Potulny is having a blast coaching at U

Grant Potulny played on two national championship teams at the U in 2002 and 2003. He was also a two-time captain. Now he is a first-year assistant coach.

Here is part of an interview with him in mid-November:

How were your years at Minnesota as a player? "The four years were something special, with some of the best memories of my life, and now being back as a coach is an amazing feeling," Potulny said. "I'm fortunate and I am going to do everything I can to help this program again."

"This program is about confidence and about pride in the M. When we come to town, we are going to be confident and we are going into every game expecting to win. How it plays out, it plays out. Every weekend we are going to come into town and be ready to roll."

What are you teaching the players? "i was fortunate enough to be here with some great players and we did some greats things here," Potulny said. "{I'm] just bringing to these guys what we did. And I don't want to sound like the old guy, like we did this and that,. but we did have a certain swagger about our team. This is Minnesota and we expect to win."

Potulny on Thursday was asked about being an assistant coach for half a season at the Blue Line luncheon. His comments indicate he is fast learner and has already changed his approach a bit.

"I absolutely love it," he said. "I think a lot of people here have played, they have been around the game. The time you are done playing, you got to move on with the rest of your life. Sometimes that is hard.

"The thing that is the best part of the whole thing, it's not the games, not the recruiting, not the coverage, it's just the time on the ice with our guys. The two, two and a half hours you have, maybe the hour before, maybe the hour after. Just interacting with these guys, just being able to enjoy what they are going through, has been the best part."

And the hardest part of your job? "Don has mentioned to me, it's an old Woogerism, pretend they know nothing. It goes for when you are drawing a drill up, or when on the fly in a game, somebody asks you a question. You get halfway through the answer and you are assuming the player knows where you are going with it. And your mind is ahead of it. But at the end he looks at you like, 'What are you talking about?'

"For me, the hardest part has been slowing it down. Just when I go through a drill, when I explain things, just taking it step by step by step by step instead of trying to get to the end before they are ready for it."

Potulny said he spends the first period of games in the press box. He said with the video teams have on opponents, coaches pretty much know what the other team is going to do, but he is still looking for things the Gophers can exploit.

"Maybe what their goalie is doing. Maybe he is down early. What are they doing on their power play? Just anything different that happens in the game. It is easier for you to see it from up top. If you are on the bench, things are coming by so fast that you can't always catch what you want to see. Or if a player asks you a question [it could distract you.]

GRANT QUOTES

* On series with North Dakota: "I'd be lying if I didn't say that is the team I want to beat every time the worst,." Potulny is from Grand Forks.

* On talking about one's own hockey career to players: "It's not about what we did or what guys did before. It's about these guys now. ... You are not playing anymore, so back off."

* Second-half bright spots: "As forwards. we are doing a better job. It is almost like getting to the point where at first it was, we are getting to have them have more movement in the offensive zone, crossing and dropping and skating back to the net. And then it was, making sure that when we do put a puck in, we are on it, we are retrieving it, we are getting it back.

"They are doing a real good job of getting where pucks are [so] they can score. You have to get in that area. We are trying to get our D to shoot more off the pass, getting it to the net. The biggest thing is, that we are getting to those areas where it might not be comfortable, but you are going to get results."

"But you try to make your team the best it ca be. And if it means there is a kid from Chicago, or Detroit or wherever, L.A., if he is going to make your team better, then it does the program a disservice not to bring in somebody that will help you win."

* On bringing in players who have junior experience: "Definitely you are seeing a trend now, it's gone to a lot of guys in this league have played in the USHL. The guys that we have recruited to be part of what we are doing next year are mainly guys who have played in the USHL. It gives them a chance to grow as a player. Maybe in high school you are leaned on just to score. We need you to get your three goals because that is how we are going to win.

"Maybe it is unfair to the coach, maybe it is unfair to the player, but that's reality. They want to win, so they get to this next level maybe [the USHL] helps them tweek their game a little bit. Maybe learning more defense or supporting the puck or how to kill penalties better, block shots.