PEORIA, IL – Jared Bednar seems uncomfortable as he steps behind the microphone.
Introduced as the 17th head coach of the Peoria Rivermen last week, Bednar answers reporters’ questions in a low voice as a photographer darts in and around him, clicking away like some sort of huge, deranged hummingbird.
His biography and career statistics are conveniently printed out for the media and fans who are attending the press conference. On that paper, it tells you Jared Bednar won three championships. It also tells you he had just two years as head coach of the Stingrays and only a single season as an assistant at the AHL level before being selected as the new Rivermen skipper.
In front of the crowd, though, he is about as dry as that sheet of paper.
When the formal press conference has ended, each member of the press gets a few moments to talk to the coach, individually.
It is here that we really meet Jared Bednar. He is much more relaxed and the smile and conversation come easily. His love of the game is obvious, as well as his determination to improve. This coach feels he must keep learning, finding new ways to motivate, change and unlock the potential in each player.
It is here that you see how much he missed his wife and children last season while an assistant coach for the Abbotsford Heat. He will miss them again this season. They are staying in Charleston, SC. All or parts of 13 of his 17 seasons in pro hockey have been spent with the South Carolina Stingrays. That is where his roots are, now.
He’ll tell you the first championship he won there was a lot of fun and how much work it was, as a veteran, to be a leader the second time they won a few years later. He’ll tell you the pain of falling short during his first season as head coach of that team and how different and satifying it was winning it all the next year.
About his players? Well, he’ll know more once he gets them on the ice. It is hard to describe the system or plan until you know who your players are and how they will play together. What is obvious is that he is a young coach in a young system with a lot of rookies. The only certainty seems to be that there is going to be a lot of hard work – for everyone involved.
Walking away, you don’t have a lot of sparkling quotes or even much that could be considered “news.” You do feel like you’ve met the man, though. A man who wants to win. A man who cares about his players and wants to help them get to the NHL. And, while he doesn’t have a lot of experience, you get the sense that he is not at all out of his depth. In fact, the feeling you do get is one of quiet confidence.
That, just maybe, is the opportunity he’s been waiting for.
Contact the Author at shaun.bill@prohockeynews.com
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