Interview with Ontario Reign Head Coach Mike Stothers

By Jeff Duarte
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Updated: February 13, 2016

I’ve always wondered what makes the best coaches in their respected sports the best at what they do? Asking around, the most common answers I get about that is that the best coaches are a combination of teachers, psychologists and inspirational leaders but are always students of the game … and winning championships help too. Well all those qualifications definitely apply to the Ontario Reign’s Head Coach Mike Stothers.

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1962, Stothers is a former defenseman who played for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maples Leafs but carved out most of his playing career in the American Hockey League with the Maine Mariners, Newmarket Saints and the Hershey Bears.

https://youtu.be/vldIh9CMHRw

After retirement, Stothers became a natural at coaching when joining the Bears’ coaching staff as the assistant coach. From there he was the assistant coach for the Philadelphia Phantoms before he gained more experience coaching in the Ontario Hockey League for the Owen Sound Attack and then returned to the AHL as Head Coach of the Grand Rapid Griffins.

In 2014, Stothers was hired by Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi and assistant GM Rob Blake to be the new head coach of the Kings’ AHL Affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, after they let go long time coach Mike Morris. With Stothers behind the bench and displaying the characteristics of a teacher, psychologist and an inspirational leader, the Monarchs instantly became a juggernaut and stormed their way straight to the 2015 Calder Cup for the first (and last) time in franchise history!

(Photo Credit to Lindsay A. Mogle / Utica Comets)

Now with the Kings’ affiliate relocated to Ontario, California as the AHL version of the Ontario Reign, Stothers and his team are on top of the Pacific Division in defense of their title with 60 points. So it was no surprise that he was hand selected by the AHL to be the head coach of the Pacific Division team at the 2016 All-Star Classic. Being the warrior that he is and with a team of warriors that he helped mold, the Reign had just played for two nights in a row in California, (they won both by shutouts) and had to make an overnight cross-country flight right after the second game just to arrive for the weekend All-Star festivities in time.

Surely exhausted in theory but not in physical appearance, Coach Stothers was kind enough to grant my colleague Ryan Cowley of MakeWayForTheKings.net and I an interview for our respected sites but not before we almost ending up injuring the man! (Yikes!)

After granting us the interview, Stothers asked if we wanted to move to a different spot where it would be more quiet to properly conduct the interview? We agreed and suggested that maybe the end of the hallway would suffice and kindly Stothers agreed. We made our way to the end of the hallway and started the interview, but beside us was a steel door and of course, just as the Calder Cup winning head coach Mike Stothers was answering one of our questions, the steel door quickly swung wide open and Ryan and I GASPED thinking that the steel door had just injured or crushed the championship winning head coach of the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate in some narrow corner at the end of this cursed hallway! (WE JUST DOOMED THEIR SEASON!!! WHY?!? WHHHYYYY?!?!?!) Thank the Hockey Gods we were mistaken as Stothers with a full cup of hot coffee in one hand, easily out maneuvered around the steel door and the person behind it without contact or injury to himself or anyone else and all without missing a beat or spilling a drop of coffee. This left Ryan and I to just marvel with our jaws wide open at this gladiator of a coach and look at each other with bewilderment, silently asking with our stunned facial expressions, “Did you just see that???” Luckily for Ryan and I, Coach Stothers found the experience very amusing and he allowed us (to live and) to continue the interview, (after we found a safer spot without steel doors of course).

Coach, what did you find was the biggest adjustment for you and the players that followed you from Manchester with playing on the west coast in comparison to New Hampshire?

You know, we really enjoyed Manchester. The travel was terrific for us. I mean most nights, we were back in our rooms, our own beds before midnight. Travel’s been a little bit different in California. It’s been terrific. The presentation was great, the workout facilities, attendance has been terrific. They’ve embraced us. I think right now, we’re fourth in league attendance which is terrific and in proximity to the Kings, the recalls. We’ve just had a situation where they sent [Kyle] Clifford down for conditioning. The interaction between upper management and our development crew, with our players, it’s just worked out terrifically. I think it’s been a win-win for everybody. It’s just now we’re onto something bigger and better and we’re
having a blast.

How did Kyle Clifford play in the two games you had him?

He was good. I mean he was what you’d think an NHL player would be. [Clifford is] a role player, he’s pretty low-maintenance. He knows what his job is on the ice and he bangs and crashes and you know, he was good. You could just see that he was important for our guys that he was in our room for those two games because they have a lot of questions on what it’s like to be in the NHL. So, I think it was good. It was a good for our guys but good for the Kings too because now they’re getting a guy who’s in game shape and after a long injury he’s ready to step back in the lineup and contribute.

Who was your favorite player and coach of all-time?

I’ve had the good fortune of watching a lot of players and having a lot of coaches. Favourite player was Bobby Orr overall. I played nothing like him (laughs). Absolutely zero comparison between me and him. That’s just wishful thinking on my part
(more laughs). As for coaches, you know what, I don’t want to disrespect anybody so I’ll just say that I learned a lot from all the coaches I’ve had. They’ve always had us, as players, in the best interest. Now that I’m in coaching, I really admire the time and the sacrifice they put into it and helping us all get better.

After the interview Coach Stothers shook our hands and gave us a thumbs up and Ryan and I were left inspired by the man. Yes without a doubt the best coaches are all a combination of teachers, psychologists and inspirational leaders and coach Stothers is all that but with an added strong inner toughness and determination as well. Coaches like that find ways to win and find ways to inspire their athletes to win because they refuse to lose or give up. We all saw that in the way Stothers walked in and coached the Monarchs to the Calder Cup last season. Ryan and I witnessed it with our own eyes when Stothers defeated a steel door and the person behind it without any hesitation or delay. Those type of people don’t let anything get in the way of their goals or their dreams. No obstacles, negativity or steel doors can slow these winners down and as a result, their players develop the same attributes. That is why they are the best at what they do and right now in the AHL, Mike Stothers is the best of the best. There is simply nobody better.

(Photo Credit – AHL.Com)

*Special thanks to Mike Stothers, Ryan Cowley of MakeWayForTheKings.net and some random guy that foolishly tried to hit coach Stothers with a steel door for helping with this article.

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