By John Raffel
Tim Blashill talks about hockey a lot with his brother, and that’s not surprising.
Tim is the coach for the Big Rapids High School hockey team. His brother Jeff happens to be the new coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
Tim has been Big Rapids’ coach 10 seasons and is also the assistant director of facilities for Ferris State University athletics.
The day before Jeff was introduced as the new coach of the Red Wings, Tim spoke about his older brother.
Jeff had been a goalie for the Bulldogs.“Then Jeff was a graduate assistant at Ferris State after he got done playing,” Tim said. “The year after, they hired him on full time. I happened to be done playing hockey in New York. Jeff called and asked if I’d like to come over and volunteer coach, kind of take his spot. That was in 2000 and I’ve been here ever since.”
Tim served as a graduate assistant coach four seasons. “It evolved into a job at the rink and I got the high school job in the process,” Tim said.
Although Jeff is two years older than Tim, and they actually never played on the same team, they “coached together at Ferris the first three years,” Tim said. “He was full-time assistant and I was the grad. I slid into his spot.”
Jeff later went to Miami University in the CCHA and then the Indianapolis Ice of the USHL. After a year with Western Michigan University, he became a Red Wings assistant. For the 2012-13 season, Jeff was coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Tim admitted that the Blashill family was thrilled. “We’re all pretty excited,” he said. “Obviously through Big Rapids, Ferris, and all the way back to hometown, Sault Ste. Marie, I’m getting a lot of notes, Facebook messages; everyone is happy for Jeff. He’s worked hard to get to his spot.”
The move to Indianapolis and the USHL was a significant one for Blashill. “When he took that job, I think his aspirations switched a little bit, and ultimately, he thought one day he’d like to be an NHL coach,” Tim said. “Certainly the owner of that team had NHL contacts. That’s the first time Jeff told me that this would be his goal, to coach in the NHL.”
Prior to the announcement that Jeff would be the new coach, he played in a golf tournament fund-raiser for high school hockey boosters. “He had a really good time,” Tim said. “I know our parents and team appreciated him being there. It was fun, and he enjoyed it. My dad came down [from Sault Ste. Marie]. It was fun to get together.”
But Tim Blashill said his brother realizes the challenges that confront him as a coach in the NHL. “One of the best attributes for Jeff is he’s always thinking ahead and trying to prepare himself, so there’s a lot going through his mind,” Tim said. “The first step was to get the job officially, have the press conference and go from there. He’s always thinking about the future. He’s always thinking about the next step.”
Tim Blashill learned plenty from his brother as a coach. “No. 1, he’s ultra-prepared. Whatever he’s done coaching-wise, he’s dialed in and ready to go. He knows well in advance what he wants to accomplish. He has a way of communicating that to his players. That’s one thing his players like about him. He communicates that way. Players like the way he communicates.”