Jay McKee Joins Sabres Live From Las Vegas | Buffalo Sabres

Jay McKee Joins Sabres Live From Las Vegas | Buffalo Sabres

we are all about the class of 1995 you’re part of that class part of that class thank first draft that he worked my first draft that I worked and these two guys next to me Marty Baron Jay mcke one of them went higher in round one that wasn’t me it wasn’t you well the sa how about this did you think you were getting picked when they made the trade like they traded mcgil to Vancouver yeah and then they got what was it the what were you 14 14 they got the 14th pick their original pick was 16th so and did you think oh well that’s me I I thought they taking Marty Baron oh well I thought I was going way earlier I’ll give you a quick story actually you know how you know back then right before players draft in the first round all the Camas run up right so you kind of know if you’re going next um Kyle McLaren went 10th overall to Boston yes and whoever looked at the sheet McLaren was right next to mcke right so they messed something up and all the cameras came over were in my face for the 10th pick oh no so I tapped my dad said well looks like I’m going to Boston dad uh you know Boston ruins like to select Kyle McLaren right back down oh yeah yeah so somebody made a little error there and then you see them scrambling looking for the where’s the Big C declar because he’s another big dude right yeah that was tough wow but also I was a little jealous because you have the number one on your shoulder because you were the first Sabers pick everything you know I’m two picks later I got a generic like Sab Jersy nothing like 95 it’s a 95 for the year that’s it no name no nothing I like I that guy he’s getting all the interviews he’s like popular I’m just coming in behind the 16th overall gets the shade still popular after all this time great NHL career largely with the Sabers and obviously now coaching still in the Ontario hockey league so uh as a head coach of draft eligible players what’s what’s it like when you’re around these moments and uh these kids that you know so well and the excitement that it is is on the horizon for them yeah it’s it’s just as exciting now for us um you know seeing these kids go through it obviously the experience for them uh doesn’t compare um you know it’s a great day for them and and a lot of hard work sacrifices from them and their their families uh growing up uh putting on in all the hours and it’s it’s a really rewarding day and as a coach you know seeing these players what they do every day the the commitment uh and then just seeing their faces uh you know when they get drafted it’s pretty rewarding as well you know you feel good for them and the family and uh so yeah it’s fun being at these as a coach I know Juniors have changed and uh the facilities have changed like when my my junior team our gym was like a 10 by10 room with some dumbbells or whatever and guys would you know and I remember when you were in Niagara Falls you spent a lot of time at the laser tag you were one of the best laser tag like I don’t remember what your I remember that yeah what was your call name I don’t even want to go there okay yeah I don’t remember if it was good or not but I remember he used to show up and people would be scared oh no so but players don’t do that anymore like the junior players they really spend so much hours training and preparing skills coach Jim and all of that right yeah no you know you think back you mentioned Junior uh when I was in junior nager Falls when we walked into the dressing room the bench press was right there they had the barbell up but we actually had coat hangers on the side you walk in you hang Cod on the there wasn’t much working out uh back when uh in our days until you got to Pro and and now it’s all summer long these kids are so committed I mean the the game they’re bigger faster stronger it’s a different style game than uh when we played but uh yeah the commitment it’s it’s it’s all year all year round whereas we were you know we we’d go play different sports in the summer take some time off get back to skating and you know mid August right we get to the Pepsi Center there and we we get back into it now these guys are doing you know the edge work throughout the summer the speed stuff on the ice uh it’s just different it’s very different what about um some of the the kids that you coached and or coached against this year from the ol uh guys that come to mind that you think will have very special nights ahead here tonight and you know obviously the Sabres are picking 14th so maybe they land one of them yeah no I I think um you know i’ mentioned before we came on here Adam URC is a player that we drafted in our Euro draft he could fall uh right around that uh that number I think um Merck vanacker is a player that could go in the first round a really good season for us this year uh obviously you know around the league Zan perek guys really Dynamic guys Bon um you know there’s just guys that uh you know are going to have great days I think it’s uh fun watching these players Dickinson um you know I think that’s who I meant to meant to say there but uh a lot of good young talent that Beck at seneki