Tim Gleason is still doing his best to help the Canes win, now from behind the bench
Tim Gleason never gave a thought to coaching in the NHL while playing in the NHL. He was too busy fighting for the puck, bashing people, protecting his goaltender, backing up his teammates — dropping the gloves when need be.
His 11-year career as a defenseman in the league included a long stretch with the Carolina Hurricanes, and No. 6 was a popular player.
Coaching?
“I wanted nothing to do with it,” Gleason said Monday. “Nothing to do with it for a while.”
But Gleason, 38, is fully in it now. He’s starting his first season as an assistant coach for the Canes, given the responsibility of heading up a defensive corps that has talent, but has undergone major changes since last season.
Gone are Dougie Hamilton, along with Jake Bean, Haydn Fleury and Jani Hakanpaa, who came to Carolina from Anaheim in a trade for Fleury. Replacing them are Ethan Bear, Tony DeAngelo, Ian Cole and Brendan Smith — a new cast.
“Guys are coming from different teams with different systems, or in some cases it’s somebody who hasn’t played for a while,” Gleason said at Wake Competition Center on Monday.
DeAngelo hasn’t played in a while. He got in six games last season with the New York Rangers before an altercation with a teammate led to him having his contract bought out by the Rangers. His last game was Jan. 30.
DeAngelo signed a one-year, $1 million free-agent contract with Carolina and is looking for a new start, fully aware of how important this season can be for his career. He has put in the work, will quarterback the Canes’ top power-play unit, and could be an option during shootouts.
On Monday, DeAngelo spent several minutes after practice at WCC chatting with Gleason on the ice.
“He’s easy to talk to, had some meetings with him, good guy,” Gleason said. “He’s eager. He wants to learn, he wants to know the system ASAP. He’s taking it in and trying to get better every day.”
DeAngelo, in turn, said he liked working with Gleason, knowing his defensive coach will have a “been there, done that” approach to a lot of things.
“It’s always good to have a former player, especially it was not that long ago that he played,” DeAngelo said Monday. “Even with Rod, when they know how players feel and react in certain situations it makes it much easier to get along with the coach.”
To which Gleason added, “It’s more in just being real with them.”
Gleason, who retired as a player after the 2014-15 season, first served as director of defenseman development for the Canes. He worked closely with players such as Fleury, instructing them, pushing them to be better, helping them get to the league.
More of a stay-at-home defenseman, Gleason was as tough and rugged as they come. He once took a puck in the face after an Alex Ovechkin shot, was stitched up and returned to the ice with a full mask on his helmet, ready for more, scoring a shorthanded goal for the Canes. He also played for Team USA in the 2010 Olympics, winning a silver medal.
Brind’Amour said he had a lot of applications when assistant coach Dean Chynoweth left the Canes after last season. But Gleason, Brind’Amour believed, was an easy choice to go behind the bench.
“There’s a huge learning curve,” Brind’Amour said of the transition to coaching. “He’s taken on full tilt. Just really committed. I love it, his work ethic. I knew it would be great and it is. I knew his attention to detail would be high and it is.”
Gleason said he learns something new every day from Brind’Amour, his old Canes teammate.
“His willingness to get better is what I like about him,” Brind’Amour said.
The biggest challenge for Gleason might be his attire. He smiled when asked about how many suits and ties he had in his closet.
“I didn’t put that into the deal. I should’ve,” he joked. “A couple of suits didn’t fit. It’s all good now.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
