Q+A WITH GENERAL MANAGER DAN MACKINNON
Nov 7, 2024Q: It’s a tough decision for any team to make to relieve their head coach of duties. Can you take us through the decision-making process?
A: Firstly, you don’t see it often at the American Hockey League level which is why this was such a difficult decision. It was an organizational decision… a decision right at the top between Tom Fitzgerald and myself. But we felt there was enough runway to get a reset in this season. We want complete alignment with what we are trying to do with the big club in New Jersey with our new coach there, Sheldon Keefe, setting new standards. A lot of it we felt wasn’t where it needed to be here. And that’s just not on one person but unfortunately, that’s sometimes the first step you take.
Looking back at the previous two seasons…we did have what I would describe as slower start, working our way into the season. This was a theme in the summer in the off-season that we tried to address that we were going to come out of the gates hard. It didn’t happen for whatever reason and that also sort of necessitated that we would address this now.
Q: Is it fair to say you believe the foundation of this team is strong and can compete each and every night in this league?
A: I couldn’t agree more. We like the group. The games not played on paper. But from the net out we feel we have a team that can be highly competitive. The opportunities in New Jersey are callup opportunities for the most part… What Sheldon has said to the players and the staff is, I am looking for players who can come up and make a contribution, own their game, and play highly competitive and trustworthy hockey. And that’s what we need to see at his level. Highly competitive and trustworthy hockey.
And I do feel there is character in that room. I just don’t feel it, I know it. And I know we are going to see some good things from this group. Go back to the previous two seasons. We played some really competitive hockey from the most part from January on. That’s not good enough. We are in November here and we want to see it now.
Q: I know these decisions are part of the business but I am sure this had an effect on your personally.
A: Very tough, very tough. I consider Kev a personal friend. We had a professional relationship, but we also had a friendship. You touched on it, just enormous respect as a hockey person. You go back to his playing days. If we had a bunch of Kevin Dineen’s in the prime of his career in New Jersey right now, we would be a really tough team. And he carried that intensity into every facet of his life. One of the reasons we were drawn to Kevin in the first place was how set the competitive standard every day, every practice day from the moment he walked into the rink until he left, you never questioned his commitment. So, when it comes to part ways, that’s what makes it so difficult.
Q: Give us what your expectations are now with Ryan Parent as the Interim Head Coach of the Comets.
Yeah, I think it's ownership and I think Ryan's a good communicator. I’ve known Ryan a long time, seven years he's worked with us, and I think Ryan's going to facilitate a better sense of our players owning their performance in that locker room… and that's what we want to see. The directions clear they know how they're expected to play.