By Steve Ewen/Special to the Langley Advance
These are interesting times for Glen Hanlon.
The former NHL goalie (his 14-year career included 137 games with the Vancouver Canucks) and coach (he guided the Washington Capitals for parts of four seasons, plus various international teams) took over as general manager of the Langley-based Vancouver Giants this past summer and is trying to turn his club around.
His first Western Hockey League trade deadline at the controls is Tuesday.
Vancouver is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
The 59-year-old from Brandon, Man., took some time to talk about various things earlier this week while driving between Calgary and Edmonton.
The Giants are on an Eastern Conference road trip. Their next home game is Jan. 13, when the Moose Jaw Warriors visit Langley Events Centre.
Q: What don’t people understand about the WHL trade deadline?
A: The one main thing is that your whole roster isn’t available for trades. Until a player graduates high school, you can’t move him – unless they ask. I think for the fan or the follower of the league, they want to compare the WHL with the NHL and its trade deadline, and it’s not the same.
People will say, ‘If you have a trade offer for a younger guy, why don’t you just go ask them to move?’ But it’s not like asking a 30-year-old man to waive his no-trade clause. You’re asking a boy who is in high school to change schools. You’re asking a family, who may be quite happy with how things are going for their son in school and other aspects of his life, to agree to move him to another area. You can’t do that.
Q. What’s surprised you about being a GM at this level?
I was prepared for that question. To be honest, being around the league for two years (as an assistant coach to Don Hay with the Giants from 2011-13), I felt like I had a good feel for everything.
I guess you can say that possibly the amount of correspondence with the league, with the conference calls about issues and the paperwork and the signing of forms for affiliate players.
There’s a lot of different things that take up a certain part of your day that you need to be on top of. Some teams have different staffing structures and different people to handle some of those things, but I’m purposely trying to do everything, so I can get a real feel for how everything works.
Q. What percentage of your day involves non-hockey items?
A. It’s hard to say. You come in every morning and you go over all the games in the league from last night and all the transactions.
You check whatever emails need to be taken care of. If there’s an unhappy player, you meet with him.
The closer you get to the trade deadline, there are more phone calls, there’s more travelling to watch other teams play. I guess percentage-wise it’s about 10 per cent that’s non-hockey.
Q. In the NHL, you’re drafting 18-year-olds and trying to project what they might be like at 24. In the WHL, you’re drafting 14-year-olds and trying to project what they might be at 18 or 19. What’s more difficult?
A. To me, the WHL drafting is harder. Right now, I don’t have the comparables like a Terry Bonner (the Giants’ director of scouting) or a Jason Ripplinger (director of player personnel) have. They’ve got years and years.
I look at somebody who is 5-(foot)-2 right now and wonder how he’s going to turn out. Guys like Terry and Jason can go through their notes and show you hundreds and hundreds of examples.
Players at the bantam level make huge strides. I can obviously go in a rink and see a guy and say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be a good player.’
When it comes to deciding whether a guy is a fourth-rounder or a sixth-rounder, I need some help with that right now.
That’s where guys like Terry and Jason come in.
Some managers gravitate toward scouting. Some of them have been bantam scouts. My experience is with more of an older group.
To me, a big thing is that we draft 10 kids every year and none of them are guaranteed signs.
There’s a recruiting job you still have to do.
That’s an area I’m focusing on.
I enjoy meeting the parents and telling them what we have going on. I’m pretty proud of what we have here.
Q. Is there something you’ve enjoyed about that job, that’s surprised you?
John Paddock (GM/coach of the Regina Pats) told me that I would really like the other managers and the camaraderie.
It’s not like the NHL, but it’s not some picnic, either.
You have a question, though, and guys are willing to help you out.
Q. In your mind, what are the positives about the Giants right now?
A. One of the things I want is that we can sit back and make sure our kids are trending in the right direction, and I think we can say that’s being accomplished.
We like the improvements all our players are making.
Q. Do you want to get back to the NHL?
A. I came here for a few different reasons.
Most of all, I’m close to my family for the first time in forever and I’m really enjoying that.
The hockey side I get.
I’ve done it my whole life.
I’ve got a lot to learn on the management side.
We have a big task ahead of us and I’m more than willing to roll up my sleeves and get to work.
This is a great challenge and it’s a great place to work.
My living and working conditions are as good as anywhere I could work.
I’m happy where I’m at and it’s likely where I will end.
I don’t have a Memorial Cup and I’m highly motivated to (win) that.
Q. Do you still pay attention to the Capitals? There are guys there you coached.
A. Honestly, not really.
Q. You have told me, though, that you are an Alex Ovechkin fan. Is that right?
A. One hundred per cent. This business breeds great people, character people and he’s as good as it gets. It was a privilege to coach him.
He had this zest to play. He was still just a kid. We would lose and he would be devastated. The next day, he would come to the rink with a smile on his face and a jump in his stride.
I think he’s wonderful. I’m always happy when he has success. I hope he wins a Stanley Cup.
– Steve Ewen writes for The Province
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