Tigers’ Desjardins still at the top of his game

Bench boss surpasses 500 wins as WHL head coach

Willie Desjardins pictured in the 2007 Memorial Cup game program.

“You still got it!”

That cheer is popular in the performance art professional wrestling worlds of WWE and AEW when long time veterans like The Undertaker, Randy Orton, John Cena and Bobby Lashley put on great matches.

In the WHL, that cheer should rain down from the stands at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat for Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. Actually, any rink in the WHL could give that cheer for Desjardins as a sign of respect as one of the best to ever be on the major junior circuit.

This past weekend was a milestone one for Desjardins. On Friday, the Tigers downed the Red Deer Rebels 8-1 at Co-op Place. That was the 500^th career WHL head coaching regular season win for Desjardins, and he became just the 12^th coach in the history of the circuit to reach that plateau.

One of the most beautiful moments of that night was one most fans likely wouldn’t be able to see. Current Tigers play-by-play voice Will Bryant brought the Tigers first and iconic play-by-play voice Bob Ridley on for the post-game portion of the broadcast. Ridley, who called 4,022 games over 52 seasons as the Tigers play-by-play voice, offered congratulations to Desjardins and the two reminisced about great times from the past.

On Saturday, the Tigers travelled to Edmonton and dumped the host Oil Kings 6-1 at Rogers Place. That of course was Desjardins’ 501^st career WHL head coaching regular season win.

At age 67 close to turning age 68 in February, Desjardins has the Tigers tied for the lead in the WHL’s Central Division and Eastern Conference at 52 points with the Calgary Hitmen. The Tigers have a 25-15-2 mark, while the Hitmen are 24-11-3-1. For his time in the WHL, Desjardins has a career regular season record of 501 wins, 384 losses and 85 ties and extra time setbacks.

Willie Desjardins works the Tigers bench in March of 2024.

His win total includes 10 victories as a midseason replacement and interim head coach of the Saskatoon Blades in 1997-98. Desjardins has served as the Tigers head coach for two stints with the first coming from 2002 to 2010 and the second starting in 2019 and continuing to the present day. The Tigers won two WHL titles with Desjardins as head coach in 2004 and 2007.

One of the reasons Desjardins always had “it” as a coach was because he was way ahead of the curve when he started his career. When he became the Tigers head coach for the first time way back in 2002, most hockey teams were filled with old time shouter head coaches. It was still an era when a hockey coach wouldn’t think twice about utilizing “the bag skate” style punishment practice as a necessary evil last resort to break a slump.

For the non-hockey people out there, a bag skate practice involves the players on a team skating hard for a lengthy period of time as hard as they can, and the overall sessions can last for two hours. During these types of practices, a puck never touches the ice.

In the 1987 “The Boys on the Bus” documentary on the Wayne Gretzky-era Edmonton Oilers, cameras filmed the Oilers participating in a bag skate during a slump in the 1986-87 season. Some players were vomiting including “The Great One” himself. This often happens in a bag skate.

From 1997 to 2002, the storied Tigers fell on tough times and went five straight seasons missing the WHL Playoffs going through a series of old time coaches. The respective loss totals in those campaigns was 50, 56, 45, 40 and 36.

Then Tigers general manager Rick Carriere thought he needed an “outside the box” thinking head coach to turn things around. Desjardins arrived in Medicine Hat in the summer of 2002.

Willie Desjardins pictured in the Medicine Hat News.

One of most eye-opening experiences about how much things changed with the Tigers came from a phone interview I did shortly before Christmas of 2006 with late NHL enforcer Derek Boogaard. While Boogaard only played 27 regular season contests as a 20-year-old at the start of the 2002-03 campaign for Desjardins, the gentle giant on skates loved his final Tigers bench boss.

Boogaard, who stood 6-foot-7 and weighed 258 pounds, said the players used to do things to rebel against the Tigers coaches that were behind the bench before Desjardins came. When Desjardins arrived in town, Boogaard said he treated the players with so much respect. Boogaard said he felt comfortable enough that he could tell Desjardins everything that happened with the team before he arrived hoping the bench boss could use that information to help turn things around.