from Ashawa is probably going to go pretty high um you know uh lenko Inu probably mid mid first round so a lot of OHL guys it’s it’s exciting to see these guys go whether they play for us or not what do you like as a coach because you obviously started under Ted Nolan had Lindy rough as a coach L he’s back in Buffalo um who did you have in St Louis was it Andy Murray then Andy Murray was there Mike kitchen started my first year um in Pittsburgh Dan balma Dan balma he’s back in Seattle um good for him are you like as a coach how what have you taken from all of these coaches that you’ve had in your career yeah they it’s amazing uh all exceptional coaches but they all coach very differently you know Andy Murray was very very detailed you’d get the notes slipped under your door Keith kachuck used to put towels under the door so he’d try and slip the notes under and they just cram up I got that at the world championship for like two weeks and it was okay I can’t imagine having that games yeah everyone you know Andy thought that the more detail and and understanding you are and I get it uh it was it was a little much for some guys uh you know some players ate it up damn so you don’t do the sheet the night before I don’t do the sheet the night before the email text I will get stuff out like even in the summer you know when I’m watching the NHL stuff I would send stuff to our players and quiz some of them for fun you know and um you know just to see where where their knowledge are at is at uh I think that’s an assessment for us as coaches too if we’re doing enough teaching throughout the year they’re going to know and our players are spot on it was great um you know I think I I take a little bit from everybody um you know Lindy’s a structured guy I think Lindy early on was coached a little bit more through intimidation like he was harder on guys push them and and as the game evolved he’s evolved and and uh I mean he also had to use VHS tapes right to yeah that was definit I mean now you’ve got instant analytics you have the computers where the game’s on your computer right after you can pull up certain things within the game instantly so uh coaches evolve and you get more detailed with the systems and the structure and and um I think for me and then I’ll say bilman bilman brought a lot of entertainment and humor to the dressing room Disco Dan Disco Dan um I’ll give you one quick story in Dan it was I think my second game for the Pittsburgh Penguins this is my last year in the the the NHL right as 14 years into my career I was a pretty serious player I prepared and I was focused before games and we’re in Long Island me and Mike rup were sitting in the dressing room and uh all the the other players were out stretching or doing something else and there I was sitting right next to a door from the change room area in the two rooms and rupper was over there and the song Smoke on the Water came on and you know the guitar riff at the start and out of the corner of my eyes I’m taping my stick I almost runs into me Dan balls him a full suit jumps flies lands on two feet legs bent and starts like air guitar and Smoke on the Water me and rupper are like all right I like this guy oh yeahoo I mean he just won the cup the year before he’s probably feeling pretty good pretty confident um yeah he he brought let me ask you this a Loess how would you deal with a player whose alarm clock didn’t ring and showed up to practice late because you may have had a couple of experiences that with ten Nolan early in your career so my first year I lived downtown um you know in Tedy was pretty intense um I thought we were proxying downtown we were out uh saber land right and you’re looking at a 35 inut drive so I I got downtown uh with about 30 minutes you know ahead of when we were supposed to be there I was well ahead of time and there’s no cars I’m like oh no so I ran inside I’m like and the security guy is probably James like no you’re you’re out that’s Pepsi Center I’m like oh my God so I hop in the car and I’m like flooring it I had a truck pickup truck I’m on Iger Falls Boulevard and I was legit thinking of you’re going to like hockey Outlet so you’re going to a long way to go right and and I’m I was so terrified that I was really considering bumping into somebody at a red light like just a little fender bender just so I don’t hurt anybody but it’s enough to have to pull over have a story you know but I’m like I’m looking at the clock I’m like I might get there I got there one like right when I walked in guys were sitting down to stretch with dougy mckenny so I you know I got out my stuff really quick got into the stretch I’m like I think I’m okay like no one’s asking or looking or so we start practice get out there first first drill Teddy pulls every to Center ice and just Reams me out you know gives it to me hard like you want to be a you know all those things and he’s like get off the ice I want a 500 calorie bike ride within 20 minutes and if you don’t do it you’re doing it again I’m like oh my God never late again never late never ever in my whole career and you know I I’ve told that story to some of my players who have been late I’m like I’m teaching you now because you