Mike Yeo ready for return to Minnesota

Mike Yeo isn't sure about the range of emotions he'll experience when he returns to Xcel Energy Center for the first time as an associate coach of the St. Louis Blues when they play the Minnesota Wild on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; FS-WI, FS-N+, FS-MW, NHL.TV).
Yeo, 43, led the Wild to three appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Second Round in 2014 and 2015, during his four-plus seasons as coach. He was fired Feb. 13 and hired by the Blues four months later not only as associate coach for this season but as coach Ken Hitchcock's successor in 2017-18.

"I'm not sure what I'll be feeling, but I think we're all competitors and we've all faced change at some point in our careers," Yeo said. "Once the puck drops the game is on, and the attention turns to your group."
The coaching arrangement in St. Louis is an unusual one, but it's an opportunity for which Yeo is grateful.
"I'd say in the early going it took a little bit of time to kind of figure out my role and figure out how to best help [Hitchcock] and assist him in his day-to-day workings," Yeo said. "But right now it's just a seamless process day after day."
Blues assistant general manager Martin Brodeur likes the fact Yeo has provided Hitchcock with a different outlook and voice.
"Hitch has been here for six seasons now and he's had a lot of success, and I think it's been a good transition," Brodeur said. "It's going to give [Yeo] a good idea what to expect when he takes the reins to really see what he has to work with."

Yeo said he has been looking forward to the trip back. His son, Kyler, is a senior forward at Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minnesota, and is scheduled to play a home game against Mahtomedi on Saturday.
"The situation is a little unique since as an added bonus I'll be able to check out one of his hockey games while I'm there," Yeo said. "I'll be able to spend some time with the family (minus his daughter, who attends Colorado College)."
In addition to reacquainting himself with the high school hockey hotbed that is Minnesota, Yeo said he's looking forward to seeing old friends associated with the Wild.
"It's your first head coaching job, and the experience of working with a great organization and great people was something I'll always remember," Yeo said of his time with Minnesota. "To be able to do it in a hockey-mad market was something else. The people were passionate and always respectful. At the same time, you knew every day they were thinking and caring about what was going on with the Wild, and that made it fun."
Prior to Minnesota, Yeo spent 10 seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, the last four as an assistant coach and part of a Stanley Cup winner in 2009. For his first six seasons, he was an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.
"I had a lot of experience both in the NHL and in the AHL, but it's amazing to look at and see my growth in five years," Yeo said. "The goal the entire time when I first took the job [in Minnesota] was wanting to turn the team into one that could make the playoffs and have the right culture, to have a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, and I think we achieved that."
On the morning of Jan. 7, 2015, Yeo stormed off the ice in the middle of a practice that didn't meet his expectations. At the time, Minnesota was near the bottom of the Western Conference standings and had won two of its previous 10 games.

That tirade and the arrival of goaltender Devan Dubnyk days later could be considered the turning point of a season in which the Wild earned a playoff berth.
"That obviously got a lot of attention," Yeo said. "I think those are conversations that most coaches would maybe have once or twice over the course of a season with their team, and unfortunately I didn't realize there was a camera on at that time. Those are conversations I would certainly not want to be public.
"But the one thing I always really respected about that group was that they cared, and they responded when challenged or faced with adversity. They certainly did at that point."
Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was appreciative of what Yeo did for the organization.
"I enjoyed him and thought he was a good coach; he was intense when he needed to be and he was very personable and approachable," he said. "You could tell he was a little young and maybe hesitant on certain situations when I first arrived (in 2012-13) but he grew so much, and I respect him a lot."
Said Wild captain Mikko Koivu: "I thought you could really see him grow as a coach and the way he handled us through his experience, and it was a good experience for us players."

Yeo appreciated the texts and support given him by many of his players when they received word of his firing. That's all in the past, however.
"Like most teams I would say we don't, night after night, completely love our game," Yeo said, "but one thing that I love is that our guys show up, compete and we're never out of a game. We have sort of a winning attitude about how to approach the game. We have an awful lot of talent, but we all know it takes more than talent in this game, so that's been real encouraging.
"Aside from wanting to help the team win this year any way I can, I've got a chance to learn from a Hall of Fame coach and a chance to learn about the group I'll be coaching, so those are two invaluable tools for me."
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has enjoyed having Yeo on board and looks forward to the future with him behind the bench.
"I think he brings a different dynamic to the room, a different mindset to the game, which is always good," Parayko said. "He's a guy who's energetic and has done a good job of sharing his knowledge."
NHL.com correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this report.