TheRussianRocket. Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Just thought I'd give a brief overview of what the newest hired and 18th head coach in Canucks history Willie Desjardins has done up till this point. With no further ado, here you have it:1985-1989: - began coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Calgary for 4 years. - Won 2 championships, one in 86' and the other in 88'.1989-1994 - 89' was promoted to head coach of the University of Calgary where he coached for 5 more years.1994-1996 - left Calgary and headed overseas to Tokyo, Japan where he was head coach of the Seibu Bears. - in his 2 years, Desjardins led the bears to 2 championships. 1997-1998 - was offered head coaching job of the Saskatoon Baldes midway through the season.1998-1999 - became assistant coach for the Canadian Men's National Ice Hockey Team.1999-2002 - took a breather and some time off.2002-2005 - returned as head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers. - 02/03 lost in round 2. - 03/04 won the WHL championship. - 04/05 lost in round 2.2005-2010 - promotes to GM of the Medicine Hat Tigers and still remained head coach. - 05/06 lost in round 3. Led the Tigers to 47 wins in the regular season and was named CHL coach of the year along with WHL coach of the year. - 06/07 won the WHL championship. Led Medicine Hat to the Memorial Cup Finals where they were runner ups. - 07/08 lost in round 1. - 08/09 lost in round 2. Was assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Juniors and won gold. - 09/10 lost in round 2. Was head coach for Team Canada at World Juniors and won silver.2010-2012 - served as associate head coach for the Dallas Stars.2012-2014 - selected as head coach for Dallas Star farm league team, Texas Stars. - 12/13 lost in round 2. Was named AHL coach of the year. - 13/14 won the AHL championship and led Texas to 48 wins.2014-present - hired as head coach of the Vancouver CanucksSide notes - has a combined CHL & AHL head coaching record of 424-222-67-15. - was a top 3 scoring team in 6 out of his 8 seasons with the Tiger Hats. - has a huge winning record in his entire career and has won at almost every level imaginable including internationally. - known for having a fast paced, unrelenting style of play. - is a winner; has never missed the playoffs as a head coach and has only been eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round once. - has won a lot at the CHL/AHL level and is well known for working with the younger guys and getting the most out of them. - making NHL debut as head coach. His teams were always well prepared and they always played hard, said former Vancouver Giants coach and current Kamloops Blazers bench boss Don Hay, who matched WHL coaching wits with Desjardins. Willie is a real genuine person and a real quality coach. His teams will always come at you hard and play a real up-tempo game and everywhere hes gone, hes had success. _______________________________________________________________________________ Sidney Crosbys a heck of a hockey player obviously, but for me, when I looked at what was here I looked at the two guys who are leading this (Benning and Linden), I looked at the quality of the players Canadian market, Vancouver fans it was the right choice to come here. To be part of such a great organization and NHL city is just a real honour. _______________________________________________________________________________ Ive watched Willies teams play over the last 12 years, Benning said. His teams play fast and work extremely hard. They play an up-tempo hard-skating kind of game. His teams play with that relentless attitude that we want our players to play with. Benning called Desjardins a great teacher, motivator and communicator in a statement announcing the hiring. Welcome to Vancouver Willie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucks155 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 By my count, he's won 7 championships. Time to add a Stanley Cup to that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.53 Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Wow, he ain't no scrub. Let's see what he's got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerrDrFunk Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 1985-1989: - Won 2 championships, one in 86' and the other in 88'.1994-1996 - in his 2 years, Desjardins led the bears to 2 championships.2002-2005 - 03/04 won the WHL championship.2005-2010 - 06/07 won the WHL championship. Led Medicine Hat to the Memorial Cup Finals where they were runner ups. - 08/09 lost in round 2. Was assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Juniors and won gold. - 09/10 lost in round 2. Was head coach for Team Canada at World Juniors and won silver.2012-2014 - 13/14 won the AHL championship and led Texas to 48 wins. And that ladies and gentleman who keep making the comparison, is the difference between Eakins and WD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kragar Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Side notes - has a combined CHL & AHL head coaching record of 424-222-67-15. - was a top 3 scoring team in 6 out of his 8 seasons with the Tiger Hats. - has a huge winning record in his entire career and has won at almost every level imaginable including internationally.- known for having a fast paced, unrelenting style of play. - is a winner; has never missed the playoffs as a head coach and has only been eliminated from the playoffs in the 1st round once. - has won a lot at the CHL/AHL level and is well known for working with the younger guys and getting the most out of them. - making NHL debut as head coach. That's what I would like to see. Teams like this are the one's I'm afraid of late in the game. I get tired of seeing the Canucks trying to hold back the seas and protecting a lead, too often unsuccessfully this past year. Play fast and hard. Even if the wins do not come, the games will be worth watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustapha Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 It's no secret that my favourite WHL team is the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 2007 squad was unbelievable, akin to the 2011 Canucks in a lot of ways. Willie's team won 52 games that year with a winning percentage of .743 Had great leadership from soon-to-be household NHLers like Derek Dorsett, Darren Helm, and Tyler Ennis (among others) They scored 264 goals that season, 2nd best in the league. Hell, Eli Wilson (who has worked with many NHL goalies, including Carey Price, Ray Emery and Cory Schneider) was their goaltending coach. The ironic thing was that the Tigers defeated the Giants to win the WHL championship, the only reason the Giants had a second chance in the Mem Cup was because they were the host team.