‘Great coach, even a better person’: Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Desjardins gets win 500

A Gatorade shower courtesy of the Tigers players, is something Desjardins won’t forget.

“They’ve been trying to get me for a while, and I’ve been able to avoid it. But I was on with Rids, and I could see, I knew they were sneaking down the hallway, and I said to Rids, I’m going to have to pay a price for this interview, and sure enough, I had to, because I couldn’t really get out of it,” Desjardins said.

“But no, it’s good. They were excited about it, and it’s good that they mattered, and they had fun doing it, so that’s all that counts.”

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Desjardins grew up in the small community of Climax, Saskatchewan, about a two and a half hour drive from Medicine Hat, and home to about 200 people.

“It’s funny, because I tell kids that lots of times. I go, what’s the chances I would ever end up coaching in the NHL, coming out of Climax?,” Desjardins said..

“There was nobody in my family that coached. There’s no reason I would be a coach. You just never know what’s going to happen,” he added.

“The only thing you know is you keep moving forward, and you keep working hard. You find something you enjoy. Doesn’t matter what it is in life, you enjoy it. And if you enjoy it, you have a chance to excel at it.”

Desjardins said he had great parents that did things with him that installed something in him.

“Then I had good mentors along the way. I ran into Dave King. I never was going to coach, so I met Dave King. I never even thought about it. He taught me a few things, and maybe coaching was going to be an option,” Desjardins said.

“You’re lucky enough in life if you come around and cross some good people, and I had that.”

Desjardins said it also wouldn’t have happened without his wife.

“Her support’s incredible. We had a lot of hard journeys, like being in Japan with kids and traveling and all that’s really, really hard,” Desjardins said.

“I’ve been away from, two of my kids were born when I wasn’t there, and that’s a big, big sacrifice,” he added.

“There’s lots of things to go into it, but saying all that, I’ve been really, really fortunate, and Medicine Hat’s a great place, so I’m lucky to be here.”

He attributes part of his success to a desire to win and having lots of support from great players.

“It also means you’ve had great scouts, means you’ve had great coaches to work with you, and lots of support from management,” Desjardins said.

“There’s so many things that go into it, but I appreciate all those things, and it’s just kind of more longevity than anything,” he added.

“You stick around long enough, you’re going to get some wins. But when you work with that kind of people, and I’ve been lucky to work with that group of people.”

Sticking with coaching helped allow Desjardins to coach in the National Hockey League with three different organizations in between his stints with the Tigers.

He spent time as an assistant with the Dallas Stars, and as a head coach with both the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.

“I coached for 25 years, probably, before I made it to the NHL, and lots of times it’s just staying with it, and I’d never get there if I wasn’t in a place I really enjoyed,” Desjardins said.

“Like, I love coaching at Medicine Hat, and so every day I came to work, it wasn’t work. It was something that I got to do that I enjoyed, so I’ve been fortunate with the Masers and the organization,” he added.

“I think it’s fun, something you love to do, and then going to work every day and working hard.”

Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt shares the same number Desjardins had during his playing days.

“It’s kind of funny. We kind of wear the same number when he kind of grew up,” Wiesblatt said.

“I know when I was 15, I took a wild guess at what number Willie wore, and it was seven,” he added.

“I feel like I clicked with Willie right away and he’s just such a great human being and he’s done a lot for me.”

Wiesblatt said seeing Desjardins get 500 wins is super special, and not something that was on the coaches radar.

“I think it was kind of a secret around the group for a little bit and we kept kind of quiet and we just kind of wanted to get it for him, but he completely deserves it,” Wiesblatt said.

“He’s a great coach, even a better person. I’ve been here for five years, six years, I guess, and he’s honestly done so much for me, not just for my hockey, but for me and my family. He’s taught me a lot. He basically made sure I graduated,” Wiesblatt said.

“You don’t make great decisions when you’re a young guy and to have a teacher like him to kind of support you and kind of take you through what he’s gone through.”

Wiesblatt said that Desjardins cares about having good people in his room.

“That’s what’s so special, and that’s why he’s done so well here. He’s created a great culture and obviously a great history in Medicine Hat,” Wiesblatt said.

“I’ll always remember, I hate saying it, but it’s changed now, but he called me one day after a fitness test and he basically just said your scores weren’t great and I told him I don’t like working out,” he added.

“Obviously that’s changed, but we both knew that we could be completely honest with each other and I think that’s what our relationship is. It’s complete trust and we respect each other a lot.”

Tigers forward Marcus Pacheco was able to score his first career hat-trick during Desjardins milestone game, and said it was pretty awesome to share that with his coach.

“I don’t know anyone else that would deserve that more than him,” Pacheco said.

“He’s been awesome since I’ve been here, just over a year now, and I couldn’t have asked for a better coach right now. So it’s pretty cool.”

Desjardins said that after his NHL coaching career, he came back to Medicine Hat for a reason.

“I think it’s a great franchise, it has great history. I love the fans here, I always have. I like it when we’re able to put a good team on the table and play hard, because I think they appreciate that,” Desjardins said.

“There was a reason that I wanted to come back here. I’ve always wanted to win a Memorial Cup here. It’s something that I’d love to do.”

The Tigers and their coach will continue to chase down their Memorial Cup hopes again this weekend with a home and home series against the division rival Calgary Hitmen.

by Jesse Gill

‘Great coach, even a better person’: Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Desjardins gets win 500

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