MacDonald steps away from Bisons

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

After two fulfilling years and leading the Bisons to their first ever Telus Cup appearance, head coach Dan MacDonald felt it was time to hand the reins over to someone with a fresh mindset on the game.
The Red Deer native first started coaching when his university coach asked him to help him coach his team and then his career took off from there.
Prior to the Bisons, he coached the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL, the Red Deer College Kings and the triple-A midget team in Red Deer, leading them to five national championship appearances.
Now, with 30 years and numerous success stories under his belt, MacDonald has chosen to take some time off to ponder his future in sports.
He hopes his absence will make room for someone that is younger and full of enthusiasm.
“I liked the challenge every year of making a team better and I really enjoyed making a program grow,” said MacDonald. “I’ve been associated with half a dozen programs that started out weak and to build them to a point where you can say you did something special.”
MacDonald got the call for the Bisons gig from the Foothills Hockey Association two seasons ago. He was instantly on board to help the development process of the billet program that was put in place.
Having always had their sights set high, MacDonald’s teaching-style coaching philosophy aided players in becoming better all-around individuals on the ice.
“I think he really helped out on the skill aspect of the game like passing the puck, teaching us how to skate better, just the basics of hockey,” said captain Shane Fraser, who played both his campaigns with MacDonald. “If you’re not doing it up to your best standard, he’ll let you know and stop the drill.”
Defenseman Josh Bishop was one of the players who benefitted from MacDonald’s coaching style.
“[He taught] us defensemen that it’s not about making the big checks, it’s just about taking the hands and getting in on a guy and slowing them down more than anything,” said Bishop.
While the team was uncertain about their new coach, his approach soon became contagious.
“After last year and this year, it really goes to show that he knows what he’s doing and he’s been there and done that,” said Bishop. “I think once the players trusted him, it really helped us out a lot.”
MacDonald hadn’t solely focused on hockey in his coaching career, as he has coached many other sports, including volleyball and baseball.
MacDonald does not accept losing very well and that is why the players got pushed harder, because he wants the young men to become not only better players but even better people.
“I’m not a good loser, I always push the kids real hard and I look to see that we try to get the best out of them, so that we can be very competitive,” said MacDonald. “I think from a teaching perspective, it gives them something to build their own life skills on working hard to get better.”
He reflected on his two seasons with the herd – the winning streak that started in January was the moment that stuck out for him.
While feeling bittersweet about his decision, there’s no better way to leave the Bisons than on a high note.
“That 12-game winning streak was really special because the way we won and how we won and fact that it lead us where we wanted to go,” said MacDonald. “We had quiet confidence, you always ask that of a player, organization and sport.”
MacDonald’s plan is to stay involved in sports by helping develop other organziations.