Greg Gilbert is the new head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs. (Image: Saint John Sea Dogs/submitted)
A former NHL player and coach is bringing his experience to a New Brunswick hockey team.
Greg Gilbert was named the new head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday.
He will take over from associate coach Jeff Cowan, who has been serving as interim head coach for several months.
During a Facebook live event with the team Monday night, Gilbert said he considers himself to be a patient coach who expects a lot from his players.
“There’s times to be patient, there’s times not to be patient obviously, but in major junior [hockey] players are going to make mistakes. They’re young, they’re going through that process, and it’s our job as a coaching staff to make them better and learn how to do things the right way,” said Gilbert.
During his 15-season NHL career, Gilbert played for the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues.
Gilbert also has 20 years of coaching experience, including 189 games with the Calgary Flames. He also coached several American Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League teams.
Despite spending the past few years as an analyst with the NHL, Gilbert said he never lost his passion for coaching.
“Being outside of the game so to speak in that aspect where you’re not behind the bench as a coach, you don’t lose it but you still have that fire burning in you where you want to be down there, you want to be close to the players, you want to help them get better and you want to win,” he said.
Gilbert is no stranger to winning, having captured the Stanley Cup three times as a player — two with the New York Islanders and one with the New York Rangers.
As the Sea Dogs look for their next QMJHL title and Memorial Cup, Gilbert said the road will not be easy.
“There’s some things you’ve got to work on. We’ve got some very skilled players, no question, who can score goals, and now we’ve got to learn to play without the puck a little bit without taking anything away from the offence,” he said.
“It’s not hard to do. It’s just a matter of buying into it and learning how to execute the right way. When that happens, hopefully championships follow.”
Gilbert said his main focus will be to make the players the best they can be as individuals and as a team so they can hopefully win not just the QMJHL but the Memorial Cup.
The Sea Dogs have captured the QMJHL title four times, most recently in 2017. Their first and only Memorial Cup victory came in 2011.
The next QMJHL season is expected to begin on Oct. 1.
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