SHARKSPAGE

San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson interviewed on the NHL Hour with Gary Bettman

San Jose Sharks EVP/GM Doug Wilson was a guest on the NHL Hour with Gary Bettman and E.J. Hradek on Thursday. After a grateful dead intro with Patrick Marleau, Wilson discussed the 4th consecutive Pacific Division title, 5th consecutive 100 point season, and 7th straight playoff berth, his decision to hire head coach Todd McLellan 3 years ago and how that decision has helped the franchise, the ups and downs the San Jose Sharks have had this season, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture, and how San Jose has evolved as a hockey market amonth other topics. The program is available for download at NHL.com under the podcast section.

A partial transcript of the interview:

(On the success in San Jose) I think you have to start with a plan. I am very fortunate to work with very good owners that understand the big picture. They let us hire some really good people. The foundation of what we do is drafting and developing, so our coaches down in Worcester, Roy Sommer and David Cuniff, do a great job. I think we have had more players metriculate through our own organization than probably any other team in the league. Tim Burke, who does an amazing job heading our scouting, and then our coaching staff Todd McLellan and his staff. They will integrate young players in. They understand that every player has to be getting better everyday. When you see the first half of the year, our belief is to use our own young players and see if they are up to the task. If they perform, like a Logan Couture, they take a serious role. If not, we send them back down to the minors so they can grow and maybe add some other players like we did this year with a Ben Eager, Kyle Wellwood and Ian White. Everything is about growth, and giving players the tools they need to succeed. Hopefully that is what we need as a team.

(On hiring Todd McLellan 3 years ago) I had never met Todd before I interviewed him. We had gone through the process of interviewing 21 other coaches or people fro our coaching staff. The path that he had taken. Coaching in Swift Current and having success there, coaching in the AHL with Minnesota’s farm team, and then working in the great environment in Detroit with people I have tremendous respect for, Ken Holland, Steve Yzerman to name a couple. When I met him, he was a guy who understood what the expectations would be. He understood bringing young players in and working with them. The thing that really stood out when I watched him, players like Nick Lidstrom, Steve Yzerman Zetterberg and Datsyuk would naturally gravitate towards him. And Chris Chelios, who was there at the time, because of his hockey IQ. Players can read through you very quickly, whether you know what you are talking about or you don’t. When we brought him in an interviewed him, I think within 5 minutes we knew he was going to be the coach we want for our team. He has built great relationships with Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton to name a few. We think he is not only one of the best young coaches, but also one of the top coaches. He has a tremendous staff also that he hand picked.

This is a guy that has been coaching for a long time, even though he was young. I think the first thing he did which I really admired was he started building relationships with players, clarified how he wanted us to play as a team, clarified what each player needed to do to get better. He is brutally honest. That is what the players really want. Players knows that he wants them to succeed, so when he is tough on them, it is because he will get more out of them that way. He has got that combination of details and fundamentals, but also creativity and letting players play to their strengths.

(What did you like/not like about the Sharks during the season) I think we built on a very successful season last year. We played well during the regular season. We had two very good playoff rounds beating Colorado and a really strong Detroit team. Chicago beat us, it was a very good series. It was a short series, but the games were very close. I think we learned from that and wanted to come back this year. We made some changes, with both Niemi and Niittymaki coming in. Rob Blake retired, but I think a lot of his impact on our younger players has certainly shown through. I think the best thing was right around January 17th. We lost 6 games in a row and made a couple of changes, but nobody pointed fingers and none of the coaches blamed anybody else. They also basically said we need to find a solution and get better. Since that point, we have played our best hockey.

(Is this one of the deepest offensive teams with six 20-goal scorers) It is. We have added some veteran guys. The ages our players are now, they are coming into their prime. Our younger guys are certainly stepping up. It goes beyond numbers too. Historically, you look at some of the best players in the league and sometimes they sacrifice their numbers to be better 3 zone players. I will use Joe Thornton as an example. His numbers may be down statistically, but I think he is playing the best hockey I have ever seen him play. When you take a look at how Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and how their game is, not only their +/- but doing the little things to help team’s win, that is a credit to the players and certainly to Todd McLellan who has told them how important that is.

Since (Joe Thornton) has come to this hockey team, he is one of the great players in this game. Here is a kid who I knew when he won at World Juniors, he has won a World Cup, he has won at the Olympics. He loves the challenge of trying to get better every year, and pressure and expectations. He is playing his best hockey, he cares about his teammates. We have a tight group. A sign of a teammate is what you do when you don’t have the puck. They are playing for and with each other, I think that reveals their character.

