COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was clear to the Columbus Blue Jackets one year ago that what the dressing room needed — what the veteran players were craving — was a veteran coach who could command respect and hold players, young and old, accountable.
It took new GM Don Waddell longer than expected, but he landed in late June on Dean Evason, who was fired by the Minnesota Wild in the middle of last season and a long track record in the Western Hockey League and American Hockey League in addition to nine seasons as an NHL assistant.
Evason has barely had a break since taking the job so deep into summer, but he took time to continue what has now become an annual rite this time of season. He sat down with The Athletic this week for a lengthy Q&A that touched on many subjects, from his love of Broadway plays, his deep respect and love for his 86-year-old mother, and why he feels Columbus is the right spot at the right time for him.
You think you know Evason’s type? The hockey lifer who had an 803-game career in the NHL before going into coaching? Well, think again. Evason is as tough and as driven as you’d expect, but he’s also a bit of a renaissance man. Here are the highlights of our conversation.
So let’s go through Dean Evason’s childhood in the Great North. Born in Flin Flon, Manitoba, correct?
Yep, born in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Moved to Thompson (Manitoba) when I was 2 and lived there until I was 9 or 10. Then we moved to Winnipeg until I was 15 and then on to Brandon.
What kept you moving?
My dad worked for a company called Powell Equipment. It Caterpillar Tractors and big heavy machinery. It was a rental and sales business, and he worked in the parts department. That’s why we bounced. They opened a story in Brandon, so we moved there. My dad has passed. My mom (Sheila) still lives in Brandon. She was a librarian at the hospital, and before that a telephone operator, so she has some fond stories. She’s 86 years old, but in very good health. Still full of piss and vinegar, as tough a lady as you’ll meet. She’ll be at the opener in St. Paul, and then she and my wife (Genevieve) are going to come to Columbus for the home opener.
Did a little work here. As a point of reference for U.S. readers, Winnipeg is about seven hours north of Minneapolis, and Thompson is about seven hours north of Winnipeg. If you drive that far west of Minnesota, you hit Yellowstone National Park. That, Dean, is an entirely different lifestyle and climate, right?
It is, yes. There were times we couldn’t go out for recess because there were polar bears in the garbage, or because it was so cold. I remember the snow piles on the playground being so high … my mom had to come into school one day, because my little gang used to fight another guy’s gang in a king-of-the-hill type game. It was so cold, but we didn’t know any different.
I’m guessing lots of outdoor hockey.
We rarely got to play indoors, usually only in tournaments. My dad built a rink in our backyard, so we’d skate after school until dinner and then after dinner until bedtime. There was a kid down the road whose parents built an actual(-size) hockey rink. You remember the old potato sacks, the burlap? They sewed so many of those together they made a roof out of it. It was like an arena to us. My brother (Dan) and I got good enough that we weren’t allowed to come over and play anymore.
Your brother was only one year older than you. Did you ever play together competitively?
We did. My brother was 16, I was 15, and we played on the same team in Brandon. Ron Hextall was our goalie. We won the Manitoba championship and went on to Cornwall, Ontario, to play in Air Canada Cup.
Does it feel like you live in the South now?
Yeah. I golfed (Sunday) and it was 80 degrees in October. I am south, for sure. The leaves are gone in Thompson, Manitoba, that’s for sure. I consider this down south for sure.
Initial thoughts on Columbus? You’ve settle into a downtown condominium, right?
Yes. Love it. I’m surprised by how quaint it feels, but how many venues and restaurants and shops there are. I ride my bike around town a lot, and campus (Ohio State University) is just up the road. I do hot yoga at a place just off High St., daily if I can. I love this area. It’s quaint, but large. A small big city is a good way to put it.
Did you have any concept of what would be here beyond what your job was going to be?
Nope. And I haven’t had a ton of time to really dig in yet. I did look at the local theater companies, because I love that stuff, and I usually will load the app on my phone and just start going to shows. We’ll get there. But it’s been a pretty intense start, as you know.
You walked me right into a topic I’m excited to get to … your love of live theater. How did that start? And tell me what you love about it?
My middle daughter (Brianne) is very artsy. She graduated as a dance major, business minor. We started watching a lot of her productions and really enjoyed. If I read a book, it has to be non-fiction. If I’m going to something, it has to be a live event. I don’t like movies that aren’t real. I lived in Hartford when I played (for the Whalers), and I went to New York when I was 21 or 22 to see a Broadway play, and it captivated me.
Speaking for myself, I get really emotional. I don’t me sad, just moved. The level of talent on Broadway is just incredible.
