Jason Spezza starts his mornings by checking his phone, but lately there has been more urgency. While overseeing Canada's play at the world men's hockey championship in Switzerland as part of Hockey Canada's management group, he has kept a close watch on the American Hockey League club he runs in his executive role with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That club is the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who began the Eastern Conference final of the Calder Cup playoffs on Wednesday night at home against the Toronto Marlies. Three years after joining Pittsburgh to work with Kyle Dubas following their tenure with the Maple Leafs, Spezza is in his second season as Wilkes' general manager.
Managing from a Distance
“A lot of that is done from a distance, and it was part of me being allowed to commit and come over,” Spezza said during a phone interview from Fribourg on Wednesday afternoon. “I knew the team in Wilkes had a chance to go on a run and I expected them to.”
He added: “But talking with Kyle about the opportunity with this, we felt comfortable because a lot of (the work with Wilkes) is done from a distance anyway. It has worked out well.”
Spezza has settled in nicely with the Penguins, and his hand in guiding the club's prospects with the AHL affiliate comes naturally. Given his encyclopedic hockey knowledge and the respect he earned during his 1,248-game NHL career, it is no surprise that the 42-year-old is succeeding in his post-retirement role.
No Revenge Factor Against Toronto
There is no feeling of revenge on Spezza's part as the Marlies and Penguins clash in the best-of-seven series. “I wouldn't say it's as big a deal as people would probably like to make it,” Spezza said with a chuckle. “I can't say I spend a whole lot of time thinking about where we size up against Toronto. It's more just trying to do what's best for the Penguins.”
He continued: “There is emotion when you leave a club, no doubt, but we're three years out now and I would say that's a bit of a distant memory with how fast things move in the NHL.”
Proud of the Penguins' AHL Success
Spezza is proud of what the Penguins' minor-league affiliate has accomplished, noting it is a young group that has reached the AHL's final four. That includes AHL rookies Mikhail Ilyin, Harrison Brunicke, and Bill Zonnon, who were among the team's top seven scoring leaders before Game 1 against Toronto, as well as 22-year-old goalie Sergei Murashov, who had played in all nine of Wilkes' playoff games heading into Wednesday night.
Spezza plans to join the minor-league Penguins, likely next week in Toronto, as Games 3, 4, and 5 (if necessary) will be played at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Role with Hockey Canada
In his role with Hockey Canada, Spezza said John Tavares was among the first players he called with an offer to suit up at the worlds. Morgan Rielly accepted as well. “In terms of getting a guy who understands the event, JT's professionalism, what he brings, we all know from being around him, he is a huge guy in that regard,” Spezza said. “Mo has had success in this tournament too. He has enjoyed being over here, playing, contributing to a winning team and has played good hockey.”
Most pressing is a quarterfinal date with the United States on Thursday, after Canada went unbeaten (6-1-0-0) in Group B play. “We haven't lost yet, but we've been tested almost nightly, which is a great way to go,” Spezza said. “One of the fears when you go through this tournament is that you have blowout games and you don't really get tested too much early and you're faced with a quarterfinal where it's winner-take-all. I'm happy that we've had the adversity. I think it will help us going into this game against a team in the U.S. that started the tournament slow but has played better and better.”
