The Insider Interview - Kevin McClelland

The head coach of the Colorado Eagles talks about the playoffs, losing to the Brahmas in the Finals and the road ahead

The scene at the McClelland household on Friday night was much the same as it was for hockey fans all over the country. Kevin and sons Jack, 12 and twins Matt and Max, 11, watched what would be the last professional hockey game of the 2008-09 season. Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the boys were no doubt thrilled to watch their team defeat the Detroit Red Wings to win their first Stanley Cup.

McClelland, 46, who won four Stanley Cups in the 1980’s with the Edmonton Oilers knows what the Penguins players felt on the ice as they celebrated the victory. He also knows what the Red Wings players were feeling, having also lost in the Finals.

For the Colorado Eagles, that scene played out on the road in Texas just over a month ago when they lost in a five-game Finals series to the Texas Brahmas. For McClelland, who had completed his first year as head coach of the Eagles, losing is never easy…but he also knows that there’s another season just around the corner.

With his boys attending the Colorado Eagles hockey camp, McClelland is now busy on the phones, recruiting and planning for the upcoming season.

I spoke with coach McClelland by phone at his office in Windsor, Colorado about the playoffs, changes in the league and the coming season. Here is our conversation.

Q: The Eagles defeated your former team, the Mississippi RiverKings 4-2 in the Northern Conference Finals. What was it like after three years as the RiverKings head coach to come back and have your new team play them for the opportunity to advance to the Finals?

A: Well, it was great, you know, I have a lot of great memories down in Mississippi. We were treated really well there and it was real good for us. And you want to see them do well, so I was happy that both teams got a chance to meet in the semi-finals. They played a heck of a hockey series and they beat us up pretty bad there – we lost a couple of guys in that series and that hurt us in the finals.

Q: You came in to Colorado and inherited a great team that’s part of a solid organization. In your first season as head coach, you won the Governor’s Cup and had an outstanding season overall. Despite the outcome of the finals, do you come away with enough of a sense of satisfaction of the team’s accomplishments?

A: Yeah, I mean, we did a lot of special things. We had the all-star game up here and the guys did well; we won that. We took that Governor’s Cup, we fought for it right from game one and won it, which is a tough thing to do. Guys worked hard and there were a couple of teams chasing us towards the end but we held on and we sewed that thing up. You know, ultimately you want to win the championship but all things have to be in the right place at the right time to win a championship. I don’t make excuses but we lost a bit of our physical presence with Filipic and Tobler out and then we lost Polaski after Game 3, so when you take key people out of the lineup, it makes it pretty difficult…

Q: How critical was the loss in Game One at the BEC…you know, the Brahmas came out and got those two goals in 12 seconds...did you believe that taking both games there was essential given the 2-3-2 format?

A: Well, that’s what you work for – starting with winning the Governor’s Cup – we worked hard to get that home ice advantage in the Finals and it was more or less taken away in 12 seconds. You know, teams do that. In my first Stanley Cup, we stole one off the Islanders in a real close game and then lost the second game and then swept the next three, so I’ve been in that situation before. You know, they came up with the idea that they wanted to get one. They got that first one and then they were looking for two and we had to get that one in overtime.

Q: There was what some would consider an inordinate number of penalties called on the Eagles; some deserved; some borderline. Do you feel that in the first two games that the number of calls demoralized the players, especially given the effectiveness of the Brahmas power play?

A: Yeah, I mean, you look after Game 4 and we had the better percentage power play and the better percentage penalty kill... but we were in the penalty box quite a bit and a lot of that was guys getting frustrated and a little bit of discipline but you know, those things are going to happen and you have to come through a lot of adversity in a hockey season and we just didn’t get it done.

Q: There was a conference call at one point to discuss public health concerns related to the Swine Flu in Texas. The suggestion was made that maybe the remainder of the series should be played at the Budweiser Events Center. Do you think if the decision was made to do that, there might have been a difference for the Eagles, given that they would be playing at home vs. on the road and being in front of the home crowd?

A: No, I mean it wasn’t even addressed with our team. It was something that, if the Swine Flu had gotten out of control, we didn’t want to put anybody, including Texas fans or the Brahmas or our team in harms way. I don’t even think it was you know, a real issue, but if everything got shut down in Texas where a lot of it was going on, we just wanted to make sure that there would have been an alternate plan. I don’t even think that got very far.

Q: Regarding the NYTEX Sports Centre, I remember listening to the local coach’s show broadcast on the local radio station there in Colorado before the finals began. You had some negative things to say about the Brahmas facility. Flash forward to just before Game 5, I remember you saying to me as you were looking out onto the ice that you came up playing at rinks like NYTEX…

A: Oh yeah, that was stuff that was just; I thought that was for fans at the radio show, you know what I mean, a little bit of fun. I think that got blown a little out of proportion. That was more or less just having fun. I have a lot of respect for the Texas organization. Obviously, they’ve got great fans down there. We had a lot of fun with the fans down there. They’re a bunch of great people. That wasn’t meant to disrespect anyone down there or the rink and you know, that’s how I made my living, playing in arenas like that, a real small atmosphere and they’ve done a great job with it down there.

