In the hockey hierarchy, a head coach is the king of the locker room. When I'm sitting in my office, my boss is the general manager. But the second I walk through those locker room doors, my boss is the head coach. The same goes for everyone else down there - the players, equipment managers, assistant coaches and athletic trainers all report to whomever occupies that office on the end of the hall.
On Tuesday, Rod Brind'Amour became our new boss.
For seven years, under two different locker room chiefs, Rod was a good soldier. With almost 30 years in this league, he certainly knew the rules for an assistant coach. He was a teacher, an analyst, an advisor and a mentor. But not the boss. He could be overruled. He might take blame when something went wrong. He probably wouldn't get credit when something went right.
We all watched Rod accept and perform the assistant role, just as many of us watched him accept the role of an alternate captain. He was still himself - dedicated, hard-working and genuine. But reserved in the way that an assistant coach must be, by definition.
We know and understand that not everyone will share our elation today, yet. But to those who have known and worked closely with Rod, and have witnessed everything that's happened over these past two decades, this was the only choice. Thus, all those text messages this morning, from people who understand what this means and know what Rod represents.
Rod Brind'Amour is a born leader. He will not be outworked. He will be prepared and organized. Honest and direct. Open-minded. Creative.
He's had the perspective of being a first-line player and a fourth-line player. A power-play center and a penalty killer.
He's worked in the front office. Served as an eye-in-the-sky from the press box. Stood behind the bench and sat in that assistant coach's office.
Perhaps most importantly, he knows how to connect with people. He has empathy, and the ability to learn what motivates and inspires an individual, whether that person is a player, a staff member, or even a fan. He can look us each in the eyes, and make every one of us feel like an important part of something.
In 2005, we got to see the change in our locker room when that A on his sweater turned into a C. Now, we get to see the change as Brind'Amour moves into the office on the end of the hall.
Finally.
