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Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Rob Zettler played for 10 teams and 17 head coaches in 18 seasons of junior and professional hockey.
Queried as to where Leafs coaching candidate Ron Wilson ranks among his many guiding lights, including Pat Burns, Mike Murphy, Butch Goring, Barry Trotz, Pierre Pagé and Bob Gainey, Zettler was swift to praise his former coach and boss.
"He probably doesn't want me to say something like this, but I think he's probably the brightest hockey mind I've ever been associated with. I really do," Zettler said when reached yesterday to discuss the pros and cons of Wilson's coaching ability.
After meeting with Toronto interim general manager Cliff Fletcher three times this week, Wilson returned to his home in Hilton Head, S.C., with an offer. He has been given a few days to mull over whether he wants to become the next coach of the Leafs.
Fletcher said there weren't any developments in Wilson's decision yesterday. Zettler, a former resident of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., who played for three seasons under Wilson with the Washington Capitals and later became an assistant coach in Wilson's five-season tenure as the San Jose Sharks' head coach, also didn't know which way Wilson is leaning.
But Zettler was more than willing to discuss why Wilson has won 518 times — eighth on the career list — in his 15-season NHL coaching career with the Anaheim Ducks, Capitals and Sharks.
Zettler employed adjectives such as creative and good communicator in his praise of Wilson, but of the skills Wilson possesses in running a team, his two best abilities were to make adjustments in a game and pass on information or strategy to his players in a clear and comprehensible way.
"When he sees something, he's able to convey a message to the players in a manner that they can understand," Zettler said. "That's a strong skill as a coach, not everybody has that. Some coaches complicate matters.
"His ability to make adjustments on the fly is incredible. What he sees behind the bench in a game also is incredible. He always makes the right adjustments."
Wilson, 53, also has a reputation of being a demanding coach, who is not afraid to ruffle the feathers of his players. But Zettler believes that even though Wilson can be tough on his talent, Wilson always has been fair with his players.
"If he doesn't think someone is performing up to their capabilities, he's going to let them know," Zettler said. "I think any good coach should do that. But on the flip side, if a player is performing, he's more than fair.
"Without a doubt, he's proven in Washington or San Jose or wherever he's been, that if you're working hard and performing you're going to get a chance to play. If you're not, then he's going to let you know. It's as simple as that."
Fletcher said that one of the attributes he admired about Wilson is his ability to teach and draw the most out of young players. While with the Sharks, Wilson and his staff developed strong, young players such as forwards Jonathan Cheechoo, Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe and Milan Michalek as well as defencemen such as Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Matt Carle and Doug Murray.
"When we came on board, we lost older players like Owen Nolan and Bryan Marchment and others," Zettler said. "We had a lot of younger players, and if you look at them, they performed extremely well on defence or up front."
Wilson has been known for his use of technology behind the bench. His assistant coaches will often show players replays on laptop computers and have at their fingertips real-time statistics. In between periods, Wilson used a digital chalkboard that had video streaming as well as Telestrator capabilities.
