Kevin Chats With Klippers’ Coaches
By Kevin Martin
As hard as it seems to believe, the Kindersley Klippers are celebrating their 30th year in the SJHL and its gone by in the blink of an eye!
This season we will be featuring both coaches and past players as we stroll down memory lane. Hopefully by sharing their own experiences, we can better appreciate what they both have to do to play and coach in this league.
This edition we focus on the three coaches behind the bench for this 2022 season. Head coach Ken Plaquin, and assistant coaches Briar McNaney, and former Klipper Tyler Traptow.
We hope you enjoy reading about them as we did talking to them and getting to know them just a little better.
I caught up with them after practice last Thursday as they were analyzing the Battleford game from the night before which the Klippers won 3 to 2 in overtime. We had a very casual talk about what it takes to coach at this level and despite the age differences, I could tell that all three had a mutual respect for each other and what each brings to the table. They all have their strengths and share their knowledge and experience freely. There is no room for big egos as the main goal is to win as many hockey games as possible.
Head coach Ken Plaquin was very hearty in his praise of Briar and Tyler and said that even though he has been coaching a long time, you are never to old to learn something new. He said that Briar and Tyler bring a freshness and renewed enthusiasm to the Klippers and that affects everyone positively. The Klippers organization is known for treating coaches and players well.
Tyler mentioned that the transition from player to coach hasn’t been too bad but the urge to play still creeps in. Even Ken and Briar chipped in and they still feel the urge to play! But even so, they all feel a sense of responsibility to help the young players be their best and like to lead by example. Respect is earned.
As Briar was a previous head coach, I asked him if he feels like he got demoted. He just laughed and said “No, I don’t feel like I was demoted. I relished the opportunity to coach at a higher level and working with Ken and Tyler has been awesome”.
I asked Ken what he looks for in a player and he answered that “Leadership qualities are important. Someone who the other players can talk to as well as to the referees”! Hockey skills of course are important but you don’t need to have a C or A on your jersey to be a leader. The players get to vote on who they feel should be captain and assistants, however the final decision comes down to the coaches.
All in all, the three coaches had an easy competence about them and are looking forward to a great 2022-23 season. Final cuts had not been made at the time of this interview.
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