In a recent Survey Says, I asked players in the Penguins' locker room which teammate of theirs would make a good future TV analyst.
In the interest of figuring out which other Penguins players might be suited for other jobs in hockey after their playing days are over, I had a similar question for this week's survey: Which teammate would make the best coach after playing?
It's not as simple as just picking the best player in the room. Sure, some good players go on to be successful head coaches -- the two most recent Jack Adams winners in Darryl Sutter and Rod Brind'Amour, for example. But there are also a number of examples that show that being a good player doesn't always translate into being a head coach, with Wayne Gretzky's underwhelming coaching stint in Phoenix being the most notable example.
There was actually a pretty good variety of players as answers for this question, but there were definitely some players that were more popular answers than others for their demeanor and hockey IQ. Then there are guys who just went totally off the board, like Rickard Rakell did. I think his answer might be my favorite.
Here's how everyone answered.
Marcus Pettersson: We've got a lot of smart players, but I think Carts. I don't know if he would be interested, but he'd make a good coach. Sid would make a good coach. Zucks would be good, he likes talking in front of a group. You always hear his voice around, I think he'd be good talking in front of the group.
Jason Zucker: Not me, no chance. I think Sid would be a good one. He thinks the game really well, I think he's a calm guy. I could see Rusty doing it too, I can see Rusty just not being able to get away from the game and just want to do it. Let's see, Tanger? No chance. I could see Dumo coming back in as long as he got a wine cellar as part of the deal.
Ryan Poehling: I've got Carts. He's been around the league the longest and he knows a lot about hockey.
Drew O'Connor: Teddy. He's got the right demeanor for it, he just loves hockey.
Bryan Rust: I'm going to go with Teddy Blueger. He's going to coach the Latvian national team.
Teddy Blueger: I feel like Rusty. He knows the game, he's played in all situations. He knows special teams well but on both sides, he can play up and down the lineup kind of anywhere. So he's pretty flexible and knows the game well, and I feel like he'd be good at being able to explain stuff. So yeah, Rusty.
Josh Archibald: Rusty. We sit beside each other in the locker room, so he's always talking.
Kasperi Kapanen: Sid. I think he just sees the game so differently. He is who he is. I think he could be pretty passionate about that and be a good coach and understanding and it'd be fun to see if he'd want to do that someday.
Danton Heinen: I could see (Ruhwedel) being a good coach. He's a well-respected guy, a guy that people would want to play for. I feel like he's a smart hockey guy, he knows the game well. I feel like he could be a pretty good communicator.
Tristan Jarry: I don't know.
P.O Joseph: I think Kris watches a lot of video, so I feel like he would be a good one. I don't know if he has the patience to do it, but he would definitely be up there for maybe a video coach. I can see him as a video coach, maybe a D coach. Other than that, it depends what level. I feel like there's so many guys that are good with kids and stuff so I think there are some good coaches for kids levels and stuff like that. There's a bunch of different players, we have a good team of guys that understand hockey a lot. I could see (Jeff Petry) actually being a coach. I don't know how he would be as a head coach, maybe he would show some emotion but I'd love to see it.
Brian Dumoulin: It's hard to picture them as a coach, it's hard to put them in that perspective. Because, I mean, it's got to be someone who likes to watch video. I'm trying to think of guys who like to watch video and there's not too many guys in here (laughs). Yeah, I'll go Teddy. He likes to watch video.
Jake Guentzel: Sid. He just knows the game, he has a lot of passion for the game, and I think it's something that if he truly cares about that he would be a really good coach.
Casey DeSmith: Probably Sid or Dumo. I just think they have the demeanor for it. Everybody in here has probably enough hockey knowledge to be a pretty good coach. But Sid is such a hard worker, I think he'd work really hard at whatever he's got to do. I think Dumo has a good presence for it. He would know how to handle the room, how to handle players, you know?
Sidney Crosby: Somebody's got to be into coaching, too. I think Dumo or Ruhwedel. I just think they've got a good demeanor. They know the game. I think defensemen tend to be a little more patient than forwards. Forwards are attacking, and D are always kind of surveying and watching the game a little bit more. Let's say those two.
Rickard Rakell: Geno. I think he'd have a pretty free-spirited team.
Past editions of Survey Says can be found here. Have an idea for a future question? Leave it in the comments!
