Late Monday evening, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson officially announced that Manny Malhotra will become the 23rd Head Coach in franchise history.
Johnson and Malhotra have been a dynamic duo for the past couple of seasons in Abbotsford, and the two will bring their ‘be better than yesterday’ mindset to the NHL club.
“Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is,” said Johnson on Monday.
The General Manager met with the media on Tuesday morning to field questions and discuss further his decision to appoint Malhotra as head coach.
He began by saying that he had some great conversations with Malhotra over the past couple of weeks about alignment, and that the head coach would be able to jump in with confidence in his new role.
“I want him to implement what I know he does well, and that is structure within a game in all three zones, absolute certainty from players. What’s expected of them, the structure that they’re going to play in,” said Johnson on Malhotra.
“It’s not the 7 pm on Friday nights, it’s the 8 am on Monday, and the focus and attention on that.”
Johnson mentioned that he is always watching teams around the league and paying attention to who is on their staff. He said he keeps a running list of coaches who interest him or who have a presence. He also believes that it is a natural process for NHL assistant coaches to take a step back and carve out their teeth as head coaches in the AHL, which is exactly what Malhotra did.
“Manny was one of a few that I had really been keeping an eye on when I knew I needed a head coach in Abbotsford. I was very vindicated that he could do a heck of a job there. I knew where the team was at as far as our prospects and people that I wanted to bring in there at that time,” said Johnson.
“I put some support around him, especially early in those first few months. Things that jumped out right away were his ability to connect and communicate. Manny is very able to wear many hats, and as far as he holds players accountable, it’s not really rainbows, and every day he’s able to navigate the adverse situations by being consistent, and I think you guys have heard me talk about how important consistency and environment is.”
On top of all this, Johnson delivered a powerful message about Malhotra’s ability to drive and establish a culture. He spoke about the players needing to get uncomfortable, and that wins and losses will take care of themselves down the road.
“I really feel this is an amazing opportunity for a coach that has the makeup and everything that I could want in a coach that’s going to start the process into this rebuild,” said Johnson.
The hiring of Malhotra as the 23rd head coach in Canucks history brings alignment as well as a focus on development and on creating a winning culture for the Vancouver Canucks.
