Pat Pickens
Pete DeBoer was sitting at his home in Las Vegas on Saturday night when Mathieu Darche called him about the New York Islanders’ head coaching role.
DeBoer was mere days from becoming the hottest head coach on the market. But he spoke Monday after running his first practice as the Islanders coach, only about 36 hours after Darche’s initial phone call.
DeBoer referenced the Greater New York area, where he spent three-and-a-half seasons as coach of the New Jersey Devils from 2011-14. He mentioned the familiar faces, like Bob Boughner with whom he coached the San Jose Sharks.
He noted the other holdovers from the Lou Lamoriello era, since Lamoriello hired him in New Jersey 15 years ago.
Yet, DeBoer was most excited about the talent and the push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Islanders. New York is, of course, just one point out of the final postseason spot with four games left.
Mathieu Darche Sold Pete DeBoer on Long Island, and Matthew Schaefer Helped
DeBoer is less than a year removed from his last NHL head-coaching position. But he sounded refreshed at his debut press availability while speaking about his growth after being removed after bashing Dallas Stars franchise goalie Jake Oettinger after they were eliminated from the Western Conference Final.
“This is the first time in 18 years in the NHL, I had never spent a season away from the game,” DeBoer said. “When you do that, you get a little different perspective about how fortunate we are to do what we do … and don’t take it forget it.
“I was guilty of it. You sometimes forget about how exciting this time of the year is when you’re in this kind of position.”
Though he was not behind an NHL bench, DeBoer was still coaching. He won a silver medal with Canada at the Milan/Cortina Olympics, running the defense for one of the most star-studded units ever.
But he was biding his time and waiting for the offseason to come so a team would reach out. Yet, DeBoer was skeptical when Darche called him Saturday night.
“This did come out of left field,” DeBoer said. “We really never talked until [Sunday] and got in-depth talks. It wasn’t like I had been studying the New York Islanders.
“The decision was the people. I can’t believe how many people are still here that Lou brought from my time in New Jersey. … There’s a real familiarity to the group here, and Mathieu Darche. He really sold me … he sold me on the organization and the vision and the direction and ownership.”
He also referenced Matthew Schaefer. The 18-year-old blueliner is a lock to win the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. DeBoer is ecstatic to have Schafer on his side, as well as goalie Ilya Sorokin.
“When you’re talking about this group and the vision where this organization is going, that’s one of the things you’re talking about, including arguably having the best goalie in the league too,” DeBoer said. “[Schaefer] is special. I couldn’t believe my eyes the first half of the year, the maturity of his game and how dynamic he was. He was a razor away from being on the [Canada Olympic] team as a teenager.”
DeBoer has been a defensive-minded coach and had his share of elite young defensemen to mold through the years. DeBoer coached Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskanen in Dallas. He had Shea Theodore in Vegas. He helped Brent Burns win the Norris Trophy in San Jose.
With DeBoer, and Boughner on the staff, he thinks they can unlock Schaefer’s best.
“As much as my impact will be on him, I think [Boughner’s] is much more,” DeBoer said.
Pete DeBoer Has ‘A Lot of Non-Negotiables’ But Has Calmed Down
DeBoer’s outburst at Oettinger, where he criticized the Stars’ superstar goalie for allowing two soft goals in the first seven-plus minutes in Game 5 of Dallas’ season-ending game, is proof of his fortitude.
He alienated Marc-Andre Fleury in Vegas by starting Robin Lehner in the 2020 bubble playoffs. That led Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh responded to by posting a photo of Fleury with a sword through his back.
Islanders fans may remember DeBoer challenging then-New York Rangers coach John Tortorella during the 2012 Eastern Conference Final as proof of his fire.
“I think I have really strong beliefs after 18 years in this league about how a team needs to play, what’s important to winning, what’s important to winning in the playoffs, how to build that,” DeBoer said. “I have a lot of non-negotiables on those things.”
Despite his success, DeBoer has never been on a Stanley Cup-winning team. He thinks some of his old ways may have affected that.
“I also think I’ve grown the calm part,” DeBoer said. “I think as a coach in this league, you realize that the temper or emotion a lot of times is counterproductive to moving the group.”
But there is a reason Darche chose a notoriously strict coach for these Islanders. Their structure had fallen apart in their 3-7 stretch, and DeBoer expects to fix that.
“My non-negotiables, we’ve got a list, it’s not Xs and Os,” DeBoer said. “It’s the details of the game. It’s line changes, back checking, effort, stopping in D-zone coverage, willingness to take a turn and block a shot if it’s your turn; just all the intangibles that go into playing winning hockey this time of the year.”
