The other day, head coach Dan Muse and head equipment manager Jon Taglianetti joked that they might need to order some steel sticks for assistant coach Mike Stothers. It’s a miracle that Stothers hasn’t gone through a dozen sticks by now, with how he bangs them on the glass to get the boys going.
“We should make a guess on how many sticks he’s actually going to go through this year in practice,” Muse said with a laugh. “You just see that energy. It’s contagious, you know? It is. I just try to not break character and start smiling when I look over and see him banging on the glass.
“It’s awesome. I mean, just so much energy. He’s an unbelievable human being. We’re all so fortunate that he’s here with us on staff. He adds so much in terms of his knowledge of the game, his passion for the game, everything that he’s done in the game, both as a player and as a coach. Then, he’s an amazing, amazing coach, and he’s an even better human being.”
That’s what Muse, Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza quickly learned when Stothers’ name came up as a candidate during their assistant coach search, and they started reaching out to people and players he’s worked with during his 30 years of coaching experience, most recently as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks.
Stothers has also spent time in the NHL as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers (2010-11) and Flyers (2000-02). In the AHL, Stothers served as head coach for the Ontario Reign, Manchester Monarchs and Grand Rapids Griffins.
In his only season with Manchester, he guided them to the Calder Cup Championship and received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s Coach of the Year.
Muse said he was “blown away” by the positive feedback about Stothers.
“He’s another coach that’s had tremendous success, really, everywhere he’s been,” Muse said. “He won a championship there in the American League. He’s been an assistant coach in the NHL for multiple organizations… the hockey world’s a small world, and it’s pretty easy to connect the dots, the impact that he’s made on players.”
That meant the world to Stothers, who called those relationships the biggest reward of this job. It’s one he stepped away from for a time, after being diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma of the lymph node.
Stothers said he’s feeling terrific, and is grateful to the care and support he got from the Ducks organization.
“It was top notch all the way,” Stothers said. “It was a little bit of a setback, it was a little bit of a battle. But you know what, I felt confident through the whole thing, especially after learning more about the particular cancer that I had. The doctors were great about keeping me informed as to what was next and what we were going to be anticipating or expecting and the results of that, of how I’d be feeling after treatments and stuff like that. But it’s behind me now, and we’re looking forward to just keep moving on one foot in front of the other.”