Rockets coach is an army brat

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“Living over there was fantastic”, Mallette recalls. “We got to travel almost every weekend. We did a lot of camping in France. Went to Spain and Italy. I wish I could have done it when I was a little older so I could have remembered a lot more.”

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When Mallette returned to Canada, he was scouted by the Kelowna Rockets. Ed Kingston was his head coach playing bantam hockey in Comox, BC with ex-Rockets super star Brett McLean. Kingston was a scout with the Kelowna Rockets and was intrigued by the tall, lanky player’s ability. He was listed and made the team as a 17 year-old, making his presence felt at Memorial Arena.

“Bruce (Hamilton) and Lorney (Lorne Frey) wanted a team that was hard to play against,” Mallette recalls.

“We had some good players like Jason Deleurme, Brett McLean and sparkplugs like Kevin Korol and Vern Fiddler that could put the puck in the net. We also had a lot of guys that made it difficult. Intimidation provided a lot of our success, mind you, we never made it out of the first round”, the now 43 year-old says with a chuckle.

“We used to pack that place. I am not sure if the fans came to watch the hockey or watch the circus? Most often you would see between three and 10 fights a game”.

It was a different game back then. Mallette was involved in 28 fighting majors one season. It was that aggressive style that caught the attention of NHL scouts, with the Philadelphia Flyers selecting him in the third round.

“I was shocked to hear my name called on draft day. I was elated. I called my parents on a pay phone. Teams looked at me as a project. Philadelphia was big. They were still the Broad Street Bullies back then. My draft year was the last of that (mean/tough players). One draft later, the Flyers selected Simon Gagne”.

Several years playing in the minors saw Mallette’s window in the NHL close.

“I will be honest. I probably didn’t put the work in. I was happy and content with playing hockey but I wasn’t serious enough training with guys that did”.

Now a head coach in the WHL, Mallette likes the fact that players are providing excitement for the fans with high end skill over trading punches with an opponent.

“I think the game has changed for the better. The players have gotten so much better. There is no way I’d be playing now. I think a lot of old school guys, who were fortunate enough to play in the Western Hockey League, likely couldn’t.”

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