Pascal Vincent: A Coach Transformed by Adversity

Vincent was in limbo. Would he remain as the head coach once the new GM was hired? Or would they bring in their own head coach? The answer wouldn’t be revealed for two months.

Vincent Still Involved

The Blue Jackets’ season was over. But their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, were in the midst of a serious playoff run. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

During that run, the Blue Jackets finally made a decision on who their next general manager would be. The team hired Don Waddell on May 28 after spending several seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Waddell immediately said upon his hiring that he would take his time to get to know everyone before making any decisions. This meant at least to start, Vincent was still the head coach of the Blue Jackets.

The Monsters trailed 3-0 to Hershey in the Eastern Conference Finals. They grinded out a 3-2 win in Game 4 to force a Game 5 on Saturday June 8 in Cleveland.

The Monsters won Game 5 by a 5-1 score to send the series back to Hershey. But it was in that postgame in which interesting things were observed.

The Blue Jackets management group walked to the locker room after the game. Within that group was coach Vincent. Just 11 days after Waddell was hired, Vincent was actively involved with the team. Perhaps there was a chance he was staying?

Not so fast. Just nine days after Game 5, Waddell made the decision to fire Vincent just after one season. Again, life can come at you fast.

Here is what Waddell said when the decision was made to fire Vincent. “As I spent time with Pascal over the past few weeks, I found him to be an outstanding person and smart hockey coach who worked very hard last year under trying circumstances, but I believe a change behind the bench is in our team’s best interest. On behalf of the organization I want to thank Pascal for his work ethic, professionalism and contributions during his three seasons with the Blue Jackets.”

While it’s unknown exactly what factors led to this decision, it was clear the Blue Jackets were seeking a fresh start. For Vincent, his tenure as head coach was as challenging as any in recent memory. It was fair to wonder what was next after enduring a season full of every kind of adversity you could imagine.

What a Difference a Year Truly Makes

The Blue Jackets went on to hire Dean Evason. For Vincent, he wasn’t out of work long. He was still a good and respected coach. But it was clear his next role would be a step backwards.

Exactly one month after being fired by the Blue Jackets, Vincent was hired as the new head coach of the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.

The 2024-25 season reminded everyone just how good of a coach Vincent is. He led the Rocket to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy awarded to the team with the most points or highest points percentage. They tied with the Syracuse Crunch for fewest goals allowed in the AHL.

This led to Vincent winning this season’s AHL Coach of the Year award. This was the second time in his career winning this award. He won it in 2017-18 as the head coach of the Manitoba Moose.

On Friday night, just 11 months after walking through the halls of Rocket Arena as the head coach of the Blue Jackets, Vincent led the Rocket to a convincing 4-0 win in Game 2 of their best-of-5 series over the Monsters putting them on the brink of elimination. What a difference a year truly makes indeed.

The Hockey Writers caught up with coach Vincent on Friday night to reflect on his one season with the Blue Jackets. Two things were abundantly clear in our five-minute conversation with him. First, he’s very happy where he’s at right now. And then second, he is a better coach today thanks to his time in Columbus.

“I still feel quite privileged that I got the opportunity,” Vincent said. It was not an easy thing to do four days before training camp, but still, the things I’ve learned last year as a head coach in the National Hockey League, you have to walk in those shoes in order to learn them. I’ve learned so many things and it makes me such a better coach right now. Good things. I’ve learned good things. I’ve learned things that I wouldn’t do again. So I’m very honest and trying to be very objective with what we’ve done. It was a tough, tough situation from start to finish but I’m very grateful I had the opportunity.”

Vincent will never forget all of the ups and downs his one season as head coach of the Blue Jackets brought him. Even to this day, he is happy for the fans to see the team seemingly on the rise.

“I’m happy for the season they had,” Vincent said. “I’m thinking about the young guys, how we started the year last year and the growth last year even though sometimes it’s hard to see at the moment. But where they are today, twenty four months later, I’m happy for the fans. If there’s one thing, whoever knows me, they know I really, really enjoyed Columbus. I saw Jared Boll the other day here (at Game 1.) And told him that we miss Columbus quite a bit. So I’m happy for the fans. I’m happy for the young guys. I think the future looks great. And that’s what we said last year. We’re so close to turning the corner. I think this year, they made another step. Next year will be even better. So really happy for them.”

Adversity in life can be the very thing to springboard someone ahead. Vincent says he’s grown a lot thanks to the adversity he faced in 2023-24. He feels much more prepared for a potential second chance as a head coach in the NHL. How much more prepared is he?

“Oh, it’s not even close. It’s not even close,” Vincent said. I feel like everything that could go wrong last year went wrong. I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit in just one year. And even just this summer, working with (Babcock) all summer, and then getting the team and then then having to figure out the coaching staff last second and dealing with the injuries and everything that happened during the season, I’ve grown a lot. So it’s the coach I was a year ago and the coach that I am today, I feel like I’ve grown ten years in that year.”

Laval Off & Running

The Monsters had to play a best-of-3 to earn the right to play the Rocket. The Rocket have not allowed a single 5-on-5 goal to the Monsters in the first two games of the series.

Vincent has them playing a fast and aggressive style. In his mind, it’s a total team commitment to see the results they’re getting.

“Well, it’s you know what? It’s a combination of different things,” Vincent said. “We finished first in the league in goals against this year, and that’s a big reason why we finished first in the league in the standings. It’s a commitment from all of our players. First of all, we’re very aggressive, and that’s my style of coaching. Very aggressive with and without the puck. All the players bought into it, and we’re defending in groups of five all over the ice. Our defense starts in the offensive zone, the way we forecheck, the way we forecheck in the neutral zone, the way we come back. I think everything works together. Goalies are playing good because you’re playing well in front of them. It creates that kind of confidence in the forwards and in the D that your goalie will make the saves when they need them. I’m very proud of them for buying into what we’re trying to do.”

Even when Cayden Primeau got the call to the Canadiens, the Rocket didn’t miss a step. Goaltender Jacob Fowler has come in and shut the door on the Monsters. Vincent has been very impressed with what he’s seen early from Fowler.

“It is impressive. Young guy, but it seems that the words I’ve used in French was he seems comfortable. We have a room that is very inclusive. So the guy walks in and it’s they make him feel like he’s been part of a team since day one. So that’s number one. He has a real good attitude. He’s a real good teammate. He’s extremely talented. But he’s got this mindset that he feels he can play. He feels he can be a difference maker, and he is. So we’re lucky to have him.”

Final Thoughts

The 2023-24 season for the Blue Jackets was rough on many levels. Vincent was thrown into the fire days before camp trying to get ready for the season. It was hectic and chaotic early and often. It was tough on everyone involved.

If he has his way on Sunday, Vincent could end the Monsters’ season with a win in Game 3.

But through the adversity, Vincent learned important lessons that he has applied to himself today to make him a better coach. He is more prepared than ever for another shot at the NHL.

Of all the years of coaching in his career, it will be the one rough season in Columbus that Vincent will remember the most. It gave him the lessons and adversity he needed to be a better coach today. The 2024-25 Laval Rocket are proof he has taken those lessons to heart.