Learning from the master


By
August 29, 2016

It seems only fitting that a rookie Ontario Hockey League coach would spend eight years being developed and mentored by the dean of all OHL coaches.

To be sure, 31-year old Flint Firebirds bench boss Ryan Oulahen is set to take on his first head-coaching assignment after learning the ropes from Stan Butler, the 60-year old coach and general manager of the North Bay Battalion.

Not only has Oulahen apprenticed as an assistant coach under Butler for five years but he played for the OHL coaching master for three full seasons when the Battalion was based in Brampton.

As Oulahen begins his first term with the Firebirds, Butler is set for his 19th season at the helm of the Battalion as the only head coach the franchise has ever known.

Oulahen’s apprenticeship as a team leader came while playing for Butler, who named him the captain of the Battalion back in 2004-2005.

“He’s a really good communicator, especially with his leaders,” Oulahen said of Butler. “He involves you. He calls it middle management when you’re one of the captains of his team and gives you a lot of responsibility.”

And as Butler’s assistant coach with the Battalion, Oulahen got plenty of on-the-job training.

“There’s so many little things I could tell you I learned from Stan,” Oulahen told Flint writer Bill Khan. “He’s been doing it for so long. There’s no panic. If you have a three-game losing streak, he knows how to get out of it. We always found a way to right the ship. The biggest thing I learned from him is you’ve really got to know your players. You’ve got to talk to them. You’ve got to know how they’re feeling on a particular day. You’ve really got to communicate. He really does a good job of that.”

As he takes over a Flint team that missed the Western Conference playoffs in 2015-2016, look for Oulahen to implement a coaching philosophy that is based on the fundamentals of hard work and discipline.

“I want teams to know that when they come into Flint this is going to be a tough game,” he said. “My experience in the OHL is there are certain buildings where you know it’s going to be a tough game you’re going into. We really developed that in North Bay. I want to bring the attributes I learned from Stan and bring them to this program where we’re going to be a tough team to play against. In the OHL, you can win a lot of games just off of hard work and being unified as a group.”


What you think about “Learning from the master”

  1. Motley I don’t think Forrest signs… But if he does good luck, I am told he is committed to NAHL if he can’t crack Sioux of the USHL.

  2. Cant wait for this Season to get started . I think that the Firebirds are going to suprize many in the League this Season. There are alot of Firebirds fans here that are so excited for this Season to get started. So nice to read about them all during this Summer on this Site. Very good site keep up the good work Randy.

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