Truthfully, Michael Nylander is a better teammate than a coach. But according to his son, it’s mostly for selfish reasons.
“On the ice, he likes to pass the puck,” Alex Nylander said of his father. “So I always got the puck if I got to play with him.”
And as a coach?
Alex Nylander, who had just finished an hour-and-a-half practice with the Mississauga Steelheads that featured some old-fashioned sprints and energy-sapping battle drills, smiled. A moment ago, Michael Nylander was in earshot.
“I guess he’s very good at both.”
That Alex Nylander is in a position to even compare the two roles is quite remarkable.