Alumni Spotlight: Doug Janik

Defenseman Doug Janik was drafted 55th overall by the Sabres in 1999 and played in Rochester and Buffalo over his time with the organization from 2001-2006. He is now an assistant coach with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
Who were some of the best mentors you had as you advanced in your hockey career?
Shawn Walsh [at Maine] was one of the best college coaches, I believe, ever. I learned a tremendous amount from him. Then I came to pro hockey and Doug Houda was my first D partner - tremendous influence on my career. Randy Cunneyworth, Chris Taylor, Jason Botterill, those were probably the biggest guys once I became a pro.

What did you take from Shawn Walsh that is still important to you now that you're coaching?
His intensity and his preparation were right up there with anyone. No detail was too small, whether it was making sure that guys had the right water bottles, the right food to eat, proper clothes to wear. Nothing ever got by him and there was no situation as players that we weren't ever prepared for.
Shawn Walsh went from a third-string goalie at Bowling Green State University to a full-time assistant coach at BGSU under the legendary Ron Mason and on to the University of Maine, where he excelled as one the most successful head coaches in college history. He led the Black Bears to NCAA titles in 1993 and 1999 before kidney cancer claimed his life in September 2001 at the age of 46.
Can you believe that you were able to win the national championship as a freshman at Maine?
You know what? You could tell. I've been on a lot of good teams and ultimately we won with that team, but right from day one, I think we had great leadership, we had a goal to win that national championship and everybody probably always starts out the season saying that, but there was something different about that group that really weren't going to be denied.
Nine players from that Maine team would go on to play at least one game in the NHL. None appeared in more games than Janik's 190 with Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Detroit.

What makes your Amerks experience special and memorable?
I think just the amount of people I've been fortunate enough to cross paths with on and off the ice here. Some of my best friends in the world are guys I played with on the Amerks and we had so much fun! The games are one thing, the practices - I loved all that - but just being in the locker room with those guys, on the buses, we really grew up together. You come in here at 20 years old, you leave at 25, 26 years old and everybody's watching everybody's life change.
Janik played in 376 games for the Amerks, third most in franchise history for a defenseman. He amassed more than 100 penalty minutes in each of his five seasons in Rochester, finishing with a total of 686. He was inducted into the Amerks Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.
Who are some of the other names that stand out from your time in Rochester that you loved sharing those experiences with?
Norm Milley and Francois Methot. Francois and I lived together the first couple of years and did everything together. Norm was always with us and I lived with him for a few summers. Chris Thorburn and Mike Ryan as well.
What was your reaction when you were told you were being inducted into the Amerks Hall of Fame?
Surprised and humbled were probably the biggest two. We were at our place on Cape Cod for the summer and Gager AHL Hall of Famer and Amerks Director of Strategic Planning Jody Gage] called me and I just thought he was calling to check in, talk, see how things are going. And then he told me that and like I said, I was surprised and humbled.
[Watch: Youtube Video
Under the guidance of coach Randy Cunneyworth, Janik was a part of the 2004-05 Amerks team that set a franchise record for points with 112.
How quickly did you end up with the Sabres after your season ended with Rochester in April of 2006?
A big group of guys came up from Rochester to Buffalo, but myself and Jiri Novotny went right to the team and were with the team every day and the rest of the guys were in a group on their own. But I was with the team right away, which was a big help for me, just practicing with those guys and really feeling [like] a part of the group.
Janik's final game with Rochester in 2005-06 was on March 29. After injuries to Dmitri Kalinin, Henrik Tallinder, and Teppo Numminen, his first game with the Sabres that spring was on May 22.

What was the biggest challenge when you were thrust into the lineup in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus Carolina?
Just to have the confidence to go in there and play at that level in the Eastern Conference Finals. The group did an unbelievable job making the guys who weren't playing feel a part of it. Scott Arniel, Brian McCutcheon, Doug McKenney did an unbelievable job getting us prepared after practices and skating us, so the conditioning and hockey part was fine.
Incredibly, the injury bug took one more huge bite out of the Sabres defense corps heading into the deciding game, when Jay McKee was sidelined with a staph infection.
What was the reaction from the group?
It was more shock and surprise because he finished Game 6 with no issues!
You scored your only goal as a Sabre in the second period of Game 7 to tie the game 1-1. What can you recall about that moment?
Just excited! It was a close game and you look at that group - guys like Chris Drury, Danny Briere, J-P Dumont, Mike Grier - such focused leadership had everybody in a great mind frame. I was excited for sure but was more excited for the game and the opportunity.
Janik scored at 15:50 of the second period. At 19:55 Jochen Hecht scored to put the Sabres in the lead. However, Carolina would score three unanswered goals in the third period to win the game 4-2 and the series 4-3.
What's your biggest takeaway from your time with Buffalo?
Well, I gained a lot of confidence in my career from that series. I went on to play in Tampa for a few years after that, so from that experience, it was just confidence, knowing I could play full-time at that level. Overall, it was the friendships that were the biggest thing.

When did you have a feeling you might go into coaching?
Towards the end of your career you start thinking about what path might be next for you and I had a lot of friends - Chris Taylor, Doug Houda - who had done that, and when I ended up retiring, I just followed that path.
Do you have big aspirations as far as coaching is concerned?
I look at coaching the way I looked at my career - just kinda one step at a time. When you are ready to move on to different spots amongst the coaching world, I just want to be ready for those opportunities. But right now, my feet are planted and happy where they are.
Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, Janik is now in his fourth season coaching in his hometown.