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Former Falcon hockey players reunited as AHL coaches
By: Ethan Magoc
Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: Sports
This summer, two former BG hockey players took a pair of pretty important jobs.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hired Dan Bylsma, BGSU Class of 1992, on Aug. 4 to replace Todd Richards as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League Affiliate. Two weeks later, Bylsma hired former BG assistant coach Todd Reirden as his bench partner.
Bylsma worked as Richards' assistant for two years with Wilkes-Barre before Richards took a job with the San Jose Sharks in July.
The new Baby Pens head coach immediately began the search for his own assistant coach, and eventually turned to his alma mater where Reirden had worked since July 2007.
Bylsma said he based his search on four criteria-work ethic, passion, hockey knowledge, and the ability to develop personal relationships.
There are a lot of ups and downs in an AHL season and you need that passion and energy for the game," Bylsma said. "When you're genuinely interested in helping players achieve their goals, that rubs off on people and they work harder."
Bylsma said those four factors made Reirden, a former Falcon teammate, an easy choice.
The two played together at BG for two seasons in 1990-91 and 1991-92, and totaled more than 160 points combined in their respective four-year Falcon careers.
Pittsburgh Penguins fans may notice a coincidence in the years that Bylsma and Reirden played together at the BGSU Ice Arena. They were the same two years that the Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and also the last.
In June, the Detroit Red Wings defeated Pittsburgh in six games during the Penguins' first chance at the Cup since the year Bylsma graduated. A week later, the Wilkes-Barre Penguins lost to the Chicago Wolves in six games during the AHL championship.
Reirden had worked as a volunteer assistant to Bylsma during the AHL playoff run, an experience he said helped him earn his current position.
"Dan had already seen me work for those two months, so that's how I got hired," Reirden said. "I had hoped to bring that AHL coaching experience back to Bowling Green's program. That's the reason I went down there in the spring, but it didn't work out that way."
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hired Dan Bylsma, BGSU Class of 1992, on Aug. 4 to replace Todd Richards as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League Affiliate. Two weeks later, Bylsma hired former BG assistant coach Todd Reirden as his bench partner.
Bylsma worked as Richards' assistant for two years with Wilkes-Barre before Richards took a job with the San Jose Sharks in July.
The new Baby Pens head coach immediately began the search for his own assistant coach, and eventually turned to his alma mater where Reirden had worked since July 2007.
Bylsma said he based his search on four criteria-work ethic, passion, hockey knowledge, and the ability to develop personal relationships.
There are a lot of ups and downs in an AHL season and you need that passion and energy for the game," Bylsma said. "When you're genuinely interested in helping players achieve their goals, that rubs off on people and they work harder."
Bylsma said those four factors made Reirden, a former Falcon teammate, an easy choice.
The two played together at BG for two seasons in 1990-91 and 1991-92, and totaled more than 160 points combined in their respective four-year Falcon careers.
Pittsburgh Penguins fans may notice a coincidence in the years that Bylsma and Reirden played together at the BGSU Ice Arena. They were the same two years that the Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and also the last.
In June, the Detroit Red Wings defeated Pittsburgh in six games during the Penguins' first chance at the Cup since the year Bylsma graduated. A week later, the Wilkes-Barre Penguins lost to the Chicago Wolves in six games during the AHL championship.
Reirden had worked as a volunteer assistant to Bylsma during the AHL playoff run, an experience he said helped him earn his current position.
"Dan had already seen me work for those two months, so that's how I got hired," Reirden said. "I had hoped to bring that AHL coaching experience back to Bowling Green's program. That's the reason I went down there in the spring, but it didn't work out that way."
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