Throughout his storied career as a Western Hockey League head coach, Don Nachbaur has always looked forward to coming back to Prince George.
It's not that he likes the 961-kilometre (one-way) bus trip from Spokane in winter driving conditions. It's what he has waiting for him once he arrives that makes it an annual highlight for the 55-year-old Spokane Chiefs coach.
Nachbaur was born in Kitimat and grew up in Prince George, where he played his minor hockey hockey before he went on to become a high-scoring centre with the Merritt Centennials and Billings (Mont.) Bighorns. Prince George was his home for many years and he and his wife Kim still have a long list of family ties and friends who want to see them whenever they're back in town.
And now that their 19-year-old son Daniel is playing as a forward in the BCHL for the Spruce Kings, that makes this week's trip for a two-game series against the Prince George Cougars tonight and Wednesday at CN Centre that much more special for the Nachbaurs.
"I'm excited to see him, I haven't seen him since August," said Don Nachbaur. " I think he's running into the fact lots of people know his name and he's really enjoyed it. He's been treated real well by the Spruce Kings and the people who run the team and he's excited about being there. The first couple days he was there [after being traded from Merritt] he was overwhelmed by the cold snap there but since then he's settled in nice."
Don will have to wait a few days to see Daniel in action when the Spruce Kings head south for games Thursday in Langley, Friday in Surrey and Saturday in Coquitlam. The Chiefs left for Prince George on Sunday, giving Nachbaur more time to retrace his roots.
"It's been long time since I lived in Prince George because I left as young hockey player and I ended up changing my roots to the U.S. because of my job, but it's always good to get home," he said. "It's changed a lot. My jaw drops when I go into the revamped Kin Centre -- they've done a nice job with their facilities there and I think the whole city will embrace the Canada Winter Games."
After 16-year pro career that included NHL stops in Hartford, Edmonton and Philadelphia and a four-year stint in Austria, Nachbaur retired in 1994 and began his WHL coaching career that year as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds. After six successful six years in Seattle he was hired as an assistant with the Flyers' AHL affiliate. He also served six years as head coach of the Tri-City Americans and spent one year as head coach of the AHL Binghampton Senators before returning to the WHL to take over the Chiefs' bench in 2010.
This season, on Sept. 27, the Chiefs beat Tri-City 3-2 in Spokane for Nachbaur 600th win as a WHL head coach, becoming the fourth WHL coach to reach that plateau. Nachbaur has since passed Lorne Molleken (603) on the all-time list The Chiefs' win over the Cougars left Nachbaur with 614. Don Hay, the current coach of the Kamloops Blazers, is second with 622, while former Winterhawks coach Ken Hodge tops the list at 742, achieved over 22 seasons.
"I'm more humbled by it more than anything, those players I coached had to go out and do all the work," said Nachbaur.
Hay and Nachbaur are the only active members of the 600-win club. Both are in their 17th seasons.
"He was always one of those guys I looked up to when I came into the league because he had success winning Memorial Cups with Kamloops," said Nachbaur. "They had some great players -- Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan and Darcy Tucker -- and he knew how to handle them.
"I watched Hayser and how he ran the bench and how he ran practice. There were times when a phone call went back and forth between me and him and I had questions and he was always open to answering those questions, so I have total respect for him as a coach and as a person."
Spokane (16-12-3-0, third in the U.S. Division) ended a five-game losing streak Friday in Portland where it also snapped a 16-game losing skid against the Winterhawks. During that five-game slide, Nachbaur said his team played well enough to win four of those games and he likes what he's seen so far. Goalies Garret Hughson and Tyson Verhelst both have averaged fewer than three goals against per game. The Chiefs sport the fourth stingiest defence in the WHL.
"We've had a pretty good first half, we've had so many injuries to key guys so we've have a real young back end but we've held it together," said Nachbaur.
Blueliners Matt Sozanski and Colton Bobyck, both 19, remain sidelined and the Chiefs are also without defenceman Tamas Laday, who will be playing for Hungary in the world junior Group B tournament.
The Chiefs beat the Cougars 3-2 Saturday in Spokane, avenging a 6-2 loss into Spokane in October.
"Prince George really opened our eyes and I expect a tough game [tonight]," Nachbaur said. "They have some good depth, their goaltending's strong, they have a mobile back end and they have some kids up front who can really skate."
The Cougars will welcome the return of captain Sam Ruopp, back from a two-game suspension. They won't have winger David Soltes who's at Slovakia's world junior camp.
Defenceman Josh Anderson will also be out of the lineup after he suffered a broken wrist in the first period against Everett on Friday.
The Chiefs forward group lost some big-time potency from last season when scoring champion Mitch Holmberg and Mike Aviani graduated the junior ranks and they're now relying on overagers Liam Stewart, Calder Brooks and Fort St. James native Jackson Playfair, as well as 19-year-old Adam Helewka, to provide offence.
Stewart, the son of rock legend Rod Stewart and supermodel mom Rachel Hunter, potted the game-winner against the Cougars Saturday in the third period, his 11th of the season. Stewart, a native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., is now fourth in team scoring with 20 points in 31 games. This is his fourth WHL season and Nachbaur says he's provided the Chiefs with leadership while shying away from the attention he attracts as a result of his parents' celebrity status.
"He's a great team player and he doesn't walk around any bigger than the next guy," said Nachbaur. "He's a really grounded player who has his sights set on being a pro."
Nachbaur has heard nothing but positive feedback on the change in Cougars ownership, which has revitalized the franchise, resulting in crowds at CN Centre that are on average at least 1,000 fans bigger per game than last season.
"I think any time you have local owners like they do - and they've got good guys - it's a real bonus for the city." Nachbaur said. "They're doing real well on the ice and doing well putting it back together. The ownership group there has invested a lot in the team and I think they've got a lot of respect around the league because of that."
