Coach profile: Jean Pelletier, Dalhousie
Last Updated: November 21, 2008 3:03 PM
Kristina Rutherford Meet the Coaches
(Courtesy of Jean Pelletier)Name: Jean Pelletier
Age: 42
Hometown: Dalhousie, N.B. (population: 4,000)
Years coaching: 11
Hockey jobs: President of the Dalhousie Minor Hockey Association, coaches Pewee AA, runs a hockey camp in Dalhousie
Day job: Attends Bathurst Community College to study business since the chemical plant he worked at as a chemical operator shut down at the end of August.
Kids in the game: Son Robert, 14, is a member of the provincial team and plays Bantam AAA, daughter Mary-Jo, 11, plays pewee AA. Pelletier coached Robert last year and is coaching Mary-Jo this season.
Personal hockey experience: Played growing up, now plays senior hockey in Dalhousie.
Coaching philosophy
There aren't a lot of coaches in Dalhousie, N.B., mainly because it's a community of hockey fanatics and coaches are under a lot of pressure from parents, Pelletier says. He has been a fixture behind the bench for more than a decade because he doesn't let it get to him.
"It never bothered me," he says. "I'm just built that way. I coach, and I like it. If people don't like what I'm doing, well, the next time they can step up to the plate and coach."
Working with half the ice
A fire claimed one of two arenas in Dalhousie in 2006 and the town did not put forth the financing to build another, so a divider was purchased for the remaining rink. That means there are two practices at a time, with each team using half the ice.
"You've got to be creative," says Pelletier. "We do things like working on the goalies, working on strategies for defensive play or offensive play in the zone, things like that. Some coaches don't like it, but we make it work."
The benefits of half ice lie in working on short bursts of speed and quick starts and stops, which are key in game situations, Pelletier says.
"I think our kids are better skaters because of it."
Coach feature
Click here to read more about coach Pelletier
