Another level of competition
A former NHL all-star finds satisfaction coaching high school girls.
BY BRIAN MURPHY
Pioneer Press
With four Stanley Cup rings, Dave Langevin has unrivaled credibility for coaching girls high school hockey despite diamonds that can outrival him for players' attention.
The Sibley High first-year coach wore one of his New York Islanders championship rings behind the bench during a game this season and vowed never again.
'I was drawing a play on the chalkboard, and they noticed it on my hand, and it was, 'Oh, my God, is that your Stanley Cup ring?' I'm telling them to look at the board, but they all wanted to see it and wear it,' Langevin recalled with a chuckle.
Observing Warriors practice last week, though, it was clear Langevin commands the utmost respect and attention to detail from a group of players eager to learn the fundamentals and principles of the sport from an NHL all-star defenseman.
"I thought I knew a lot about hockey until he came here," said junior center and leading scorer Calli Brennan. "If he says something, I don't question whether it's right or wrong because I know he's right."
The desire to teach and build a championship program at his daughter Anna's school inspired Langevin to pursue the job after helping former Sibley coach Jerry Ball run some practices last season. The venture has been fulfilling yet challenging for the St. Paul native.
The Warriors (7-11-1) have been decimated by injuries to key players. Without a junior varsity team to provide reinforcements, their razor-thin depth has been exposed.
Sniper Katie Anderson and top defensemen Meghan Lange and Meghan Parker have missed a significant number of games, helping to mire the Warriors in seventh place in the eight-team Classic Suburban Conference after they went 18-7 in 2005-06.
However, victories over heralded teams from Hastings and Farmington swept Sibley to the Schmitz Holiday Classic tournament championship Dec. 29. Langevin expects to have all three injured players back when the playoffs start next month and hopes the tough losses steel his team's resolve to pull off more upsets.
"They're not used to losing three or four games in a row to teams they used to beat, but I think it's the best thing that could have happened to these girls," he said. "Going through adversity helps you find out what kind of team you are. They're getting tougher mentally."
Langevin ought to know. Champions rarely sail through the two-month grinder known as the Stanley Cup playoffs without overcoming hardship.
After playing three seasons for the Edmonton Oilers in the defunct World Hockey Association, Langevin joined the New York Islanders in 1979-80 and became part of an NHL dynasty. New York won four consecutive Stanley Cups, culminating with Langevin's all-star 1982-83 season. No team has won more than two consecutive titles since.
A physical, stay-at-home defender nicknamed "Bammer," Langevin returned home to play for the North Stars in 1985-86, then signed with the Los Angeles Kings the following season, when a knee injury ended his career at age 32.
Before turning pro, he spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth after leading Hill-Murray High School to independent state championships in 1970 and '72.
Langevin played for renowned tactician and legendary Islanders bench boss Al Arbour but says his greatest influence was his Hill-Murray coach, Andre Beaulieu, who built the private school into a dominant hockey power.
"He brought me to a different level through hard work, teamwork and accountability as a player, which is the foundation of playing well," Langevin said.
After retiring from the NHL, Langevin went to work appraising real estate, which he still does out of his house in Mendota Heights. His only head-coaching experience came in 1997-98, when he led the Idaho Steelheads of the low-minor West Coast Hockey League to a 27-30-7 record.
But the long-distance commuting between Idaho and Minnesota was too taxing, and Langevin spent several seasons helping coach boys youth hockey clinics in Woodbury before the Sibley job opened.
Warriors athletics director Brian Ihrke knew Langevin's hockey experience was unmatched among the five candidates, but he emerged from the interview more impressed with his knowledge about teaching kids.
"Everybody knew about his résumé, but you have to be careful when you're talking about working with kids and parents," Ihrke said. "I was confident he would do a good job with that, and I haven't heard any negatives."
It is demanding enough being a teen-age girl trying to impress a former NHL player. Imagine being that former player's daughter and skating at his position.
Sophomore Anna Langevin is only in her third season playing organized hockey, although she figure-skated for seven years, helping her to skate backward as a defenseman.
Anna also endures a disproportionate share of the coach's wrath. She insists it's nothing over the top, but Anna also understands her father's need for credibility in the dressing room.
"I know he can't seem like he's showing me any favors, so he's a little harder on me," she said.
Dave Langevin thirsts to swig champagne out of the Stanley Cup again as a head coach yet acknowledges winning a state championship with Sibley could taste equally sweet. Either way, he is enjoying himself too much to latch onto any grand plan.
"This has been one of the most satisfying jobs I've had in hockey. I'm having so much fun," Langevin said. "The response I'm getting from the girls, to see them learn and grow, I really appreciate spending time with them."
Brian Murphy can be reached at
brianmurphy@pioneerpress.com.