The cap back a little loose on his head, a nonchalant air while debiting his answers: when the cameras open, one can perceive a certain attitude in Kirby Dach.
And since the Blackhawks were quick to trade him, just three years following drafting him third overall, one might quickly draw conclusions when Dach was going through a rough patch with his new roster, the Montreal Canadiens. The reason for the exchange might easily be assimilated to an attitude problem.
But who is Kirby Dach really? A question all the more relevant that the general manager Kent Hughes had to answer it with his closest advisers before resolving to make his acquisition.
Eric Florchuk is a childhood friend of Dach. Both natives of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, the two men played minor hockey together from the age of 4. A twist of fate saw them end up in the WHL when, the year Dach was drafted into the NHL, Florchuk was traded to the Saskatoon Blades.
“You really have to get to know him to correctly interpret his behavior. Of course, he has a mania for making everything competitive, but he is a sociable person and a good person. Being a good friend of his, he was always someone I might count on when I needed him.”
Photo credit: fortaskonline.com
«Swagger»
Word of Florchuk, Dach, even at 4 years old, always rose above the fray on the ice rink. He always had this dangerous combination: great natural skills and an imposing size. The second overall selection in the WHL Bantam Draft, Dach had long been seen as a future NHL player. He quickly understood that he had a gift, and he developed a confidence in his abilities that can be confused with arrogance.
One of his former WHL coaches, Mitch Love, calls it “swagger.” Assurance that sits on the fine line between confidence and pretension.
“It is to be expected that such talented young athletes will have swagger. In Kirby’s case, he’s always had it. I think it helps him as a hockey player. To some, that may seem arrogant. But you really have to get to know the person in depth. Eventually, you find a humble, hard-working little guy who doesn’t back down from anything.”
Louis Robitaille also worked closely with Dach, at the World Under-17 Challenge with the Canadian team in 2017-2018. The hockey man has in turn deconstructed certain myths regarding the young man.
“I loved it,” he says. I think it’s a sponge. He’s a guy who, even at the age of 17, wanted to learn. Those were the years of Cole Caufield and Jack Hughes, the big American machine, and Kirby was a leader for us; he had an “A” on his sweater. He had been very, very good for our training. On the contrary, he is a guy who wants to be coaches. He’s not the guy who’s going to answer and who’s going to speak easily. Well, obviously, he’s a big guy, he looks good and he still had the National League tag on him, but he’s a nice guy to be around.
Without being able to work behind the scenes, supporters discover the personality of the players through their interactions with the media, but the exercise is often misleading.
Kirby Dach Locker Room Echoes – December 14, 2022 –
“There are a lot of star players and stars who are a little less comfortable in front of the cameras who will give that impression. [d’avoir une attitude], but in my experience with him, he has always been extraordinary, continues Robitaille. It’s not for nothing that André Tourigny named him captain of Team Canada before his injury. He was in the National Hockey League and he wanted to represent his country during the COVID year. It just shows his commitment and his level of passion for his country and his teams.
“Someone who is full of himself would have wanted to stay in the National League and he would not have been made captain of his country. Dach is not a bad person, quite the contrary.”
The Blackhawks’ decision to quit on Dach came as a huge surprise to those who know him intimately.
“You really don’t see that often…” admits Love.
“It was something that really came out of nowhere for everyone around him,” says Florchuk. I would tell you that he had a little extra motivation. He was excited to grow with players his age on a young team, but he also had something to prove following being drafted so high and then traded so quickly by Chicago.
An obsession for competition
Among the strongest aspects of Dach’s personality: his competitive side. He is obsessed with the idea of beating his friends at any game. It even becomes exhausting.
“When I want to offend him, I tell him that his younger brother [Colton] is better than him, proudly reveals Florchuk. Oh that when I told him that, it bothered him! As long as we play something and there is a competition, Kirby becomes less nice. I can attest to that because I tasted it.”
When it comes to the golf games the two friends indulge in during the off-season, Florchuk indulges in another tip.
“If Dach is a good golfer? Uh… it depends on the day.
It wasn’t Dach’s size, skating or game vision that made the biggest impression on Mitch Love while coaching the youngster in the WHL.
“The thing that stood out the most regarding him was his competitive spirit,” said the man who now leads the Calgary Flames school club in the American League. He wants to be good at everything he does. He was our best player at 17. It comes with a lot of pressure. But he found a way to be our best player by being competitive.
Kirby answers for his actions – January 26, 2023 –
And yes, as you suspected, Love kept telling Dach to shoot more…
“I had to tell him often, says the coach laughing. Often. He definitely has a penchant for passing. He has an underrated shot.”
“He has always been like that, confirms Florchuk. He loved preparing a goal from scratch for his teammates. He likes this kind of staging, but he also has a heavy shot that he needs to use more.
Recently, there has been undeniable progress in this regard. With 10 goals in 49 games this season, Dach has already broken his personal record. And what should worry National Hockey League teams is that he’s finally starting to use his big frame effectively.
“In the junior, he might get by easily since he was bigger and stronger than his peers, notes Love. But in the NHL, you have to use your body better to collect loose pucks and attack the net. I’ve been watching him lately with the Canadiens and I think he’s starting to get the hang of it. He’s still learning what he can and can’t do at this level to become an elite player.”
With nine points in his last 10 games and 32 points in total this season, it is even possible to think that at this rate, Dach might pass Nick Suzuki (38 points) and finish first among the Canadiens.
God only knows if he will be a winger or a center when the Habs play their last game of the regular season.
“It’s a good question, concedes his good friend Florchuk. He can play in both positions, that’s for sure, but I think he prefers to play in the middle. I might definitely see him end up in that position. Only time will tell.”