The Return of "Iron Mike" - hockey coach Mike Keenan - Interview

Hockey Digest, March, 2001 by Chris Anderson

The divisive, unpredictable Bruins coach is back to take another bite out of the NHL--and to bark at his critics

IN 1994 THE NEW YORK RANGERS finally conquered the "Curse of the Garden" and won their first Stanley Cup in 44 years. Soon after, the team fell apart. The summer following the Cup win, then-Rangers head coach Mike Keenan and the team's-upper brass fought a drawn out, public battle. Keenan eventually moved to St. Louis to coach the Blues, which no one benefitted from: The following season the Rangers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers and Keenan's Blues went down in seven games to the Vancouver Canucks in the first round.

A year later, "Losing the Edge," a book written by New York Daily News reporter Barry Meisel derailing the Rangers' 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, was published. In the book's second chapter, Meisel describes the hiring of Keenan. The chapter is titled, "The Pit Bull Arrives."

Keenan, to put it mildly, has built a repuutation in the NHL as a hard ass. Everywhere he's gone Keenan has alienated players and general managers and stirred controversy. Tales from the media have revealed a coach who's grinded players into the ice and lashed out at them in the press. Yet despite all of the stories and complaints from those who Crossed his path, one element of "Iron Mike" that can't be denied is that he motivates his team to win.

Keenan has taken four teams to the Stanley Cup Finals--and coached two Team Canada squads to Canada Cup titles. He is currently fifth on the all-time NHL win list and has won a Jack Adams Trophy, awarded annually to the league's top coach Yet, wherever Keenan goes, controversy seems to follow.

After his dismissal from the Canucks nearly two years ago, it was predicted Keenan wouldn't be behind an NHL bench for nearly as long as it took the Rangers to silence the chants of "1940." However just before Halloween 2000, the city of Boston got a new monster behind the Bruins bench; Keenan. We recently caught up with Keenan and learned that honesty and a direct but sometimes abrasive nature are still as much a part of the Bruins coach as his passion for the game.

HOCKEY DIGEST: After your tenure with the Canucks there was wide speculation in the media that it would be your last coaching job for a long time. Yet, less than two years later you're coaching again. How does it feel to be back and what does that say about your reputation around the NHL?

MIKE KEENAN: Obviously I'm very excited to be back. It was an interesting time. I took solace in the fact that Scotty Bowman, the greatest coach--not only in the NHL but in all of pro sports--sat on the Sidelines for four years. I don't know why that happened or why the powers-that-be allowed that to occur, but I gained a tot of strength from what happened to Scotty.

HD: Is your job more gratifying because you're at the helm of another Original Six franchise?

MK: It's exciting to be part of something that has so much history behind it The Bruins are big part of this community. As part of the Original Six, the Bruins bring a lot of history to `the league and to the game.

HD: Do you feel as though you're on a bit of a leash with the Bruins because you are signed to a one-year contract with an option for an extension?

MK: Not at all. I'm at a stage in my career and in my life that I agreed that it was a good thing for everyone if I was in a situation that I don't prefer or don't want to be in--or in a situation where someone else didn't want me.

Being involved in coaching means a lot to me but it doesn't mean so much to me that I would sacrifice other aspects of my life in order to [stay] in a position that's unfavorable or uncomfortable. I'm in a position where I want to do this, I don't have to do this."

HD: Your started your NHL career with the Flyers, then went to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Rangers, the Blues, the Canucks, and now Boston. Are you surprised that you've coached so many reruns?

MK: I think of that as a positive. There has been a lot of discussion about the number of teams I've been with, but it's the reality of the game.

Any young coach in his mid-30s would like to be coaching in the league 15 to 20 years from now. And if he was, I wouldn't be surprised if he was with a number of teams during that times span. It's just how the business works. Take a look around the league. Bowman is with his fifth team--Roger Nielsen has been with a number of teams. Same with Pat Quinn, and so on. It's just the nature of the game.

HD: Obviously a key element of coaching is learning from your mistakes. How different of a coach are you now compared to when you started in Philadelphia?

MK: We all change. Well, I can't say that every person that goes into the professional ranks--whether he's a coach or a player or a manager--will change, but if you don't adapt to the times and have success than you're not going to be around. So, even though I've had my share of controversial days, I've been able to sustain a career in this league for three decades.