Darryl Moxam is now fully invested in the Sudbury Wolves, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
The former OHLer and longtime local coaching fixture was recently promoted from assistant coach to associate coach with the local junior team, following the departure of Jordan Smith, who returned to his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie to work with the Greyhounds.
Balancing his position as a full-time employee within the School of Sports Administration department at Laurentian University with his role as assistant coach the past two years, Moxam is anxious, and grateful, to be expanding his hockey horizons.
"The biggest thing that is going to change is being able to be there with (head coach) Cory (Stillman) and the rest of the staff all day, every day, being involved in all discussions," said the 42-year-old former high-school teacher.
"I like to be there. I love the game and I want to be involved in everything that we do. It was hard, at times, coming in halfway through the day. That's going to be the best part of the change."
In order for this to happen, Moxam required support on a few different levels, looking to maintain an equilibrium in various aspects of his life.
"It was definitely a tough decision," he said. "Without the support of the university and my colleagues, this would probably not have happened for me.
"Without my family, the people I go home to every day, this would not have happened. I can't thank Jenn and the girls and my sons enough. With their support, I decided to give it a shot."
Moxam also remains fiercely loyal to Sudbury assistant GM Ken MacKenzie, easily the most influential man in terms of helping him carve out a career in coaching.
Though the 2017-2018 OHL campaign provided a launching pad to the collaborative efforts, from a coaching perspective, for Stillman and Moxam, their hockey connection dates back decades. The pair were teammates on the 1992-1993 Peterborough Petes team that would capture the OHL championship, downing the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in five games in the final.
That, however, was a lifetime ago, when both men were still teens and well before thoughts of a career in coaching likely ever crossed their minds.
"He's a professional and no-nonsense, very similar to myself in that aspect," said Moxam of Stillman.
"Cory is a very demanding coach, but he's very fair. Cory is open and honest. I trust him as much as anyone I've ever trusted, and we work well together, in that way. What gives me the most comfort is the fact that we're not that different, there are definite similarities in coaching philosophies.
"You don't agree on everything, but the similarities, as far as what we expect from the players, is an important part of it. I think one of the big things I can bring is the experience on the bench, having coached this age of players for upwards of 15 years now.
"We can play off each other a little bit in that way. And I have the teaching aspect, whether it be in the classroom or on the ice. I have an abundance of experience in that area. I want to be there to lend a helping hand to Cory, whenever I can.
"We're going to continue to grow as a staff. We're learning and growing together, and that's one of the most exciting parts of this opportunity."
As those who are rooted in the sport at this level are well aware, the game of hockey has changed. And it most certainly has changed drastically from the time, a full generation ago, when the current Wolves' coaches were then junior-aged players.
"To be a coach in today's game is significantly different than it was even 10 years ago," said Moxam. "I've had to change some of the philosophies that I've had, in terms of dealing with discipline and trying to get players to give you everything that they have. Head coaches are part-time psychologists these days.”
Despite the challenges, the excitement of the upcoming season is tangible with every word that Moxam utters. And despite finishing in last-place, overall, in the OHL last March, Moxam and company have no trouble identifying signs of positivity with the opening of training camp less than a month away.
"The last 20 games of the season were quite humbling, but I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could tell me that any of our players quit," he said. "I think the current leadership group on the team is great. I think the culture of this organization is going in the right direction."
As for realistic goals on a team whose most purely talented players are among the younger prospects on the squad, Moxam, once again, strikes a balance.
"No coach walks in wanting not to make the playoffs," he said. "It's critical in any year.
"I don't think you'll walk into that building and find one player, one coach, or one piece of the puzzle in that building that doesn't expect to make the playoffs. We temper our expectations, at times, and understand where we are in the process."
