Mitch Calvert
Long-time Muskie assistant coach Ken Christiansen has seen the highs and lows, and despite a quick exit from last week’s all-Ontarios in North Bay, he knows it’s about more than just coming home with medals.
“It’s great to work with them and see them get better,” said Christiansen, who made his first OFSAA appearance behind the Muskie bench way back in 1971.
“It’s fun to get out on the ice and skate, and I like joking with the kids.”
Christiansen, who made his 20th OFSAA appearance last week, endures the long bus trips and weekends away from home all winter long because he enjoys seeing the players grow into young men.
“It’s just a good feeling seeing them develop and, of course, it’s great when you win,” he admitted. “I feel sad for the guys when I see them down after a loss, but that’s the way it goes.
“Though I can’t say much good things about their music, it’s just good to be around them,” Christiansen laughed.
When a number of seniors couldn’t control their emotions after realizing they had just played their last game in a Muskie uniform, Christiansen struggled to find the words to salute their efforts.
“We’ve always had good leadership, and we can’t complain about that,” Christiansen said, pausing to compose himself. “You always hate to say goodbye. You spend a lot of time with them all winter and get to know them well over a few years, so it’s hard.
“I think we see them more than their own parents,” he laughed.
“Kenno,” as he’s known in the locker-room, spent two seasons behind the Muskie bench in 1971 and ’72, nabbing an OFSAA bronze medal alongside head coach Jim Oster in his second year.
He then went on hiatus (although still coached at the local PeeWee and Bantam ‘AA’ levels) until returning to the Muskie coaching staff in 1984, and has missed only one trip to the all-Ontarios ever since.
Plenty of fond memories to choose from to be sure, but the one that likely stands out the most to Christiansen is the gold-medal win here in 1989, when 3,000 fans packed into the old Memorial Arena (now the ’52 Canadians Arena) on April Fool’s night to witness Billy Tucker’s blast from the point stand up as the game-winning goal.
“Well, naturally, the ones you win always stand out, but it’s always fun to come down and compete in these things,” Christiansen stressed. “1989 was awesome, and it’s tough to compare to that one.
“The old rink was just jammed, and the enthusiasm of the crowd was too hard to describe,” he recalled. “The kids were just pumped right up and people were sneaking in the side door.”
Christiansen also pointed to the squad’s first gold-medal victory in 1986 as another highlight on his extensive coaching résumé.
“1986 was the first one, and that will always stand out, too,” he remarked. “That was a good team effort that year. We struggled in the beginning, but I don’t think we lost a game after Christmas.”
Christiansen, who retired from his job as a millwright in 2000, couldn’t have committed all the hours to coaching that he did without the support of his wife, Mickey, every step of the way.
“I enjoy being around the kids, too,” said Mickey, who’s made a good number of OFSAA trips alongside Ken. “I remember the humorous times and the fun times, lots of stories.
“I sat at home and heard it on the radio in ’86 and just about cried,” she recalled.
“[In] 2001, I was there and that was exciting, and my son [Rick] played for three years, but my memories are not just the games,” she stressed. “When the games get too close, I usually run outside because I don’t want to see disappointment in them.”
Mickey said her husband lives and breathes hockey—and as long as he feels he’s making a positive contribution to the players both on and off the ice, he’ll keep going to the rink.
“He knows his hockey and as long he thinks he’s making headway with the kids, he’ll keep doing it,” she explained. “When he came home from North Bay, he said ‘Now what am I going to do?’
“Most coaches have to be pretty selfless, it’s a big commitment,” she noted.
Their son Rick, 30, now lives in Oakville and works as a teacher while their other son Mike, 33, works out of Toronto as a technical director for Rogers Centre while also contributing to Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts.
“Mike got the [Muskie] games on Channel 9 here, and when they won the gold medal in 2001, he had Harry Neale mention it on Hockey Night in Canada,” Mickey recalled.
Christiansen’s first medal in 1972 came in Windsor, and he and the Muskies returned there for the all-Ontarios in 2005—33 years removed from his first visit.
His coaching career came full circle then, but there’s sure to be more trips to familiar locations at future all-Ontarios to spark more memories.
Current head coach Shawn Jourdain and his predecessor, Shane Bliss, both played under Christiansen in the 1980s, and have grown under his tutelage to eventually coach alongside him.
Considering Christiansen’s longevity, don’t be surprised if he’s there to welcome another one of his former players down the road.