(Is Logan Couture what you imagined when you drafted him in 2007?) I mentioned a name before, Tim Burke. I am biased, but I think he is the best scout in the business. We are looking for guys with character, and hockey IQ and hockey sense. Logan has really played well. We left him down in Worcester of the AHL last year a little longer to ripen and really become one of the best players down there. You could argue he has been the best player from the beginning of the year until now. I am an old defenseman, I could probably come back and play with him now because he is an easy guy to play with. He comes back and supports you. There are some other really good rookies in the league this year, but I think Logan in regards to all areas of the rink, is probably the top of the list.

(How do you changeup from the regular season to the playoffs) Now that the trade deadline is over, I can’t screw this team up any more. All you can do, and this is where I think Todd McLellan gets it, is prepare for the next game. Stay in the moment. If you win a game, you get ready for the next game. If you lose a game, you get ready for the next game. We know how we want to play. The players understand a lost detail is a lost game. All the little things that have been working for this team since mid-January, and working so well, that is what you try to do. You try to stay healthy. You don’t need guys to try to win games by themselves, you have to stay within the team structure and bring something to the table.

(How has the game changed since you played) I think the guys are bigger and stronger, they are in tremendous shape. Taking a look back to when I played, or even before then, great players would still have success. I think one thing we work on is making sure the game of hockey is the best game it can be. We love tough, honest hockey. The physical aspect on the game, and we have guys who do that on our team like Ryane Clowe and Douglas Murray. When you go back and look at the guys we all respected, the Larry Robinson’s, the Bob Nystrom’s, the Clark Gillies’, the Bob Gainey’s. You can play physical, tough hockey, you can be feared and respected at the same time, but we can also take away some of the things that players can do that are outside of the rules that nobody respects and that could lead to injuries. You try to make the game the best it can be while trying to maintain the safety for the players.

(What is San Jose like as a hockey market?) Our fans are incredible. Right from day 1. A lot of the fans come from the south bay, but our fan base is spread out larger than that. They would come down to the Cow Palace and follow us there. Fans love our team, connect to our team. The one year we had a tough year recently in 03, we didn’t make the playoffs and we lost a few of the fans. We came back with a young team that did very well. Our building is always full. I think our players and our staff understand that we have to earn their loyalty every day. That is why we feel it is important to put a really good team on the ice that they can relate to. People have choiced on how they can spend their dollars. The economy is tough, but when people come to our rink at HP, they support our team through thick and thin and make it a tough place to play. We want to reward them with a championship.

(On the development of grassroots hockey in San Jose) It is very important. Our ownership deserves a lot of credit for that, building other rinks, managing other rinks and creating the pipeline for boys and girls, men and women to play adult hockey and have the facilities to play. Plus building roller hockey facilities, Kevin Compton has been really involved in that area. What you want to do is give them the opportunity to play the game, love the game, to support our team. They have taken a long term plan on the both the business side and the hockey side. We have got owners that are committed in many, many ways beyond the game on the ice at HP Pavilion.

(What does it mean to have all 3 Californian teams battling for the playoffs) I think it is great. You take a look at the number of young kids drafted out of California. These are now becoming, and have been for many years, very good hockey markets. The rivalries in the playoffs goes to the next level when you play someone in a playoff round. LA has got a very good hockey team trending up. Anaheim has won a Cup. Our team is a good team. When you look at the Western Conference, there are no easy games, and some of the Californian teams are at the top of the list.

(You visited a young man fighting for his life) It is a young man, Brian Stow. He went to a Dodgers game and was attacked. It was a senseless act of violence that is really a sad thing. Brian is part of a group of paramedics that work our games at HP Pavilion. They are there for player safety. It is just sad. It is tough to understand. Here is a guy who dedicated his life to helping others. Now he is fighting for his life. Whether it be paramedics, firefighters or police officers, these men and women do an awful lot for all of us. Our organization and our players were trying to support Brian and his family through this tough time.

San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McLellan was also a guest Thursday on KNBR 680AM’s Razor and Mr T show. McLellan discussed the difficult decisions the Sharks had to make this season, the level of emotion a team needs headed into the playoffs, the goals he has set for the team, how his coaching staff can shake up the lineup if they are flat on the ice, and which players have had a breakout season among other topics.