Spiros Anastas might be the only Greek who is happy that his home country is not among those competing for soccer’s World Cup next week in his hometown of Toronto.
“That means half of Greektown will be at our games against the Marlies,” Anastas said with a laugh during a phone interview from his Chicago Wolves coach's office. “This series is going to be great for my family and friends.”
Anastas grew up in Scarborough and Mississauga, the son of immigrants from Sparta. His father Jim runs an industrial cleaning company, while his mother Stella manages food and equipment distribution for Serve Canada. They raised Spiros as a Toronto Maple Leafs fan and still hold season tickets, though Spiros admits he carries the same scars as his favorite player, Wendel Clark, from the 1993 conference final loss.
“Every day my parents bought the Sun. And the Star and Globe so I’d read all the hockey stories,” Anastas recalled.
Now, the Calder Cup is top of mind for the 41-year-old coach. Like Toronto's John Gruden, Anastas has maximized a balanced roster to reach the final stage of an improbable run, playing mid-June hockey with a championship on the line.
“This is not a final anyone would’ve predicted,” Anastas said ahead of Friday’s Game 1 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. “We had 87 points, Toronto 82. We both took down some goliaths.”
Why does Anastas relate to John Tortorella?
Anastas is trying to make this month a double championship for the parent Carolina Hurricanes, who are two wins away from the Stanley Cup. But Anastas identifies more with Vegas coach John Tortorella, who also took over mid-season. Anastas was promoted from assistant when Cam Abbott was let go just before Christmas.
Though 15 years younger than Gruden, it was Gruden who pointed out a shared coaching ally in his college friend Jeff Blashill, who was Anastas' superior with the Grand Rapids Griffins when they won the 2013 Calder Cup.
“I got a text from Jeff yesterday and he said (Anastas) is one of his disciples,” Gruden said. “So this is a win-win for him.”
Anastas entered coaching by accident
After playing Ontario Provincial Junior A hockey, Anastas attended Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, aiming for a career in finance. However, a season-ending injury led him to take an assistant coaching role.
Former NHL coach Andy Murray added him to his staff at Western Michigan University. Then came the Calder Cup title with Blashill and the Griffins when Anastas was just 27 years old.
Other coaching adventures
Anastas has also coached at the University of Lethbridge, in the ECHL with teams in South Carolina and Brampton, and had international stints in Korea, Estonia, and briefly with the Toronto Six of the PWHL's predecessor.
Now, he leads a team that Gruden describes as both “heavy and skilled.” The Wolves will try to build on winning two one-goal road games in Colorado to capture the Western Conference.
“This year has been a whirlwind,” Anastas said of replacing Abbott. “We’ve been playing a man short all season, but it has been exciting and it feels like we’ve earned this chance.”
During a break between AHL series, Anastas could not resist an invitation from the Greek national hockey team to coach them at a Four Nations tournament in Chicago, facing developing hockey nations Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Lebanon. Many of the Greek players are North American-born with parents or grandparents from Greece.
“I couldn’t say no,” Anastas said. “It was a good experience for me and them.”
