Chabbert joins Battalion bench
NORTH BAY, Ont. – A chat with his former university coach put Steve Chabbert on a path back to the Ontario Hockey League.
After a four-year OHL career, including three seasons with the North Bay Centennials, defenceman Chabbert made a one-season stop in the East Coast Hockey League before playing three years at York University under head coach Graham Wise.
Wise, now head coach at Ryerson University and a longtime associate of Stan Butler, director of hockey operations and head coach of the North Bay Battalion, crossed paths with Chabbert at a recent York alumni function.
“Getting back into hockey is something that’s always interested me,” Chabbert, a five-year veteran of the North Bay Police Service, said via telephone. “Stan is good friends with Graham, and Graham mentioned that there could be an opportunity up here and he passed along Stan’s number. We started talking, and it worked out.”
Chabbert now is a parttime assistant coach on Butler’s staff, which includes Ryan Oulahen and John Goodwin.
“I’ll really be looking to learn from the other coaches,” said Chabbert, a 33-year-old from Sioux Lookout, Ont. “If I see something I can help with, I’ll offer my assistance.”
Aside from a stint helping Wise in 2006 during his first season at Ryerson, Chabbert never saw himself as a coach.
“It was never on the radar for me, but as you get away from the game as a player you really miss the competitiveness, and this is a great opportunity to fulfil that. As a player in junior the goal is to win the Memorial Cup, so it’s great to have another chance to reach that dream.
“Working with Graham was a good experience and a different look at the game after so many years as a player. You really get a better appreciation of the work that’s done behind the scenes so when the players show up to the rink everything is organized and ready.”
Chabbert has hit the ice with the Troops as they prepare for their first season in North Bay after 15 years in Brampton.
“I’m starting to get to know them. The team looks good and has a strong work ethic. The speed during the first few practices has been at a high level.
“The kids are really focused and they now train all summer. They have personal trainers and really work hard on their diet.”
Chabbert said he’s eager to share with Battalion blueliners what he learned in his playing days.
“Anytime you can have someone who’s been in that position, it helps. I might see some little things. I think I’ll get a lot out of working with those guys. If you aren’t solid in your own end, you won’t be able to get the puck out or generate any offence. That’s a huge key for any successful team.”
He said he was happy to see the OHL return to North Bay after the Centennials left in 2002 to become the Saginaw Spirit.
“I moved back here five years ago, and there seemed to be rumours every summer that a team would come back here. After the first few years I figured this is what it was like every year, but then it looked like something really would happen. There’s a lot of excitement here in the city, and the public is really supporting it.”
A fourth-round pick by the Centennials in the 1997 OHL Priority Selection, Chabbert played 195 games with the club, scoring seven goals and earning 31 assists for 38 points. He finished his junior career as an overager with the Guelph Storm in 2000-01.
He said he looks forward to the Battalion resuming North Bay’s fierce rivalry with the Sudbury Wolves.
“Those were always fun games. It doesn’t matter where either team is in the standings; they’re always ready to go when it’s Sudbury against North Bay.”
Chabbert played in 2001-02 with the Greensboro Generals and Roanoke Express of the ECHL. He had 23 games with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League after graduating from York in 2006 and finished his pro career in 2006-07 with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.
“I have a unique perspective. I played at university after junior and I’ve played pro, so I’ve seen both sides of it and I’ve seen the benefits. If the older guys have any questions as we go on, I can help them.”