The good guy tough guy was ultimately released by the Tigers in order to allow the club to add players who had more scoring punch. Shortly after his release, Boogaard was signed by the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and assigned to the ECHL affiliate at the time in the Louisiana IceGators, which started his journey in professional hockey.

I remember Desjardins telling me he wished he had Boogaard at age 19 as opposed to age 20. The likelihood would have been high Boogaard finished the 2002-03 campaign in Medicine Hat. Still, Boogaard made his way NHL debut three years later at the start of the 2005-06 campaign.

Desjardins always believed one of the best ways to help a player is to show a player respect. During one-on-one meetings, he will get to know the player and proceed to show genuine concern for all aspects of that player’s life.

Once the player understands the coach is legitimately going to be there for you, the player will play their butt off for the coach. That has always happened in all the years when Desjardins has coached the Tigers.

He knows when to allow the players to be themselves and when it is time to focus on work. Desjardins is comfortable enough to let players give him some light-hearted jabs and create some fun around the facility.

Willie Desjardins works the Tigers bench in December of 2019.

He has never been one of those coaches that took himself so seriously that something like this wouldn’t be allowed. Still when it was time to focus on the task at hand, he was able to get that message across and everyone went to work.

Desjardins, who as a player was captain of the 1982-83 University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey Team that won a U Sports championship, always pushed the idea that hockey is a great game and the rink is the best place to be. Even after games when the Tigers lost or if they were in a slump, the players always looked forward to coming to the rink. They knew it was still the best place to be and their head coach and his staff had the answers to help them play better.

Desjardins never used tactics like bag skates, because they were negative motivators that made players hate the coach and want to rebel.

That Tigers team Boogaard started the 2002-03 campaign with was a squad of highly talented players who liked to have a good time off the ice. They were characters with character.

When it came time to be on the ice, they were focused on the task at hand. When hockey was done, they were the guys you wanted to go have pops and socialize with even to this very day.

Most of the players on that 2002-03 Tigers team that snuck into the WHL Playoffs and fell in a heartbreaking seven game second round series to the Red Deer Rebels helped the Tigers breakout in 2003-04. In 2003-04, the Tigers topped the Eastern Conference with a record of 40 wins, 20 losses, nine ties and three overtime losses and advanced on to win the WHL championship.

Some of the players that were part of the Tigers in 2002-03 that helped them win the WHL title in 2003-04 included money goaltender Kevin Nastiuk, Chris St. Jacques, Darren Reid, Clarke MacArthur, Stefan Meyer, Cam Barker, Steven Regier, Ryan Hollweg, Dan Idema, Kieran Block, Steve Marr, Tommy Maxwell, Mark Vodden, Nathan Exner and Riley Day. It could be argued that the 2003-04 WHL champion winning Tigers were one of the best group of characters that had character that ever existed in the history of the circuit and I dare say the history of major junior hockey.

A picture of the Tigers 2004 WHL championship win.

It is common for the guys from the 2003-04 Tigers WHL championship team to joke that Desjardins liked the Tigers 2006-07 WHL Championship team that included money goaltender Matt Keetley and long time NHLers Kris Russell, Darren Helm, Derek Dorsett, David Schlemko, Tyler Ennis and Michael Sauer better because they were the more serious hockey team. It should be noted the 2006-07 Tigers knew how to have a good time on the social front too, but the 2003-04 Tigers were way ahead in that characteristic.

In truth, asking Desjardins to choose a favourite between the Tigers 2003-04 and 2006-07 WHL championship winning teams is like choosing a favourite child. Everybody was special.

Over his years as a coach, Desjardins has been so beloved by his players that in the off-season it is common for him and his wife, Rhonda Carlson, to find their calendars getting filled up with invites to weddings of players he once coached.

