Vancouver Canucks Assistant Coach Brett McLean sits down with Canucks Insider Podcast host Chris Faber, delving into how he got into coaching after his professional hockey career and what it means to be a Canuck.
Born and raised in Comox, B.C., McLean is now on the bench for the team he grew up cheering for. He watched Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden and listened to Jim Robson’s play-by-play calls. He recalls the Canucks’ 1994 run to the Stanley Cup Final for igniting his passion for the sport.
“When this came up, it was honestly almost surreal for my family and I to have the opportunity to come back home and be a part of the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff. I would have never dreamed that, even a few weeks ago. I would have never thought that was possible. So, it's very special for us all to be back here,” McLean said.
McLean walked up and down the player’s hallway at Rogers Arena looking at all the photos of big moments in history for the franchise.
“That was my childhood,” he said. “I remember every single one of those goals or saves and so that just makes it an honour to be here and to be a part of the Canucks. So, [I’ll] just do my little part in this machine and really try to make the fans proud and get the Canucks back to where we want them to be."
Going into his ninth year as a coach, he’s spent six years as an assistant coach and two years as a head coach. He will be working with the forward group and the power play and enjoys an assistant coaching role because he likes to dive into the details.
“As an assistant [coach], getting to work with the individual player and getting to really connect with that individual player and working on wall work, working on their shot release – those little details they are just so huge in our game. That's one thing that I'm really, really excited about to get to focus on here with the forwards.”
He’s looking forward to working with a talented Canucks team as well as Henrik and Daniel Sedin on the power play. He says that coaching is a journey of constant learning, and while he’s got ideas to share, he also wants to learn as much as he can from those around him.
“I'm excited. I can't wait to get going with these guys and really take a deep dive into their strengths over the summer, and then really get to know them too; get to know how the power play has clicked here in in the past, and how we can work with it and adjust it and make sure that it really thrives for our team,” McLean said.
Through his playing career, he wanted to learn from those around him and talked about the impression Joe Sakic left on him when the two played for the Avalanche for two seasons.
McLean didn’t get to play with Adam Foote, but he knew from playing against him that Foote was a natural leader. In getting to know Foote better, McLean says one of the things that stands out about Foote outside of being a born leader is his passion for the game.
“He loves teaching, loves helping players grow, and loves putting a team together and getting that group to work together. We talk a lot about that these last couple days. So those are two things that really stand out right when you first meet him and get to know him,” McLean said.
McLean shares his thoughts on European hockey and how he feels it is generally underrated. He played in Sweden during the lockout in 2004-05, and then National League A in Switzerland and the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, (ICE Hockey League).
“I knew how good it was. I knew I wasn't going to go over there and dominate. I certainly didn't, and it took me a few months to really adjust to the game over there. They can all skate, all play hard, their structure is very, very good. It's very fun to play in because the stands are packed almost every game [and] it's that soccer culture where the fans are singing. It was a lot of great memories playing in Switzerland and over in Europe in general,” he said.
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