^ Posted by Patrick Williams
David Bell He had seen a lot in the business – even before he officially took the job.
He was named interim head coach of the Belleville Senators on February 3, replacing him Troy MannBell and the club experienced the second half of the season. With the Senators trying to track down a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs, they have endured endless lineup changes amid injuries and call-ups to the Ottawa Senators.
Despite the upset, the B-Sens took their playoff bid to the last week of the regular season before they were finally eliminated from the competition. Bell’s work managing the club to the 14-9-3-3 mark prompted Ottawa to relinquish its provisional mark; It also marks the next step in a long climb for the 46-year-old, who will begin his 20th year in charge next season.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” Bell said in March.
Bell came to the Ottawa organization as an assistant coach for Belleville prior to the 2019-20 season and earned high praise from the NHL club’s front office for his work guiding their AHL prospects.
“David very much deserves this promotion,” Ottawa’s general manager said Pierre Dorion He said in the promotion announcement. “His transition from an assistant to interim head coach position last winter was smooth. We saw good collaboration between coaching staff at both the AHL and NHL levels, which remains vital for an organization seeking to take the next step in both leagues.”
“It was an amazing experience,” Bell said of his leadership of the club late in the season. “The players were bought right away. They were great with what we were trying to sell there, but there were some long, long days for us to really get our feet under to organize during the transition period, for sure.”
Ottawa Assistant General Manager Ryan Bowness He doubles as the general manager at Belleville and handles the day-to-day affairs of the AHL club. Together with Bale, they supervised a roster of 53 players, including 10 goalkeepers.
“The team’s performance over the last two-and-a-half months of the season solidified David’s candidacy significantly,” Bowness said in a written statement. “The players’ individual willingness, commitment to detail, and collective determination in pursuit of a playoff spot during the final week of the season leave us confident that David is the right person for the role.”
Also, the assistant position vacated by Bell was not filled again in February, which means he, assistant Ben SextonGoalkeeping coach Justin Petersand a video trainer Frederick Lemay It’s all in the handling of this business.
“Our people are amazing,” said Bill. “I don’t even want to call them assistants. We’re in it together, and they always offer to take things out of my class and do more.”
Bell kept his approach simple. The club has largely maintained the same system of play, as well as the consistency of its character. It had to, really, given the influx of players in and out of Belleville.
“Just don’t change. Don’t change you. Don’t change who you are,” Bale remembers telling his players. “Honestly, I haven’t tried to change my style with the players. My approach has always been clear and honest. If it should be soft, it’s soft. If it needs to be hard, it’s hard, and I was, as an assistant coach, too.”
Now with a full summer to prepare for what the organization hopes will be a healthier season, Bale and his players should have a much smoother ride this fall.
“They’ll savor more of what gets me moving and what bothers me as much as I think we need to play,” Bell said. “And I don’t mean systematically, but just a little bit of the intangible, whether it’s the team first or how they hold their teammates accountable, how they hold the coaching staff accountable.
“Everyone has their own personality. In terms of who I am and my team, guys will pick it up quickly. There are some things I’m up for and some things I’m OK with that maybe other coaches or other systems don’t fit into. I know everyone’s talking about 200-foot players, but I also like Really good offensive players who may have their shortcomings [defensive] region. Or I like really good defensive players who will never score a goal in their career.
“Non-negotiable is putting the team ahead. When I get to the goal, I need that offensive guy to be the best cheerleader he can be for the defensive guy. If we score a goal, that defensive guy better get up and cheer for that offensive guy.
“The message I give guys is to use their instincts and abilities. If you think you can beat a man one-on-one as a skilled person, then do it. As long as every time you don’t succeed, you hit the brakes and race like crazy to get back the disc. As long as you compete, I’ll let you.” Using your skills and instincts all night long.”
Bill plans to adhere to the same standard.
“I need to be ready for the team, whether it’s pre-scoring or an in-game adjustment. If I don’t make an adjustment, it’s on me and on my staff. I have to own up to that. I have to go into the room and tell the guys, ‘Hey, I didn’t get that.’ “I think the best way to get accountability is when you’re wrong, you own up to it.”
This philosophy has been shaped by nearly 30 years in the game of top level hockey. Bell played seven pro seasons as a strong defenseman and scored 60 games in the AHL between Springfield, Portland, and St. John’s before transitioning into the coaching game at age 27 in 2004. He even keeps a little book that came with him through his eight stops as a coach. If he sees a workout he likes, he’ll put it in the book. Coach dealt with the situation in a certain way? Write it down. Managing a break during a bad game? Or in a winning bid? Those go to writers, too.
“I stole from everyone,” Bill quipped. “I have stolen from the coaches who have coached me. I am constantly stealing from the coaches I train with and the coaches I coach against.”
Bill also cites Brian Kellerea, his head coach with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, as a role model. One of the greatest junior coaches of all time, Kilrea also won three Calder Cups with the Springfield Indians in the 1960s. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the AHL Hall of Fame.
Bale said, “He cares about people. He cares just as much if you score a goal or if you get your homework done. He cares about how you feel, [if] All is well at home. He is just a humble person. It’s one in a million.”
Kilrea’s mentorship came before Bell even tried out for the professional game. But he went through those seven seasons as a player when the AHL name was long-standing, Mike Stothers, gave him his first job off the bench as an assistant coach on the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack. They later reconnected in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons before moving to Belleville.
“He taught me a lot about hockey, a lot about life, just grinding,” Bell said of Stothers. “How hard it is to work as a coach, especially to move up the ranks. You may not get a lot of accolades, but you keep grinding and doing the right thing, and hopefully you get noticed.
“Be true. Be true to your players, be true to yourself, and don’t tire. Mike instilled that in me, demanded it, and I still carry it today.”
Patrick Williams has been in the American Hockey League for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and SLAM! Sports, and she is currently the co-host of Hockey news on the “A” podcast. He was awarded the James H. Ellery Memorial Award from the AHL for his excellent coverage of the league in 2016.