(Which is common knowledge around these parts) If Willie can help turn the Canucks into anything like the way the Tigers played that season, it will be a treat to watch them again. Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheXFactor Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Great cred but still a bit doubtful considering he has no NHL experience. Hopefully it translates well between leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giant Inflatable Beaver Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Its great to see us giving a guy like this a shot over someone like Bylsma who couldn't cut it with crosby and malkin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Its great to see us giving a guy like this a shot over someone like Bylsma who couldn't cut it with crosby and malkin. Something tells me no coach will be able to cut it with Crosby and Malkin. They just don't have a deep team anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THERETOOL Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 seems like a very humble and likeable man .. I can see why the guys wanna play for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canucks1219 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Great cred but still a bit doubtful considering he has no NHL experience. Hopefully it translates well between leagues. 2010-2012 - served as associate head coach for the Dallas Stars. It may not be "NHL head-coaching" experience but he's been up in the NHL before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugor Hill Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I like his resume. He needs to adapt to not only NHL pace but our travelling schedule. I'm sure Gully and Gilman will give him the run downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puck'nAnimal Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I have a gut feeling that Desjardins can do it. It's the management that will have to get him the players he needs to make this happen. With our current roster, it needs an infusion of "Never say die" attitude. Hopefully Willie can get them on that track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 By my count, he's won 7 championships. Time to add a Stanley Cup to that Well u jinxed it... Its over time to can him and bring a new coach. Jokes aside... If he brings one home it'll be the happiest day of my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallstreetamigo Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I think that this is a great hire for the Canucks. He sounds like a humble guy but also one who demands that ALL players on the team give their best every night. His best quote was that it doesn't matter what they say it only matters what they do. I know I am excited about no longer hearing the constant excuses/justifications/etc. when the team lays an egg on the ice. I have a feeling that is not part of his DNA and hopefully he can translate that to the veteran players who seem to have adopted that approach over the past few years. If I never have to hear the Sedins, Bieksa etc. say that they played a good game when they didn't I will be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallstreetamigo Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Another thing I like about what I have seen written about him is that people earn what they get on his teams. The Canucks veteran players absolutely need to regain the fire of earning what they get. No free passes anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canacks1970 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 It's no secret that my favourite WHL team is the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 2007 squad was unbelievable, akin to the 2011 Canucks in a lot of ways. Willie's team won 52 games that year with a winning percentage of .743 Had great leadership from soon-to-be household NHLers like Derek Dorsett, Darren Helm, and Tyler Ennis (among others) They scored 264 goals that season, 2nd best in the league. Hell, Eli Wilson (who has worked with many NHL goalies, including Carey Price, Ray Emery and Cory Schneider) was their goaltending coach. The ironic thing was that the Tigers defeated the Giants to win the WHL championship, the only reason the Giants had a second chance in the Mem Cup was because they were the host team.(Which is common knowledge around these parts) If Willie can help turn the Canucks into anything like the way the Tigers played that season, it will be a treat to watch them again. Time will tell. I really believe Willie was an excellent choice to coach this team. I'm actually surprised that it took this long for him to get here. You are right that the Vancouver had a second chance because they were host. It was also common knowledge back in 07 that since the Giants made it the WHL Championship ,Win or Lose the Tigers had an automatic berth in the Memorial cup . Its not like the Giants tanked in the first or second round of the playoffs and rested for 4 weeks like some of the other host teams of the past. Even when Willie lost that Memorial cup championship he thought that the Giants deserved it. It was two evenly matched teams. I 'am looking forward to seeing what he can do with this line up along with the new management team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everybody Hates Raymond Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Desjardins is not short of support from prominent coaches in the league, either. Fellow Saskatchewan native Mike Babcock had something to say about the hiring when asked at a Hockey Canada news conference Monday afternoon in Vancouver. “Oh, me and Willie go way back,” smiled Mike Babcock, Team Canada Head Coach. When pressed about the decision to have Desjardins at the helm of the Vancouver club, Babcock spoke volumes of Desjardin’s character and commitment to the game. He even joked that the new Head Coach spent some time living in Babcock’s basement many years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 ^that's nothing to ignore. Babcock saying that pretty much sums it up. That's some big praise right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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