Carbonneau adjusts to new role

by Brian A. Shactman for ESPN.com, March 4, 2001

Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Guy Carbonneau admits it. He could still play in the NHL.

"Sometimes, during an optional practice, I’ll put on full pads," said Carbonneau, who retired from the Dallas Stars this past offseason. "I would need a few weeks, but I could still play."

Instead of toiling as one of the league’s premier defensive forwards for a Stanley Cup contender, Carbonneau is a rookie assistant coach for a struggling team.

"To go right from the ice to the bench has made it tougher," Carbonneau said. "I still have the emotions of a hockey player on most days."

That means he gets a little fired up on the bench and has to remind himself where he is -- on the bench. To keep his focus on coaching, Carbonneau immerses himself in the game, both as a constructive critic and as a cheerleader.

"I have to keep my focus on the guys as much as possible -- keep their spirits up and look for holes in the opposition," he said.

But the thirst for first-hand competition doesn’t just go away, so every now and then, he keeps his competitive sanity by strapping ‘em on. That doesn’t mean Carbonneau regrets retiring. In fact, despite knowing he could still earn his money as a player, he was ready to move on at 40-years old.

"The emotion and patience it took -- as well as all the traveling -- was the reason I quit. I wanted to get out on my terms, and that’s why my transition from playing is a little easier. I don’t want to go back. I have no urge to go back."

Originally, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick way back in 1979, Carbonneau won two Stanley Cups with Montreal, before moving on and winning another Cup with Dallas. Coaching the Canadiens is a homecoming for the Quebec native.

Of course, it’s not as difficult when a professional player retires with three rings, three Selke Trophy awards and then earns a chance to work on the other side for the team he grew up watching -- and playing for.

Carbonneau was first hired by the Canadiens as a sort of in-house consultant on hockey issues -- they just wanted him with the organizaion. But when Michel Therrien replaced Alaign Vigneault as head coach, Carbonneau was asked to be Therrien’s assistant. Therrien never coached, in any capacity, at the NHL level, so Carbonneau’s 1,500-plus total games of NHL experience made him an ideal complement to Therrien.

"Michel has taught me a lot about coaching," Carbonneau said. "And I have helped teach him about the NHL.
"A lot of people who have known me over the years thought I would some day be behind the bench here," said Carbonneau, who has a strong personal connection to his current employer. "You want to be the one to change things for the better."

He’s got plenty of work to do. Currently, the Canadiens sit in the Northeast Division basement and don’t have much of a playoff hope, trailing the No. 8 seed by 16 points with 17 games left in the season.

That’s a long way from 1993 when Carbonneau helped the Canadiens win it all. However, Carbonneau’s only goal right now is bringing the team back to the playoffs -- and the franchise back to respectability.

"That’s what we’re working on. Paris wasn’t built in one day," he said "We have to get the work ethic and build things along with the new owner."

Paris, Rome. Whatever. They’re both great cities and that’s what Carbonneau wants the Habs to be again -- great.
Maybe he should consider suiting up more than just during optional days.