Trent Klatt Seeking Balance In Return To Coaching
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A year after leading Grand Rapids to a third place finish in the state tournament, Trent Klatt is eyeing even bigger things for his team this season, after starting the year 7-0.
"To be honest with you, I think we're better this year than we were last year, to be honest with you. I'm really excited," Klatt said.
It's a year Klatt very nearly was not a part of. Less than three weeks after capturing that third place finish, the 14-year NHL veteran abruptly resigned, saying he didn't have enough time to coach the Thunderhawks in addition to his job as a scout for the New York Islanders.
"One of the reasons I stayed home was, as the head amateur scout for the Islanders, I was gone 25 to 30 nights a month. And I was missing my kids. So I decided to come home just so that I could be with them," he said.
A week later, after an outpouring of support from the players and the community, he changed his mind -- and agreed to come back and coach again.
"I'm able to be home at night for three of the months anyway, and where I can see them every night," Klatt said. "So that was the reason, and I can make the schedule work."
He still scouts for the Islanders, covering high school hockey and the USHL. So how he makes the schedule work requires a lot of discipline, boundaries and balance.
"Well I leave my computer and my camera at the arena so I can't come home and watch video. So that's one way I do it," Klatt said. "When I'm at the rink, I'm at the rink. When I'm at home, I'm at home. And when I have things to do, I try the best I can to leave hockey at the rink. And, I don't know, it's a difficult balance, there's a lot going on, but I just chug along and do the best I can."
To be clear, Klatt doesn't need the job at Grand Rapids -- he already has a pretty good one. He's doing this because he wants to. And because he loves to.
"I love coaching, I love the kids," he said. "I've been blessed to play hockey my whole life, I've lived hockey my whole life. And the least I can do right now is give back to these kids and teach them a few lessons that I learned the hard way."