, it’s my job to make our team better. In dealing with Dan, Dan was the best offer that I had in that trade and felt it made the team better. I got two future considerations in the trade and Topher and Matt Byrnes both fit really well into our team and I knew that. I knew both of their college coaches from when I was in college. I thought that the trade was a no-brainer and the kids have fit in very well and have played very well for me and are very excited to be a part of our franchise.
Q: Topher Scott, when he came on with the Texas Brahmas, really showed something right from the beginning. Not just in scoring but also in his work ethic and his determination and his toughness…
A: It’s funny because Topher’s college coach recruited me and coached me at Western Michigan. I tried to get Topher to come and play for me before Dan did. I’ve been working on trying to get Topher away from the Brahmas because Topher Scott is a kid that you win with. He’s a proven winner. Every team he’s played on has been successful. At any level you coach, you want to surround yourself with those types of kids. He’s a phenomenal kid, an unbelievable hockey player with unbelievable passion. He makes my team better in the locker room. The habits that kid has are second to none.
Q: You told me once before that you’ve told your team that they may not be the most skilled players in the Central Hockey League, but their work ethic is what sets them apart. How much has the work ethic come into play as a factor in your team’s success this season?
A: I think if you look at our record since January 1st, our record is as good as anybody in the league. The thing that I’ve always believed as a coach since I first got into coaching is that I want teams that play the game like I played it as a player. You, know I had the opportunity to play at high levels; I played some games in the American Hockey League and I played some games in the IHL. And it wasn’t that I was the most skilled person but I showed up to practice every day like it was my last. I played the game, every game, like it the last game of my life. I talk to our players about that constantly. I’ve made some decisions that a lot of people have questioned throughout the season, but in the end, I knew exactly what I was getting back in return – players that have the same beliefs that I do as a coach. That work ethic has gotten us to where we’re at and I think that is a big part of our identity as a team.
Q: Your team had split wins with the Brahmas in the regular season. Do you think that your boys have the potential to take this series and move on to the next opponent?
A: I believe it, and I think everybody in the room believes that we have the team that can win a championship. Hockey’s a funny sport. The bounce of a puck, goaltending, refereeing, there’s a lot of factors in it but if we come out and play our game – you look at it on paper – Corpus on paper, at the start of the season, I would have told you Corpus had a better team than us on paper. Looking at their team on paper going into the playoffs, they probably had a better team than us on paper. We worked our system, we made sacrifices and we found a way to win that series. It’s no different than coming in and playing the Brahmas. On paper, they’ve got, like I said the other day to a reporter, they’ve probably got five or six players on this team that could play at the next level. They’ve had three or four kids called up this year that can play at the next level. In order for us to be successful, we have to play to our identity. We have to work extremely hard, we have to be disciplined, and we have to get good goaltending and really sacrifice. In playoff hockey, you’ve got to make sacrifices and for me, playoff hockey has always been more about the mental part of the game than the physical. And we have to be mentally strong heading into what I expect to be a seven game series.
Q: From a personal standpoint, as a first-year head coach, after going through what you’ve gone through in the regular season and now into the playoffs, how has the stress level and the anxiety level worn on you?
A: I get to certain points in the game – last Thursday night’s game (against Corpus Christi) was a tough game and a tough day. It’s probably my fault too because my family came over to Corpus and we got home late and I didn’t get much sleep. The toughest part is getting into an eating routine. Now when you don’t eat and you don’t get much sleep and you’re dealing with some of the stress that you deal with, it’s tough on you but it’s good to get on the road here and get a little bit more rest and really focus. I’m at ease with our team, you know, I have expectations. The guys know the expectations. You know, I’ve got a bunch of guys that really care about each other. They’ve bought into the beliefs that I have as a person and as a coach and I have the utmost trust in my team.
Q: How do you feel about your team’s performance in the second game?
A: I thought we worked extremely hard; I thought there was a lot of that game that we controlled. There are certain things in the game that you don’t control and you’ve got to battle through it and I think our guys showed a lot of courage battling though some of the adversity throughout that game.
Q: Down two games but going back to your own barn; you guys have a great record down there. You definitely have something to fight back for, you know, backs up against the wall. What do you think is going to be the key for your team on home ice?
A: We just have to eliminate mistakes. We made mistakes…every goal that they scored was due to mistakes on our system that we just can’t afford to make at this time of the year. We need guys to become more accountable and tighten up on the rush, tighten up more on the cycle; you give them time and space to come up on the back of your net and they will capitalize on their opportunities.
Photo Credit: Robert Keith
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