The Associate Coach - “Another Step In The Right Direction”

(Kemptville 73s Insider) 

 

March 27, 2017

 

 

During the CCHL Tier 1 Showcase weekend of September 2015, I ran across an old friend, Dave Leger.

 

At the time Leger was the Assistant Coach for the Hawksbury Hawks.

 

After chatting and reminiscing about our high school days, he asked which team I was watching.

 

“We just started with the Kemptville 73s,” I replied to Dave.  “We’ve got a kid from the team living with us.”  “Have you had a chance to meet Kenny Fleck yet,” Dave inquired. “He’s a really good hockey guy and a good man as well.”

 

Coming from a good friend like Dave and a man with his hockey resume, that was high praise.  He’s coached at many levels and is very well respected throughout the sport.

 

Fast-forward nearly a year later, and I find myself sequestered in the corner of the rink with Kenny watching 73s tryouts.

 

Kenny spares no opinion, tells me all that’s wrong and all that’s right with a player when I ask.

 

I comment, somewhat jokingly, that a player seems to only go to his weak side exiting from behind the net instead of the preferred strong side.

 

"Maybe he’s like me and only has two weak sides," I say, sheepishly.

 

And in the reflection of the glass I see those steely eyes soften.

 

Kenny can't help but grin at my attempted wit.

 

Above all else, Kenny is relaxed. He is at home.  At a rink watching hockey and studying the game and the players. I could sense it in his voice.

 

We’re joined in the corner by GM Terry Nichols and Head Coach Ron Tugnutt.

 

“Terry, I’m not so sure about that kid we spoke about this morning,” Fleck commented.  “He doesn’t seem to be able to move as quickly as we thought but his passes are pretty good.”

 

A very fair assessment.

 

Moments later Nichols confirms Flecks previous comments.

 

The regular season has now passed and I sat down to chat with Kenny to find out more about him.

 

I received more than I expected. He is a thoughtful person, and has spent obvious time pondering his path.

 

Raised in Quyon Quebec, Kenny Fleck spent his minor hockey career playing in nearby Shawville QC.  “I was a stay at home, slow moving defenseman and just played around Shawville, with my 10 or 11 best friends.”

 

In hockey circles Shawville is known as “Murray Country”, reflecting local NHL hockey heroes Bryan, Terry and Tim Murray.

 

“In fact the best coaching advice I was ever given came from Timmy Murray,” said Fleck.  “Don’t regret what you’re missing away from the rink, to be there.  I remember it exactly,” said Fleck. “The higher you go in coaching the more you’re going to miss away from the rink, you’re going to miss friend’s birthday parties or weddings, but don’t regret missing them because it’s going to pay off in the end.”

 

It was a wake-up call early on, making Fleck realize the price he would have to pay and the sacrifices he would have to make if he wanted to maximize his talents and pursue his dream.

 

“I think Terry and Ron trust my opinion when it comes to player selection for the team.  They give me a fair amount of input and I think it’s based on the relationship the three of us have built over the last four-year period. They also know that I do scout for the OHL so it’s not like I’m not familiar with player selection and scouting.”

 

“I think that’s why you’ll see some of the successes we’ve had with some of our draft picks,” explained Fleck. “It’s not just one guy making the selection, it’s a group effort.”

 

“It’s tough to say what my ideal player is though,” pondered Fleck.   “Everybody wants a two way centre and I’m no different.  If you can have a player that plays hard at both ends of the ice and can lead the team then they’re pretty special.”

 

“My favourite hockey player growing up was Steve Yzerman,” recalled Fleck.  “He played the game the right way and led a life off the ice the right way, stayed out of trouble and he was a winner.”

 

“I want a player that’s going to give me what I expect and what the team needs,” explained Fleck. “I always like to base my team on the team I have in front of me.”

 

I admire Kenny. He cares about the moment -- not how he arrived at the moment or where the moment might lead.

 

Just right here.

 

The game and the team in front of him.

 

“One of the main influences in coaching that I’ve ever had was my minor hockey coach, Randy Powell,” reflected Fleck. “He wasn’t just a minor hockey coach for me, he was a family friend and a lifelong friend.  He passed away at a young age around the time I had to take time off from playing hockey.  That’s when I got into coaching so I think he was a major influence that got me into coaching.  He was also the reason why I played hockey.”

 

“Peter Ambroziak was also a huge influence on me,” said Fleck.  “He was the guy that gave me my start in Junior hockey when he hired me to be the assistant coach here with the 73s.”

 

That was a hell of an opportunity.

 

“I remember my first game coaching at this level,” said Fleck.  “It was fun.  I went in there expecting to win.  That’s why we signed up for the job.  It was a tough year, we made the playoffs for the second time in franchise history and we’ve made the playoffs every year since so I’m pretty proud of that.”

 

“Steve Bisson had hired me in “AAA” before that,” said Fleck. “Both those guys have taught me an incredible amount and allowed me to develop and improve myself as a coach. Whether that be from drills in practices or in-game adjustments and just everything involved with being a hockey coach so having those two guys early on really benefited me.”

 

“I’ve really learned from every coach that I’ve ever coached with.”

 

“I’ve been influenced by many coaches, but it would be tough not to say mostly by Ron Tugnutt because of the amount time I’ve spent with him. 

 

“Having the benefit of coaching four years with Ron goes a long way,” stated Fleck.  “The knowledge that he brings having played at the highest level possible is really invaluable to my growth as a coach and I will forever be grateful for having all the opportunities I’ve had.”

 

“Kenny’s always been a really dedicated, focused coach,” said Tugnutt.   “He puts this ahead of a lot of things in his life.  His dedication and his honesty with me are what this team needs.” 

