Development is a 'Strength' For New Marlies Head Coach John Gruden
The 53-year-old joins the Toronto Marlies after stints as an assistant with the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.
New Marlies head coach John Gruden has arrived in Toronto, just three days after being hired by the Maple Leafs organization.
"I really had a tough time going left instead of right coming over the bridge," he joked.
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Gruden returns to coaching in Canada for the first time since he helped lead the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs to an OHL Championship back in 2018.
That was where he began to gain head coaching experience.
"I had so much fun being part of obviously the people that brought me on board there (in Hamilton)," the 53-year-old said. "We have now so much to look back on, we won a championship, you know? The players, I still have good relationships with them, and the people that brought me on board."
And now, he's in Toronto, the hockey mecca of the world, coaching the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate.
"I'm excited about it and the opportunity," Gruden said.
This isn't his first rodeo in professional hockey, though. The 53-year-old was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 2018-2022 before moving to the Boston Bruins, under Jim Montgomery.
Gruden, during that time, said he learned "so much." Especially from Montgomery in Boston, and Barry Trotz in New York.
"The professionalism, the type of person Barry Trotz is. There's no secret why he'll be a Hall of Famer and no secret why he's still in the NHL as a general manager," Gruden said.
"And then Jim Montgomery, with that youth and that energy, and his intelligence about the game and how it should be played. So, very fortunate to be working with guys like that."
Being a head coach in the AHL, you have to be able to balance the development of players while also trying to win games. Sometimes that can be difficult for coaches.
But Gruden, spending time at both the NHL and OHL levels, might not have a problem with that. He also says development is a "strength" of his.
"I think every kid's a little different. Some need a little work off-ice or on-ice, and that's our job to identify that," Gruden said. "And it's our job to help them get better with that.
"Again, I think it's a strength of mine to be able to identify that stuff. But at the end of the day, it's a partnership. And we're looking forward to that opportunity to help these young players develop."
Being at the NHL level can be a big deal for some, especially with a coaching gig. But why was it important for Gruden to take a job at the AHL level?
"I just go back to the grassroots, on the time I spent with my son's teams, the time I spent in Hamilton (with the Bulldogs)," the 53-year-old said. "And it got me excited because it's an important time for these young kids to get the development, which I believe is one of my strengths.
"And whoever we hire with that, our job is to try and make them better players, and more importantly better young men, so I'm excited about that."
Gruden says, as of right now, he hasn't looked at many of the players who'll play for the Marlies in the fall. He's been head coach for three days and it's going to take some time.
He has gotten to meet Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, though. And the two plan to sit down at some point during the summer to discuss what's expected of the Marlies' coaching staff in terms of teaching the players to play the right way.
"That's going to be important," Gruden said. "Once Sheldon (Keefe) gets the time, the two of us will have plenty of time between now and the beginning of the season to see what he would like from us.
"Because it's important that, if guys do get called up, that they've been taught the right way and so they're used to the same systems."
In terms of Gruden's coaching staff with the Marlies, though, that's still being worked on.
"I don't think there's a timeline," he said. "We just want to make sure between (Brad Treliving) and Ryan Hardy to get the right guys here that are going to compliment me, and then obviously help out with the development of the young players."
At the end of the day, working in this field can be a lot for some. Taking a job further away from home can be scary.
Though for Gruden, the job with the Marlies was something he felt he needed to take.
"It's just sometimes you just get something in your gut and you got to go with it," the 53-year-old said. "And you hit it head-on and do the best you can with it. I don't think there's any reinventing the wheel here. It's a game, it's a fun game, and there's a reason why these young men play it."
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