The Greensboro Gargoyles, the city’s professional minor league ice hockey team, announced Mitch Giguere as their new head coach earlier this month. The team formed last year and is the latest team in Greensboro’s long history with hockey, but it’s off to a rough start.
In its inaugural season, the team finished last in the ECHL, formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League. Giguere will take the helm ahead of the team’s second season, which. starts in mid-October.
Giguere previously served as the assistant head coach of the Wheeling Nailers out of West Virginia, who finished second in the same division as the Gargoyles. He has coached junior and professional teams in Russia and Canada as well.
We talked with Giguere about his background, his thoughts on Greensboro’s prospects, and the recent surge of hockey in pop culture.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you come Greensboro?
Basically, I was looking for an opportunity to become a head coach in this league. I was looking to make the next step. We had played against Greensboro during the season and I thought their team was better than the standings. That’s what I thought throughout the whole year. I don’t know what happened in the organization with the coaches, but they thought to bring a new voice behind the bench.
Right now, we’re in June and we’re not playing until October. So it’s about building a community in Greensboro and making that connection with everyone. That way when the season starts, I can really focus on the hockey and the games.
You’ve coached both abroad and now here in the States. What is the biggest difference between the two?
The Wheeling Nailers was not only my first American league but my first North American professional league. The biggest difference is the ice and the style of play. Abroad, there’s more puck possession, less fights because the ice is bigger. There’s three sizes of rink basically: NHL, Finnish, and Olympic.
And the Russians play on the Finnish size, which is a little bigger than the NHL rinks. Because you have more space, you have the ability to play wider, you have more time, more space.
“We can do better by showing up and playing hard.”
Mitch Giguere, new head coach of the Greensboro Gargoyles
You’re coming to N.C. at an interesting time. The Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup for the first time in about two decades, and Greensboro has a long history with the sport. What have you gleaned about hockey culture since being here?
The craziest part here is I know former players who played for the [Greensboro] Monarchs. It’s a hockey town here, that’s what amazed me. I know a lot of fans here, I see the stickers on their cars. It’s a big community of sports, especially hockey.
As soon as I got hired, fans started doing research. They saw what my wife was doing. She would do face painting for kids two hours before the games and the fans started asking if she would do the same thing here. They’re excited to have her here, too.
Still, you’re coming into a bit of a tough situation. Any newly formed team is going to face challenges, but last in the division is rough. What are your plans for turning things around?
We need to be careful with expectations. It doesn’t mean that because we have a new coach that we’re going to win the Kelly Cup. We’re building a team to make the playoffs, but we need to take it slow. There is a process.
For me, it’s an easy sell. Last year is last year. We can do better by showing up and playing hard.
You’re currently in recruiting season. What kind of players are you looking for?
It’s a free for all. It’s hard because it’s all over the place but we rely on contacts, contacting agents, and if we think it’s a good fit, that’s when negotiations start. We talk to [a prospect] about how Greensboro would be good for him. And we say that by bringing you on this team, we’re getting closer to the playoff spot.
I want to make sure we have a team that will compete every single night. In this league you never know who you’re going to play in the sense that the lineup can change every 12 hours. So we want to try to compete so we can win more games. We want players that have something to prove, players that have a chip on their shoulder.
We’re looking at high-end players who can produce five-on-five. And we’re looking at players who won in the past. Size is a big factor. We’re looking at guys who are like 6’2” and making sure we have some grit, some physicality. I think last year, those guys were getting harassed.
How do you change the culture of a team?
Sometimes it’s by asking the players. Say, “Tell me about last year.” We want to find players that understand what happened who want more opportunities.
On the flipside, I think the coaches have such a huge impact on that culture. Coaches start building the culture and then the players will follow it. This is where coaches need to make sure to know what we want the team to look like and guide the players into that. That’s what we’re trying to do. Am I going to be able to create that the first week? No. But that’s the goal.
So when the fans are looking at the team on the ice, they know what kind of hockey we are playing. That we are structured, we have a system, that we’re working toward the same goal.
Hockey is having a bit of a moment in pop culture. Last year, the popular book series Game Changers was turned into the hit show, Heated Rivalry. Then, the show Off Campus hit streaming last month. What do you make of hockey becoming more popular, particularly among women and younger folks?
I haven’t read or watched anything, but [my wife] just finished watching Off Campus. I think it’s good anytime we can talk about hockey and bring kids and more women into the building.
I think it’s good for everybody. It’s good for the hockey community. You want people to talk about hockey and if they read something ask, “Oh, is there a hockey team in this city?” And then you’re able to create that buzz around the team and around hockey. We should have more of that.
What do you love about hockey or want people to know about it?
It’s a family, it’s a culture. Everyone who plays sports with a team will know the feeling. It’s just a family of guys trying to achieve the same goal. You’re trying to build a story that you can sit down in 10 to 15 years and tell around a fire pit. This is the kind of thing that the fans can see and feel. That’s what I’m trying to bring. That philosophy on and off the ice.
How’s Greensboro treating you so far?
So far, we love everything. There’s good restaurants, good spots. For the fans, don’t be shy. If you see me, my wife, or kids, come say hi. Shake our hands. We’re pretty excited to be here.
