With his son’s announcement that he will be playing in the Victory Hockey League, Doug Schneider has appeared on the radar for the first time in nearly 30 seasons. His previous departure from the league raised many questions, but the fantastic writers at Hockey 2nite managed to answer some of them during an exclusive interview with the four-time all-star.
Doug Schneider on the Hockey 2nite set
H2: Welcome back to the VHL, Doug! How’s it feel after all these years?
DS: Thanks, guys. It’s incredible for me to see that this league is still running so smoothly after all these years. Seeing so many familiar faces has been great, and even though there have been some big changes to the league, it still has that same fun atmosphere. What’s it been, 30 seasons now? Wow, I feel old.
H2: This is a question that’s been on the mind of many VHL fans over the years: Why exactly did you leave? And where have you been all this time?
DS: I want to first start out by saying that I had an amazing time in the league. I had a great career, and accomplished everything I had hoped to, between being an all-star and winning a handful of Continental Cups. But once Danny was born, I just didn’t feel right leaving my family behind to play in a worldwide league. Perhaps things would have been different if all of the games were played on a single continent, but having to regularly travel across the Atlantic was simply too much for my wife and I to handle. Leaving her alone with a newborn for weeks at a time was an incredibly straining process, and I decided it was best to hang ‘em up and take a coaching job closer to home.
H2: And how did the coaching career go?
DS: Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it. I coached a semi-pro team for a few years without seeing any results, but I also coached all of my kids’ teams and, if I might pat myself on the back here, think I did a pretty good job of that. With Danny looking to be one of the top defensemen in this season’s draft class and [12-year-old] Brandon looking good, I’m pretty pleased.
H2: Tell us about your Danny and Brandon’s playing styles. How similar are they to you?
DS: Danny is basically the same as me. He’s a big, strong kid who enjoys throwing the body and always thinks defensively. I think my career numbers were pretty misleading, as the only reason I put up so many points were the unbelievable offensive talents I had around me. Now that there seems to be more parity and defensive focus, I wonder if I’d even be able to put up half of the numbers I did. Brandon couldn’t be much more different than the two of us. He’s only 12, but he looks like he’ll have my size and has hands like you wouldn’t believe. I know I didn’t teach that to him - maybe it came from years of playing pond hockey against Danny and me. Either way, I’m just excited to see how he does when his time to play in the VHL comes. Unfortunately due to the age difference, I won’t be able to see both of my kids in the league at the same time, but I think he has an incredibly bright future if he keeps up the hard work.
Like his father, Danny Schneider (57) is a large human
H2: What advice have you given Danny as he prepares for the draft?
DS: As I’m sure you guys remember, I was a bit of a diva in my draft year. Because of my complaining, I was traded twice within 24 hours of the draft. And even though I ended up with what I wanted, times are so much different now. Making it to the VHL takes years of hard work, and that’s what I’ve been trying to pound into Danny’s head. When you feel content with your game, you just have to remember that there’s someone else in the league working twice as hard as you trying to steal your spot. If Danny takes that to heart, I have no doubt that he’ll be a regular within a season or two.
H2: So where do you see Danny going in the draft?
DS: I’d obviously love to see him go in the first round. But there’s so much great talent in this draft that I could see him dropping to the third. All things considered, I’m going to guess he goes at the end of the second round. Regardless, I’ll support him and do anything I can to help him have a successful VHL career.
H2: Thank you very much for your time Doug. We’re thrilled to see you back.
.png.ed69a7260a477fcf4feead7a0e4b7506.png)
Da Bearfan got a reaction from Ball in THE OFFICIAL WELCOMING THREAD!!!
Da Bearfan got a reaction from d3vilsfire in S39 Discussion Thread
Da Bearfan got a reaction from Victor in S39 Discussion Thread
Da Bearfan got a reaction from eaglesfan036 in MOS/MIN; S39
Da Bearfan got a reaction from Jala in VHLM This Week (August 17, 2014)
