Once a Rocket, always a connection

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The Penticton native has discovered that coaching offers many of the same things he enjoyed as a player, including the daily competition, the relationships inside the dressing room and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than himself.

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For someone who spent much of his life around hockey, the transition has been a natural fit.

“I think you look at lifestyle, being around high-end athletes all day, being around people like Mark (Lamb) and Jim (Playfair) and our ownership group, pushing to be better on and off the ice,” Rigby said.

“On the hockey side of things, being around the guys, obviously having played, you know me, I’m pretty personable, like to be around the room and hooting and hollering.”

The opportunity to work with young players has also allowed Rigby to maintain a connection to the game he loves.

“When you get to show up to the rink every day and laugh and joke and still maybe feel like you’re 20 at times, it’s fun,” he said.

Rigby admitted he spent some time exploring life outside hockey before realizing where he was happiest.

“You’ve done the real-world thing for a little bit, trying the coaching thing, and this is definitely a lot more enjoyable.”

There is also a different perspective that comes with coaching. The wins are still enjoyable, but the losses can be harder to accept when you know what your players are capable of accomplishing.

As a player, there is always the opportunity to get on the ice and influence what happens. As a coach, that control disappears once the puck drops.

“You’re maybe more frustrated as a coach on losses. You don’t have any control, obviously, of the play,” Rigby explained. “You can kind of do X’s and O’s, but you don’t feel like you can get out there and obviously help.”

The experience has also given him a better appreciation for the people who coached him during his playing days.

“When you know what they’re capable of, you know what the expectations are, you’ve seen them do it before and they just can’t figure it out that night and it makes you definitely wonder,” he said. “And realize why your coaches were maybe harder on you or frustrated you back when you played.”

Rigby can also draw on those playing experiences when trying to reach today’s young players.

He admitted he wasn’t always the easiest player to coach. Asked whether he sometimes received too much information or was simply too stubborn to listen, he quickly pointed to the latter.

“Probably option two, if you ask Ryan Huska or Dan Lambert, I’m sure,” he said with a laugh.

But that experience has become valuable.

“Understanding what these kids are going through is a huge part of coaching, I think.”

Rigby is also part of a growing group of former Rockets who have found their way back into the WHL as coaches.

Kelowna assistant coach Brandon McMillan, Simon Ferguson with the Vancouver Giants and Swift Current assistant coach Zach Franko are two other former Rockets who have made the transition from player to coach.

Rigby has known them through different stages of their hockey careers. He played alongside Franko and trained with McMillan during the summers.

He believes the experience of playing junior hockey, learning how to become a good teammate and understanding what it takes to lead a dressing room provides a valuable foundation for coaching.

“Half of coaching, or half of the road, is just being good people,” Rigby said. “When you look at a few of us that have kind of come on to the coaching side of things in the Western League, you look and you were leaders at some point in your team. You were part of the Rockets, and you kind of learned how to be a good human, a good teammate.”

The transition doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. Rigby began coaching junior B at 22 before eventually making his way to the WHL at 28.

He remembers conversations with McMillan during summer skates at MNP Place, asking about the coaching profession and what he enjoyed most about it.

For Rigby, getting involved early was important.

He encourages former players to explore minor hockey, academies and other coaching opportunities rather than waiting several years to figure out what comes next.

“If you can get into that minor hockey right away, if you can get into the academies and kind of learn the ropes, understand what it is to be a coach, use your resources, your networking and ultimately your resumes, your playing career, if you can use that to jump up a few steps, why not?”

Rigby also has an interesting perspective on the arrival of the expansion Chilliwack franchise and what it could mean for the WHL’s Western Conference.

He believes another team in British Columbia is good for the league, particularly when it comes to travel, business and creating more opportunities for players and hockey personnel.

“It’s great that we’re adding another BC Division team,” he said. “It’s good for business, for travel, for a lot of those teams in the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland.”

For someone who grew up in Penticton, having another WHL option closer to home is also appealing.

Rigby was also able to watch the Penticton Vees make an immediate impact in their first WHL season. That enthusiasm came with a little disappointment, however, after the Cougars were eliminated by the Vees in the playoffs.

“That one stings for sure,” he said.

Still, he was proud to see his hometown embrace the Western League.

Having played for Fred Harbinson and the Vees, Rigby understands the connection between a community and its hockey team.

He sees similarities between Penticton and Kelowna, where fans have a long history of supporting their respective clubs.

“It’s fun to look from the outside and see your friends and family and the minor hockey association, everybody kind of rally around some good hockey,” he said.

Rigby also believes the WHL has provided Penticton with an opportunity to experience a different level of hockey firsthand.

As for the Cougars, the challenge this season has been finding the consistency that helped produce 44 wins a year ago.

The loss of high-end players has left a different look to the roster. The early schedule also presented an unusual challenge, with just three games played over the first three and a half weeks.

Rigby isn’t making excuses, but he understands there is work to be done.

“We’re used to winning a lot of games. It’s different for sure,” he said. “It is early, but we got to start making some ground here. Obviously, you don’t pick up points this month, last month, then come January and February, you’re chasing a lot.”

There are, however, encouraging signs.

“We’re a young team that’s figuring it out,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s hockey, it’s a game. It could go either way. The other team’s trying to win too.”