Mike Eaves, new head coach of the Wisconsin men's hockey team, has tasted success at many levels. He was a two-time all-American center at Wisconsin, and is also the Badgers' all-time leader in points. He played in two Stanley Cup finals in the NHL, and was an assistant coach in a Stanley Cup final as well. As the
ew guy"" on campus, Eaves recently talked about his life in hockey and what he hopes to accomplish here in Madison.
To start out, explain what it was like when you played at UW. A lot of people here don't know, really, how successful you were when you played here.
Well I was here in the mid 70's, '74 - '78. Our last two years we were fortunate enough to have a couple of real good teams. My junior year we won the NCAA championship, and our senior year we went back to the'it wasn't called the Frozen Four then'but we went back to the National Championship tournament. We had some real good players. No matter how good you are, you have to have good people around you in order to be successful. The teams that we had were very good, and any successes that might have been made on a personal level were because of people that were around me.
What was it like playing for Coach Bob Johnson?
It was fun. Bob was a guy that you look back on, and if you think of a few short points that come to mind, he was really enthusiastic about the game. He was always positive about the game. No matter how poorly we played, there was always something we could build on, and he always highlighted that. Now, he was a smart enough man to realize there were lots of things to work on, and we would work on those things. But he always came down to the rink ready to go. We all knew that Bob would be organized, and that he was gonna be all fired up, and we were all going out there and enjoy this game because we got to go on the ice and play hockey. Those are the things I remember about Bob.
You played in the NHL for 8 years. Can you comment on your experiences at the professional level?
Going from college to pro is a huge step. I don't think that people realize that. There have been a lot of great college players that never got to play in the pros because they didn't have that next gear. Sometimes you need a break; sometimes you need a coach that likes you. It's not a guaranteed step because you were real good or a great college player that you're going to make it. But the eight years that I had there, I was real lucky again to be on a couple of good teams. With the North Stars we were able to go to the Stanley Cup finals once, and then with the Calgary Flames we went another time. Although we didn't win, going to that series in the spring, when there's only two teams playing and you're playing for the hardest championship, I think, in professional sports. It was a great, great thrill and an honor to be with those guys.
Being an assistant coach in the NHL you were also exposed to superstars everyday. What were those experiences like?
It's a little different level. I mean, these guys are very good players, some of the best players in the game. Believe it or not, I think some of these guys, they're like anybody else. They have a confidence issue. They are superstars, and a lot of times they're very sensitive with their egos and stuff, and you have to deal with that. I think that's what makes that next level higher because if you lose your superstars, you're not going to be a successful coach. So you have to create a relationship with them where they learn to trust you, and they know you're in their corner, and any feedback you give them is for their best interests.