Q: Yeah, it’s not like the BOK Center or the Ford Center; some of the places that are almost NHL arenas; NYTEX is a different type of venue altogether. Do you have a particular respect for this type of arena and the fan support teams like the Brahmas receive?

A: I really do. I mean, one of the best rinks that was ever up in the NHL was the Boston Gardens and those fans were right on top of you. I used to love going and playing in there, you know what I mean? You know, the Brahmas’ rink is not that big but it’s the same type of atmosphere there and they’ve got great fans. They take good advantage of their home ice. It’s not because of the rink; it’s obviously because of the coach and what Dan Wildfong does down there, and your fans.

Q: What can you say about the job Dan’s done with the Brahmas organization and specifically the job that he and Ronny Vogel did coaching the Finals?

A: Well, they did great and that’s what Danny brings; he wears it on his sleeve, that’s for sure. We are good friends and we just spent some real quality time down there in Arizona. It’s always good to have friends in hockey but what he did there was unbelievable. They’ve got a great hockey club and you have to be happy for the guy.

Q: Andrew Penner, who’s a terrific kid and an outstanding goalie, told Adam Dunivan after Game 5, and I’m quoting, “I broke my own heart. You can say it’s no secret I didn’t bring my best game to the Finals. I feel I let the guys down.” That’s hard; you know Penner definitely has nothing to be down on himself for, considering his performance throughout the year. You come up against a team that solves you; that’s going to happen. What can you do about that? I wanted to ask you, do you think in hindsight that Morgan Cey should have gotten an opportunity to start in Game 4 of Game 5?

A: No, I mean, we got there with Andrew and he won us a lot of big games in the playoffs and stood on his head. He deserved a right to go back in there and right the ship, that’s for sure. You know, if it wasn’t for Andrew Penner, we wouldn’t have even been in that situation. Nothing against Morgan Cey, he had a great season for us too but you know, we were riding the big dog there.

Q: I remember when the Eagles were out to play the single regular season game against the Brahmas; I made the comment then that a lot of people expected the Brahmas and the Eagles to meet in the Finals. I asked you about that and you said you didn’t really like to talk about future possibilities but you did say, “It would be nice because that would mean we made the finals.” I have a similar question. I think a lot of people can see a realistic chance that the Brahmas and the Eagle swill meet again in the Finals next year. Would you like to have a re-match? Do you think that it would be great fun, even for the fans to see the two teams in next year’s finals?

A: I tell you, if that was the scenario again, I’d be happy, that’s for sure. Definitely. I’d like to get another crack at Danny. We’re good friends, you know what I mean, but that competitive edge comes in there. That would be awesome, man. I’d love to go down there and play in Texas; it’s a great spot down there. We enjoyed it. We came out on the short end of the stick this year, but now we’ve got all these months to fill in and make sure we get back there. Getting to the finals, there’s so many things; you’ve got to have good goaltending, you know, you can’t have a lot of injuries, a lot of think have got to happen. If we can get there again, that’d be great.

Q: Moving forward, like last year, it’s a fair bet you’ll have a number of Eagles players returning for the 2009-10 campaign. Now there’s been a lot of discussion about a change in the vet rule which currently allows four vets with the goalie exempt and a 281 game threshold. The Eagles have a situation where you have 8 players who are at, or will be vets soon. Currently, you have Pankiewicz, Tobler, Nelson, Schneekloth are vets regardless of any changes in the rule. Erik Adams and Ed McGrane turned vet during last season. You’ve got Jason Beatty and Kevin Ulanski about to hit that threshold. Do you think that there should be a rule change, either allowing an additional vet or increasing the threshold?

A: I would like to see maybe one more vet added. It’s always tough saying goodbye to someone in your room but you know, I think that’s up to the Governors. I mean, they’ll make the call and whatever comes in with the collective bargaining agreement. As coaches, we’ve just have to play by the rules and if it stays at four vets and 281 games, you’ve just got to make decisions, but it’s always tough. I know I’m not in this business to get rid of guys in my dressing room and I feel bad in that situation but it is what it is.

Q: Changes in the league make up include two new franchises – one in Independence, Missouri and one in Allen, Texas. Now at the same time, there’s the possibility, and we should know more soon, about the Rage and the Scorpions maybe going dark. What are your thoughts on the addition and the possible losses of teams in the upcoming season?

A: You know, the possibility of teams leaving, that’s always tough because I think the CHL has a great track record and I know it’s a tough racket out there in every aspect but you hate to see teams go dark or fold, but that happens. We don’t know where it is right now. But we’ve got two new teams coming in and I think that’s great. It just shows that a lot of people want to be involved in the CHL.

Q: In preparations for the upcoming season, is there any particular focus for you with the Eagles, anything in particular you’re looking to make changes on?

A: We just want to make sure that we put the best team on the ice up here for our fans. You know, we’ve just have unbelievable fans and the community up here is so great to the Eagles players and to the organization. You want to make sure that you come out and play well for them. We’re looking to fill some holes in our line up; guys that have moved on or maybe we were lacking last year. We’ll go out and get things ready for October and hopefully get farther than we did this year.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith