With the Oren Koules/Len Barrie ownership and Barry Melrose tenure a distant memory thanks in part to the ownership group led by Jeffrey Vinik, the hiring of Steve Yzerman and his appointment of Guy Boucher to become the Lightning’s head coach. While the success story can be seen on a nightly basis this spring due in large part to the new organizational structure that was brought into place last summer, the one element of the this cog is assistant coach Martin Raymond.
Roughly seventeen years ago the McGill Redmen were starting their training camp for the 1993-94 and amongst his bevy of players on the ice that September was a junior by the name of Guy Boucher and a freshman from West Hill, Ontario named Kelly Nobes. Over the course of Nobes’ four seasons playing with the Redmen he spent half of that time playing with Boucher as well as a season with a raw freshman by the name of Mathieu Darche, who is presently a member of the Montreal Canadiens. It was during Nobes’ final season, and Darche’s first, that Martin Raymond would assume the role of head coach of the storied schools hockey club.
During Raymond’s tenure the McGill Redmen remained one of the strongest programs in the CIS, building on an already strong and fabled history. Boucher would soon find himself as an assistant coach first with Rouyn Noranda and then with Sidney Crosby in Rimouski. By the 2008-09 season he was not only coaching a powerhouse in Drummondville, he was also a member of the coaching staff for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa. Building a name and a game plan that would lead him to the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate in Hamilton, Boucher decided to look to his past to play a role in his present situation.
Martin Raymond had completed just completed his fourteenth season at McGill when Boucher came calling to see if he would be interested in joining the coaching staff of the Hamilton Bulldogs. Upon doing so Raymond took a sabbatical from the Redmen to give coaching with Boucher in Hamilton a shot that would be hard to let pass by. The two quickly showed a rapport that was contagious amongst the hockey club and the results were hard not to notice. With the likes of PK Subban and an old friend in Mathieu Darche helping lead the Bulldogs to a successful season and run to the Calder Cup Finals. People within the hockey world were taking notice and the buzz was growing. During this time Jim Webster was running the bench for the McGill Redmen, unsure of how long his tenure would last, that didn’t affect the product on the ice as the Redmen maintained their high level play and results on the ice.
With the 2009-2010 season wrapping up with the Chicago Blackhawks winning their first Stanley Cup since 1961, talk around many hockey circles focused towards the vacant coaching positions around the NHL and Boucher was at the top of most teams lists. With the prospects of continuing his career at the professional level looking more realistic, Raymond informed those at McGill he would not be returning, not long after Jim Webster confirmed he too was not going to commit to continuing as the Redmen’s interm coach. The program wanted to recruit a fresh face, one that could not only relate to the players but to the program. When the dust settled and search was complete Kelly Nobes found himself back where he started his post secondary education and athletic career.
Following his playing days with the Redmen, Nobes gave professional hockey shot and took his services to Spain although found his true calling back home and refocused his hockey aspirations. Upon returning home, Nobes quickly found himself teaching elementary school in Scarborough before decided to return to McGill to complete his education and become as an assistant to Raymond with the hockey club. The experience proved to be valuable as Nobes was able to use his training to lead him to the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario to coach the Paladins men’s hockey team. Anyone who knows the OUA hockey standings knows that RMC is not one of the power houses, but what Nobes identified was two things, the chance to coach at the university level and a group of player who will come to work every night. The results were instant as the players quickly bought into his game plan and noise around the league followed that RMC was not going to be an easy two points any longer.
As word got out of Nobes’ talents, he began to hear from other schools who had taken notice of the job he had done recruiting and establishing a foundation that had not been seen around campus before. In the summer of 2006 Nobes decided to make the move with his family to his father’s alma matter at Laurier University. It was a move Nobes felt would not only benefit his growth as a coach but would provide him the opportunity to build the type of program he was confident he could. The first season alone hammered home both points as the Golden Hawks found themselves in the National Championships, making it to the semi finals. The word was out and the proof was a clear as day, the Golden Hawks were a team to beat.
From 2006 until 2010, the Golden Hawks were a constant amongst the top clubs in a very competitive OUA men’s hockey loop, with clubs such as McGill, UQTR, Western and Lakehead amongst others always being a threat. As the season came to a close Nobes was approached by the athletic department about his future plans and weather he would consider an opportunity to return to Montreal. With his roots well in place not only in Kitchener/Waterloo, he also still had strong ties within the Montreal area as his wife Michelle was from the area and had family still calling Montreal home. After taking some to time to think the proposition over Nobes decided to accept the opprotunity to run the hockey club he once played for.
It is easy to look back and see how the meetings and friendships established back in the fall of 1993 have lead a handful of those involved with the McGill Redmen during the 2010-11 season. Boucher and Raymond continue to lead the Lightning as they are on the brink of taking the club to the Eastern Conference semi finals, needing another win to close out the series. Mathieu Darche was able to use his strong 2009-2010 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs into a late season call-up with the Montreal Canadiens and then into a full time role with the storied franchise this past season. As these Redmen alum were making headlines across the NHL and Montreal, Kelly Nobes had McGill not only flying high posting a record breaking season for the school but also leading them to the CIS Men’s Hockey Championships, unfortunately losing to the University of New Brunswick in the final. While the end result was just shy of the ultimate team goal, Nobes was able to set club records club records at McGill, just like he did in his previous stints at Laurier and at RMC.
Amazing how a connection that took place 18 years ago can continue to bond and build friendships towards their dreams all of these years later. That my friend is how the hockey world works and will continue to for years to come. it is just a matter of time before all these former Redmen are working in the same league, the National Hockey League, at the same time.
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