Editor’s Note: this article is part five of a 10-part series about this year’s crop of new Vernon Viper players.
Chris Shaw - Solid Citizen
Don Klepp
Oct 21 2011
Coach Chris Shaw (R) believes that, “This team has a lot of potential. We have a number of things to work on, and championships aren’t won in September/October. So, we just want to keep improving, week after week. Our goal is to reach our peak by playoff time.”
He was a rugged customer when he played in the BCHL, racking up 512 penalty minutes in 168 games with Victoria and Burnaby, but these days he’s a model citizen.
The Viper Assistant Coach and General Manager concentrates on being a role model – “It’s important to show the players how to act in a professional way. We’re all very competitive, but we need to control and channel our emotions.”
“Part of our professionalism deals with the pressure of performing in a market that expects success, year after year,” he says. “The players feel that pressure and so do the coaches. Two national championships and a close call last year. It doesn’t get more pressure-filled than that. The expectations are high in Vernon. That’s a good thing, but you have to be focused and in control of your emotions all the time.”
Chris Shaw’s role with the Vipers is to run the defence and “tutor the defence,” he says. “Essentially, I’m a support for Jason and I help with player recruitment and education issues as well as the on-ice aspects.”
He’s had previous experience in that role; he started his coaching career in 2008-09 with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. From there, he went to the Okanagan Hockey Academy as an assistant to Alan Kerr. Last year, he was the Head Coach and GM of the Jr. “B” Nelson Leafs.
He says that the big difference between coaching at the Jr. “B” and Jr. “A” levels is the quality of players you get to coach and their ability to learn quickly: “Here, for the most part, they get it the first time they’re told. You still need to repeat things to establish deep-seated habits, but I really like working with players at this level.”
He says that “Jason and I are very happy with our recruited defencemen. Right now, one through seven on our back end, they all can play. They’re responsible defensively, and they can chip in offensively, too.” The Vipers lead the league in goals against average in the early going, so Chris has reason to be happy with his D crew.
Chris believes that “This team has a lot of potential. We have a number of things to work on, and championships aren’t won in September/October. So, we just want to keep improving, week after week. Our goal is to reach our peak by playoff time.”
The Viper players respect the approach taken by their coaches. Captain Patrick McGillis says that “they’re very knowledgeable, obviously, but their main strength is their ability to communicate their expectations and instructions. Chris is a player’s coach, I’d say, just like Jason.”
Several players have commented about another trait that Chris Shaw brings to his role – his sense of humor. He admits that “As an assistant coach I like to throw in a little humor and lighten things up at appropriate times. Yes, it’s pretty serious here, but it’s not a good idea to breathe down the necks of younger players. You have to help the kids relax a little, so they can focus on what needs to be done, not on negative feelings. They respond a lot better when you take some of that pressure off them.”
Chris’s long term goal is “to get to the professional ranks as a coach. Each year, I’ve taken steps and here working with Jason Williamson, in the best Jr. “A” program in Canada, with the legacy left by Mark Ferner, I’m excited about the opportunity to develop while helping the players develop.”
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