photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF
Edo Terglav is a name well known to anyone who follows Slovenian hockey. The 46-year-old is the current coach of the national team at the World Championship, and at the top level he played three times back in the early 2000s (2002, 2003, 2005). But he played in many more tournaments at the lower levels and is now coaching the national team for his third WM, enjoying the challenge and trying to learn so he can help the team stay up.
But his journey actually started in Canada, when he was a teenager. “I played in the Quebec Pee Wee tournament when I was 14, with Slovenia, and someone contacted me and said come and play here,” he began. “So I played double-A and then triple-A and four years in the QMJHL. It was a great experience for me, especially at a young age to learn a lot. I met my wife there. I have three boys, and two were born in Canada, so we still have a lot of connections in Canada. That's why playing against Canada was special for me.”
Today, Slovenia is a smaller hockey nation, but 30 years ago, it was a rare thing for the country to produce a top player. But Terglav was different, and even still he dreamed big.
“I was thinking about the NHL, for sure,” he continued. “That's why I went there. I got drafted by Buffalo in 1998 [249th overall], which is a big thing for someone from Slovenia, but it didn't work out. It's a tough road there. There are a lot of really good players. But it was good learning experience for me, especially as a coach now. It was a great decision.”
After leaving the Q, Terglav returned home, but not for long. “It is tough to develop as a player in Slovenia. I was 21, 22, looking for a chance to play, and I got a call from a coach in Briancon in France, and I'm still there now, 21 years later. I changed clubs about halfway, and now I've been in Grenoble the last eleven years. I went from player to head coach. I'm very open to learn new things, and that's why for me to come to this tournament is huge, to see all the other players and coaches.”
As he forged a solid career in the French league, Terglav was also playing in IIHF events for Slovenia whenever he could. That included Division I and Olympics qualifiers as well as the top level.
“The highlight for me was the World Championship in Innsbruck in 2005,” he recalled. “We beat Denmark, actually. We also played against Germany and Austria in the relegation round and managed to stay up for the next year. That was a big deal for us.”
Being relatively young and a player himself from a small nation, Terglav connects with his players perhaps more deeply than in the program of a bigger nation.
“I have a good relationship with players. I rarely talk about where I was before. I try to stay away from that because hockey changes so much over the years. But I like to talk to them, to see what they're thinking. And we have some older guys who have to show the way for the younger guys, which is so important to their progress.”
If Terglav compares that 2005 team he played on to today’s team that he coaches, what changes does he see on ice, and in the country’s development?
“It's tough in Slovenia,” he admitted. “We have only seven rinks, which is not a lot. And we don't have many players. When I came to the program, I said we need to bring up the younger guys, give us time to work with them. The older generation of players was there a long time. We needed to change the generation. We have some good prospects with players born in 2003, 2004, 2005. It's a lot of work, but in a few years we should have a team that can really compete at this level.”
In the meantime, he is trying to buy time and get his current roster to play up, to try to stay in the top pool to give those prospects as much to shoot for as possible. One young player on that 2005 team in Innsbruck was Anze Kopitar, who just retired after a Hall of Fame career with the L.A. Kings in the NHL. Is there any way Kopitar could get involved in developing hockey at home?
“He is moving back,” Terglav revealed. “I know he is attached to Slovenia, but in hockey you never know. I don't know if he wants to stay in hockey or not. Or maybe he'll take some time off. But for sure he can bring a lot, just by to talking to the young guys, showing them how he was brought up and what he went through at the start of his career.”
But his journey actually started in Canada, when he was a teenager. “I played in the Quebec Pee Wee tournament when I was 14, with Slovenia, and someone contacted me and said come and play here,” he began. “So I played double-A and then triple-A and four years in the QMJHL. It was a great experience for me, especially at a young age to learn a lot. I met my wife there. I have three boys, and two were born in Canada, so we still have a lot of connections in Canada. That's why playing against Canada was special for me.”
Today, Slovenia is a smaller hockey nation, but 30 years ago, it was a rare thing for the country to produce a top player. But Terglav was different, and even still he dreamed big.
“I was thinking about the NHL, for sure,” he continued. “That's why I went there. I got drafted by Buffalo in 1998 [249th overall], which is a big thing for someone from Slovenia, but it didn't work out. It's a tough road there. There are a lot of really good players. But it was good learning experience for me, especially as a coach now. It was a great decision.”
After leaving the Q, Terglav returned home, but not for long. “It is tough to develop as a player in Slovenia. I was 21, 22, looking for a chance to play, and I got a call from a coach in Briancon in France, and I'm still there now, 21 years later. I changed clubs about halfway, and now I've been in Grenoble the last eleven years. I went from player to head coach. I'm very open to learn new things, and that's why for me to come to this tournament is huge, to see all the other players and coaches.”
As he forged a solid career in the French league, Terglav was also playing in IIHF events for Slovenia whenever he could. That included Division I and Olympics qualifiers as well as the top level.
“The highlight for me was the World Championship in Innsbruck in 2005,” he recalled. “We beat Denmark, actually. We also played against Germany and Austria in the relegation round and managed to stay up for the next year. That was a big deal for us.”
Being relatively young and a player himself from a small nation, Terglav connects with his players perhaps more deeply than in the program of a bigger nation.
“I have a good relationship with players. I rarely talk about where I was before. I try to stay away from that because hockey changes so much over the years. But I like to talk to them, to see what they're thinking. And we have some older guys who have to show the way for the younger guys, which is so important to their progress.”
If Terglav compares that 2005 team he played on to today’s team that he coaches, what changes does he see on ice, and in the country’s development?
“It's tough in Slovenia,” he admitted. “We have only seven rinks, which is not a lot. And we don't have many players. When I came to the program, I said we need to bring up the younger guys, give us time to work with them. The older generation of players was there a long time. We needed to change the generation. We have some good prospects with players born in 2003, 2004, 2005. It's a lot of work, but in a few years we should have a team that can really compete at this level.”
In the meantime, he is trying to buy time and get his current roster to play up, to try to stay in the top pool to give those prospects as much to shoot for as possible. One young player on that 2005 team in Innsbruck was Anze Kopitar, who just retired after a Hall of Fame career with the L.A. Kings in the NHL. Is there any way Kopitar could get involved in developing hockey at home?
“He is moving back,” Terglav revealed. “I know he is attached to Slovenia, but in hockey you never know. I don't know if he wants to stay in hockey or not. Or maybe he'll take some time off. But for sure he can bring a lot, just by to talking to the young guys, showing them how he was brought up and what he went through at the start of his career.”
