One can focus on results of Guy Boucher’s coaching of the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs this season, or the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL… That alone would set him apart from other coaching candidates (by way of success).
His age, or should I say his youth, also sets him apart… Guy is only 38 years old and will be the youngest heacd coach in the NHL.
But those are just numbers. Lets add a hard dynamic that makes him nothing of the norm among head coaches you have known in most any sport. From the Columbus Dispatch:
Boucher has three degrees – bachelor’s degrees in history and biosystems engineering from McGill University in Montreal, and a master’s degree in sports psychology from the University of Montreal.
There is one coach in the league with that kind of education, and Steve Yzerman just left him in Detroit (Mike Babcock).
His Sports Psychology degree is something that aids him in his dealings with members of the roster he must oversee, from The Hockey News:
Boucher is said to be an extremely effective communicator, taking great pains to learn everything he can about every player on his team so he can deal with them on a one-on-one basis.
“He listens to all his players, regardless of their status,” said Canadiens prospect Gabriel Dumont, who played under Boucher in both junior and briefly this season in Hamilton. “He knows each player and knows how he needs to manage each player.”
…
“My approach is based on the individual,” Boucher said. “So whether you’re talking about 17 or 18-year-olds or 30 or 35-year-olds, players want to improve, they want to win and ultimately you find the same problems and strengths in each individual. It’s the same starting point, so I didn’t need to adapt my approach too much.”
This is a contrast to the last regime in Tampa, where the roster was to fit the coach and those who didn’t click were part of the problem and to be treated as such… Not worked with to solve things.
For more on coaching style and what he brings to the game, I fully encourage readers to check out the mentioned Dispatch article and learn about the 1-3-1 system that Guy favors, as well as other on-ice tactics his teams employed.