don’t want to go through what I went through when you move on you know what I mean so yeah never late again I see I was here like 20 minutes early Marty didn’t know but I saw you over the course yesterday I said what about 9:30 we’re on between 91 Pacific time he said 10:30 let’s do 10:30 it’s V we never know this morning first thing in the morning hey can we do 9:30 I’m like well we’ve already lined up guest so 10:30 he was ready early like he was in bed early you were focused I know I dialed in for this love sitting with you guys tell us about your coaching career and uh just the goals that you have uh I love it um you know I I think when I first got into coaching um and I think a lot of players are like this I wanted to be in the NHL tomorrow like I wanted to be there and coaching at that level and you know after a couple years and and just gaining a real appreciation for how much you learn every year and the experience you go through as a coach the relationships you build the experiences whether good or bad um you know I I went from being fired as a coach to winning an OHL champion ship and and I probably gain more of of being let go than winning a championship you know what I mean it’s it’s there’s so much um so for me yeah no different than a player I’d like to get to that level at one point um in a head coaching capacity I I understand I respect I have so much appreciation for what it takes to do that um and I’m committed to to working as hard as long as it takes to to achieve that one day if someone you know uh believes in what I can bring um I I love coaching at the I’m at um a big thing for me is being close to my kids who are based out of Buffalo I have a 11-year-old son who’s into hockey and I I want to stay close to him now as opposed to running off and jumping on a team just to do it at a higher level um I I really I’m really grateful to work alongside uh and with Incredible people in Branford uh from top to bottom the staff organization is topnotch and uh you know a big part of uh the desire to stay there is is the people that I’m with so uh really enjoy it but yeah it’s no different than as a player the long-term goals are are very similar what was it like watching your uh while you were an assistant coach to Chris noblock with the AR otter Conor McDavid you were an assistant coach you taught him everything he knows when it comes to skills and all of it how to score goals what was that like watching you as a coach now and seeing what noblock has gone through he went to the NHL came back to the ah now got the chance and watching the run that he had in the final well he he’s worked very hard he’s very detailed oriented coach uh makes a lot of good adjustments on the Fly within a game um Conor obviously was uh you know we we would get caught as coaches in practice just kind of watching him at times you know he was doing things uh at that age his last junior year that we had never seen hockey players do and we’re we’re still seeing it today at the top level so uh no I’m happy they’re both both really good people um hardworking humble and uh those are the kind of people that you want to see have success so to see them reunited and and have uh you know a bit of a magical run unfortunately just come up a little short which we’ve done before and and that’s uh it’s a hard pill to swallow but I think for both of them uh great experiences uh something to grow from and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them both at that uh on that dance again re real quick before we go who’s your favorite defenseman in the NHL right now oh man there’s so many good defenseman I I I I don’t I don’t I couldn’t pick one guy there’s so I mean I just think it’s amazing that on the heels of the awards last night and Quinn Hughes wins right that Quinn Hughes wins in a world where we talk about kale Mar so much right and in Buffalo we see the skill of Rus delene and on and on and on you go down the list and and that’s a testament to the year that Hughes had but I I have such respect for how you played the game and I love to know just how you view the game and how you view these incredible I would lean more and I know it’s not a Norris level maybe player but like a forsling you know the guys that just play they’re so hard to play yeah makoy like we were pulling the names of the top six for the US for the four nations face off and Charlie mavo is on that list right I’m like this is a guy that maybe you wouldn’t expect to be the top first six picks but makavo is that type of player yeah play he’s got the skill and ability but plays hard too I I like I think you need players like that to win championships you know the guys that go on the radar a little bit but play hard well good luck in your quest for your next championship and uh obviously we greatly appreciate the time enjoy the rest of the weekend in Vegas my pleasure you too guys J mcke Sabers Alum with us here on Sabers live [Music]

Former Sabres defenseman Jay McKee joined Brian Duff and Martin Biron on Sabres Live from Wynn Las Vegas. The Brantford Bulldogs head coach discussed some memories from his career, his coaching goals and OHL prospects.

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