Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Departing Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson made probably the most of his three seasons with the AHL’s senior-most franchise. Together with the pig roasts, team-bonding outings and memorable quips got here a whole lot of wins.
Nelson, who led the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships, left Hershey on June 20 to change into an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After components of 11 seasons as an AHL head coach during which his 450 regular-season wins rank him fifth all-time, Nelson goes again to the NHL.
The 56-year-old Nelson, who had already gained the Calder Cup thrice – as soon as every as a participant, assistant coach and head coach – earlier than coming to Hershey in 2022, departs the Bears with a stack of spectacular achievements. He went 141-53-12-10 in 216 regular-season video games, his .704 level proportion one of the best amongst any head coach in Hershey’s 88 seasons within the AHL.
The Bears gained the 2023 Calder Cup in Nelson’s first season with the crew, a wild, back-and-forth seven-game battle with the Coachella Valley Firebirds that went to a Sport 7 time beyond regulation end. As a follow-up, he took them to a 53-14-0-5 file in 2023-24 and gained the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award because the AHL’s most excellent coach. The Bears once more defeated Coachella Valley within the Calder Cup Finals, this time in six video games. And whereas a bid fell brief to change into the primary crew to win three consecutive Calder Cup championships since 1962, the Bears nonetheless gained the Atlantic Division regular-season title this previous season. He represented the crew twice on the AHL All-Star Traditional as properly.
With that type of success got here loads of reputation and safety with Hershey. He additionally had indicated his choice to be a head coach a number of instances up to now. However, his work in Hershey attracted NHL curiosity. Then got here a telephone name from Pittsburgh.
“I used to be actually torn about what to do,” Nelson acknowledged. “When Pittsburgh got here calling, I simply wished to speak to them. I used to be very intrigued about what they needed to say. I knew some folks in administration there, however I didn’t know (president of hockey operations and normal supervisor) Kyle Dubas in any respect. I didn’t know (new head coach) Dan Muse, however each dialog I had, I began getting extra intrigued. I just like the course that Kyle has for the Penguins, and I simply began weighing issues out, and I feel it was simply time for a brand new chapter. I talked to lots of people about it. It was a tricky determination, however it’s a terrific alternative for me.
“I’m wanting ahead to it. Clearly I’m going to overlook Hershey. I’ll cherish Hershey perpetually.”
Nelson believes that his time in Hershey put him again in robust competition for NHL work. He had gained the Calder Cup with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017 after which went to the Dallas Stars as an assistant coach in 2018 for 4 seasons. However by the top of that tenure in Dallas, the crew had gone by way of a head-coaching change and had even missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020-21.
“I type of bought in a scenario the place there’s a whole lot of motion with the teaching employees, and so my position wasn’t as large. My inventory type of went down,” Nelson stated.
“Coming into Hershey and having success put me again on the map. It was an important a part of my profession. Grand Rapids, that was nice and every thing, however some folks could say that was a fluke or no matter. However whenever you win three as a head coach… there’s a cause why the identical folks win on a regular basis.”
Whereas Hershey itself could also be a small city, the Bears have a large following, together with attracting followers from Washington, D.C., the house of the father or mother Capitals. Nelson got here to Hershey totally conscious of the crew’s significance to the world, and his three seasons solely intensified that perception.
“Individuals drive a protracted method to come watch the Hershey Bears play,” Nelson stated. “And the 2 playoff runs we had after we gained the Cup, you simply take a look at the social media posts and other people from Australia, Nice Britain, in all places all around the world are following the Hershey Bears… Individuals count on you to win.”
To handle, meet, and exceed these expectations, Nelson relied on his easy-going, low-key, humorous persona to handle his gamers. On the few events that did name for a extra confrontational really feel, he had constructed up sufficient credibility together with his gamers that they’d take these stern phrases critically. Nelson has admitted that earlier in his teaching profession that he struggled to stability these contrasting approaches. Having honed his teaching fashion by way of the years, Nelson burdened a team-first, family-like setting above all else. He usually pulled away from over-analyzing every win or loss throughout the common season, selecting to emphasise a longer-term view that prioritized his crew coming collectively, constructing robust habits, and getting ready themselves for postseason success.
“No person likes a yeller and a screamer each time,” Nelson stated. “Gamers simply block that out. I attempt to maintain it regular. The most important factor that I’ll at all times keep in mind is how we got here collectively as a crew. That’ll be the most important takeaway I’ll have… how a lot the gamers love one another, wish to play exhausting for one another.
“That’s the place it will get emotional, since you see how a lot they care.”
With Nelson leaving – together with a number of gamers – the 2025-26 model of the Bears should discover its personal means. However the final three years supplied loads of recollections for Bears followers to savor.
“I’ve bought to say due to Washington and Hershey,” Nelson stated. “It was a unbelievable three years. It actually was. We had a whole lot of success, and it was a whole lot of enjoyable. I wish to say thanks to the followers as properly and administration and all of the employees. Hopefully Hershey continues their success.”
On the American Hockey League beat for twenty years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally presently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
