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OHL Saginaw Spirit

How a Handshake in a Kitchener Hotel Lobby Brought Darren Rumble to Saginaw

March 4, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Saginaw Spirit News Release


Saginaw Spirit assistant coach Darren Rumble
Saginaw Spirit assistant coach Darren Rumble
(Saginaw Spirit, Credit: Terry Wilson, OHL Images)

It's been 29 years but Darren Rumble has finally returned home with the Ontario Hockey League.

"Getting reintegrated back into the league is a nice feeling," he said.

Not too often does a coach get hired at the midway point of the regular season, but when the opportunity came for the Saginaw Spirit to fill an opening behind the bench in an assistant capacity, the timing couldn't have been more ideal for Rumble to climb aboard.

The addition of Rumble was announced less than two weeks after the former Stanley Cup winner was dismissed from the Moncton Wildcats (QJHL) in his sixth year as head coach.

Rumble, 50, finished with the second-longest tenure in Moncton history, compiling a record of 180-169-19-14 in his first-ever non-assistant role.

"I learned a lot about the game, coaching, and also a lot with Hockey Canada," he said. "You're just always trying to be yourself which is the biggest thing."

That short time away from the game for Rumble incorporated extensive talks with close friends and family about whether taking a sabbatical before looking for openings in July was the right career move.

But the thought of waiting around didn't sit well for someone who transitioned immediately into coaching following the end of his 16-year professional playing career.

"For me to stay active and engaged was ultimately the best decision," Rumble said. "The team is strong and I would love to get to Halifax. I want to win this league and get to Halifax come May."

Rumble began his four-decade-long run in hockey as a defenseman for the Kitchener Rangers in 1986.

It was there in which he would be selected in the first round (20th overall) by the Flyers in the 1987 National Hockey League Entry Draft before going on to play a combined 945 games in the NHL, American Hockey League, and International Hockey League.

The Barrie, Ontario, native played in five games with the Tampa Bay Lightning but had his name carved on the Stanley Cup Trophy in the 2003-04 season.

Rumble enjoyed stints with the Flyers (1990-92, 1995-97), Ottawa Senators (1992-94), St. Louis Blues (2000), and Lightning (2002-04), scoring 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points in 193 career NHL games.

"Darren is a phenomenal coach," Spirit head coach Chris Lazary said. "He's a really good hockey mind and great when working with the players. He's been a lot of fun to work with."

Arriving the same day of the Spirit's 6-2 win on January 19 at The Dow Event Center over the Erie Otters, the feeling of debuting at the time that he did was different for Rumble, who's been taken advantage of garnering a perspective not experienced before.

"I'm 100 percent glad I came over," he said. "The staff and the players have been amazing to work with. They obviously had a good thing going when I got here so you're essentially looking for an opportunity to help to the best of my ability."

Having recently celebrated his first month with the club last Tuesday, Rumble has quickly bought into the system, in the sake of adding more to his coaching repertoire.

What's been the biggest contrast for Rumble in his short time in Saginaw, compared to previous locations, is looking on at how Lazary and fellow assistant Ryan Kuwabara not only encourage the players to make plays but having a plan to make those plays happen.

That camaraderie from Rumble and the coaches, as well as Rumble and the players, isn't something that was recently discovered.

In fact, the foundation for this principal coalition can be traced back all the way to September when Lazary and Rumble first shook hands in a Kitchener hotel lobby before this season even began. The Spirit and Rumble's Moncton Wildcats were playing in a Preseason Tournament.

"Darren made a nice impression on me right from the start," Lazary said. "And when we were looking to hire an assistant, we knew he was going to be the perfect guy for the job."

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Images from this story

Saginaw Spirit assistant coach Darren Rumble
Saginaw Spirit assistant coach Darren Rumble
(Terry Wilson, OHL Images)		   



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2019


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