BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The bench boss is back!
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is back with the Hartford Wolf Pack after a two-week stint with the NY Rangers after it became necessary for Head Coach David Quinn and the entire coaching staff to quarantine per NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
“Just like the players; up and back,” Knoblauch said with a chuckle.
When asked about his treatment by the parent NY Rangers, Knoblauch said, “They treated me nicely. I’m very grateful for that opportunity. It was unusual but rewarding.”
GETTING THE CALL
It’s incredibly rare for coaches to be recalled to the parent team, with the exception being firings. However, with Covid-19, the unusual has become commonplace. Even given the unusual circumstances around their promotion, Knoblauch and Associate Head Coach, Gord Murphy, were caught thoroughly off guard.
“I was on the ice just finishing practice, and I got a note to call Chris (Drury) immediately. That usually means a player is being called up immediately. This time, it wasn’t a player they needed; it was a coach they needed. (I was told) The tests (results) were not yet known, so go home, pack, and get here (New York). We don’t know if we need you for one game or five games.”
Murphy thought he was kidding until he put his skates and all his gear in his hockey bag.
Once summoned, Knoblauch raced home to pack some clothes. he was totally unprepared for either a day’s work or, as it turned out to be, five games worth.
“We checked into the hotel about 3:30 or 4:00 then got over to the rink to get all the pre-game scout info,” Knoblauch said, recounting the time-compressed crazy afternoon he experienced.
He and Murphy had to drive to New York in separate cars, not limousines, as further Covid precaution.
“Got to plan if one guy’s tests don’t match up,” Knoblauch said in relaying just how insane this situation was.
PREPARING FOR THE FIRST GAME
He received the pre-game scouting info prepared by Rangers Assistant Coach Greg Brown and maintained communication with Head Coach David Quinn daily. They sometimes spoke two or three times regarding various topics from game tendencies to who was playing well and team situations and game operations.
Over the entire two weeks that Knoblauch coached in New York, the team had only one formal team practice.
Then came a 9-0 whitewashing of the Philadelphia Flyers in front of a limited MSG crowd. Mika Zibanejad had a hat trick and five points.
Before the game, Knoblauch focused more on the opposite hockey game he might have to contend with.
“Before the game, I was thinking the Rangers are making a big push to get in the playoffs. If it’s late and we have a 2-1 lead, who will be on the ice? If we’re down 2-1, when do I pull the goalie? Thankfully, I didn’t have to think about that at all. For that, I was very grateful.”
He has been on the bench calling line changes with names like (Jonny) Brodzinski, (Morgan) Barron, and (Tim) Gettinger. Now he’s calling Zibanejad, (Chris) Kreider, and (Filip) Chytil. It must have been a tad different.
“Well, after the first period, it was pretty easy to call the Zibanejad line,” Knoblauch said with a laugh and a whimsical smile.
GAME TWO
The Rangers won without Knoblauch on Thursday, 3-2 in OT. Chytil, an ex-Pack, scored, and they defeated the Buffalo Sabres, who featured two ex-Pack playing well, goalie Dustin Tokarski (44 saves) and former captain Steven Fogarty, who was a plus-1 with two shots in 13:31 of ice time. Tage Thompson (Milford/UCONN) scored the game-tying goal with 3.8 seconds left in regulation.
Knoblauch returns after getting a short hockey grad course and getting tossed into the firepit of NHL hockey. He comes back to Hartford with some important lessons to impart to the team he guides.
COACHING LESSONS
“I think the realization of what it takes it takes to get to the NHL, and that everybody has a role, unlike in the American (Hockey) League level. You can be a skill guy, but faceoff specialists, PK guys, physical energy guys, even more so in the NHL. For me, the scheduling (day-to-day activities) is so chaotic.”
When asked about the lessons he learned while at the NHL level, Knoblauch said, “You really learn more about yourself under adversity and difficulty,” He said reflectively. “The team was playing pretty well, so I really coached as I have always coached. I was actually coaching less on the details than I usually do because of the arrangements that had been made for us.”
He returns to find his team in a very different place than when he left.
PACK GAMES WHILE AWAY
“I watched both games. I was able to see the Providence (Bruins) game live and was impressed with how the team played; and Patty (Boller) and Jeff (Malcolm) did a great job coaching and getting them prepared to play, and they were ready.
“The Bridgeport (Sound Tigers) and Providence games were solid team efforts. We moved the puck well out of the defensive zone, and we handled the puck well in the offensive zone. I was very happy to see the effort we had,” Knoblauch said in assessing his troops during his absence.
The power play awoke from its season-long slumber and now has an 18.6% percentage, which puts it in the middle of the AHL pack rather than nesting at the nadir of the league’s rankings.
Knoblauch remarked how his secondary unit has been at the core of the recent resurgence.
“We got two goals from our second unit against Bridgeport. Overall, it’s been to simplify things. Skate faster, move the puck quicker, shoot more, and that allowed us to get more pucks to the net. We were trying to rely on skill (only). You need skill, but we needed to show more urgency, and we did.“
WHERE THE IMPROVEMENT IS COMING
The emergence of a solid scoring line consisting of rookie center Justin Richards, flanked by veteran Tim Gettinger, and the forceful play of Ty Ronning has benefitted the Wolf Pack. It makes Knoblauch quite happy about their progress and their recent results.
“They have been arguably our best line as of late, and you want them to keep that up. The more you play together, the more comfortable you get with one another and know what they’re gonna do so you can put pucks in areas. You’ll know they’ll be there even though you don’t see them or know what direction they’re going in. The more you play together, the better your chances will be. There’s a lot to like about that line.”
The Wolf Pack enter the final five weeks of the season, playing fairly close to a normal AHL schedule. In April, that can be expected, with nine games presently scheduled.
’This is why we’re here. You can have all the practices and instructions, but we’re here to play games. The competition is where the fun is. You can teach all the line drills you want, but players have to go out and show what they can do. These games at the end of March showed what we can do and set us up for this month.”
HUSKA
The team will go with the 6’4 acrobatic Adam Huska in goal for a third straight game on Friday. He gets a solid endorsement from his coach.
“He has a year under his belt. He has a calmness about him, and we got off to a shaky start, and they know we have a veteran goalie in there who has been in this situation before and provides a lot of calmness for the team. He is our starter now. Last year, he played behind (Igor) Shesterkin, and now he has the responsibility on his shoulders, and that can be intimidating; he’s our go-to guy.”