Last year, I went to four plays in two days. I went to a matinee and an evening show both days. My wife loves it, too, so Genevieve and I will go every year at least once. I’m a big Yankees fan, as well, so we’ll do that and then see a play. I agree with you on the emotions. A hundred percent. There’s so many times when even if it’s happy, I’m just sitting there bawling, and I’m like “What the hell?” I’ll pay a little extra for a really good seat, and it just blows you away how hard they’re working. The talent is incredible, the singing and the acting.
Do you imagine being an actor in that capacity is similar to being a pro athlete?
Hundred percent. I complete agree. I talk about being in the arena, on the stage, all the time. Being a former player, you don’t notice the people, the noise, anything. You’re just zoned in, and that’s what you do as a performer. We’re all in the entertainment business. It’s a gift to be able to do that.
Let’s get into the hockey. Does the style of play you coach — up on the toes, taking away space, fast-paced, pretty confrontational — is that a reflection of your style as a player?
Yeah, I think that’s fair. People talk about how the team takes on your personality as a coach, and that’s just a natural thing. In my case, it’s not entirely how I played, but how I wanted to play. Not offensive or defensive, but just a well-rounded and hard-to-play-against hockey club. A gritty, determined style of play. If you asked people how I played, they’d say I played that way. I’d want to coach a lot more skill into our team (laughs) than I had.
Does this team have the wherewithal to play that way?
Yeah, I think so. When I got here, everybody talked about our young skill. Well, I think we have a well-balanced group of veterans, young players, size and skill. If you just talk about young, talented players, it’s exciting that you can push them to play a certain way to combined with that skill set. Look at Fantilli. We want him to play aggressive, in-your-face, finish your check, get up the ice, put pressure on teams to make mistakes. If he does that, with his skill set to be a scorer, you’ve got a well-rounded player. We’re pushing all of them to play as aggressive as they can.
You went to the Ohio State-Iowa game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the place in March where you’ll play Detroit in the outdoor game. Were you envisioning how that’s going to be?
The coaches sat in one section, the players in another. We went down to the field at halftime, but then after that we all got spread apart. I went back to the seats and sat there alone, and, of course, nobody knew who I was, so there was nobody to talk to. I did spend some time kind of visualizing where we’d be playing, where we’d come in, all that stuff, and then you look up and it’s the massive building!
One hundred thousand plus.
I’ve said this before and people probably think I’m crazy. I’ve been to Rome, and I’ve been to the Coliseum. When I was standing outside looking up … I’m not saying it’s the same thing, but there’s a comparison. It’s a massive building. It’s going to be an absolute thrill to play a game in there. Just a thrill.
What have you learned about this group of players you’re coaching?
This is a close group. That has had a lot of turmoil the last two-three years. We’ve already seen with some stability, some structure that Don (Waddell) has put into place and I and the other coaches have put into place, how tight we are as a group. It’s allowed the players to become even closer. I think that’s my biggest asset, and I’ve been told that I have an ability to bring staffs and players closer. That’s what I believe in. I don’t believe in individual anything. It’s all gotta be team first. And I know the players see that. When we go into the room, we’re chirping and joking around, and they know we’re going to have each others’ backs.
Not long after you were hired, before you really got to know some of these players, tragedy struck, the death of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. There’s no guidance for coaches in how to handle a situation like this. Did you reach out to anybody to help you navigate the early stages of that?
Without getting too personal, I lost my brother (Dan “Heavy” Evason) when he was 42 years old. He passed away on the ice. Finished a shift, went to the bench, and had a massive heart attack. I was coaching at the time in the WHL (Vancouver) at the time. My mom called me when I was about to go into the pregame meeting. She told me, and asked, ‘What do you want to do?’ I told here I was coaching the game, for sure, and we ended up winning in overtime. Just after the game, the floodgates opened and the emotions hit.
As I get older, I find myself looking at people older than I am with a certain amount of appreciation, just knowing that they’ve almost certainly been through a lot of tough stuff. Do you feel that way?
Oh, absolutely. I have an incredible teacher in my mother, who lives her life one day at a time. I have a tattoo — well, I have a lot of tattoos — but I have one that’s in her handwriting right beside my heart that says, “One Day At A Time.” That’s how I live; that’s how she lives. She’s not afraid to talk about dying. She’s proud to talk about the wonderful life she’s had, and she’s known plenty of hardship and hard times. She’s had two children that have passed away. I had another brother that died of crib death. She has endured losses, but she has the most incredible attitude, a positive attitude. I’ve leaned on her over many years now.
Does this feel like the right time, the right place, the right situation for Dean Evason?
It does. And, honestly, it has since Day 1. It’s felt right. It’s felt like home. It’s felt like this is where I’m supposed to be. And I’ll be honest with you, this isn’t a job for me. It’s a passion. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s the closest thing to being a player. I dreamt of playing. Now I dream of winning the Stanley Cup as a coach. It definitely feels right.
(Photo of Dean Evason: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
