Coaches Profile: Assistant Coach Kevin McCarthy

By Mark Harris | Aug 6, 2014

It’s August, a tough month for us hockey fans, and to keep you busy we plan on highlighting the new coaches of the Nashville Predators.

First up on the docket is new assistant coach Kevin Mccarthy. Keep an eye out for posts throughout the week highlighting the other new faces we’ll see at practice and behind the Nashville bench.

Kevin McCarthy statistics, yes, statistics:

Defenseman

5-foot 11-inches

195 lbs

Winnipeg, MAN

Coach McCarthy was a 5th-round draft pick of the Houston Aeros in the 1977 WHA Amateur draft; the professional hockey world and professional process was different back then. The Houston Aeros were a member of the World Hockey Association back in 1977 and later became an American Hockey League (AHL) team in 1994. The Aeros logo in the 70’s was pure awesomeness.

Kevin McCarthy did later play in the NHL and had a very good career. McCarthy played a total of 537 NHL games throughout his 15 years of playing professional hockey.

Coach McCarthy tallied 258 points in those 537 total games played at the NHL level, for a 0.48 pts/game stat; not bad at all for a defenseman of the late 70’s and 80’s.

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Kevin Mccarthy’s Coaching Profile:

Kevin McCarthy will be entering his 26th season as a coach at the AHL and NHL level.

McCarthy had success as a head coach for the Hurricanes AHL team, posting a 156-123-36 record in four seasons.

Coach McCarthy was the assistant coach for the Carolina Hurricanes and coached under new Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette in Carolina where the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006.

The Carolina Hurricanes of 2006 finished the year with a 52-22-8 record. Carolina finished the 2006 regular season with 294 goals on the year, putting them at 3rd amongst all NHL teams in that category for the season.

Coach McCarthy was also the assistant coach in Philadelphia with Laviolette when Laviolette was head coach from 2009 to 2013. Laviolette and McCarthy coached the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 where they lost the series to the Chicago Blackhawks.

What to expect:

McCarthy seemed very excited to be a part of the Predators organization when he was introduced as assistant coach at the Music City Sport Fest in early June.

”We’ve made our fair share of transitions, but this introduction was special, McCarthy said. “It’s very exciting when you come to a new organization, but it’s even more exciting when you come to an organization like Nashville.” – Predators Assistant Coach Kevin McCarthy

Coach McCarthy is an offensive-minded coach; emphasizing the offensive game importance just as Head Coach Laviolette has been known for. McCarthy and Laviolette have a long history together, which is a very good thing. Experience in the playoffs and a Stanley Cup title to his name as an assitsant coach under Peter Laviolette should not be overlooked as a very large advantage the Predators now have behind their bench.

“One thing about ‘Lavy’ is his passion for the game. He knows what it takes to win. Between the planning, preparation and communication he’s always in a position to be successful. I was really fortunate when he came to Carolina.” – Predators Assistant Coach Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy’s experience in every situation imaginable is nothing but a positive for the Predators. Hopefully he and Coach Laviolette can find the same charisma and mindset they had as they took the Hurricanes and Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Predators fans have been wanting to see more offensive hockey in Smashville, and they got their wish with the hiring of Peter Laviolette as head coach. Adding McCarthy to the Predators coaching staff adds another dimension of the offensive-minded approach to the game.

The Predators have a solid one-two punch behind the bench with Laviolette and McCarthy joining forces yet again.

All quotes courtesy of Matthew Bontorin’s piece on Predators.NHL.com .

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