The two met in the middle of last season, after Hanlon was told about Tsujiura by several people. Personalities clicked, and the organization grew convinced that Tsujiura was a perfect fit. He has lived with his family in Scarborough since the 1980s, and has extensive experience playing in Switzerland and Japan, including playing in the Olympics for Japan in 1998. We need someone that's a communicator. Almost like a big brother, or buddy.
Some people just have that.
Steve has that. Hanlon and Kumpel steered the Pirates to a 48-point turnaround last year, but often found there weren't enough hours in the day for all of their responsibilities, from organizing stats to planning travel to coaching the team on the ice. It's a good-sized staff for the American Hockey League. Only a handful of teams have more than one assistant coach, but Hanlon believes it's vital for the development of prospects. That's a little different and unique.