Former Rocket Mallette coaching
r By Kevin Parnell – Kelowna Capital News
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r Standing on the bench at Kelowna’s Memorial Arena, Kelowna midget Tier 1 assistant coach Kris Mallette is very familiar with the history of the old building.
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r Mallette waged many a war at Memorial as a defenseman on a hard-nosed Kelowna Rockets team, making its first appearance in front of Kelowna fans. The team had just moved from Tacoma and was awaiting a new building when Mallette and his teammates took over Memorial.
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r “Coaching at Memorial brings back a lot of memories,” Mallette said this week. “That rink has a lot of character and we had a lot of characters on our team.”
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r The Rockets were a respectable 35-35-2 in 1996-97, Mallette’s first year in Kelowna and the Rockets second season here. At 6-foot-4, Mallette fit the bill for what the Rockets were looking for: A big, strong team.
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r “We were big and tough,” said Mallette, who had 206 penalty minutes his first season and 220 the next, before being traded to Moose Jaw. “We didn’t try to beat you on the scoreboard but we were intimidating.”
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r From Vancouver Island originally, it didn’t take long for Mallette to throw roots down in Kelowna. He met his eventual wife and spent summers in Kelowna through a nine year professional career that ended last year.
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r “My wife’s family owns an orchard and I would come back and skate in the summer,” said Mallette who has two young daughters he and his wife are now raising in Kelowna.
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r After bouncing around the minors, including a championship in Colorado in the Central Hockey League in 2004, Mallette suffered a serious injury last year when he slid head first into the boards. It ended his playing career after over 500 games as a professional.
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r The move into coaching was a natural.
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r “As a hockey player it’s all I know,” said Mallette, who is learning from midget tier 1 coach and former NHL player Brent Gilchrist. “I’d like to test it out and this is a good learning opportunity. I’ve had a bit of tough time. I’m pretty emotional on the bench. To be involved in this team has been rewarding.”
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r Gilchrist says Mallette has been a great addition to his team.
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r “He has great rapport with our defense,” said Gilchrist. “He’s been awesome with our kids and they’ve learned a lot from him.”
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r So having handed in his playing skates for a chalkboard, Kris Mallette is happy to be staying in the game he has played his whole life. Now giving back to the community he has called home since those early days with the Kelowna Rockets, the hulking blueliner says people still remember the days before Prospera Place.
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r “People around town still remember the good old days at Memorial,” he says with a smile. “We were pretty physical. If we were losing we beat you in other ways. I still keep in close contact with the Hamilton’s and they still treat me well. To see the Rockets having the success they are having now is great.”
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