Because Desjardins was who he is, he got to be an associate coach with the NHL’s Dallas Stars for two seasons from 2010 to 2012. He guided the AHL’s Texas Stars for two seasons being named the AHL coach of the year in 2012-13 and navigating the Stars to a Calder Cup title as AHL champions in 2013-14.

Desjardins would serve as the head coach of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks for three seasons from 2014 to 2017. He also served as the interim coach of the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings for part of the 2018-19 campaign.

Internationally, Desjardins was an assistant coach on Canada gold medal winner at world juniors in 2009 and was head coach of the silver medal winner at world juniors in 2010. In the 2017-18 season, he guided Canada’s national men’s team to a Spengler Cup title and a bronze medal win at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Over the years, other WHL teams has strived build the cultural aspects into their programs that Desjardins instilled with the Tigers. It is common for coaches to strive to emulate Desjardins as opposed to being the hard-butt coaches that were shouters from the old times.

A picture of the Tigers 2007 WHL championship win.

Since Desjardins was the trailblazer in being the connected players’ coach, he still has it when it comes to coaching players in the current day. As the years and decades have gone by, Desjardins has improved and evolved as a coach, but with that noted, it has felt like he always had all the right answers when it comes to helping players be better on the ice and in their lives away from the game.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Wilson’s passion for teaching goaltenders still shines

Veteran coach seen role evolve over 17 years

Eli Wilson, centre, has made his mark in hockey coaching goalies.

    Eli Wilson remembers the days when being a goalie coach in hockey was a rarity, and he was part of that rarity.

    When Wilson specifically began teaching puck stoppers 17 years ago, the notion of having one coach in hockey working just with netminders was still a relatively new one. Now, the 40-year-old, who has worked with 30 goalies who went on the play in the NHL including Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens, is surrounded by lots of company.

    “There are more goalie coaches than coaches,” said Wilson. “It is just non-stop.

    “I think when I joined the (WHL’s Medicine Hat) Tigers in 04, there were at the time some teams who didn’t have goalie coaches then. Some of the teams that did, it would be a guy that was maybe around once in a while type of thing. With (then Tigers head coach and general manager) Willie (Desjardins) there, he wanted me there once a week.

A young netminder mades a glove stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “I would come down on the weekends, watch the games and then spend Monday and Tuesday there. I was around a lot with those teams.”

    Wilson was involved with the Tigers through four seasons from 2004 to 2007, and he played an integral role in developing the team’s goalies. Thanks to Wilson’s work, the Tigers won WHL championships in 2004 and 2007 and earned berths in the Memorial Cup tournament in both of those years. Star netminders Kevin Nastiuk and Matt Keetley were the WHL playoff MVPs in those runs in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

    Besides working for the Tigers, Wilson also spent time working with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks’s AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch. With the Senators, Wilson played a big role in helping Ray Emery backstop that franchise to a Stanley Cup finals berth in 2007. He recently signed on to work with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, who happen to be Price’s former major junior team.

A young netminder works on positioning at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    During his career, Wilson has criss-crossed Canada and ventured into the United States running goalie schools. He established his Eli Wilson Goaltending company in 2010 and has operated that school year round outside of stints where he has worked with WHL and professional teams.

    Now that there are numerous goalie coaches out there, Wilson said teaching netminders has evolved.

    “You go to a Western League level game or you go to a junior A game, everyone can move,” said Wilson, who wrapped up a week long goalie camp at the Jemini Arena in Saskatoon on Friday. “Everyone looks like they are a goalie, but some guys don’t have a feel or a read for the game and that is the tactical part of it that really makes a difference.

    “Ten years ago, some guys were further advanced technically, and it made all the difference in the world. Now, that is not good enough.”

A young netminder makes a blocker stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    Wilson said mental toughness is the other factor that separates good goalies from great ones. He brings former WHL netminder Pete Fry, who played for the Portland Winterhawks, Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Cougars in the 1980s, to work with goalies on the mental aspect of the game.

