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| First off, he played for the Mobile Mysticks, which instantly makes him legendary... |
When Allain Vigneault left the PEI Rocket to coach the Vancouver Canucks just before the 2005-2006 season, the team went into a last second search for a new head coach. They opted to take a chance with Jean... and take a chance they did. The first time he ever coached a game in Moncton, he lost 3-1. The second time he coached a game in Moncton, he lost 13-4 and got booted in the second period amid a hailstorm of line brawls and Josh Hepditch hat tricks. Then there was the brawl he premeditated upon opening puck drop against Bathurst later that year. Oh, that scandalous Mr.Jean (whom I affectionately dubbed "Little Richard") was something. One thing he didn't seem to be, however, was a competent head coach.
For much of Jean's tenure behind the Rocket bench, I would go on air and criticize the man and his techniques. He seemed to make the wrong decision at the wrong time, grow frustrated incredibly quickly and invariably lose control of his bench. When he was let go by the Rocket early in the 07-08 season, I had the impression that his days as a head coach in general were probably numbered. I fully expected some team to pick him up as an assistant, nothing more.
In 2010, Jean resurfaced... this time as head coach in Victoriaville. I know I did a double take. Many of the female contingent of Q fans I know were thrilled to have their favorite piece of eye candy back and I very much took a "wait and see" approach. All he's done since his return to the league has been - more often than not - one of the better coaches in the league. He lead his team to an improbable sweep of the Titan in the first round of the 2011 playoffs and has seemed to get the absolute most out of his Tigres since his arrival (2012 playoffs notwithstanding). The man behind the bench now is hardly recognizable (in terms of mannerisms only) compared to the guy in PEI (speaking of the Rocket, I also wonder how much of the "thrown into the fire" scenario he was placed into on the island contributed to his end results... was he doomed from the start?). For a guy who once literally had just his looks going for him (my wife once commented that he should quit hockey and become an underwear model... and since I'm the guy who weighed the options of how pervy it would be to sneak into that Katy Perry 3D movie on my own, I have no right to contest that comment), he's come a long way. He seems to have funneled that "loose cannon" attitude into a deep rooted passion his players can relate to. His maturation has been great to see in a league that can sometimes still be a boon for recycled coaches.
He's now the kind of guy who can lead his team to a good, clean win on any given night... and that you have to respect. So Yanick, I'm sorry man. I've misjudged you. I wish you all the best in your continuation to polish that increasingly impressive coaching resume. Here's to a hard fought loss tomorrow night.
Obviously, considering his ignorant comment about banjos, the supposed cosmopolitan Will MacLaren has never even been to Mobile, Alabama. If he had, he would know it is the second largest city in Alabama, home to Mardi Gras in the United States, one of the oldest cities in the South, and a haven for industry. It is hardly the backwoods, inbred, hillbilly dump that this uninformed blogger describes it as being. It's sad that someone would be irresponsible and tacky enough to attack a place without even knowing anything about it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Yanick Jean, we still consider him one of ours even though he and hockey have left our Port City, and we revel in the fact that he is doing well. Continued best wishes to you, Yanick.