Jason Cohen: The Extended Interview

Recently, while writing a review of the book Zamboni Rodeo, I had the opportunity to interview the books author, Jason Cohen.

Did your view of hockey and hockey players at all change while writing this book? If so, how and why?

I don't know if my view of hockey itself changed, but I certainly had more respect than ever for the players who aren't in the NHL. What they go through to keep playing. It's a lot of fun for them but it's still brave to go do it when the rewards aren't great.

How forthcoming were the players, coach, family and fans when it came to talking to you for the book?

I think the best stuff in the book came out of the informal moments. When you have the tape recorder on it becomes a little tighter. There were a couple of team meetings I wasn't privy too, and if I'd gone out drinking with the boys more than I did (i.e. just a little) I probably would have had a lot more trouble deciding what to leave in and out. But hockey players are straight shooters. The best thing was the book couldn't hurt that particular team, I could know stuff that, if it were in the paper at that time, would have rippled with the coach or fans, but two years later it wasn't as big a deal.

There are some very poignant moments in the book, the trials of coach Jim Burton especially, were these moments hard to write with regards getting real feelings from those involved?

I don't know if I was overly involved emotionally because I could certainly recognize when stuff like that would be good for the story (as Burty himself says). But I didn't have any objectivity at all with stuff like that. Especially Burty. Years later I can see his flaws as coach more clearly, and so can guys like Findlay and Pawluk. IT was still a dumb thing to gas him, he proved that with his subsequent success, and Lawless was never gonna be an improvement, but I'm not sure there was anything more he could have gotten out of that team at that point.

Hindsight is a great thing, how are the Ice Bats getting along now?

One reason I have that perspective is because one of the best, grittiest players in Ice Bats history is now their rookie head coach and the team is terrible. His former teammates are not responding to him and there doesn't seem to be the kind of focus and discipline that there was under the previous, more authoritarian, head coach. It is shaping up to be the worse season since the one after they fired Burty, and I feel like if I was on that bus like I was the year I wrote the book I'd be feeling the players' pain and empathizing with the coach's struggle reaching them. But I'm not so I'm a lot more frustrated with and critical of the team's poor play.

You visited Belfast in 2002 and were able to take in a Giants game, what was your impression of the team, the place and the fans?

I think whether it's Belfast or Texas what's great about these 'non-traditional' hockey markets is how much support the players get and how loud and proud the fans are. And most of all, how no matter where you are in the world if you belong to the "cult of hockey" you already have friends in every city. I had a great time there, though I'd really love to see a game against a bitter rival, or the playoff weekend. Another thing I've noticed is the smaller or more isolated a city is the better the fans are; obviously a hockey team in Manchester does not earn the same sort of passion that the Giants do, just like the Ice Bats, in a city with a major college football team, don't earn the same passion of San Angelo, Texas.

Any plans for another book?

No plans to speak of right now, but you never know. Wouldn't mind writing about the Giants!

The IceBats now reside in the Central Hockey League, a league containing former Giants Ryan Bach, at the Colorado Eagles, and Stevie Roberts, at the San Angelo Saints. How are they getting along this season?

<Bach is playing well, he got hot in the second half of the season, and is on a great team. Roberts' team is doing extremely well too, actually, and he has been solid for them. There are a few others guys from the league like Mark Kolesar who is with Wichita. And we're sort of wondering if the Eagles (Bach's team) might add a few more good players before the second week of March, which would be the deadline for getting guys in from Europe. The one I still can't believe is Robby Sandrock, that he ever had to play in our league in the first place!

Iâ??d like to thank Jason for taking the time to answer my questions.

Patrick Smyth

Zamboni Rodeo is available from Amazon.

Or directly from www.ZamboniRodeo.com

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