WILMINGTON, Mass. — Claude Julien left junior hockey more than decade ago, but even as his pupils grew older as he moved up the professional ranks, he never wavered in his belief that a coach’s primary duty is to teach.
And it’s that aspect of the job that still gives the fourth-year Bruins head coach the most pleasure.
“It’s about helping the players become better players,” said Julien. “They want to become better players, so whenever you can help that cause, that’s what makes me happy the most.”
Julien also wants to make others happy. Helping a player improve and helping to build a winning team are the things that continue to fuel his love of coaching. He won a Memorial Cup, the top prize in Canadian junior hockey, in his first season as a head coach in Hull, and he’d like nothing more than to add pro hockey’s top prize to his resume and finally bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston.
“I think it’s the fact that you can make a difference, either in a player or in the team,” said Julien. “I’m one of those people that believes that we’re doing this job because of the people that come and watch us. We’re in the entertainment business. And as a coach you want to give those fans the best entertainment possible, and when you do, that’s when you really enjoy your job the most. The best way to do that for our fans is to hopefully give them the Stanley Cup, which they’ve been waiting forever for.”
As Julien rose up the coaching ladder from the junior ranks to the minors and finally in the NHL, many things changed. But he was also surprised at how much remained constant, right down to the very fundamentals that still need to be stressed to players at all levels.
“There’s some differences, but there are also some things that are very similar,” said Julien. “I think the one thing people may not know is whether you’re coaching junior or you’re coaching in the NHL, don’t ever take anything for granted. I don’t mean the job. I mean the hockey itself.
“You get to the NHL and you think there are [basics] that the players should know and you don’t feel that you have to teach them certain things, and it’s the other way around,” he added. “I’m still teaching the same things at this level that I taught in junior hockey. You need structure. It doesn’t matter where you are, those guys still need it.”
While he may be teaching some of the same skills, Julien did admit that the approach of those lessons often has to change when working with professional athletes.
“The difference is you’re dealing with older players,” said Julien. “The younger players in junior hockey, they’re soaking in everything they can because they want to make it to the pros. In the pros, you’re also dealing with egos. We’ve got a great team here, but you’re still dealing with personalities and strong personalities.
“It’s because they have strong personalities, that’s why they’re here,” added Julien. “That’s how they made it to this level. But you have to take that into account. Sometimes their strength is also your challenge. You have to deal with those things and make sure there’s a good balance and I guess with experience as a coach, the more years you have in the league, the better you get at that.”
Finding the balance between implementing a system and managing those egos is the biggest challenge of professional coaching.
“You really have to put the X’s and O’s in place,” said Julien. “You have to give your team a certain structure. Once you have that in place, you want to keep it as best you can. But I just find that throughout the year, I do as much if not more one-on-one work with individuals. And it can be more numerous reasons.”
Julien’s focus isn’t limited to what goes on out on the ice. Handling off-ice issues and problems is also a major part of the job.
“We’re all thinking hockey here, but sometimes it’s more about off-ice and personal matters,” said Julien. “As you’ve seen in the hockey world lately, there are a lot of things that happen and people forget we have a life outside of the game. We’ve had players dealing with family situations back home, dealing with cancer, stuff like that.”
Understanding what a player is dealing with away from the rink can be vital to knowing how to handle each player in his charge.
“That’s the thing as a coach, you have to stay on top of things because you see a player struggling and the first thing you want to do is get in their face to get them to play better, but you have to make sure that it’s not related to anything else,” said Julien. “Sometimes there’s some issues at home that are affecting his play. So you have to make sure you understand all of those situations and that’s what coaches do more and more of now. You have to deal with those players individually and you have to be careful to be sure that you have the whole background before you move forward.”
Julien’s attention to such concerns has helped him earn a reputation as a players’ coach, but he’s not afraid to crack the whip when necessary.
“I don’t know. I know I’ve heard in the past that a lot players say I’m a players’ coach,” said Julien. “Having said that, I’ve also heard guys say that I can be pretty tough. I guess I like to have that balance. The line I use the most is that I try to find that fine line that exists between respect and authority. You have to earn that respect, but they also have to know that you’re the authority figure. I try to deal with players on an individual basis and on a personal basis as well where it has nothing to do with the game.”
In the first part of the series on Monday, Julien revealed how he got his start in coaching, the challenges he faced on his journey to Boston and the mentors who influenced him along the way. On Wednesday, the series concludes as Julien discusses the pressures and emotional toll of the job, his relationships with other coaches and his future plans.
