Kris Versteeg has traded in the sunny Miami sky, for the wind and snow of his hometown of Lethbridge.
The locked-out Florida Panthers forward has returned to the city in a new capacity, assistant coach with the University of Lethbridge Men’s Hockey Team.
“I told (U of L head coach Greg) Gatto I was going to come home and get some ice time,” said Versteeg, “and he asked me to come out and help.”
Versteeg returned to the city Friday and was behind the bench for two Pronghorn games against Mount Royal University over the weekend. He had been in Florida, rehabbing after off-season hip surgery, but once cleared to skate, decided to come home for a new experience.
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“It’s been an eye-opener to say the least,” said the 26 year old, “how fast the game moves and how many decisions you have to make before you even have a decision made, so, it’s been a lot of fun.”
A Stanley Cup winner with Chicago in 2010, Versteeg’s not much older than the players he’s now coaching, and he has no real experience behind the bench. But that doesn’t mean he’s here in just a token role – his experiences and accomplishments provide plenty of learning opportunities for the Pronghorns.
“I didn’t want a circus here just because it’s Kris Versteeg,” said ‘Horns Head Coach Greg Gatto, “and he’s been awesome. I mean he wants to learn and he brings some good things. He looked at our forecheck, said ‘what about this, what about that?’ He’s got a pretty in depth knowledge of the game.”
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And he’s willing to share that knowledge, “he teaches us something new every day,” said ‘Horns forward Chase Schaber, “you’ve just got to talk to him, he’s an easy guy to talk to, a great guy to be around.”
Brash and colourful, Versteeg made news earlier in the week for some controversial comments regarding the NHL lockout made on a national radio show. Now, he’s shying away from lockout talk, focusing on his role with the ‘Horns. If the work stoppage carries on, Versteeg will explore playing options in Europe, however he might also just settle in at home – even looking at taking some classes next semester at the U of L. All the while, giving back to a program near and dear to his heart.
“I’m trying to be involved,” he said “I’m trying to help out with a lot of these guys, I’m actually friends with a lot of these guys, my brother’s friends with them too, so it works out that way.”
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