REGINA – John Paddock had just been relieved of his duties as assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers when Todd Lumbard gave him a call.
Lumbard was part of an ownership group that just purchased the Regina Pats in 2014 and was looking for a new coach. Lumbard knew Paddock a bit – he and Paddock’s younger brother, Gord, were former minor-pro teammates – plus the veteran bench boss came recommended from then-Brandon Wheat Kings coach-GM Kelly McCrimmon.
Paddock still had a year on his contract with the Flyers and was thinking of doing some pro scouting in the New Jersey area. But hockey coaches can’t pad their resumes when they’re not behind the bench.
“It was giving me a job,” said a chuckling Paddock, whose Pats resume their Mastercard Memorial Cup tournament against the same 1-0 Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Sunday.
Paddock appeared to be joking, but later confirmed he was serious. Paddock was involved in pro hockey since 1983-84 when he went from playing for to coaching the AHL’s Maine Mariners mid-season, guiding them to a championship.
So, here he was, at 60 years young, about to take his first job in junior – becoming hockey’s version of Benjamin Button.
“They’ve been in reverse,” said Paddock, now 63, of his career paths. “Portland, Maine knew I was a little bit interested. It happened without me ever having to start in junior or start in a lower level of pro. I was really fortunate how that worked and I had some success. It is sort of the opposite way.”
Usually first-time junior coaches are about half Paddock’s age. If someone goes to junior from the pros at his age, often that person has an extensive background working with teenagers.
Paddock – a head coach with the Winnipeg Jets, including in Teemu Selanne’s rookie year, and the Ottawa Senators – was a bit of an anomaly. Lumbard had no idea what Paddock’s reaction would be when he reached out that summer.
“When you first hear his name (being available), you think, ‘Would a guy like that even be interested in junior?’” said Lumbard, Pats president. “Right from the beginning he was open to talking to us.”
Paddock was caught by surprise by the initial contact. He happened to be at a baseball game in his hometown in Oak River, Man., when it happened. He, too, consulted with McCrimmon to get more information.
Paddock liked that the new ownership group had money. When he was offered full control of hockey operations as well – the formal title of GM would have to wait a year – he signed on to move to Regina that August.
“I wasn’t looking to re-establish myself,” he said.
One of his first orders of business was finding a right-hand man.
Dave Struch coached with the Saskatoon Blades since 2006, but was fired by new owners after one year in the head job. He interviewed for the position with the Pats that was offered to Paddock.
When Paddock accepted, he called Struch and the two spoke for more than two hours. The first 15 minutes was about hockey. The rest was about life. Struch was sold.
“He does have that edge to his demeanour,” the Pats assistant coach and assistant GM said, “but he’s a wonderful human being first and foremost.
“You factor in the experiences that he’s gone through – in reverse – which allowed me with my experiences in junior hockey as a coach to be a big part in what’s happening. John’s allowed me to do what I do.”
It’s that ability to relate to people that’s probably Paddock’s biggest strength, Struch said.
That may be hard to envision considering Paddock doesn’t exude cuddly vibes. Often succinct in his responses, his gruff exterior often presents a no-nonsense attitude.
That impression formed the preconception for former Pats captain Adam Brooks before Paddock arrived on the scene.
Brooks was an 18-year-old forward coming off two seasons where he’d produced a total of 23 points. He figured Paddock’s leash would be short. He was struggling in the pre-season and Paddock asked him into his office. Brooks figured he going to get scolded or, even worse, cut.
But Paddock knew Brooks was a talented bantam player in Winnipeg and made calls to other WHL GMs to get their assessments his skill. The discussion was one of reassurance.
“I met this massive guy who I was really intimidated by,” said Brooks, now a member of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, in a phone interview. “I had the chance to sit down and talk to him for a bit. It was the complete opposite of what I expected.
“He tells you exactly like it is. He doesn’t put too much pressure on you, but he wants you to hit a certain achievement of goals he’s set for you. He’s a very fair coach and he gets the best out of everybody.”
Brooks jumped to 60 points in 2014-15. He collected 250 over the next two seasons and was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.
“He’s the reason why I’m playing pro hockey right now,” Brooks said. “Besides my family, John has had the biggest impact on my hockey career.”
Identifying and nurturing Brooks’s talents was a key part of Paddock’s plan to build the Pats into a WHL contender. Another factor was Sam Steel.
Steel, the second-overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, was a rookie during Paddock’s first year in Regina. Although the Pats were among the league’s best heading into the trade deadline that season, Paddock shipped out established veterans like Morgan Klimchuk, Dryden Hunt and Connor Gay so he could give Steel more responsibility.
Steel quarterbacked the point on the power play and was used as the lone forward at times when the Pats were two men short-handed. That type of seasoning paid dividends as Steel was the CHL’s leading scorer with 131 points last season and Canada’s first-line centre on its world junior team.
“He’s put me in every opportunity to succeed,” Steel said. “He put a lot of trust in me, too. I’m definitely grateful for all the opportunities.”
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Paddock’s objective was to have the Pats peak as Steel and Brooks got older. It was an attempt to cash in on junior hockey’s cyclical nature.
“Some teams have said to us they’re trying to emulate (that blueprint),” Paddock said.
He admitted he got a little lucky, especially during that first season. He acquired Jake Leschyshyn in the deal for Gay as the Red Deer Rebels prepared for a season as 2016 Memorial Cup hosts. Connor Hobbs, a star defenceman last season before moving on to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, requested a trade from Medicine Hat.
With some good fortune and Paddock’s foresight, he quickly found success at the junior level. The Pats reached the WHL final last season for the first time since 1984 before losing in six games to Seattle.
“I don’t know if he even adapted,” Lumbard said. “He’s just been himself.
“Even though he’s been around a long time, one of the things I admire most about him is he’s not stuck in his ways. He doesn’t have some longstanding philosophies that can’t bend or break.”
Although the Pats bowed out in the first round of the WHL playoffs to Swift Current this season, there’s still another championship to contend for on home ice.
But with 12 1998-born players on the roster, the Pats roster will need another makeover starting in the off-season.
This seems like the perfect time for Paddock to head back to the pros. But he and his assistants Struch and Brad Herauf all received long-term contract extensions earlier this year.
Lumbard said the “master plan” is to eventually have Struch take over behind the bench. This is something that could happen as early as next season. Paddock would remain the GM, a role he’s held in the pros as well.
Three of the four coaches at last year’s Memorial Cup left their teams for pro hockey in the weeks that followed.
Don’t expect Paddock to follow their leads, though. Hockey’s Benjamin Button is happy where he is.
“I’m older than any of them were,” he said.
“There will never be a resume leaving me for somebody. I think it’s extremely unlikely. I guess if there’s a perfect situation – whatever that is – you’d have to because there’s financial gain at the highest level. But I don’t think about it at all.”
