Dineen, Utica's New Bench Boss, Brings Wealth of Knowledge | FEATURE

A new city, a new name, and now a new head coach for the Devils American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets. The organization announced Kevin Dineen as the third head coach in Comets history Thursday. When it came to what drew Dineen to accepting the bench boss job, the culture of the entire Devils organization was a huge factor.
"Like a lot of things in life, it starts with people," Dineen said. "I had my first conversation with (Devils general manager) Tom Fitzgerald and followed up with (assistant GM) Dan MacKinnon and you just get a feel for how (they) run their organizations.
"The proof is in the pudding, and you see the number of players that are on the New Jersey Devils that their path goes through the American Hockey League, and for me that was very alluring. When you have (a franchise) that relies so much on their development and their homegrown talent, it means that you play a real vital role."

One of the challenges that all AHL coaches face is balancing wins while focusing on developing players. This is something Dineen, who has eight years of coaching experience in the AHL, knows quite well through his career, and how winning and helping these players grow, go hand in hand.
"We're in a competitive business, we're passionate about it, and we also all like to win," Dineen said. "I think also, when you have success, I think it just creates that positive atmosphere around the players, around the locker room, and it makes it really enjoyable to come to work. Make no mistake, we are all about development. That is our role, but we do believe that development goes hand in hand with winning."
Dineen's understanding of what it means to be a successful coach in professional hockey comes from extensive experience as a player and bench boss. Through 1,188 career NHL games over 19 seasons, Dineen scored 760 points (355G-405A). He played 59 Stanley Cup Playoff games where he contributed 41 points (23G-18A).
Following a successful playing career, Dineen spent two season as an assistant general manager with the Columbus Blue Jackets before going behind the bench with head coaching stops at the Portland Pirates (AHL), Florida Panthers (NHL) and Hockey Canada. Dineen also won the Stanley Cup as an assistant for the Chicago Blackhawks. Most recently, Dineen spent two seasons as the head coach of the San Diego Seagulls (AHL) where he posted a 56-36-9 record and a playoff appearance.
All of these factors, from experience to culture, made Dineen the right choice for Comets general manager Dan MacKinnon and team president Robert Esche.
"Kevin's experience going way back to his tremendous career as a player, and then everything he's done as a coach," MacKinnon said. "I just think he has such a tremendous perspective on what it is to work with young professional hockey players and help them try to optimize everything they have in terms of talent."
"Kevin's been a guy that, for me personally, I've always looked up to," said Esche. "When you're coaching young kids and you're developing them, you've got to be able to relate to them. I don't think there's a part of Kevin that can't relate to any of these prospects."
"It's an honor for us in Utica, and I think it's going to be a natural fit."