'I WENT to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out." The late Rodney Dangerfield alighted on a common theme with that bon mot; ice hockey as a sport which intermittently interrupts instances of GBH with the odd moment of athletic prowess.
It is an image which has endured – and even been actively cultivated – but it is also somewhat misleading.
For one thing, it infers there is little need for tactics. Well, one should need little direction to introduce an opponent to a wall. Yet the nature of the sport places a unique pressure on the coach, with play shifting spasmodically and players requiring to be circulated at regular intervals due to the physical exertion demanded just to keep up. It is a taxing existence, but one which clubs in the UK have often tended to bestow upon senior players in their rosters.
Braehead Clan are no different. Following the unexpected departure of player-coach Drew Bannister the Scottish side have promoted Jordan Krestanovich to the post. The 31-year-old, who returns for his third season, already held seniority, having captained the side during the last campaign, when Clan made it all the way to the play-offs. Krestanovich's battlefield promotion has ensured his side retain an authoritative and astute presence on the ice, as they continue to contest the Elite Ice Hockey League, and a respected one off it.
His appointment has already had a positive influence with compatriot Jade Galbraith returning for another season, the right-wing having finished as Clan's top scorer last term.
"There will be a lot more work involved, but it is something new for me," said Krestanovich, who was picked up by Colorado Avalanche in the fifth round of the NHL draft in 1999, No.152 overall. "This will be my first step into it [coaching]. I want to keep playing for at least another year, but I thought this opportunity would maybe be there when Drew left."
Krestanovich, now back in Canada with his family, had left Scotland with the comparatively humble ambition of retaining his place as left-wing with Clan next season. Bannister had agreed to remain in charge, only to go back on that decision after being offered the role as assistant coach at Ontario Hockey League side Owen Sound Attack. "Hockey is a crazy game," said Krestanovich. "He was ready to retire and this opportunity came for him. I'm real happy for him."
The influence of Bannister is undiminished by his departure with his relative success at the Braehead Arena having heightened ambitions. Clan reached the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup and the play-offs – they were defeated by Nottingham Panthers on both occasions – and Krestanovich's inaugural term as coach already carries the weight of expectation. There is also the added necessity of helping the sport to grow in Scotland, a burden shared somewhat disparately with the less successful Dundee Stars, Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers.
"You definitely see it is growing and the only way to do that is by word of mouth and through kids coming out and wanting to play," said Krestanovich, who joined Clan from Italian side Sportivi Ghiaccio Cortina, having also had spells in Sweden and the Czech Republic. "It would be good if we could get it to the same level as some of the other European countries."
Maybe then hockey will get a little respect.
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