When Jim Hiller put the phone down after his first chat with John Chayka about the Toronto head coaching job, his wife Kathy had a natural reaction.
"She said 'oh no, the media,'" Hiller laughed on Wednesday during his first Zoom call with Toronto reporters. "But I told her 'I've been there, I know those people — they're really nice people.'"
Ready for the Spotlight
Hiller is prepared for the extra attention, whether from newspapers, radio, television, or the 21st-century evolution that includes his own team's social media feeds and NHL in-house coverage. He got a taste of those daily duties as Mike Babcock's assistant with the Leafs starting 10 years ago.
"I didn't talk to the media every day, but I paid attention, I watched and learned," Hiller said. "It can be three cameras, it can be 15, but you have to answer the same questions."
Learning from Past Experience
We get the impression Hiller won't be as brusque as his former boss, especially on game days. Babcock was in the habit of a daily jog up, down, and around Scotiabank Arena, then going right to the podium, grousing through a couple of questions and terminating the session in just two or three minutes.
Hiller seems more in the mode of chatty Sheldon Keefe, though he has been a head coach in the major media market of Los Angeles and a few other stops, so this gig shouldn't be overwhelming.
Nostalgia and Mentorship
The 57-year-old spoke warmly of watching the Leafs, Canadiens, and presumably the expansion 1970s' Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night with his family in Port Alberni, B.C. Hiller witnessed Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner thrive in their early years in the spotlight, and starting a week Friday, he'll be mentoring the first overall pick, likely Gavin McKenna.
"I was at arm's length, but really excited when the Leafs won (the draft lottery with an 8.5 per cent chance)," Hiller said. "I think with Auston it was 25 per cent or less. It made me re-live that.
"This is extremely exciting for us, as it's hard to get the generational talent. I look at Auston as a shining example, and he'll be there to support whoever is picked."
Lhornby@postmedia.com
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