 

“We’ve had a few arguments about stuff and he hasn’t backed down,” said Tugnutt. “He’s willing to stick his neck out and I think that’s helping him. Those disagreements don’t happen often and we both admit when the other guy is right and we move on.”

 

“Since we’ve moved Kenny to the forwards, our offence has gone up and we’ve seen a lot of success in certain areas,” said Tugnutt.  “For Kenny it’s really noticeable because he’s our penalty kill coach.  It’s his own complete responsibility; I give that all to him.  It’s a way for him to learn and grow into a head coach and to do that you have to have jobs that you handle on your own.”

 

Fleck appreciates Tugnutt letting him coach the penalty kill, and running the penalty kill was an important, positive step to move forward showing he’s capable of more.

 

For Fleck being appointed the Associate Coach before the start of last season was another step for him moving in the right direction. 

 

“Being the Associate Coach means you’re the next guy, you’re the go to guy,” explained Tugnutt. “When we appointed Kenny to the Associate Coach role, I then had the ability to leave the team for a short period of time and allow Kenny to be a head coach while I’m gone.”

 

All the sudden you go from being the co-pilot, flying the plane but having someone ready to show you how to do things when you screw up, to all the sudden you're all alone there in the cockpit.

 

But, fact is, Fleck is on the edge of much bigger things.

 

“This is something I want to do for a living,” declared Fleck.  “I want to coach hockey for a living and that means stepping up, whether that’s being an assistant coach at a higher league or a head coach in this league that’s what I’m working towards.  Whatever it takes.”

 

Coaches have no way to predict their future.

 

He has enough pressure as it is. His is a performance-based job, especially considering as he moves higher up, there are fewer jobs available.

 

It continues to be the culmination of a dream, through a lot of hard work.

 

“I always tell other coaching friends, stay updated and know what the ins and outs are,” enthused Fleck. ”Know what‘s coming up the pipeline, maybe it’s a new system that some NHL team is running you should look at it to see if it can benefit your team as well.  I hope that’s how others see me as well, always trying to stay updated.”

 

For his brother Chris Fleck, an Assistant Coach for the 73s, Kenny’s influence on his coaching has a more personal element.

 

“It means a lot for me to coach with him.  As brothers we fought a lot when we were younger,” said Chris.  “I would always think he was wrong and he would always think I was wrong, but when it comes to hockey, I’ve come to realize that it was probably me that was wrong.  The stuff I’ve learned from him has been great and very helpful to me in my role now.”

 

“He lives and dies this game,” said Chris proudly.  “He’s the first one there and the last one to leave.  He’s never had any connection to being a coach.  He has never had a kid on a team or cousin or nephew on the team, he’s simply there because he loves the game.  His commitment is beyond belief.”

 

And no matter the audience, wins mean respect.

 

“I love winning and there’s nothing better than winning and there’s nothing worse that I hate more than losing, whether it’s a game of checkers or the biggest game of the year on the ice.  I’m in it to win it,” stated Fleck.

 

“I think I hate losing more than I like winning.  Losing eats at you and it motivates you.”

 

I get it. I'm uber-competitive. I'd rather shut my finger in the car door than lose a beer-league hockey game.

 

Those wins are a distinct source of pride.

 

Why?

 

For him, the joy and the pain of wins and losses fuel him.

 

Without it, he is empty.

 

If those efforts aren't successful to his satisfaction, he incessantly ponders why.

 

“It’s tough with the caliber of the players we have when we don’t win a game and you go home and you’re miserable,” explains Fleck. “But you know that when we go back to the rink the next time we’re back to the winning ways.”

 

These days, he has a new perspective: Let it sting for just a minute.

 

Then let it go.

 

Winning still matters as much as it ever did. But losses don't matter as much.

 

“Prior to this season all I did was eat, sleep and breathe hockey,” said Fleck. “Now with my girlfriend [Jenna], being able to go home and having someone there to sit and have dinner with, the stresses of the job disappear.”

 

“It can be a grind with all the travel, not just to other rinks but each day,” noted Fleck. “It’s a 40 minute drive to and from the rink so with there being bad weather sometimes it can be really tough.  She’s really good at keeping this in perspective for me.”

 

Winning -- and determining how to win -- almost always occupies his thoughts.

 

He is a consummate hockey coach.

 

“One of my proudest things as a coach is seeing a kid succeed.” 

 

“I know that eventually I may coach a kid that makes it to the NHL,” said Fleck.  “I’d like that kid to turn back and say ‘Yeah I remember Kenny Fleck he was one of my coaches and he’s a great guy’.  Seeing these kids succeed is awesome.”

 

But Kenny’s pride is noticeable. It is intense. I love it.

 

“Seeing our guys that went to Team Canada East this year and win the Silver medal really made me proud because they played for me here in Kemptville, but there were also other players on that team that I coached and seeing them made me just as proud.”

 

I could be wrong, certainly. But I'd bet you one day down the road there will be some kids saying “Hey man I played for Kenny Fleck and there he is behind the bench of an NHL team”.

 

Kenny Fleck is a very much a rarity. It is difficult to appreciate his story. His odds are nearly impossible. Think about this:

 

How many hockey players take a year off only to return as a coach because they miss it so much?

 

And how many of them actually continue to coach teams where they have no direct relations on the team?

 

And how many of them actually take the required courses and steps to move up?

 

And how many of them actually scout for another team in Major Junior?

 

And how many of them are given the opportunity to coach at a Junior “A” level?

 

Not many.

 

As Head Coach Ron Tugnutt puts it, “He’s working extremely hard, taking the right steps and he’s heading in the right direction to be very successful”.