Greg Cronin didn’t get his opportunity to be an NHL coach until he was 60 years old. But now in his first season with the Anaheim Ducks, Cronin isn't concerned about what didn't happen in the past but how he's helping to turn the Ducks around in the present.
"I have no regret, I have no resentment," Cronin said on the latest episode of "The Chirp with Daren Millard" podcast. "I'm just really thrilled to have the opportunity, that [Ducks general manager] Pat Verbeek saw talent in me when we had our long interviews, and he thought that talent would mesh well with what he's trying to do here with the rebuild. I'm happy as can be."
Cronin had been an assistant in the NHL with the New York Islanders (1998-2003, 2014-18) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2011-14) and had coached the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche's American Hockey League affiliate, for five seasons prior to the Ducks hiring him June 5.
The Ducks (7-6-0) are fourth in the Pacific Division following a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Still, it's a promising beginning for a team that has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs five straight seasons and was last in the NHL standings last season (23-47-12).
But Cronin isn't satisfied.
"I'm [ticked] off we lost [2-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday]," he said. "I want to be 8-4-0, not 7-[6]-0. At the same time, I'm looking through a long lens here. This is short in the season, it's early. This doesn't mean anything. What it does is it shows that they're capable of executing at a high pace and if they come back from losses, which is critical, that they can battle through adversity and win games. But it's a small sample size. It's our responsibility as coaches and their responsibility as players to continue to move this forward every day."
Cronin said he's gone to a simpler approach and "hold guys accountable to rules within a very simple system that will allow us to defend." It was important for players to buy in, and Cronin said they have. His biggest concern, however, was making sure he could create the defensive accountability with star forward Trevor Zegras and how it would impact his offense.
"If you look at his numbers optically, you say, 'Wow this guy has two points (one goal, one assist) in 12 games. What's going on there?'" Cronin said. "Well, I think his offense is going to come. Defensively he's completely committed to it, his teammates see it ... and he's bought into the fact that the team's having success despite the fact he's not scoring. But he's getting his chances. He seriously could have eight goals right now; he's getting chances but he's not scoring.
"I really like him. He's a very creative kid, kind of like an artist. He's very creative and he likes to make creative plays and use his stick to create magic on the ice. That's all great. He's getting chances and they'll come. His scoring will come. But I'm more proud of him about his team-first mentality that he's demonstrated the first few months here."
"The Chirp with Daren Millard" features interviews with players, executives, alumni and other personalities around the game and is available now on multiple iOS and Android podcast apps. You can share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #ChirpMillard.
