Former Griffins star Derek King is finally getting his chance to be a head coach in the AHL.

Story by Mark Newman

Derek King has been around hockey long enough that almost nothing surprises him, but he had to admit that he was jolted by the news when the Chicago Blackhawks fired three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville on Nov. 6.

In related moves, the Blackhawks promoted their AHL coach, Jeremy Colliton, 33, who becomes the youngest head coach in the NHL, and then installed King, 51, as the interim head coach of the Rockford IceHogs.

“It was like ‘Whammo!’ – right in the face,” King said. “You always think you’re ready to take on a new role and a new position, but it was a bit of an adjustment. There were a little nerves because I felt like, ‘Here’s my chance – don’t screw up. Let’s go!’”

The IceHogs promotion is King’s first head coaching opportunity. From 2009 to 2015, he was an assistant and associate coach with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, helping guide the team to a Western Conference Championship (2012) and three division titles (2012, 2013 and 2014).

He joined Rockford in 2016-17 and worked under head coach Ted Dent, who was relieved of his duties after that season. Although King interviewed to be Dent’s replacement, he was passed over for the job in favor of Colliton, who had spent the previous four seasons coaching in Sweden.

“I had no reason to feel mad about their decision,” King said. “Jeremy’s a young guy and they felt like he had done a good job over in Europe, so I understood their decision. When I talked to them, I felt my interview had gone well, but when they made their choice, I was still on board to do what I feel like I’m here to do, and that’s to develop these kids.”

King began his coaching career in 2002-03 as a player-assistant with the Griffins, for whom he played a total of four seasons (1999-01, 2002-04). King, who spent those final two years as a player-assistant under Danton Cole, remains Grand Rapids’ all-time leading playoff scorer (41 points) and still ranks in the Griffins’ all-time Top 10 for regular season goals (73), assists (130), points (203), plus-minus (+71), and power play goals (25). He helped lead the team to the 2000 IHL Turner Cup Finals and was the regular season scoring champion during the IHL’s final season in 2000-01.

During his 14-year NHL career, King scored 261 goals and dished out 351 assists in 830 games with the New York Islanders, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues.

King decided to stay in the Blackhawks’ organization after Colliton’s initial hiring out of a sense of loyalty, which was rewarded when IceHogs general manager Mark Bernard called him to say that Chicago was going to him a shot at running the team’s bench.

“I felt like I’m a loyal guy and I’m going to continue to do my job regardless,” King said. “I felt like if I’m going to be in the system, working with these young kids for a longer time without being a head guy, that’s OK. Now that I have an opportunity, I’m going to embrace it and see what I can do.”

King said he wasn’t planning to shake things up after assuming control of the team, except for a few tweaks in practices. Rockford earned a berth in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history last season after finishing with a 40-28-4-4 record.

“We built a nice program last year with the way we play and the way we develop the kids, and I’m planning to continue with it,” King said.

At his side will be assistant coach Sheldon Brookbank, the former Griffins defenseman (2001-03) who played eight seasons in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2015.

“Brookie does a fantastic job,” King said. “It’s only his second year and it’s like he was meant to be a coach. He’s great with all the players, especially the defensemen, and he has all the necessary experience – from playing up and down to winning a Cup. He can relate all that stuff to the players and let them absorb it, and hopefully they do. I wouldn’t be surprised if you eventually see him coaching in the NHL.”

This is not the first time that King has been confronted with the coaching carousel. During his six seasons coaching in Toronto, he worked with three different head coaches (Dallas Eakins, Steve Spott, and Gord Dineen).

“The faces change, but the development process stays the same. Guys are going to make mistakes and you help correct them, using the experiences that you had as a player over the course of your career. Hopefully they figure out that the more they turn that puck over, the less they’re going to play. It’s that simple.”

King believes there are countless teaching moments, not only in practice but also during games.

“You want to put players in situations they’ll need to experience if they’re going to make it to the next level,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll lose a draw or miss a check, but if you don’t put them in a position where they have to try to succeed, they’ll never learn. If they fail, they fail. Just go back to the drawing board and get them back out there.”

He lost his first visit to Van Andel Arena as a head coach on Nov. 14, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Griffins, the first of 10 meetings between the two teams. He looks forward to returning to Grand Rapids exactly one month later. He hopes to get revenge on Ben Simon, whom he came to know well in Toronto, both as a player (2009-10) and as a coach (2014-15).

“I was very happy to see Ben get the opportunity in Grand Rapids,” King said following their first meeting as head coaches. “I coached with Ben in Toronto and I even coached him when he was a player. He’s a great guy with a great family, and he’s going to do a good job there.

“I may need to sneak out the side door because he’s going to give me the gears because he beat me this time. But I’m beginning to get the hang of things and starting to feel more comfortable, so hopefully we come out the winners next time.”