Coach's Corner

Q&A with Bridgeport Sound Tigers coach Steve Stirling

By Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Steve Stirling has seen it all over the past two decades.

From coaching at the collegiate level to scouting and coaching in the professional ranks, Stirling has made his way around the game. He is now the bench boss for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the American Hockey League, the top farm club of the New York Islanders.

As a player, Stirling spent the better part of six seasons in the AHL with the Boston Braves and Rochester Americans.

As a college coach, he led the Providence College Friars to the 1995 NCAA Championship Game. At that time, Stirling worked under then-Providence Athletic Director Lou Lamoriello, currently the General Manager of the New Jersey Devils.

Stirling, who began his college coaching career at Babson (MA) College, returned to the school as Athletic Director and hockey coach in 1985 and was twice named Division II/III Coach of the Year while at Babson.

Stirling, a Massachusetts native, was named Bridgeport's first-ever head coach on July 26, 2001. He is in his first season as an AHL head coach after serving the Islanders as a scout, AHL and NHL assistant coach.

Q&A with Bridgeport Sound Tigers coach Steve Stirling

Q: How did you get into coaching in the first place?

A: As I was weaning myself from pro hockey, in '76, I got a chance to go play over in Europe from '76-'78. I went and played in Vienna, Austria for two years. I had the privilege to play for a Russian coach in Vienna, which was very positive. I learned a ton from him, both as a person and as a player. When I came back in '78, Babson College hired me, site unseen. They saw something they liked. And, I thank them for it, because I had no coaching experience besides running hockey schools.

Q: Do you miss coaching in college?

A: That's a tough question because I played college hockey. When I left the pros in '78, I knew in my heart that I'd like to go back to the pros to try it. But, with a young family and a little more security, I made the decision to go into college hockey and don't regret it for a minute. I spent the next 18 years at the college level and enjoyed every second of it.

Q: Do you regret leaving the college game?

A: I have no regrets. Of course, you miss the relationships that you have at the college level. But, this has been every bit of a challenge as I thought it would be and I'm enjoying it today.

Q: How did you get into the pro game as a coach?

A: It was in '97. My two boys were older and out of the house. To go out with no commitments or tuitions hanging over my head, I figured it was a good chance to try my luck at the next level. I had played with Gordie Clark [Islanders assistant general manager] and Mike Milbury [Islanders general manager] in the mid-'70s and had a pretty good relationship with them. I called them and told them that I would do anything to get my foot in the door.

Q: What did they say?

A: They gave me an opportunity to scout the American Hockey League for one year. The following year, they put me in Lowell [then the Islanders' top affiliate] to keep an eye on our kids.

Q: You spent the final portion of last season in New York with the Islanders. What was that like?

A: It was a pretty good experience. I had spent a couple of years in the AHL. I had a pretty good idea of what it takes to get [to the NHL], but I'm no sure I knew what it takes to stay. Those two months really opened my eyes to what it's going to take. The easiest part, I found out, is getting there. The hardest part is staying.

Q: Are you surprised by the Islanders' success this season?

A: Not really. When you bring in Yashin and Peca, you bring in some talented guys and some leadership. The missing piece that really put them over the top was [goaltender Chris] Osgood. We knew, coming out of camp, that we had a better team than a year ago. All of a sudden, they got one of the top goalies in the National Hockey League to come in and play so well. That took a lot of pressure off a lot of people.

 

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