Keenan is a teacher and a tireless worker. In case anyone thinks Q would do a better job in the short term should read below:
Kunlun Red Star President and General Manager Raitis Pilsetnieks gave an interview to KHL.ru, in which he spoke about the 2017-18 season, the kind of system in place at this new club, and the global ambitions of Chinese hockey.
Loyalty to one's country
– Let us now talk about the KHL team, which is the public face of the club. After the success of the debut season, when the team qualified for the playoffs, expectations were understandably high. And the arrival of Mike Keenan, with so much experience and so many trophies under his belt, only served to intensify these expectations. What went wrong? Do you now consider Keenan's appointment a mistake?
– I'll answer the second question first: no, it was certainly not a mistake in any way! The main reason for the failures was the one I gave earlier – we were tackling too many tasks at once. Mike Keenan not only worked as the head coach of our KHL team, but we also asked him to share with us his vast experience in hockey organizational matters. And Keenan tackles everything with the same amazing energy. Taking charge of team affairs was only one of his functions, and I don't just mean he helped out with training methods.
Today, a head coach at a new, professional hockey club has to maintain harmony in the locker room, make sure the medical equipment is complete and up-to-date, supervise the guys pouring the ice, and even manage the cleaners – Keenan was involved in all of this, and tried to bring in the best of the practices he'd witnessed over his long career. He actively helped out with the new VHL and YHL teams, checked that all was well, offered advice and suggestions, and it was the same with the women's team and the juniors.
That is probably why he sometimes seemed distant from the team. Yes, the results were disappointing and there is no point in denying that,
but Keenan improved many of the processes and habits at the club, and the infrastructure he set down will develop further. Mike himself will continue to work for the club as a consultant, because he is still a member of our International Coordinating Council. So we still value his experience, even if he is no longer on the coaching bench.
Entire article:
Raitis Pilsetnieks: Inviting Keenan was no mistake