    To show how much of a difference mental toughness can play in sports, Wilson has recently been telling his netminders to look at the NFL’s New England Patriots in the last Super Bowl. Despite the fact the Patriots fell behind 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons, Wilson said you could tell by body language that Patriots all-world quarterback Tom Brady and mastermind head coach Bill Belichick never lost confidence.

    The Patriots rallied to beat the Falcons 34-28 in overtime.

Eli Wilson, second from right, address a group of goalies at his camp.

    “You saw what Tom Brady did this year,” said Wilson. “That was all mental, all of it. That is what you need.

    “Pete (Fry) talks about a lot of that stuff. That is the biggest thing. It blankets the entire position.”

    Wilson works with goalies at various ages and various levels of hockey. When it comes to teaching goalies, Wilson uses the same approach with relative newcomers to the position all the way to NHL veterans.

    “I’ll have an eight-year-old kid and I wouldn’t do anything differently or get him to try and play any differently than I would the best goalie in the world,” said Wilson. “I would take the same approach, the same structure, the same game plan, the same movement patterns, the same save techniques, the same tactical (and) the same technical.

A young netminder makes a stick stop at Eli Wilson’s goalie camp.

    “It doesn’t matter really what age, what size (or) size in comparison to the level of play.”

    Wilson works on four principles with netminders. They include the knowledge of positioning, technique and the ability to get into position on time, save technique and rebound control and post-save response.

    On the overall technical side, Wilson said there was one key.

    “It is about making the save the easiest part of your game,” said Wilson. “You make it as simple as possible to eliminate margin for error to give you your greatest chance of success.”

    He is frequently assisted at his camps by his veteran students.

    During the camp in Saskatoon, Wilson was helped out by Emery, Rylan Toth, who just wrapped up his WHL career after playing with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds, and Rylan Pareateau, who just wrapped up his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders and Americans.

    At the NHL Entry Draft in June in Chicago, Ill., Wilson was present to see two of his students hear their names called by NHL teams. 

Eli Wilson barks instructions at his goalie camp.

    Stuart Skinner, who plays for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, was selected in the third round and 78^th overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Dylan Ferguson, who plays for the Kamloops Blazers, was selected in the seventh round and 194^th overall by the Dallas Stars before his NHL rights were subsequently traded to the Las Vegas Gold Knights.

    “You get so many guys that are just so thankful for the time that they’ve spent with you,” said Wilson. “It is a constant reward.

    “When you work with a lot of goaltenders, you get to see a lot of success.”

    Besides the technical, tactical and mental parts of the game, Wilson also stresses a couple of intangibles to his goalies. One is to enjoy the time you have with your teammates and coaches.

Former NHL netminder Ray Emery, right, gives instructions.

    “Enjoy the people that you get a chance to work with and meet,” said Wilson. “I think that is a huge part of the game.

    “My biggest thing is coming to the rink every single day and I get to do exactly what I want, and I just feed off that every day all day. I’ve been able to do that for 17 years.

    “It is constantly rewarding to go on an ice time and watch a group of goalies be way better in an hour and a half than they were in an hour and a half earlier. That is a huge part.”

    The other intangible Wilson stresses is to enjoy the journey of reaching a set end goal. Even when teams aren’t as successful as they want to be in the wins department, Wilson said you have to find the positives, and you can still grow and have a good experience.

Eli Wilson, centre, said it is key to enjoy the people you meet in hockey.

    Wilson said the joy of accomplishing a goal is fleeting, but the memories a goalie builds on the journey to accomplishing a goal is the thing that last.

    “You win the Olympics, you just won and then it is over,” said Wilson. “It is the whole process beforehand that is the point that should be enjoyed.

    “Reminiscing about winning something, it fades and goes away. Enjoying the process as you get there and you do the whole thing, then you’ve won weather you win or lose at the end anyways, because you’ve followed the process and you’ve enjoyed the process.

    “Just because you are not winning every night and there are tough parts about it, you have to find positives. You have to enjoy it and enjoy the people.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.