TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Back in May the Dallas Stars hired Jim Bedard as their new new Director of Goalie Development.
Bedard spent the majority of his career as the Detroit Red Wings goalie coach. He left Detroit after the 2015-16 season and spent last season as the goalie coach for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires, and helped the team hoist the Memorial Cup this past spring.
With the Stars Bedard is going to spend most of his time in Cedar Park serving as the AHL goalie coach. He’s also going to spend time scouting and working with other prospects, but he’s going to spend roughly 75 percent of hist time in the AHL.
I caught up with Bedard on Monday morning here in Northern Michigan to discuss his role with the Stars.
SHAPIRO: How did you end up with the Stars?
BEDARD: When I was done with the Red Wings after 19 years, and few of the staff members had gone with Jim Nill over (to Dallas). We were great friends through all the times in Detroit and I have an amazing amount of respect for him not only as a hockey person, but also as a person in general. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that will say that. And then we just kept in touch and after we were done in the Memorial Cup he asked if I would be interested in jumping back in, being development and scouting, and i said absolutely. I’m a little older, but I don’t feel old, and keeping around these guys, these young guys, keeps you young and active. It’s a good fit.
SHAPIRO: Seems like you enjoy working with the younger goalies.
BEDARD: Absolutely. I’ll work with anybody. Older guys, the pros, the kids. The kids want to work, I’m there to help them and implement some of my experience on them and remind them of some of the things from some of the great goalies I worked with in the past. We don’t try to change the world, we just try to change a couple things here and there and make them more successful, and hard work every day all the time.
SHAPIRO: You are going to spend the majority of your time in Cedar Park with the AHL team, but will also be scouting. How do you see that balancing out?
BEDARD: When I first started with the Red Wings as a goalie coach my job was pretty much I was in charge of scouting goalies. I was in charge of the minors, so it’s kind of come full circle. This is great, I love watching our prospects play. Jake Oettinger is an amazing kid with a big upside and a future I’m looking forward to seeing him. Obviously I can’t go on the ice with him, but at the same time it’s really not broken right now. It’s a pleasure to watch him play, so it’s all good.
SHAPIRO: How well do you know Stars goalie coach Jeff Reese?
BEDARD: When Jeff was with Philly and Tampa before he came to Dallas, when he was with those teams and we’d cross paths we’d always make sure that we came by and said hello. We’ve always had a good friendly relationship. He’s only from about an hour from where I’m from in southern Ontario. Obviously I’m older than he is, but at the same time I watched him when he was a player and his whole manner. It’s the type of thing we want success at every level, and we keep in contact and have already touched base how things have gone here, because he’s got a little more history on these goalies. To me it’s just seamless and it’s a great cooperation at that point, and I’m here to get these guys to the next level and support Jeff in any way I can.
SHAPIRO: What’s the balance of mental and physical teaching for a young goalie?
BEDARD: The thing is the harder you work in practice, it takes that little bit of insecurity and non-confidence away from you. You work hard, your talent comes out, and you start to do things instinctively. Most goalies will tell you the best games they ever played they weren’t thinking about much, they were just playing. And you look at some of the great goalies that played 18, 19, 20 years in the league, the knew how to focus.
SHAPIRO: So what do you look for when you scout goalies?
BEDARD: What I’m looking for when I watch a young kid, a draft pick, a potential future Dallas Star I’m looking for footspeed. I’m looking for competive edge, I look for goalie smarts, how he handles whistles and the tempo of the game. How he moves the puck, how he is — is he patien on odd man rushes? How is his lateral movements? In the end a lot of kids have that, but you look for how a kid is playing in junior or college when he’s maybe played three games in four nights, in a tournament or a (normal) schedule, how is he on that last night? Does he dig down and make a difference for his team? That’s the type of things we’re looking for.
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