Courtesy of Kelowna Capital News (www.kelownacapnews.com)
New Westside Warriors coach Darren Yopyk is back in West Kelowna to permanently take up residence in the Warriors coach?s office working towards the start of the 2009-10 B.C. Hockey League season.
After being hired by the Warriors July 7, Yopyk spent a week in Westside then two weeks back in Boston tying up loose ends with his old job as an associate coach with the Merrimack University men?s hockey team.
Yopyk, 33, sat down with Capital News reporter and Warriors play by play announcer Kevin Parnell to talk about the upcoming season.
Kevin Parnell: How?s it feel to be back for good and getting ready for your first season as the Warriors head coach?
Darren Yopyk: It?s exciting to be here now on a permanent basis. I was here a couple weeks ago but it was a whirlwind. Now I?m here I can start working. I?m still in the process of talking to guys. I met with the coaching staff and we?re going over our training camp list. I?m just looking forward to camp and all of the veterans getting here.
KP: Your season opens on Sept. 11, a little over a month from now. Are you nervous?
DY: It?s a little scary but it?s good. Once you get into the season and the groove it?s easy. Summer time is always hard for a coach. You want to be playing hockey.
KP: The Warriors are coming off of two excellent regular seasons with 40 and 37 wins the last two years. Is it intimidating to come into a situation like that?
DY: It?s not intimidating, it?s exciting. One of the reasons I came here is this program has grown a lot in three years. No one is going to put more pressure on this team than myself. We want to win. We want to have program that is the best.
KP: What?s the difference between your role as an associate coach at Merrimack and a head coach in the BCHL?
DY: I think the biggest thing is the number of games we?re playing. It?s almost double the amount than we played in college. That means practise times will be at a premium. Practises will be focused and we will get as much as we can out of them. I think we have to worry about managing our players energy levels. If we have three games in three nights, we have to figure out our schedule.
KP: You have a Ph.D in psychology and you earned a college scholarship after your junior A playing career. How much will education play a part in the program you want to build?
DY: The biggest thing is I consider myself more of an educator than a coach. I was going to be a college professor but I went back into coaching because I thought I would have more impact on student-athletes. My goal is to try and help develop young men into grown men. I want to develop it through hockey. I want to teach and help them grow into real good citizens of the community and help them achieve their goals.
KP: What goals have you set for this team this year?
DY: Get better from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Goals are important but the biggest piece is just getting better every day
KP: When you were hired you talked about your team playing an up-tempo style. What should people expect from the Warriors this year?
DY: People want to put me in run-and-gun style. I don?t think that?s what I am. I want my offensive guys to be offensive and to be creative. I want to put players into the role they are going to be successful at. When we?re on offense I want all our guys going. When we play defense I need all our guys back. I want to be puck possession team. I think we?re going to work hard, be disciplined and compete.
