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NHL coaches chime in on visiting their former teams
The San Jose Sharks honored former coach Todd McLellan when his new team, the Edmonton Oilers, visited. Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

NHL coaches chime in on visiting their former teams

It’s slightly uncommon for the home crowd to cheer for the opposing team’s coach. But such was the case at SAP Center in San Jose Thursday night — Sharks fans let out a mighty cheer when the jumbotron showed current Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan and his staff.

It was the first time that the winningest coach in Team Teal’s history returned to San Jose since parting ways with the team back in April. While he showed emotion during morning practice when talking about his first visit to The Tank since leaving, he insisted during his post-game scrum that once the contest started, it was business as usual.

“It was odd walking out on the ice,” McLellan said after the Oilers took the 2-1 shootout loss. “But once the game started it felt like another game.”

McLellan was just one of a few coaches in the National Hockey League who found a new home this past offseason, and Thursday gave just one coach’s interpretation of what it’s like to return to a former team’s barn.

There are number of responses we expect from a player who switched teams when he returns to a former home rink. Some players are bitter about their departures and drop their gloves on the ice at the first chance. Others, like Pacific Division All-Star captain John Scott, are reportedly seen meeting up with former teammates in the hallways after games.

But what’s the mental and emotional take from a coach’s perspective — particularly one like McLellan who spent seven roller-coaster seasons with San Jose.

“I don’t know if people realize,” McLellan said, “but as a coach, when you’re standing behind the bench, at least for me, you play almost every shift. The game is going on. You don’t know what’s going on in your surroundings.”

Perhaps that’s the mentality a coach has to take to keep a clear head in such a tilt. That certainly seemed to be the case for Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock in his first game back in Detroit. Babcock reportedly said of the commemorative video the Red Wings played to honor him during the game: "It was nice of them to do … I wish they wouldn't have to do that. I don't coach their team anymore. I'm glad this is all over with."

Current Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said something prior to his first time revisiting the New Jersey Devils. “I think any time you’re going back against your old team, it’s nice to get the first game out of the way,” he told CSN Bay Area before the game in October.

Granted, DeBoer left New Jersey on very different terms than either of the other two coaches left their previous posts. DeBoer was fired by the Devils about halfway through the 2014-2015 season, and in his first press conference with San Jose media, he appeared to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

“When you go through something like that, you have a bad taste in your mouth. You want to get right back on the horse — and I think that [Sharks general manager Doug Wilson] giving me the opportunity to do that right away is something I have been wanted to do since I was fired in New Jersey,” DeBoer said.

Then again, DeBoer seemed to leave those edgy feelings in the rear view mirror upon returning to the Prudential Center and leading the Sharks to a victory. But that could also have to do with the fact that his family is still in the area.

“I’ll get to go home for a few days, which is nice. My family is still there. A lot of friends, a lot of great memories there,” he reportedly said.

The same goes for McLellan, whose family is still in San Jose.

“I still have my wife and son here, so every day I call back and there are some San Jose conversations,” he told the media before the Sharks hosted the Oilers. “Still have a tremendous friend base here in San Jose. Our family loved it here. We became part of the community.”

And of the Sharks giving him a quick hit on the jumbrotron?

“They’re a classy organization. There’s a lot of classy people here,” He said.

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