EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Ian Moran saw it all throughout his 15-year professional playing career as he traveled to the best hockey facilities in North America and played in over 500 NHL games.
Yet, the former defenseman was blown away when he visited Ford Center for the first time Monday evening.
“To see it in person, oh my goodness,” Moran said Tuesday during his introductory news conference as the new Evansville Thunderbolts head coach. “I Snapchatted my wife and kids that it’s an NHL building. We’ve got to get the crowd rocking, and it’s going to be a great place to play.”
Moran succeeds Jeff Pyle, who left in July for the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators, as the franchise’s second coach. It’s been 10 years since Moran hung up his skates, so he had been itching to return to professional hockey.
He said he previously declined opportunities to coach in the NHL and AHL during his first couple years of retirement. He was recovering then from blowing his knee out twice during his final 16 months as a player.
Since then, Moran, 46, has done everything from scouting to working as a trader at a brokerage to writing articles about Bruins playoff games for a Boston media outlet. He also founded his own hockey training academy, IM Hockey School, based near his home in Massachusetts.
“Family-wise, it was the right time to do it,” said Moran, a father of four children with the eldest now a freshman in college. “My wife said to go hunt and get a job and make it happen. … This is a phenomenal place to start.”
He’s excited about the job, and that’s good because the Thunderbolts need to be exciting if they wish to bring more people to Ford Center. They finished last in attendance this past season, averaging just 2,309 per game – 900 below the league average.
Moran played alongside NHL legends Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, though he never won the Stanley Cup. He played for great hockey coaches, such as Herb Brooks, who is famous for leading the 1980 gold-winning Olympic team that completed the “Miracle on Ice.”
Moran, a Cleveland native who attended Boston College, has studied how the best approached their jobs and will pass that knowledge along.
“I’ve played with enough guys who battled through different things – guys who were good prospects and never made it, and guys who weren’t prospects at all and had great careers,” Moran said. “I hope the (Thunderbolts) know I’m on their side and I want them to do well and move on to a higher level.”
Coaching won’t be a new concept. He has instructed his oldest son’s team for about eight years and has worked with top-level amateurs, such as Jay O’Brien, who started skating at age 7 with Moran and was the 19th pick of this year’s NHL Draft.
Moran also understands the SPHL is about developing for all involved: coaches, players and referees. Everyone wants to take climb the ranks.
“It’s a different era with the kids now, so there’s a lot more explanation of why we’re doing something,” Moran said. “When I was playing, we were doing it and that’s it. If you weren’t then so be it.”
They’ll all suffer bumps and bruises along the way (or worse, considering he has broken nine bones in his feet). But Moran had a reputation during his playing days as someone who could keep the locker room loose with his sense of humor. Being personable will be important.
“I’d like to have an impact on them so they’re more than just hockey players,” Moran said. “It’s important for them to get out in the community. If we’re going to have a crowd that’s into it, we have to be out there and involved.
“If you go home after practice and play Fortnite all night, that’s counter-productive.”
The Thunderbolts improved last season by finishing 27-20-9 to qualify for the playoffs after finishing in last place the year before.
They appear to have made a hire that will spark local interest – sort of like the University of Evansville did with Walter McCarty. Plus, fans have proven before they will come if it’s a good atmosphere because the Icemen averaged twice as many fans during their tenure.
“We’re going to have lots of fun and I know the product on the ice is going to be absolutely fantastic,” new general manager Adam Sito said. “(Moran) is going to bring us a spectacular team and hopefully bring us to a cup this year.”
Expect the Thunderbolts to play fast-paced and maintain possession to spark scoring. Moran wants to “get the building knocking.”
“I’m so fired up about all of it,” Moran said. “But I have so much to learn.”
Contact Courier & Press sports columnist Chad Lindskog at [email protected] or on Twitter: @chadlindskog
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